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Leading Brexiters still see just one Brexit benefit that beats all others, and more than cancels out all of the downsides (in their view).
It is detaching the UK from the EU project to create "a country called Europe" - avoiding the UK becoming an "Ohio" inside a U.S.E.
It is detaching the UK from the EU project to create "a country called Europe" - avoiding the UK becoming an "Ohio" inside a U.S.E.
There are 3 possible pro-EU routes to confronting this 'country' idea:
1. Deny the project exists.
2. Say the UK had detached from it while a member and had the best deal. (That still implies the project is real.)
3. Agree the project exists and "the UK should be wholly in it".
1. Deny the project exists.
2. Say the UK had detached from it while a member and had the best deal. (That still implies the project is real.)
3. Agree the project exists and "the UK should be wholly in it".
The problem is that these three contradict each other and the existence of each route casts suspicion upon the other two. And itself.
Britain's pro-EU lobby never decided which one it is, although 1 and 2 have been preeminent in Britain's lukewarm Europeanism.
Britain's pro-EU lobby never decided which one it is, although 1 and 2 have been preeminent in Britain's lukewarm Europeanism.
So pro-Europeanism was strong in Britain as long as it was in power and as long as it broadly held together from one day to the next.
But with no power it is lost and has become a bit of a scattered mess. The split between Rejoiners and "Pragmatists" will extend this situation
But with no power it is lost and has become a bit of a scattered mess. The split between Rejoiners and "Pragmatists" will extend this situation
No one really knows how to deal with this situation or even how to explain it. What is it they say - 80% of finding a solution is in first seeing the problem.
By avoiding or obfuscating the point about a "country called Europe", I suspect it'll be a long time before we get there
By avoiding or obfuscating the point about a "country called Europe", I suspect it'll be a long time before we get there
(That took longer to write than I wanted and in the end I just hit Send because I want to go to bed early)
