The impossibility of Brexit

In the UK we like to think that the Northern Ireland Conflict – ‘The Troubles’ – was not really a war, but more of a low level conflict that we could and can sweep under the carpet. The truth is that during the 30 or so years of the conflict around 3,500 people died. This is with a population of under 2 million in Northern IReland. Accepting that some of the deaths occured in other parts of the UK and elsewhere, and that the following is just a rough estimate, if we extrapolate to consider a similar level of conflict in England that would mean around 130,000 deaths over that same period. With that many deaths we would not consider it to be a low level conflict but a serious war where we would probably call on the UN to intervene.

I am currently staying in a hotel on the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. It is so close to the border it is called the Customs House. We have spent the last few days around the north of the island of Ireland, freely moving across the international border.

This is what the border looks like – no barriers, just drive across the bridge. The only difference is that in the north we have MPH in the south we have KPH:

And this is a typical border during the Troubles – long queues, cars being searched, random checkpoints, many weapons:

Brexiteers are quite happy that we will go backwards in time from the freedom of movement currently experienced to the dark days of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s when everyone in Northern Ireland (and to a lesser extent the rest of the UK) lived in fear of extreme and unpredictable violence. After all they say, we survived the Second World War with the ‘Blitz Spirit’ so we can quite easily survive becoming a 3rd World nation respected by no one which no one listens to and which can only strike deals with countries that want to give us chlorinated chicken.

I presented a workshop in Omagh yesterday. In the UK, those of us who remember the Troubles remember this image from 1998:

The red car blew up moments after this photograph was taken. Fortunately the two people in the centre of the photo survived, but the photographer died, along with 28 other people (plus two who were in the womb of a woman expecting twins). Hundreds were injured.

This is the same scene today:

A perfectly normal scene in a perfectly normal town.

Northern Ireland is thriving. It has good roads, good infrastructure, friendly people, good food. If and when Brexit is forced upon us all this is threatened. Just the thought that it might go back to the awful situation of the Troubles should be enough for rational people to realise that Brexit must be rejected.

Of course, there are many other reasons Brexit should not happen, but it is worth pointing out the terrible danger that a part of the United Kingdom is in if we do leave the EU. The Troubles were not a low level conflict that could be ignored. The danger should be brought to the attention of the incompetent, ignorant, and utterly stupid people who are ‘running’ the UK at this time. Should I even mention the Irish Secretary, Karen Bradley, who admitted she knew little about the Troubles before being appointed to one of the most sensitive positions in the UK Government? How can someone apparently interested in politics – at least enough to stand for election as an MP – not understand at least the basics about the Troubles?

The political situation in the UK is the worst I have ever known. We have a Parliament with too many people who do not understand the UK Parliamentary system, a Government that is a parody of the term, very dangerous individuals such as Farage, Johnson, and Rees-Mogg who are either incredibly evil or incredibly stupid – or both. They all wish to destroy UK democracy. All our overseas friends, both in Europe and elsewhere, are in despair at the country they once looked up to as an exemplar of effective democracy.

If we are to survive the next months and years as a Parliamentary democracy, and if we are not to degenerate back into the violence of previous decades then Brexit has to be stopped. There is no alternative but to stay in the European Union and, yes, to fight for any changes we want from within. Who was it who said ‘jaw jaw is better than war war’- oh yes, that person well respected by the idiots listed above – Winston Churchill, who also suggested we should move towards a United States of Europe, because he had seen first hand what war does to people.