Unreconstructed Remainers: The Last Outing

There are those Remainers like Grayson Perry who after 2016 acquired a modicum of reflective humility about how little they probably represent those whom they once thought they spoke for. 

But there are plenty who did not.  The Graun, which these days rarely opens its CiF pieces for BTL comments (which itself speak volumes) has today seen fit to open the floodgates under a Brexit piece.  And what a deluge it is; some 2,000 gobbets of turgid Remainerist bile, deposited in a mere three hours on a Christmas Sunday morning.

The Comment piece that sits grandly above it is from none other than Will Hutton, the man who destroyed that once estimable institution the Industrial Society, a story for another day.  Funnily enough, while predicting we'll be back to the EU on our knees within the decade, even Hutton is obliged to acknowledge a list of detailed achievements the UK made in last week's trade agreement.  No such qualifying remarks in the bilge below, which as a body of unrestrained online echo-chamber emotion could serve as a data-source for a psycho-sociological thesis on the low intellectual content of metropolitan *progressive* thought.

What's perhaps most striking is the sheer raging impotence of it, what with Starmer whipping in for a supportive vote in Parliament.  That'll be the next major belly-laugh on offer in this bleak Covid midwinter.

Although many of these people will still be fuming in their smart progressive sitting rooms and their rancid progressive bedsits for years to come, I can't see there being many more outburst-outings quite like this one.

ND  

Gina Miller on the Stump

"Philanthropist"

So, earlier this week I attended this meejah-related bash, after which the guest address was given by none other than Gina Miller, billed as a "philanthropist".

Now a very large % of the audience were in at least one, but mostly two (or even 3?) of the following categories (a) academics [albeit University of Westminster**];  (b) meejah-wallahs, particularly in broadcasting & political correspondents;  (c) metro-types.  So we're kinda expecting a bit of Remain-bias, yes?

Well.  Ms Miller got a respectful hearing; but the lengthy Q&A should have been less than encouraging for her.  Basically she got rock-all: a thorough, if genteel, going-over.

Naturally, this was all couched in reasoned terms.  But one has to suspect her attitude also doesn't help her cause, leading to a bit of ad hominem flak coming her way from people who otherwise might be quite inclined to give the benefit of the doubt.  Her demeanour, unsurprisingly, is one of being quite exceptionally pleased with herself.  She then lets fly with remarks like "people should never have been given a vote on Europe".  Apparently (someone told me afterwards) she is prone to turning up wearing a fur coat.++

All in all, she might well have gone away sadder and wiser.  But it seems unlikely.

Added to the jollity of the evening for me, anyway.

ND

_______________________
** in case anyone thinks this unfair, check the rankings (in the range 56th to 108th in five I quickly checked)
++ though not on a hot evening in June

Dreaming of Macron

In many respects it's surprising there hasn't been more talk of a third party before now.  Given that a big majority of MPs were pro Remain - at least, until they saw which way their constituents voted - one could have imagined a Remainder voting-bloc in Parliament with sufficient cohesion (maybe even whipping) to constitute a single-issue Party of sorts.

But to date we've only seen the faintest shadow of such organisation: too little to count as a real entity, so far as I can judge.  And then, this weekend, the papers seem to have been briefed that a well-funded new party is on the way.  The Observer / Grauniad is, of course, a particular sucker for this stuff: Polly Toynbee even became an SDP candidate all those years ago.   

The sponsors are obviously dreaming of a Macron in British clothing.  (Polly probably dreams of Macron without any clothing - a charismatic frog with a penchant for older women ...)  These 'third party' fads come round from time to time, for sure: but it really isn't the British Way.

Speaking of Macron, myself & Mrs D have just returned from our usual spring break in Paris, where once again we have been incommoded by the French unions en grève.  We did at least avoid being gassed this time; but they are still a bloody nuisance.   Interestingly, as well as being determined to thwart Macron's plans to reform the French economy, the sans-culottes are protesting that the EU is a conspiracy to eliminate French public services (by which they mean, state ownership of public services, a hallowed concept for many over there).

Our French friends tell us Macron in turn is 100% determined to face them down.  Obviously, Sarkozy and Hollande both tried and failed; but he's convinced he's different.  Maybe he is - his mandate is seemingly big enough, and it's his big bid for gloire éternelle - but only time will tell.

Anyhow:  hard to see where the Remainders are going to find a Brit equivalent to lead their third party.   Are any C@W readers limbering up to join such an enterprise?

ND

UPDATE - here's an academic review of the psephological challenges faced by a putative 3rd party in UK politics  [ link now fixed ]

A post where I worry for remainers...just a little.

There has been recently the odd article in the UK press where many of the people who voted Remain seem to be moving on to the new stage of acceptance. Not of course with still pouring bile over those who voted Leave, but still, progress.


However, now they have a touch more clarity to their anger they have started to piece together the real puzzle. The EU is a wounded animal, not a rational actor, it is also the sum of its parts and not a monolithic entity. Many of those parts now hate the UK, indeed they have to for their own electoral survival (see Dutch Prime Minister comments of any time in the past 3 months).


These types have appointed Michel Barnier to lead the Brexit negotiation. He has already made it clear there is no negotiation. The UK Government knows this and is preparing as such, of course they have to make noises to keep the Lib Dems and media people happy. The real plan is to wait and hope for rapid political change in Europe during 2017


Some of these remain types then mis-interpret this charade as the Government not having a plan, of they do, but it will be MASSIVELY UNPOPULAR with the remainers, so they pretend not to for now. They can worry about that battle later.


However, at this point the remainers are going to be very sad indeed because Brexit will mean Brexit and that will be that. Discussions will be around the real core issues of whether people can stay in the Country, not what level of access we have to the customs union etc.


To date, most remainers have been happily convincing themselves that all will be fine, maybe we won't even leave etc. Now they are seeing the EU won't allow this as an option and the Referendum is going to mean Brexit.


How ironic, they thought PM May was mindless with her "Brexit means" Brexit tautology - when in fact she was being very clear and honest. I hope they cope with this without too much rioting, but I have my doubts.