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Regret is not a policy I just heard, on the telly, the leader of the Lib Dems repeat his support for a return by Britain to the EU. Other Lib Dems on the same show are echoing him. The Empire Loyalists of our time. They’ll attract a small lump of enthusiasts, who will spend the rest of their lives insisting that they were right to oppose Brexit. And everyone else will watch and say: so what? Even most of those who voted Remain themselves. Regret is not a policy.
– Brian Micklethwait
This was too perfect not to warrant a little post of its own.
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And having held up two fingers & voted OUT once, do these fools think the EU would actually want the UK back?
Regret over something that you haven’t done and show no sign of actually doing is a bit premature.
Dream on Staghound. It is happening.
Most remainers were the ordinary people of the status quo type–better the devil they know etc. Indeed the SQ usually wins and would have were the EU hierarchy not the arrogant scum of the Earth. Most have no real commitment to the EU and remain support will inevitably sink. Even a smidgen of freedom will show them the benefits of freedom. Which is why May and the gang need to be watched like hawks.
The Remain whingers however are well-off, middle/upper class, cultural Marxist, London Bubble scum. Their poxy kids bright future–ie joining the EU boss class and lording it over the rest of us– HAS taken a mighty kick to the knackers. They can still try joining the UK boss class but I believe they have even more trouble coming their way. It will have to be so if there is to be any worthwhile future for any of us. Statism and socialism produce only ruin and death.
In Scotland, a sizeable proportion of Remain voters were not EU enthusiasts but just eager to avoid any resurgence of indyref talk – and foolish enough to believe all the major parties’ explanations that voting ‘remain’ was the way to avoid it. This – like much else from the remain camp – was always obviously the reverse of what was likely (regardless of the outcome of the overall Brexit vote), but my and others’ explanations fought an uphill struggle against the unanimous smart-set explanation (or rather, the “think-they’re-smart”-set explanation 🙂 ). One effect of Sturgeon’s shooting her mouth off post-vote has been to cure that particular misconception, sensibly diminishing support for remain in Scotland in any likely future. So I think Brian will prove right here as well as down south.
The Empire Loyalists were, however, wise to the EEC when first we sought to join under that old showman Harold Macmillan.
They have not lost yet.
If Britain “remains in the single market” – i.e. subject to endless E.U. regulations, we will be in the E.U. in all but name.
So called “Hard Brexit” is actually the only real independence, the E.U. must not be allowed to impose its regulations on the domestic British economy or with our trade with third parties.
Exports to the E.U. would indeed by subject to E.U. regulations – just as exports to Canada are subject to Canadian regulations. Canada does not demand that people in London live according to Canadian regulations – and the E.U. should not demand that people in this country live according to their regulations.
Um, did I miss an article 50 being filed? Because until that happens, this is all just talk. Don’t get me wrong, I want it to happen- but I have seen absolutely nothing that leads me to believe it actually will.
The Brexiters are like a spouse who says
“I know you don’t want a divorce, but I do. Go file the papers.”
Regret could become a policy. Just keep apologizing for everything and anything that has happened in your history. Think only of the monochrome past, not the technicolour future.
Congratulations! You’ve just become a Social Justice Warrior!
Staghounds is just wasting your time as he clearly has no idea how politics works in the UK. There is a “Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union” (arch anti EU David Davis) in the cabinet.
Regret is not a policy, except for the policy of holding a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU on the basis of regret at having joined in the first place?
No Rob, the referendum was held to once and for all pull out the thorn of Euro-Scepticism within the Tory Party by putting the issue beyond debate for evermore. And it did exactly what it was intended to do, just not in the manner the grandees intended 😉
We can all accept now that the UK will be leaving the EU. Not even the most ardent Remainer can hide the fact that the rest of the EU clearly wants us out and is looking forward to the day that happens (and take our city jobs, agencies etc).
However, what is required here is an orderly exit that is going to cause the least damage. We don’t want to stay in the Single Market forever, but, as politics is a messy business, the reality is that the UK transitions gradually from being in the Single Market to leaving it, and this is going to take more than two years sadly, perhaps via the Norway/EEA option. Taking the ‘hard’ Brexit approach is not going to do anyone any favours, in fact, it could even inadvertently create more pro-EU feeling, as most people will fear the economic consequences of being thrown out of the Single Market on our arses and resorting to default WTO trade policies. In other words, the status quo seems like the safer option.
In an ideal world we should have alternative trade agreements set up by the time we leave, but none of our current politicians (and the state of our civil service) give me much hope.
Paul,
I can’t see how we can sign up to single market terms, because this will require freedom of movement, and that is clearly not going to be on offer from the UK (the civil service of which seems to have taken the wrong message from the referendum…).
All the best,
Allan
Regret is not a policy
Though there’s many a policy made by Puritans trying (in vain) to prevent that malady from descending upon the benighted. It is nearly impossible to obtain equality of outcome if the stain of “regret” were to manifest itself. Therefore, no choices/no regrets.
I can’t see the single market option happening now. Nor do we want it. It could take us twenty years before we get out of that.
Watchman – I had hoped I had myself clear.
I am AGAINST E.U. regulations continuing to apply to our domestic affairs and to our trade with third parties.
If E.U. regulations continue to have legal force in our internal affairs and our trade with third parties (outside the E.U.) then “Brexit” is a farce – not British independence.