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1/ Wrapping up the old BBC series of 'Tinker Tailor' it makes me think that it still gives surprising insight into Brexit and the British ruling class today - esp with respect to the motives of the traitor - SPOILER alert - Bill Haydon.
2/ In the book but esp. the TV series (and unlike the Cambridge Five in real life) Haydon's treachery does not stem from any leftwing or communist ideological commitment - but rather from frustration at Britain's fall from the empire and its corresponding world-historic role
3/ ... he recoups that world-historic role by spying for a Cold War superpower, as he can't get it as a middling to upper bureaucrat in the British secret service, and he finds the Americans too crass, so plumps for the Soviets
4/ It strikes me that this motivates a lot of Remainer sentiment among the civil service - the urge to prolong Britain's world-historic role in the form of the EU.
A Remainer civil service pakced to the gunwhales with latter day Bill Haydons draped in the blue and gold.
A Remainer civil service pakced to the gunwhales with latter day Bill Haydons draped in the blue and gold.
