I quibble with his claim that Brexit ensured “no populists in Parliament” when they have taken over the Tory party, but he was right to say protectionists are winning the post-Brexit battles for all the campaigners’ talk of free trade. He asked what happened to those “sunlit uplands” and staying close to Europe, pointing out service exports to the community had fallen twice as fast as to the rest of the world while most “new” trade deals cheered by Brexiteers were just rolled over EU agreements. Fraser Nelson, the influential Spectator editor, last week wrote a remorseful column in which he said he had been seduced to the Brexit cause by talk of Global Britain.
#Undeniable book torrent torrent#
Sadly, as so often with Johnson, this turned out to be a torrent of empty words, seemingly to make people believe he was worthy of national leadership.
He even claimed Brexit would “take the wind out of the sails” of those “playing politics” with immigration. In his key post-Brexit strategy paper on foreign policy, there was a firm pledge to “enjoy constructive and productive relationships with our neighbours… based on mutual respect for sovereignty”.
Days after the vote, he spoke of “intensifying” co-operation, even retaining access to the single market. Johnson talked bullishly about bonding with Europe on fresh terms. Yet whether in or out of the European Union, our role in the world must be rooted in a strong relationship with neighbours, especially at a time of intense worldwide challenges to democracy. Global Britain was – like “levelling up” and “taking back control” – a marketing slogan in search of substance. And now we see again a vivid demonstration of the shallowness of the grandiose talk of Global Britain, exposed by a stumbling Prime Minister who retreats into jokes or resorts to insulting allies when the going gets tough. Many problems have been inflamed – from the chronic staff crisis crippling social care through to supply chain problems exposed in the pandemic – as firms were snared in red tape and free movement ended. It has turned out to be a flawed idea, certainly on the terms pushed by Boris Johnson and implemented without planning or strategy by his inept government. Alas, it is now beyond rational debate that Brexiteers sold false dreams. How nice it would have been if proved wrong. Besides, it was outweighed by the foolishness of throwing away the best deal in Europe, with a cut-price deal for the Brussels club of nations and without the currency. Ultimately, I did not trust the populists promoting such a concept, given their stance on issues such as immigration and our colonial past that ran counter to this vision. During those far-off days when Brexit was an idea rather than a reality, there was always one part of the argument that appealed to me: the idea of Global Britain, engaging with the world on its own terms as a powerful force for good.
0 kommentar(er)
