As Theresa May gets humiliated in the Brexit talks, the hardliners will blame Brussels. But it is them and our hapless prime minister who are cocking things up. And the public knows it.
Before May’s disastrous election, her plan was to be a “bloody difficult woman”. If the negotiations broke down, she’d just crash out of the EU without a deal. Although this would cause chaos, she’d pin the blame on the EU. She’d get away with it because her cheerleaders in the Brexit press would back her to the hilt and the BBC wouldn’t say boo to a goose.
This game plan no longer works. May won’t get parliamentary backing to crash out without a deal. So she’s condemned to stick with the talks – and make climb-down after climb-down in her desperation to get a deal.
Even though our flip-flop queen made eight more u-turns in her Florence speech, that still wasn’t enough to get the EU to discuss even the transitional arrangement she is pleading for. May is planning to make more concessions on money and the role of EU judges in order to kickstart talks on the transition, according to The Times. She’ll do this after next week’s Tory conference to avoid angering her supporters.
Brexiters are trying to point the finger at Brussels for being unreasonable. But this doesn’t wash with the voters. In the latest YouGov poll, only 21% thought the government was making a good fist of the negotiations.
You can see why. The Leave campaign was based on a pack of lies. Brexiters told us the divorce would be easy because Germany was desperate to sell us BMWs. They told us the EU needed us more than we need it. This isn’t true: 12% of our economy depends on exports to the EU; only 3% of their economy depends on exports to us. So we need them more than they need us.
Boris Johnson told us we could have our cake and eat it. This isn’t true either. To get access to the EU’s single market we have to play by its rules.
When she became prime minister, May had a perfect chance to fess up to the people and tell them Brexit wouldn’t be a walk in the park. But she went along with the Leave campaign’s fantasies.
May then triggered Article 50, without a plan. Six months later, after an election she promised not to call, she still doesn’t have one. Now her authority is shot to bits, she can’t even impose a plan on the warring factions in her Cabinet.
The public sees all this.
What’s more, the opposition is finally landing its punches. Jeremy Corbyn isn’t pro-European, but he has the wind in his sails and won’t let May pin the blame for her mistakes on Brussels.
So don’t even try it, Brexiters. Your best bet, even at this late stage, is to start being honest. Admit we need the EU. Admit there’s no cake. And hope the voters forgive you.
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Edited by Luke Lythgoe
Good article but I can’t see them ever coming clean even with themselves. I think the crunch will come once divorce conditions are agreed. We will be politely informed that we should not expect any special treatment and in future to contact them through the same channels reserved for all non EU members.
“Don’t even try blame game, Brexiters!”
why shouldn’t they keep doing what they’ve already been doing for the past 40+ years ?
so far, it looks like a resounding success to them …
Are you sure the public sees all this. There appears to be a virtual absence of any commentary about the clear benefits of Remaining, and helping to develop the EU in its reformation. The dross press continues with its jingoistic front pages – from Telegraph to Mail. The BBC – despite Laura’s efforts to present a bi-partisan picture to the gullibles is over-egging the efforts to be seen as fair. Brexit will not be fair in the event!
Where, for goodness sake is a credible force offering clear, concise information that will be understood by the illiterati – and that maintains a public persona providing regular, understandable information across a spectrum of issues (e.g.700 + pieces of legislation) . Are you really sure the public sees all this?
I was fairly neutral on Brexit but tilted more towards Brexit than remaining.
Now after all the lies coming out of Brexitiers…NHS bull S***t:
then add the latest one on international trade counting in gold movements
then add staggering incompetence of the negotiations
I have moved decisively to Remain
I am ashamed to be represented by these idiots!
Just waiting for the day when this shambles admits it’s all too much for the UK to be separated from the European union. Eat humble pie and apologise for putting everyone through months of anguish and for causing the biggest division of opinion the country has ever seen.
Starbuck is right. The anti-Eu campaign has been going for forty years and has ensured its success with the EU Referendum. General ignorance of the public combined with and exploited by the Europhobic press has resulted in the situation we are now in. These two factors will continue to produce the effect they have already had in the past so what will change the present situation? Certainly an intelligent informed effort to educate the general public would help but surely something must change in Westminster if Brexit is to be avoided with MP’s at last having the courage to act in the national interest. To begin with they could agree to answer Mr Grayling’s accusations in this week New European newspaper with his call to recognize their appalling dereliction of duty in never ever having debated in Parliament the advisory result of last years referendum.
“This game plan no longer works. May won’t get parliamentary backing to crash out without a deal. So she’s condemned to stick with the talks – and make climb-down after climb-down in her desperation to get a deal.”
So the EU can negotiate from a position of strength whereas May will have one arm tied behind her back, since her strongest threat is denied to her.
Largely this has always been the story of the Tory party in the EU. The UK’s position has always weakened by wrangling within the Tory party and Labour hasn’t done much better. Look at Cameron’s pathetic attempts at negotiation prior to the Referendum. Bottom line is that had we remained in the EU our influence would always have been less than little Luxembourg due to political wranglings in this country. Thank goodness we are leaving.