“BREXIT BRIEF” – ISSUE 63, 18th April 2019
Ode to kinship
It has been a terrible week for the people of France and very far beyond. The world watched in horror on Monday evening as flames engulfed Notre-Dame Cathedral for almost nine hours. Miraculously, when the Parisienne sun rose the following morning, the main structure of the 12th century building was still intact. By then, news had emerged of heroic acts by priests and firefighters to save many of the irreplaceable relics inside including the Crown of Thorns and the Blesses Sacrament. Heroes, each and every one. French President Emmanuel Macron was quickly on the scene to offer personal support to those attempting to quell the flames. He also declared that the cathedral would be rebuilt “more beautiful than before.” His words prompted a swift reaction from prospective funders. As I write, the total raised is approaching €1 billion.
At times of strife, you discover who your true friends are. Presidents and Prime Ministers are no different. Theresa May was one of the first to comment, pledging the UK’s support for the rebuilding effort. She also announced that later today, Maundy Thursday, “bells will ring at cathedrals and churches across England." German Chancellor Angela Merkel talked of her deep sadness at what had happened and described the Cathedral as “a symbol of France and our European culture.” European Council President Donald Tusk expressed “solidarity with the whole French nation.”
And Donald Trump? He criticised the firefighters. As the iconic Notre-Dame spire crashed to the ground before a crowd of horrified onlookers, the US President tweeted: “Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!” His unwelcome advice was described by a spokesman for France’s civil defence organisation as “risible.” He continued: “It was technically impossible, undoable and most of all would have been utterly useless.”
I mention this because, back in Britain, ultra-Brexiteers remain committed to throwing away the enviable political, trade and security relationships we currently enjoy with our European neighbours in favour of an ill-advised US-UK trade deal – incorporating chlorinated chicken and hormone-infused beef – they want to agree with Donald Trump. During a visiting to London this week, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US Congress, scolded a group of Tory Brexiteers for being “condescending.” She also warned that there was no prospect of a US-UK trade deal if it undermined the Good Friday Agreement which relies on an open Irish border. Coincidentally, a leaked Home Office memo confirmed this week that an electronic solution to avoid a hard border was “at least” a decade away. The document added: "The challenges of this cannot be underestimated." Just like Brexit itself.
A Party best avoided
The UK Parliament has had a week off to celebrate Easter. In line with Donald Tusk’s advice, the time was supposed to be used to make progress in the cross-party talks on Brexit. But other than talks about more talks, there have been no more talks.
Instead, the vacuum has been filled by Nigel Farage, the new Leader of the Brexit Party. His predecessor stepped down in February for posting Islamophobic social media posts. The Party’s Treasurer stepped down more recently for posting anti-Semitic and homophobic social media posts. An opinion poll published yesterday put the Brexit Party on-course for a strong performance in next month’s European Parliamentary elections. Should this be translated into seats, it will prove troublesome for the pro-Remain cause in general and the People’s Vote lobby in particular. Let’s hope the more sensibly-minded UK politicians are resting well, because they have a huge battle ahead to fight before the real polls open on 23 May.
Meanwhile in America…
It’s a landmark day in Washington DC with a redacted version of the Mueller Report into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential election due for publication. There are two key questions that observers want it to answer. First, did the Trump Campaign collude with the Russian Government to undermine Hillary Clinton and seize the White House? And second, did Donald Trump or those close to him seek to obstruct justice once the investigations into Russian meddling began?
As is his wont, Trump is doing all he can to skew what the public are told. All redactions in the report will be at the direction of Bill Barr, his Attorney General. And, last night, Barr announced that he will be giving a press conference in the coming hours to set out his “analysis” of the report - before Congress or the media are given copies. In other words, he will seek to tell the world what Trump wants them to hear. Indeed, Jon Sopel, the BBC’s highly-respected North America Editor, has just tweeted: “What a farcical exercise this will be. The Mueller Report, the most consequential report in decades, and the Attorney General Bill Barr will answer our questions on a report we won’t have seen. So how will we know what to ask? We won’t. Doesn’t smack of confidence does it?” It promises to be a lively few days.
Have a wonderful Easter weekend!
Jason
Dr Jason Aldiss BEM
Managing Director
You can follow me on Twitter @JasonAldiss