I wish to register my sincere thanks and appreciation to our industrious Prime Minister, Teresa May, for her selfless efforts, hard work and determination in trying to deliver on the 23rd June 2016 United Kingdom referendum results, to leave the European Union. The said results was 51.1% ‘YES’ to 48.9% ‘NO’, to leave. And this shocking outcome led to the sudden resignation of the then Prime Minister and pro remain, David Cameron and his subsequent surprise replacement by Mrs May instead of the former London Mayor and leave campaigner Boris Johnson, who was widely perceived PM in waiting as far as rumours were concerned.
The eventual delivery of Prime Minister May’s order on March 29th 2017 to Mr Donald Tusk, the European Council President, declaring Britains intention to leave the EU, marked the formal kick off of the two year count down on the ensuing negotiation for a Brexit deal. This Brexit which is a new word that has become a pseudonym for British Exit from the EU has become a famous acronym for the democratic verdict of the British people and also plunged the country into several diplomatic trips to Brussels, months of tense political discourse, debates, resignations, no confidence votes on the PM, and parliamentary wrangling but all without any meaningful headway to achieve a satisfactory Brexit deal. Despite her meritorious efforts in the said several months, it is now abundantly clear that the Prime Minister’s energies fall short of any favourable accomplishment. Consequently, both political and civil patience is conspicuously diminishing in the face of her renewed determination and endurance to deliver.
However, discerning a careful analysis of the entire Brexit narrative, I am convinced that the 2016 referendum was actually made on the premise of a single story laden leave-manifesto. As perceived by a famous Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Adichie, in her book ‘’the dangers of a single story’’, this is risky and euphony of the actual truth (reality). To be precise, I mean the pro Brexit campaigners sold us only one side of the story that Britain will gain and be better outside the EU, citing immigration, the NHS, the huge membership dues being paid, control over our sovereign laws and so on as the plausible. What voters were not told is the other side of the same story, i.e. the fact that in as much as the UK government vies to bring back control and sovereignty, the rest of the European Union would also want to protect the interest and wellbeing of the union. They would do this in the best way possible to not undermine the unity and strength of the block. It would be a miscalculation and of course a fallacy to expect the EU to buy into any Brexit package from the Prime Minister that would be in any way more favourable to Britain than to the EU. Obviously, international relation and diplomacy prevails on the tenants of permanent interest and not permanent friend. Therefore, the EU must work hands in glove to ensure that any deal to release Britain from the block defends and protects the EU agenda the best way possible.
In fact, in my view there is currently no political party or leader in the UK who has any genuine Brexit package that can successfully deliver on the promise of the 2016 referendum leave campaign to the general satisfaction of the ‘leave manifesto’. This is because of the fact that the European Union negotiators don’t seem to budge on their protectionist position. To Donald Tusk and co, the collective EU interest supersedes any secessionist or UK one. Let us wake up to the reality and stop dancing to the utopia tunes of politicians who are only telling us a single story concerning what they want from Brussels. Obviously, Brussels no doubt has the upper hand on these negotiations bearing in mind that twenty seven likeminded nations would not compromise their interest for the interest of any single country and Britain for that matter. In fact, this whole Brexit mystery is now akin to boarding the ship of optimism on a sail to the Promised Land only for the self-acclaimed captain to abandon the ship to the mercy of a sceptic novice who never in the first place even endorsed the sailing idea. I mean the likes of Mr Boris Johnson, Mr Nigel Farage and others, whose self-aggrandisement disparaged the self-enshrined true powers of the European Union as a force to reckon with, have long jumped the ship after selling voters the luxury sail to a fantasy land, which still remains a mirage. They made us believe that the idea of leaving the EU was going to be a smooth sail when the actual tidal currents underlying the journey are rather precarious and complicated.
Can anyone truly expect Mrs May to successfully deliver on such an ambitious manifesto when she was in the first place no party to the pro leave? I humbly suggest that the PM task Mr Johnson, Mr Farage and other leave buddies the full responsibility to make good their promise. Let them captain the Brexit ship and deliver the nation to the Promised Land that they cajoled voters to succumb to. After all is it not the hands that tied the lion who should untie it? If they cannot, then Britain must declare the whole Brexit hullabaloo a not fit for purpose and give the PM a rest.
Alh yahya Ceesay
London
Ends