<nettime> Chris Grey's latest Brexit commentary

[tbyfield <tbyfield@panix.com>]

< http://chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2019/03/a-national-emergency.html >

Friday, 22 March 2019

A national emergency


Britain now faces a "national emergency" according to a joint
statement by the heads of the CBI and TUC. We do not know how, in just
a few weeks' time, the UK is going to be attached to the global
economy. No doubt many feel relieved that the timescale of that has
shifted from the end of March to the middle of April, but that is
really only the difference between the shelf life of a pint of milk and
packet of bacon.

Meanwhile, our political institutions are in complete chaos. Cabinet
government has broken down, the Tory Party is in open warfare, the
opposition is missing in inaction, parliament is deadlocked and MPs
are advised to travel in groups to avoid abuse and attacks primarily,
it would seem, from irate Brexiters.

A military planning team has been activated in the Ministry of
Defence in preparation for no-deal (bizarrely, in a nuclear-proof
bunker, which sounds like Project Fear by any standards). Other
preparations are subject to hundreds of government gagging orders.

Whether this is to prevent alarm at how far-reaching the plans are or
ridicule of their feebleness is, by definition, impossible to know
(although a leaked document suggests it could be both).

Bercow's bombshell

Events are happening so quickly now that it is difficult to keep up
with, let alone make sense of, them. It seems a long time ago, but was
only last Monday, that `Bercow's Bombshell' joined the list of
Brexit jargon that sounds like bad book titles. That intervention,
saying that MPs couldn't be asked to vote twice on the same
proposition, was often reported as resurrecting some arcane rule from
the 1700s. In fact, it merely confirmed what had been custom and
practice since then. What was noteworthy was that Theresa May had
sought to break with custom and practice.

Noteworthy, but not surprising. May's actions and Bercow's ruling
occurred against a background in which May has repeatedly sought to
evade or downgrade the role of Parliament. That goes right back, of
course, to her ill-fated attempt to prevent a vote on triggering
Article 50, her attempts to prevent the meaningful vote on the final
deal (these two things are sometimes, wrongly, conflated), and the many
other ways in which she has been both literally and metaphorically
in contempt of Parliament.

Consequences of Bercow's intervention

The consequences of Bercow were difficult to interpret and, in the rush
to comment, easy to misinterpret. One reason for that is the utter
confusion now amongst Brexiters about May's deal. Since it is
represented by different factions as delivering Brexit and as betraying
it, it is not surprising that some saw Bercow as their saviour and
others as a saboteur. Remainers, too, scented an opportunity. They
couldn't all be right and it turned out they were all wrong. They all
assumed that the one certain thing was that May's deal had suddenly
become far less likely to pass. After all, how could it pass if it
couldn't be voted on?

In fact, as the dust has settled, the main consequence of Bercow is
actually rather helpful to May's tactics - if we can grace them with
that term - in that it gave her cover for not holding the third
meaningful vote (MV3) this week at all. Given there were already
rumours she would pull it anyway, and it was very unclear she would win
it if it was held, that was useful. It now means that if she can hold
the vote next week the pressure will be that bit greater on MPs to pass
it.

Of course it might be that the Speaker still refuses to allow the vote
to happen, on the basis that the deal has not substantively (or even at
all) changed. But this seems unlikely - the general assumption is that
the EU's agreement to extend the Article 50 period will constitute a
substantive change to circumstances. It is very hard, though, to see
how this can be anything other than the last meaningful vote. Talk over
the last few weeks of `MV4' now seems redundant.

May's disgraceful statement

If May has one reliable quality it is to make any given situation even
worse than it needs to be. And so it proved when she `addressed the
nation' on Wednesday evening. It is difficult to overstate what an
appalling travesty it was, and how inadequately it spoke to a nation in
such a deep crisis. Even now, she refuses to speak seriously and
honestly about what is happening and why.

Shameful

Instead, replete with all her trademark awkwardness - repetitious
cliches, a liverish and slightly spiteful tone - and her peculiarly
unpleasant basilisk stare, she presented herself as the tribune of the
people against the machinations of MPs. This was dishonest, dangerous
and ill-judged. The dishonesty comes from the obvious fact that much of
the delay and most of the division in Parliament arise from her own
decisions on the timing and nature of the Brexit process. Or perhaps
she is simply so devoid of insight as to not realise this. Either way
the complete failure to acknowledge her own role and responsibility
was, in itself, shameful.

Monstrous

Far, far worse was the explicit pitch of the people versus MPs. This
was a direct affront to the notion of representative democracy and
deeply irresponsible at such a febrile and unstable time. It ramps
up the populist betrayal narrative. She did not quite use the
disgusting `enemies of the people' and `crush the saboteurs' language
(that she has never challenged or disowned), but that was the message.

For a Prime Minister to spit out the words `motions' and `amendments'
as if the basic mechanisms of parliamentary democracy were appalling
perversions was pretty shocking. But, of course, it is all of a piece
with that long history of contempt for parliament. This absolutely
wasn't a one-off loss of temper due, as she later claimed, to
"frustration". It is part of a pattern of behaviour revealing an
underlying belief.

In any case her message was completely incoherent in its own terms. She
must know that `the people' are as divided as the politicians. There is
no unitary `people' for whom she can purport to speak, not least
because she has so utterly failed to develop any kind of consensus.

Watching this chillingly monomaniacal pursuit of `her deal' couched in
such megalomaniac language it struck me that she seemed - and I choose
this word with deliberate care - monstrous.

Incoherent and ill-judged

On top of all that, it showed yet again what poor judgment she has.
Most obviously, it is far more likely to alienate the MPs whose votes
she needs than to bring them on board - and there is already some
evidence that it is having that effect. Additionally, the only audience
to whom her message of being protector of the people's will against
treacherous politicians will appeal is that which has already, and will
forever, write her off as `Theresa the Remainer'. As ever, she cloaks
herself in the garb of the Brexit Ultras whilst they have already
written her off.

One part of that is the way that (again contemptuously flouting
what she seemed to have promised MPs the week before) she now
insists that only a short extension is possible and has categorically
ruled out requesting a long extension whilst she is Prime Minister.
That what she was speaking of as possible last week is now deemed
impossible reflects - despite her steely tones - her weakness, since it
clearly arose from resignation threats from Brexit cabinet ministers.
Long ago she manacled herself to the Ultras: now she is their
creature.

What now?

So the vote will, presumably, be held early next week. As would have
been the case if it had been held this week, the result will probably
be very close. The hardcore of the ERG, who are still floating
their ludicrous `managed no deal' lies (£), will if anything have been
emboldened by May's latest stance against a longer extension. There is
little incentive for other potential switchers, whether Labour
Brexiters or Tory remainers, to come over. There seem to have been no
further efforts to woo them, and the general attack on MPs won't have
helped.

If it nevertheless passes it will set up years of problems, beginning
with having to complete all the necessary legislation to exit by the
EU's deadline of 22 May (rather than the end of June, as the UK had
requested).

If the deal doesn't pass then initially Donald Tusk suggested that
there would be no extension, and no-deal would come into effect on 29
March. In fact, the EU agreed that we would have until 12 April.
Reporting of this change in the British media has been refracted
through the lens of whether it is softer or tougher but that misses the
point.

The EU-27, entirely reasonably, are making decisions based on what is
best for them. Both the April and May cut off dates are framed to fit
the timetable of the EP elections. A slight extension if the deal isn't
passed just gives a bit of administrative breathing space for the EU -
only incidentally is that useful for the UK. In the UK, what that space
will see is a deeper and even more debilitating crisis.

There will be a frenetic search for alternatives most of which will
also depend on what the EU is willing to agree to at that point, such
is the national humiliation that `taking back control' has
inflicted upon us. Perhaps the Kyle-Wilson amendment (discussed in
a previous post) will be tabled and will pass, or some other route to
another referendum will be found. In that respect, what is expected to
be a massive People's Vote march on Saturday will have a particular
significance. Perhaps Parliament will find some other way of averting a
no-deal disaster, possibly even through revocation, something urged by
a rapidly growing petition to parliament.

But, revocation aside and no-deal aside, any other course of action
will require the UK to seek another extension. It's almost
inconceivable that May would agree to revoke, and very difficult -
despite previous U-turns - to see how she could change position again
on a longer extension and, hence, participation in European elections.
The latter, for May, is "unthinkable". Actually, it is entirely
thinkable, and is just another example of an unnecessary red line. At
all events, it is notable that when asked by the EU-27 leaders
yesterday what she would do if her deal was not passed next week she
was, reportedly, totally unable to answer.

My sense, especially after her broadcast this week, is that we have a
Prime Minister who - more for psychological than political reasons -
will do all she can to ensure that if her deal isn't passed there
will be a no-deal Brexit, despite having in the past promised the
could not happen without explicit parliamentary assent. It is now being
reported by reliable sources that she is, indeed, now determined on
this course of action (£) in which she will of course be cheered on by
the increasingly unhinged Brexit Ultras within and outside her party.
Even if she were to immediately face and lose a no confidence motion
she could still, if I understand the Fixed Terms Parliament Act
correctly, be Prime Minister for another fortnight, enough to take us
over the cliff. She looks like someone who won't go down without
bringing the rest of us with her if she possibly can. Indeed it is all
too believable that she would regard it as her "sacred duty" (£) to
do so.

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