EU BYTES
you characterise the state of Brexit negotiations at the moment? PW: A potentially simple divorce soured by the UK’s unrealistic plan to leave the marriage but keep access to the family home. This has arisen because the Brexit negotiations have been plagued by four main problems: 1. The failure of the UK government (HMG) to accept an off-the-shelf arrangement rather than seek a bespoke deal.
2. The failure of HMG to understand the importance of the Northern Ireland border situation.
3. The failure of HMG to reconcile the political tensions within the governing Conservative Party and with the Democratic Unionist Party.
4. And, the failure of the political and media establishment to inform and educate themselves and their publics about the detail of what is the largest foreign policy revolution since 1945.
GC: So, the UK government is really doing a “good job”.
PW: Evidently. GC: Yes, but things are usually the result of context created by past decisions. If we take some steps back and look at the bigger picture, where do you think the seeds of the problems lie? PW: The referendum was a lightning flash that revealed (to the shock of the establishment) a country divided by class, age, education and culture. The belief that the UK was the united, prosperous, liberal and confident nation celebrated in the 2012 Olympics proved an illusion. The failures I spoke of have also demolished
residual confidence in a political system which was revealed as frankly incompetent, unstrategic and, because now both main parties are in the hands of their extremes, incapable of creating a national consensus. This is evidenced by the failure of David Cameron’s government to prepare an agreed departure plan in the event of a prospective Leave victory, the failure of Theresa May’s government to do
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