European elections: British Remainers have learnt nothing

For hopeful Remainers who talked up the European elections as a proxy second referendum, things are not going as planned. Attempts at cooperation between Remain supporting parties have failed, the People’s Vote campaign continues to be taken for a ride by Corbyn, and the Brexit Party has come out of nowhere to provide the perfect vehicle for a Brexit backlash.

In 2016 Britain voted to leave the EU and Nigel Farage decided his mission was accomplished. Nearly three years later, we have not left the EU and there is a growing sense that we may never leave. Now Nigel Farage’s political career is going through a revival. If Brexit is stopped, Remainers will have scored a major victory, but Farage-ism will become a fixture of British politics.

According to the latest polls, the Brexit Party is on course to win more votes than all pro-Remain parties combined in the European elections. Nigel Farage’s party is polling at an average of 32% which, combined with the UKIP vote, would put the pro-Brexit vote at an estimated 35%.

This is in contrast to the collective remain vote composed of the Liberal Democrats (15%) Greens (7%) and The Independent Change UK Tiggers Group (4%), who all openly support holding a second referendum and remaining in the European Union.

The polling indicates that both Labour and the Conservatives, who are advocating a Brexit compromise, will be punished by both sides of the Leave/Remain divide.

If the polling is accurate, Brexiteers will control the post-election narrative and have another democratic mandate to point to. Meanwhile, Remainers will be regretting yet another missed opportunity as their case for a second referendum takes a hit.

Things might have been different. The Brexit process has not gone well so far, in fact, it’s been an embarrassing debacle. The British political system is struggling. Investment is being held back, factories have been shut down and British business is near unanimous in believing Brexit to be bad for the economy. Whatever your view, it’s not been as easy as Brexiteers said and Remainers have plenty of ammunition. Opinion polls have consistently shown a shift towards remain. Yet Remainers are failing to capitalise and Farage’s pop up Party has outmanoeuvred them.

The response from some prominent Remainers has been totally wrongheaded. The focus should be on making a positive case for EU membership and trying to win over Brexiteers. Instead, many have fallen into the same old traps. They blame the media for the exposure Farage gets and for not adequately exposing him. They blame Farage for fooling people and blame Brexiteers for being fooled.

There seems to be a misguided idea that if only Farage’s ‘man of the people’ schtick could be exposed for the lie it is, his support would diminish. But although his supporters forgive him more than they might other politicians, they don’t idealise him. They know he’s not just some ordinary bloke, but they see him putting the boot into politicians who are determined to ignore their vote.

At the same time, they find themselves continually sneered at by people who cannot fathom their worldview at all. The realisation that sneering and belittling people is counterproductive really should have sunk in by now. Yet the Remain movement is led by donkeys.

Take Matt Kelly, editor of Remainer newspaper the New European. He tweeted an image of a Brexit Party rally, commenting “An actual Nigel Farage audience. Marvel at the diversity, behold the spread of demographics. And bring a mop to clear up all the leaked piss afterwards.” The tweet has since been deleted.

It is really not a good look.

Remainers portray themselves as the liberal progressives and make much of what they perceive as the ignorance, narrow mindedness and prejudiced nature of Brexiteers. Yet when people like Matt Kelly express sentiment like this, they are displaying to the world their own special brand of prejudice and narrow world view. It isn’t going to win any hearts and minds.

Did they learn nothing since 2016?

Ultimately, it’s all very simple. If the Brexit Party win the Euro elections, there is no real need for detailed analysis, hand wringing or chin scratching.  Farage has a simple message, that Remainers are determined to overturn the 2016 referendum and ensure Britain remains in the EU. Farage may be a charlatan and a chancer, but he has the advantage of his campaign message being true.

Let us know your view. Send a letter for publication to letters@reaction.life