I was a strong Brexiteer. Now we must swallow our pride and think again

Open Democracy ^ | 7 April 2019 | Peter Osborne

[Cronos]

It’s nearly three years since I voted for Brexit. Today I have to admit that ...Brexit has paralysed the system. It has turned Britain into a laughing stock. And it is certain to make us poorer and to lead to lower incomes and lost jobs.

We would be wise to acknowledge all this. We need to acknowledge, too, that that we will never be forgiven when Brexit goes wrong. Future generations will look back at what we did and damn us.

So I argue, as a Brexiteer, that we need to take a long deep breath. We need to swallow our pride, and think again. .. If we are honest, we Brexiteers have to admit that the economic arguments for Brexit have been destroyed by a series of shattering blows.

The leading Brexiteers argued during the 2016 campaign that the British economy had been held back by membership of the EU and would survive and flourish on its own. That argument is now unsustainable.

Investment-led growth has collapsed, and we need to stare that undeniable fact squarely in the face...

Nissan is abandoning its plans to build one of its flagship vehicles at its UK site in Sunderland. In January, the electronics giant Sony announced it was moving its headquarters from London to Amsterdam. Panasonic did the same.

The Japanese financial firms Nomura, Sumitomo Mitsui and Daiwa have all made clear their intention to move to other European cities. Honda is shutting its plant

The trickle of companies announcing plans to leave Britain has turned into a flood. For political reasons many are careful to blame factors other than Brexit. Do we believe them? Or is too much of a coincidence?

The most wounding insult for Brexiteers came with the announcement that Dyson is to shift its headquarters to Singapore.

[Cronos]

no, please leave the EU, no takesy-backsies

[Cronos]

I can’t help noticing that those most vocal in advocating Brexit are two opposing camps. On the one hand traders in financial assets – in particular hedge-fund managers – relish the speculative opportunities created by Brexit volatility. The city state of Singapore is held up as one economic model. The United States is another. I cannot see that there is any popular desire for us to follow the business and employment cultures of such countries.

On the other side we have the far Left, which wants out of the European Union for the exact opposite reason. The Left sees the EU as a capitalist conspiracy because of the protections it offers for private property and the restraints against centralised economic power, in particular state aid. A very substantial faction around Jeremy Corbyn, including former members of the Communist Party, is looking forward to British departure from the EU because they rightly see that the EU prevents the imposition of socialism.

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

What a pitiful man. Other people have sacrificed their lives for the sake of their nation’s freedom yet he wants us to crawl back into the EU for the sake of a speculative drop of 10% in income. I’ll take that gladly if it means my country becomes sovereign and independent and decisions are taken by a government accountable to me as a British voter. He can fk off to Ireland, Spain or Normandy with the rest of the remoaner malcontents.

[Jeff Chandler]

What is it with everybody and these monstrous fonts lately?

[SteveH]

Propaganda?

I am changing my mind on brexit!

You the reader should change your mind on brexit too!!

We can all change our minds on brexit!!

Together!!

[sparklite2]

we must swallow our pride and think again

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“I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees.” –Stephane “Charb” Charbonnier

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“It is better to live on your knees than die on your feet.”
___ Nately’s whore’s grandfather, Catch-22, Joseph Heller

[ETCM]

Such bullshit. The fact is that the remainers have so sabotaged BREXIT, that it will have a huge financial impact, and all the remainers can say claim they were right. Had they properly organized and executed BREXIT as intended in the referendum, Britain would have not only gained it’s freedom from the new Socialist States of Europa, but increased it’s status as a center of global finance and capitalism. Theresa May has sacrificed Britain at the alter of globalism.

[conservative98]

‘Why I changed my mind on leaving EU’ - Peter Oborne debates Melissa Kite on Brexit

https://youtu.be/YXyXp-av9OA

[melsec]

Hes come this far and after all the agonizing wants to turn back because of fear. Britain will be a bigger laughing stock if it turns back now. The French and Germans in particular will not forgive easily or quickly either way!

[granada]

Cheese eating surrender monkeys.

[Cronos]

“if it means my country becomes sovereign and independent”

I’m sure you mean that you wish for:
1. The UK to have control of its borders and not be included in the Schengen area

2. The UK to be allowed to remove EU citizens after 3 months if they are not financially self supporting.

3. The UK maintains the Pound Sterling as a currency and does not join the Euro-Zone.

4. The UK gets a substantial discount on its payments to the EU, a discount of one third according to the standard calculation.

5. The UK should have the right to veto any suggestion of a European army or the entry of new countries into the EU.

6. The UK to have BLUE PASSPORTS,

[Cronos]

you have people the other way as well who write “i supported remain, now I support leave”

But read his arguments. you can change your mind either way if you wish. Research everything you read

[Cronos]

What do you mean "Brexit as intended in the referendum"????

Did you even see what was put in the referendum?

It doesn't specify what Brexit will be, and it says "leave the European union" but nothing about leaving the customs union (EFTA) or being an associate member (like Israel) or any other approach.

The EU is both a confederation of independent countries and a custom's union of independent countries.

Can you explicitly state was was "intended" exactly? No you can't because it was a badly executed referendum - instead of asking people what they want in detail they were vague

[Cronos]

oh and London as the center of global finance would and is the altar of globalism.....

[nicepaco]

May your chains set lightly upon you Peter Osborne.

Did voting for freedom ever really work?

[Darksheare]

“Today I have to admit that ...Brexit has paralysed the system. It has turned Britain into a laughing stock.”

No...his elected officials have done all that because they didn’t like what the people voted for.

[Erik Latranyi]

There was a great deal of debate and discussion by both sides before the referendum.

Everyone had their chance to voice their hopes and fears.

Remain lost.

It is politicians who dithered over the last few years trying to negotiate, rather than ripping the band-aid off.

Had the UK simply left the EU, there would be far less economic penalties. Instead, nothing had been done over the last few years (no trade deals, no plans, nothing) and that does not give businesses security.

Trying to get EU permission for everything was their mistake.

[Reverend Wright]

“A very substantial faction around Jeremy Corbyn, including former members of the Communist Party, is looking forward to British departure from the EU because they rightly see that the EU prevents the imposition of socialism.”

One of the requirements of membership in the EU is a minimum Value Added Tax of 15 percent.

If you want to lower it or get rid of it - the EU will not allow it.

That alone is ground for exit.

Maybe kook Corbyn will raise it to 30 percent. If so, he can be voted out and the VAT lowered or abolished.

But the EU minimum 15 percent VAT, it stays, no mater who you vote for.

That is tyranny ! It is taxation regardless of representation.

[yldstrk]

Those companies may have left UK since UK doesn’t have the spine to exit and likes sucking at the teat even as it gets poorer. Can you imagine US deciding to hitch itself to Mexico and Canada?

[JudgemAll]

Yep. Brexit gets sabotaged by the enemy, so he goes back to the enemy, like a good abused wife whose abuser spouse write letters to employers to not hire her....

Terms like cuckold or cuck do not describe it, maybe terrorism chucked dhimmit