I noticed Fraser Nelson promoting a post on the Spectator site this morning. Its headline drew my attention. It was:
Why the onus is on the EU to do a Brexit deal
Written by someone called Charles Day, whose articles for The Spectator do little to inspire confidence in his judgement, this one makes the extraordinary argument that the EU has to agree an exit deal with the UK based on Article 50, which he notes as saying:
A Member State which decides to withdraw shall notify the European Council of its intention. In the light of the guidelines provided by the European Council, the Union shall negotiate and conclude an agreement with that State.
He claims that the words 'shall' and conclude' apply only to the Union and oblige it, come what may, to reach a deal with the state that is leaving, whatever they might ask for.
It would seem that if Day is right then assuming that the UK had demanded that our former territories in France be returned to us then the EU would have been obliged to conclude a deal on that basis because they are obliged to reach a deal. We, apparently, can then be as unreasonable as we like and based on this logic the EU is obliged to agree.
The logic is, of course, absurd. It is entirely appropriate that Article 50 requires that the EU assist a member state who wishes to leave the EU. But no reasonable interpretation on earth says it must do so whatever is demanded. But that is what Day is saying.
Let's be clear; arguments as stupid as this are going to be rolled out relentlessly over the weeks and months to come. All of them will supposedly justify Boris Johnson's intransigence. And if this is the standard we are to expect, they'll all be completely crass.
But then, the whole Brexit project is just that.
You know – it’s War isn’t it? We’re at war – or at least a part of society is – with the EU. Because the first casualty of any war is the truth, and lies are rampant.
There is not a single proposition about the negotiations with the EU emanating from a British pro-Brexit source of any kind, ever that is (or has been) addressed to the EU, or intended for communication with the EU. Brexit speaks only and exclusively to a British audience. Nothing else counts. Nobody else matters; a jot.
Whatever the result of negotiation, or even no negotiation at all with the EU; the result will be a triumph for plucky Britain and all the inevitable consequential shortcomings, that wrecks millions of lives in Britain, will be wholly the responsibility and fault of the EU, whom – the British Government will claim – are negotiating in bad faith with Britain. ‘Bad faith’ is strictly defined as Britain not being allowed to have its cake and eat it. This is the only strategy Brexit possesses. It has notably and publicly failed once with the Withdrawal Agreement; so we just repeat the same tactics, endlessly. Then we walk away and blame the EU. There is nothing more to it. Hundreds of millions will be spent conforming the media Agenda in Britain to that purpose; to ensure sufficient people in Britain believe the EU is the sole culprit of anything inconvenient that happens to Britain post-Brexit that can credulously be ‘pinned on’ the EU with a gullible British public, who will begin the think they are the only heirs to the Dunkirk spirit, but not – to their astonishment – at zero cost.
The British Government, a Conservative government has already agreed a deal it can’t deliver, not to the EU; but to Britain. This is all that matters. The EU does not count. The Government has already thrown out the deal it agreed with the EU (scarcely a demonstration our British Government negotiated for three years in good faith); but we know already the failure is entirely the fault of the EU, and Brexit Britain (never, ever the Conservative Party) is the victim. Welcome to Brexit.
The only longer term purpose Brexit contains is to increase British hostility to the EU sufficiently to provide the political acceptance in Britain of an evolving British Conservative policy that desires to undermine the unity of the EU, debilitate the EU, or even destroy it. Conservative Britain wishes to return to ‘balance of power’ politics in Europe that Britain exploited so effectively in its own exclusive interests in the 19th century. You thought we had left all that misery behind us with two world wars? You were wrong. Thank Brexit. This is all your tomorrows.
Agreed
Deeply depressing but spot on John. The choice of the current Cabinet members confirms your point.
I agree with much of what was expressed apart from this:
“Conservative Britain wishes to return to ‘balance of power’ politics in Europe that Britain exploited so effectively in its own exclusive interests in the 19th century”
For much of the 19th century the UK backed Prussia – up to the point in the 1860s when it was clear that the Prussians were getting far too big for their boots. At that point it was all too late & the “exclusive interests” of the Uk were increasingly challenged by Prussia (which used the west of Germany as its piggy bank). Doubtless the “stupid party” will show once again how competent (& deluded) they are.
I am not sure what you are disagreeing with? Britain counted on having the resources, credit, distance and fleetness always to be the critical ‘balancing’ power whenever circumstances changed. ‘Balance of power’ was always intrinsically dangerous (by 1900 we were in Imprerial over-drive, speculating on ‘splendid isolation’, which implied the writing was now on the wall), but following the fall of Napoleon in 1814-15, the system served British self-interest well until 1914. For the British that counted as success, as permanence, and proof of their own brilliance. My point was that two world wars was always the likely end-game of balance of power politics played in Europe by belligerent empires, blinded by the hubris of their grandeur and success. Britain was the greatest beneficiary of the ‘system’ throughout the period, the most blinded by its apparent effectiveness, the least affected by upheavals on mainland Europe, and the least concerned about the underlying pressures and resentments the system created.
Agreed#2
Like all the rest of the Brexit nonsense, this has nothing to do with reality, it is just a pathetic attempt to blame the EU for a disaster which has nothing to do with the EU, and everything to do with the anti EU fanatics who, let’s not forget, prevented the WA from going through. The WA which meant the UK would have left the EU on 29/03/19.
I suspect these people are also trying to reassure themselves that the EU is to blame. Quite probably they actually believe it. If anything, the EU has been a victim of the lies and fanatacism propogated by the Leave liars. They might fool some people, but not me, or anyone elso on this blog.