11 Comments
Jan 31, 2023Liked by Adam Bienkov

Would you believe I voted leave. Unlike the government I don’t put my head in the sand. Brexit has been a disaster both economically and ethically. The full view of the economic situation is now being shown as well as the vile interference of Russia and others who want to divide and harm us by splitting up the union. Politicians on both sides need to show bravery, get us back into the EU so we can at least give the younger generation the prospect of unity and future prosperity.

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Jan 31, 2023Liked by Adam Bienkov

Quite simply and under the cloak of "Collective Responsibility" no one likes to admit they got something wrong, its embarrassing especially at a political level where you have literally ruined the economy, peoples livelihoods and their way of life - it would be political suicide. But for the Tories it is even harder as they have their BREXIT hardliners from which the Government (PM) depend for support. It ultimately comes down to one word again; Integrity! They lack any humility despite knowing all the facts that there is a stark negative impact and don't like being told they were wrong. Arrogance over substance comes to mind and as one businessman recently said it is a quasi "Stockholm Syndrome" at play.

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Because it was a con from the start? Because the conservatives lied? Because the deal double crossed Ireland? Because it double crossed the people of Britain? Because it benefits only the dodgy rich?

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Feb 1, 2023Liked by Byline Supplement

Smash n grab. Acquire wealth. Thin us out. So much for blessed are the meek.

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Jan 31, 2023Liked by Byline Supplement

Nothing to add to the comments on Brexit, I was always a remainer, but on Lady Chatterley. Something to lighten the gloom, I was a teenager at the time and of course bought a copy, although not a great fan of DHL. My girlfriend at the time, later to be my wife until her death in 2021 was reading it on the tube when two cheeky schoolboys sat opposite her and in a stage whisper made comments whether she was reading that book. She then lifted up the book so they could see the cover, both exclaimed "she is". Then sat in silence for the rest of their journey.

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I suspect that the real reason the "very rich" bought & paid for Brexit was to keep the UK out of the increasingly tight restrictions on the mis-use of tax havens by EU countries.

So to unpick the mess, we need to get to the truth about any Russian involvement in the referendum (and this will be helped by the current furore in the States about FBI insiders being double agents for Putin), and start kicking non-dom media oligarchs out of the financial ecosystem in the UK (and the decline of readership for the Daily Fail is a big help here).

The more that we learn about the Johnson family the better, too, although it would be nice to never hear from or see him again.

We are making some progress, but it's a long slow slog.

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I lost my previous comment. Hope I can remember what I wrote. Sunak, like May and Cameron before him, cannot survive as PM without the support of what I call the 'ultras' - the right-wing, Brexit supporters of the Conservative Party. Sunak can also hide behind the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine (which of course have negatively affected the UK). Even the Labour Party will not directly speak out against Brexit. Until more of the British public change their minds substantially, Sunak and those who come after him, will remain in denial. But even those of us who voted Remain and are pro-EU, must acknowledge and find solutions to the longer-term problems that have beset the UK, and find common ground with Leavers.

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Brexit is just one cock-up among many for the Tories. The wreckage of Britain's economy, military, NHS, transport system, leveling-up etc etc. They'll just keep on trying to sidle towards the exit hoping no-one can pin them don with any tricky questions.

For Labour it's a different threat. Needing the vote of the reactionary little-John-Bullshits to guarantee an election win in two years Starmer is hoping likewise to avoid saying anything honest like,

"Well it was a bad idea, and the Tories have wrecked any of the benefits there may have been. So we''ll just have to repair what we can and wear what we can't."

So for the foreseeable future it's a collective denial of reality. Like so much in Britain these days.

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Not British but one can see clear issues or factors that are ignored by the British, still....

These include an 'architecture' of non dom media players, ageing monocultural demographics, 'collective narcissism', Tufton St. US fossil fuel linked 'libertarian' (or 'segregation economics') think tanks who do policy for their 'owned' Tories. Related, also US linked pseudo environmental NGOs promoting British, more Anglo or English exceptionalism vs. Europe, 'immigrants' &/or 'population growth'; these all added up to Brexit, like Trump & GOP in the US with Putin et al. sharing similar interests e.g. hobbling the EU to avoid regulatory constraints.

How does Britain disentangle itself from Brexit and not being used as a 21st century Chilean experiment predicated on authoritarianism, radical economics, reduced government & services, fewer human or society rights, more conservatism or Christianity and nativism, then being open to manipulation from global players?

I don't know, but not helped by the UK media avoiding such questions, hence, failing to inform the British, especially English, electorates. Meanwhile, with increasingly ageing demographics, more has to be done in encouraging young people to vote (while voting is not compulsory) and changing to a preferential voting system.

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Brexit was the biggest mistake the UK has ever made. The campaign was based on arrogance and lies. Whether you voted leave or remain, everyone is feeling the negative effects.

We can talk about reversing the damage, but permission to rejoin the EU would come at a cost. Adopting the Euro may be just one of many conditions. The UK can never hope to regain it's previous status at the table of power and those responsible for this shambles will never be forgiven.

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Because capitalism is working a treat for the con men of this disastrous unworkable decision.

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