I was not surprised by the resignation of Sir Ivan Rogers, the UK's ambassador to the EU, yesterday. Who in their right minds would want to be around for the shambles to come? And who would want to take the insults from the right wing press, however well you did your job, thankless as it might be?
I was, however, shocked by the reaction of Nigel Farage and the suggestion that many Tories thought that this was a late Christmas present. Farage was explicit: he felt Sir Ivan was the first of many civil servants who had to go to make Brexit possible. The implication is obvious, and I suspect shared across Brexit sentiment, and is that an independent, expert and qualified civil service is now an impediment to a government dedicated to defy all logic and leave the EU, whatever the cost. As the Guardian noted yesterday:
Signs continue to abound that British Eurosceptics still inhabit an entirely different planet, let alone continent, from everyone else in 2017.
Worse, they inhabit a place outside the tradition which has underpinned the UK's democracy for much more than a century. Sir Ivan's resignation letter (which I had not seen when I wrote everything to this point) makes clear that is his concern:
For my part, I hope that in my day-to-day dealings with you I have demonstrated the values which I have always espoused as a public servant. I hope you will continue to challenge ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking and that you will never be afraid to speak the truth to those in power. I hope that you will support each other in those difficult moments where you have to deliver messages that are disagreeable to those who need to hear them. I hope that you will continue to be interested in the views of others, even where you disagree with them, and in understanding why others act and think in the way that they do. I hope that you will always provide the best advice and counsel you can to the politicians that our people have elected, and be proud of the essential role we play in the service of a great democracy.
Such public servants are, of course, experts. Some will undoubtedly have opinions I would not agree with. Some will be no good. Others will be excellent. What they are is indispensable. In business it is normal for employees to follow their bosses' line, even when they can see it mistaken. This is the way in which disasters like RBS happen. In the civil service that has not been the case. Opinion has been offered instead. Counter arguments have had to be considered. It's not always worked, of course, but it's vastly better than the private sector 'yes man' alternative. And now it is clear that the desire is to sweep this away and we will all pay the price for that. It's as if taking back control means abandoning everything of merit.
2017 has not started well. And I am more worried now.
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The only silver lining I saw last night on the TV was how arrogant Farage seemed when he was questioned on Channel 4 by Jon Snow. Farage’s (and UKIP) biggest weakness is how they seem to lose it when faced with a victory of some sort – they just seem to become more rabid, more dogmatic and this may yet be their undoing.
What was also evident to me was that the point of focus on the whole UKIP/BREXIT front has now shifted away from the EU to those within the Government and Civil Service architecture who build and sustain the relationship with the EU. These people are now legitimate targets it seems for the Leave mob.
This is nothing but ideological (a sort of ‘not one of us’ thinking that Margaret Thatcher had previously) and you have every right to be worried (as am I).
I saw that interview: he was bad
Interesting that Nuttall is ignored already too
Cheer up – this ambassador chap can always get another job if he wants one.
We should be glad we live in a place where we people are free to do this sort of thing.
Oh for heaven’s sake – look at the big picture and not your navel
Re the reaction of Brexit Tories et al: recall the film ‘Downfall’ in the bunker when exasperated, exhausted German military top brass try in vain to get the reality about imminent defeat at the hands of the Allies to penetrate the obdurate skull of Herr Hitler.
Yes indeed, the Brexit fanatics really do bear comparison with Hitler and the his mentality. Military disasters were never his fault for not taking the advice of the military professionals, but the fault of those self same professionals for not ‘believing’ enough in victory and the cause, for lacking ‘will’.
Imagine if the Brexit believers had crewed the Titanic. “What are you talking about sailor, that’s not an iceberg, it’s a golden opportunity for free trade! Sack this pessimist and give the steering wheel to a true believer! Full steam ahead! Make the Titanic great again!” And so on and on and on to disaster.
Ironically though, if the Titanic had careered directly on into the iceberg it may well have survived. It was the action of turning to avoid it that tore a hole in multiple compartments. I’m not advocating this as a Brexit strategy though!
Civil Service independence is one for the history books, revolving doors and Big Four accountants and sundry lobbying entities in the defence and other industries. Who pays the piper and all that, or rather who pays the accountants.
You may be right
Isn’t Brexit best viewed through the lens of observing a personality disorder namely delusions of grandeur. On the one hand you had Theresa May at the October Conservative Party conference declaring she had a Brexit negotiating strategy now you have Sir Ivan Rogers telling us in his resignation e-mail that in fact there still is no negotiating strategy outside of a default Hard WTO Rules Brexit. For his pains in pointing out the necessary ingredients for a successful negotiating strategy Theresa May has Sir Ivan’s “head chopped off!” History appears to be repeating itself yet again, Henry VIII, Charles I and George III.
I agree that Sir Ivan has done us all a favour in pointing out that May still has no strategy for Brexit
It’s even worse than that, to quote:
“He also revealed that the basic structure of the UK Brexit negotiating team had not yet been resolved, let alone a negotiating strategy.” We are heading for disaster at a rate of knots. If these negotiations ever come about they aren’t going to last long are they?
A full EU team will be met by an overworked under resourced UK team, probably led by a know nothing careerist yes man appointed not for his knowledge, but his political opinion. He’ll make a set of ludicrous demands, thump the table, and be shown the door. The anti EU morons will accuse the EU of ‘declaring war’ on the UK as we head towards an economic cliff as loads of companies who based themselves here due to our EU membership, leave.
You’ve got it right