Anthony Barnett’s book on BREXIT prompts the hope that Britain will continue to inspire both the US and Europe to ‘transcend ourselves by finding ourselves.’
What Brexit has shown us is that people are still easy to manipulate and that tribal divisions are still pretty much a feature of our political system.
Trade unions must take immediate action to reassure NHS and social care staff from the EU that they are welcome and needed in the UK - and to protect the rights of all workers.
This is probably the first opportunity since Blair’s disastrous Iraq venture fractured Labour’s support for Labour to reconstruct the alliance of left and centre which Blairites reminisce about.
The facts are simple: for the past three decades, 80% of the people are taken to the cleaners 95% of the time by the top 20% of society.
The politics of escapism won the day; yet the Leave campaign leaders are escaping from taking responsibility for the xenophobia and social divisions in the country.
“The old notions of social divisions somehow seem to radically over-simplify what is happening or seem outmoded as a framework for coherent explanation.”
At a time when the EU and its members are struggling with crises and therefore have more than enough on their plates, British voters decided to hand it yet another major crisis.
“I fear for my generation, a whole generation put out in the mud mainly due to the bigotry on one side and the scorn on the other.”
“If you’re sold and pay for something that is manifestly not as claimed then the deal is invalid.”
“Many in the UK feel totally disenfranchised by the entire political establishment. By not noticing this, the ‘remain’ camp went horribly wrong.”
“As democracy loses either way, it is to be hoped Brexit can be buried in its own technical unwieldiness to keep at least as large a playing field as possible.”
