Brexit did not help Britain or France - despite what 'leavers' say

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum. The British media has been awash with reminiscences from the key players of 2016, as if we had not heard enough from them already – with the exception of the campaigners for Brexit, that is, who have become remarkably quiet.

They used to tell us that things would come right in time, but now they do not even say that. You would have thought they would be apologising profusely and begging to be forgiven.

The astonishing thing is that none of the talking heads – politicians, academics and media pundits – have learned anything. They misunderstand Brexit and live by a series of myths.

Most people were not interested

The referendum had nothing to do with Europe. It was held to settle a running argument between rival factions within the Conservative Party.

Survey after survey at the time found that most ordinary people had little or no knowledge of what the EU did or did not do, or where sovereignty was located.

The EU was not a hot political topic until the Bullingdon Boys made it into a version of a dare game.

We are constantly told that British people separated into two hostile camps: Leavers and Remainers.

This is a convenient fiction that ignores the true split between those willing to talk facts and those who staked their identity on some illusion of Britain still being a great post-imperial nation capable of going it alone.

It also ignores those inconvenient souls – I am one of them – who thought, and still think, that the EU is a terrible, dubiously democratic thing; but that leaving it in a huff with nowhere particular to go was not an answer.

Both campaigns failed

It is a straightforward error to say that the campaign was an intelligent, informed debate in which all the relevant issues were adequately covered. Not a bit of it.

‘Remain’ was run by establishment politicians who were incapable of identifying the best arguments for staying in the EU.

‘Leave’, meanwhile, was run by people who knew they could say whatever they wanted, true or not, as long as it triggered anti-elitist emotions.

Both sides exaggerated and lied, and they were not much interested in the consequences of their fanaticism as long as they happened to other people.

Two groups were directly, adversely affected by Brexit. One was the business community. Small exporting firms in the UK and in Europe suddenly found the costs of cross-Channel trading prohibitive. 

The other group that paid the price of ideology were expatriates, in both directions: those of us who assumed that our overlords would protect our right of freedom of movement.

Who did Brexit help?

I have yet to hear any Brexiteer justify the confiscation of my vote in French local elections; the obligation for some British owners of French houses to leave the country every three months; the exorbitant charges for receiving parcels from the UK; the interminable queues for British passport holders to get into France; or the imposition of a fine (known as an ETA visa) on spouses of British citizens who wish to spend Christmas with their families in the UK.

Before the referendum was even a twinkling of an idea in David Cameron’s head, I had an email spat with a renowned Leaver who assured me that there would only be benefits from Brexit because “they (the EU) need us (the UK) more than we need them”.

It might give me pleasure to say “I told you so” to him, but the joke is on me because this misguided Leaver now sits in the House of Lords.

Brexit may have been great for the elites – it has been a massive job-creation scheme for bureaucrats and their politician-managers – but it has been a disaster for everyone else.

Maybe in another 10 years’ time, honesty will prevail; but for now the watchword is denial.

Did you support Brexit? Do you still? Share your view at letters@connexionfrance.com