From Aljazeera, “‘The Withdrawal Agreement is not open for renegotiation,’ said European Council President Donald Tusk. ‘Yesterday, we found out what the UK doesn’t want. But we still don’t know what the UK does want.’” That was back in January 2019. Wow! So much for that spine. Although I am absolutely agnostic about Brexit, I still find it infuriating as f*** that liberal institutions (E.U.) always seem to f***ing cave to conservative tantrums (Boris Johnson and the like). So, this is the larger problem I have with the E.U. caving on renegotiating the Brexit deal: it gives power and legitimacy to a more radical right-wing segment of Britain’s Conservative Party, e.g., Boris Johnson (aka traitor trump mini-me). Everyone thought that resolving the Irish backstop was impossible, but now it appears Johnson has accomplished the impossible. Fan-f***ing-tastic! Nothing succeeds like success.
I suppose that is the real issue. Traitor trump has ushered in the era of leadership that focuses on personal grievances, tantrum-throwing, burn down everything, obstruction, isolationism, “my-way-or-no-way” cooperation, and increasing conservatism (social and political). In short, the E.U. has basically said if one is obdurate enough then eventually they will cave. The E.U., like dumbass Democrats and all liberals it seems, has a propensity to back down when push comes to shove. They should have let Britain crash out of the E.U. Let’s face it. Britons have never really considered themselves as part of Europe; they have literally and figuratively always believed they are an island nation unto themselves in much the same way (too) many Americans like to think oceans still protect us from the rest of the world. It’s just all part of the conservative mentality, which basically says: f*** you! I’ve got mine!
One final thought. What do Brexiters have to fear in a second referendum? If they are so confident in their position and in the will of the people then they should have absolutely no issue with holding another referendum that merely asks to accept the current Brexit deal or to Remain. It is that simple. It seems the people who blindly cling to the opinions of society from three years ago as justification for pushing on — as if the events of the Brexit process in and of itself are completely inconsequential to the considerations of the future and will of Great Britain — fear that perhaps, just maybe, the public’s will has changed. Again, this is simply the conservative mindset. There is no such thing as a change of circumstance or change of opinion. Once a decision has been made then reconsideration is impossible, and I am not talking about conservatives demonstrating a sense of decisiveness or commitment just to show steadfastness for steadfastness’ sake, although that is part of their echos. I am talking more about a core belief system in which change, nuance, and new information that does not support their preconceived worldview should be ignored at all costs. That is the definition of conservatism!