I thought it would be useful to publicise this. First the full Editorial and my response. Needless to say the response was not published in the newspaper. So much for their claims of inclusivity!
Independent Editorial
5th February 2018
The EU is in the driving seat, ditching Theresa May now will change little
Even by the debased standards of the contemporary
Conservative Party, it is odd to see Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and
Jacob Rees-Mogg being touted as “the dream team”. They are not
exactly a reflection of modern British society, for all their fine
education. Leaving Mr Rees-Mogg aside – for blessed are the
peacemakers – there are very good reasons why neither Mr Johnson
nor Mr Gove currently occupy No 10, and it is worth reminding
ourselves of some of them.
In the last major Tory leadership crisis, after
the departure of David Cameron and the disastrous EU referendum, both
men proved themselves demonstrably incapable, if not unworthy, of
positions of leadership. In his last-minute act of betrayal of Mr
Johnson, Mr Gove proved why both Mr Johnson and he himself were
unsuited to the leadership.
Theresa May emerged as the last grown-up left in
the room, there to clear up the mess all those silly boys had left
behind. Untested in a full leadership contest, taken on trust, she
was the least worst option available to them.
For all that has gone so badly wrong since, she
still is. If she were not everyone’s second choice, she would not
have survived as long as she has. She is there because she is there,
it might be said. The Remainers fear the “dream team” as a
nightmare for the economy, and rightly so. The Leavers are terrified
that the likes of Amber Rudd or Philip Hammond will sabotage their
dreams of a clean or hard Brexit. Like John Major before her, and in
similar circumstances of deep division, Ms May survives because her
many enemies cannot agree on a replacement.
That is not in fact such an unusual phenomenon in
political history and most countries survive such periodic
pantomimes. The challenges facing Britain, though, are of an unusual
order, and the stakes high. It may well be that the only way they
should be faced is through a fresh appeal to the country via a
general election or a further referendum.
The country, like the Conservatives, will have to
get used to “the new normal”. The Prime Minister will continue to
be unpopular with voters and unloved by her own MPs. The divisions in
her party will make the EU negotiations even more fractious. Policy
will continue to be fudged. Rows and gaffes and huffy resignations
and backbench revolts and treachery will be commonplace. In a way,
none of this will matter that much because the context of all this
British instability is European calm. The EU holds almost all of the
cards and will make the decisions the British cannot.
The European Commission will before long be giving
the British a Norway-style take-it-or-leave it deal. It would do so
even if Jeremy Corbyn were in charge – because Mr Corbyn’s
policy, though put in nicer terms, is virtually identical to the
Government’s. All the wishful thinking about a customs union or a
soft Irish border shared by both front benches will not survive the
hard language required in a legally binding UK-EU treaty. There is no
space for creative ambiguity in such documents. Cakes cannot be eaten
in one treaty clause but also preserved and had in another.
The crunch will come later this year, when the
Barnier-Davis talks enter their last phases – and it will not
matter much who is in No 10, or which party, because Europe can
dictate the terms for as long as any form of Brexit is the UK policy.
What the EU decides will be the best deal on offer and the British
will take it in the end. Outside of the Lib Dems, with just 12 MPs,
no dream team is at present available to avert that near
inevitability.
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Please include your address
Subject: The Independent's defeatism knows no bounds
To: letters@independent.co.uk
Date: Mon, 05 Feb 2018 11:24:22 +0000
Dear Sir,
Referring to your Editorial of 5th February I find myself
deeply saddened by the lack of backbone by your Editorial Team in the
past few months! When an opponent in negotiations behaves dis-
honourably as the EU has it is time to reciprocate! Just a few examples
of bad EU behaviour:
EU nationals coming to UK during transition/implementation period to
have the same rights as those arriving prior to March 2019 - this is
specifically covered in the December agreement and makes clear
different arrangements would apply. The status of Gibralter is covered
by the Treaty of Utrecht 1713 (as such it is not a EU matter) - it may
be disputed by Spain but after Catalonia do you really believe
Gibralterians would accept absorbtion by such a state. The Good Friday
agreement is bi-lateral between the Republic and the UK - again this is
not a EU matter. I could go on e.g differential financial provisions
for defence below NATO guidelines - see Germany and some of the Baltic
States yet who is leading in the Baltics (no prizes for saying the UK).
It is time to up the ante as they say and remind the overly
bureaucratic, arrogant and sclerotic EU that they are dealing with real
grown ups here.
Just one last point, I have written to you previously in a similar vein
and it would be nice to have a reasoned response backed by evidence
rather than bluster and if that is not possible please tell me what the
weather will be like in April 2030 as I would like a rain free holiday
in Britain then!
--
Keith Mann
MACCLESFIELD
