We may, probably will, leave the EU thanks to jingoists, xenophobes, clueless millions who think their country was great when it way grey and mingy and the most dishonest, self serving, cynical pack of anti-EU politicians we have ever had to suffer. Though it hurts to admit so, the brash, confident, persuasive Brexiteers are good at selling their pernicious promises and falsities- as good as those who sold us PPI. Only if they take us out of the EU, there will be no investigation, no compensation for the citizens who were mightily duped.
These political merchants who will say anything to win, are also enthusiastically helped by right wing newspapers and journalists. The wind fills their sails and they are puffed up, ready to go. And then there is the pathetic, weedy, inconsistent, ineffective, lazy and inept opposition, the Remain lot, who do nothing while our nation heads for the wild seas of economic ruin, racist discourse, and isolationism. Few trust or like David Cameron, who now comes across as a tired conjurer with his heart in the wrong place. Jeremy Corbyn is treasonably indifferent and is showing up on mindless Friday night TV shows as if he has all the time in the world. Tim Farron? Nice guy, No presence. Eddie Izzard? It’s all flashy pink lipstick and verbal incontinence . On Question Time, at times, he sounded madder than Noel Edmunds. The ITV debate with all women MPs and Boris did have its moments. On the Remain side, Amber Rudd was passionate and strong. Nicola Sturgeon was, as ever, the perfectly dressed assassin, but the focus was Boris ( how he loved all that female attention) and will not have changed many minds.
What’s wrong with the Remain bunch? Can they not see how they are failing to win the arguments and look credible and inspiring? Have they no courage, no imagination, no basic political skills? On Newsnight last week, Anne McKelvoy said- and she was right- that the big names and performances are on the Brexit side. Labour party grandees spoke up this weekend and asked their smartest MPs to step up. Of course too many of those are still in a big sulk about the Labour leader election. Get Chukka out, give Alan Johnson a big role, Theresa May has been in purdah, bring her out, Andrew Mitchell would be far better than John Major, yesterday’s man. Then there is Sadiq Khan of course, newly elected, internationally respected now, youngish and impressive. He could take the role on and carry it off, if only Cameron didn’t show up on platforms with him. Finally lock up and muzzle Tony Blair. He took us to an illegal war, fabricated reasons, has no moral or political capital. Every time he speaks for the EU, hundreds probably go to the other side.
If the Remain team don’t shape up, all is lost. And as ever it will be the poorest and most powerless who will suffer for the next fifty years.