UK local elections: Nightmare for Brexit

Collectively, the British political class simply does not understand its people: they cannot see that Brexit parties lost in Thursday's poll, Remain parties won

The leaders of the Conservative and Labour Parties appear not to understand their electorate, the British political landscape or the climate in the country, claiming that the local elections results (which penalized the Conservatives heavily and Labour to a lesser extent) have more to do with the people wanting Brexit to be delivered than the contrary. This, a totally wrong assumption, at least is the slant in today's British media.

The Establishment wants Brexit

It is a message which has been pushed by the Establishment time and time again since that fateful day in 2016 when just over half of those who voted decided that Brexit would be a good idea, without having a clue about the consequences and without understanding that the reasons given by pro-Brexit politicians were in fact barefaced lies.

Brexit? 'S'a fish n' chips, innit?

Quotes from those who voted to leave the European Union and the reasons for the decision have become anecdotal and bear witness to a stunning level of political immaturity among the population. Classic snippets heard up and down the country are "We want to take our country back from the Pakis" (Pakistanis, nothing to do with the European Union), "We don't want them Somalians coming in here like Germany" (confusing Somalis with Syrians and the 2015 refugee crisis, nothing to do with Europe), " 'S'a fish n' chips, innit = It is the fish and chips, isn't it" (perhaps the most idiotic "reason" given) and "We want to take our country back from Brussels" (demonstrating a total ignorance of the powers of national courts and the judicial system).

Fear-mongering, mistruths, sheer idiocy, are the mainstays underlining the Brexit phenomenon. However these are the soundbites reiterated time and time again in the media, which has adopted a "just get on with it approach", mirrored in the comments of the British political class at large, who interpret yesterday's slaps in the face for the Tories and Labour (both associated with Brexit and both associated with being against a second referendum) as frustration that Brexit has not been delivered.

The people do not want Brexit

This could not be farther from the truth. What the leadership of the Conservative/Tory and Labour Parties have never understood is the fact that today in 2019 most people do not want Brexit, want to remain in the European Union and at least want a second referendum. Anyone with a modicum of common sense, reading the political results, can see the following, crystal clear: the three parties associated with Brexit (Conservative, Labour and UKIP) all lost seats in the local elections, the two parties gaining votes being the pro-Remain Parties, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens.

Brexit loses, Remain wins

Brexit loses, Remain wins. Not a single opinion poll today places a Brexit vote above a Remain vote and the gap is widening. It is widening because the people of England and Wales now realise (the Scots and Northern Irish voted to Remain) that if you are a member of a club with which you do half your trade for free, then to leave and have to pay for membership, and without a voice, you will necessarily incur penalties.

Experts at Universities, in think tanks, public institutions, economists, jurists, professionals engaged in trade and commerce, policymakers, opinion makers and politicians with careers a mile long are unanimous in stating that with Brexit, the UK is making a massive mistake. The extra payment to do business with the EU, on the UK's doorstep, will be picked up by higher costs for imports, more expensive (so fewer) exports, higher taxation, less money for public services, massive unemployment which inside the EU today is booming, so more social benefit payments, more families going under, more companies going under, rising crime rates, more social costs.

The result will be a huge step back in social development terms and a disaster in public socio-economics, the shockwaves of which will be felt for years to come.

This, it appears that Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn refuse to face, cannot understand or else are too afraid to do the right thing, chalk Brexit up as a pie-in-the-sky, Bullingdon-type balls-up masterminded by David Cameron, an idea which in practice simply does not work and cancel it. The democratic get-out-of-jail card is the second referendum but again one that these two leaders refuse to play.

History will judge them as the dynamic duo who led the UK off the cliff, destroyed the country's Small and Medium Enterprise fabric, sold the country and the future of its youth down the road, exactly at a time when the youth wish to Remain but by then it will be too late.

Britain once again is making a gigantic mistake, is caught up in its own mists of fantasy and has become embroiled in a nightmare of its own making.

Brexit? "S'a fish n' chips, innit?"

Photo: By Henry Fuseli - wartburg.eduimage, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1170857

Nightmare, by John Henry Fuseli

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey