Holdenforth Marks Time

We at Holdenforth will begin this blog with two apologies:

• Holdenforth has received some complaints from readers accusing us of being too prolix. In normal times we would reject this absurd allegation with contumely, but these are not normal times. Accordingly in this blog, we will limit ourselves to the very bones of the issues. We will be terse, laconic, pithy, succinct and – whoops – there we go again.

• In addition, we have to confess ourselves  confused by the all-pervasive chaos that is the present condition of the UK.

Rather than add to this confusion and chaos we will carry out a review of what we have written recently and will then proceed – in the time honoured fashion – to mark our own homework. 

Where had we got to on Brexit?

“A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.”

From “The End of the affair “ by Graham Greene

When Brexit first surfaced as a major political issue in the UK – there were two relevant agreements to consider.

• “The Good Friday Agreement” signed in April 1998, and
• The European Union formed after WW2 to replace a millennium of conflict between nation states with a civilised co-operative union.

Both of these developments represented considerable improvements on what had preceded them.

Where are we right now on Brexit? As I write Mr Sunak is here, there and everywhere seeking to persuade the various main stakeholders to tick the agreement that he has secured with the EU.

A few opening points to get started.

• Mr Sunak is to be congratulated on making as much progress as he has made thus far. His emollient stance throughout has made a most welcome change to the unseemly combination of mendacity and truculence that were and remain such prominent features of the policy of Mr Johnson.
• For us at Holdenforth,  Brexit was and remains the root cause of all the problems that have arisen since it first surfaced as an issue.
• Sadly – for Mr Sunak – but predictably for the rest of us Johnson has emerged from the shadows to launch his comeback.

• For the record, Holdenforth is anxious to locate the alleged Remainer conspiracy movement and to enlist in its ranks  – we have been consistent Remainers from the outset and we will go to our graves with the banner of the Remainers draped over our ashes.

Brexit did not arrive on the UK scene unexpectedly. The two main UK political parties had both experienced major problems since the end of WW2 with dissident elements who were anxious to ensure that the UK did NOT join the EU and were angry when the UK did join.

“He swung the Labour Party into a posture of general hostility towards Britain joining the Common Market”

Roy Jenkins writing about Hugh Gaitskell.

One especially poignant quarrel was within the Labour Party between the passionate pro-European Roy Jenkins and the equally passionate anti-European Hugh Gaitskell.

The Tory party experienced similar internal difficulties both in and out of office.

The various disputes simmered on, but the UK DID join the EU on Jan 1, 1973 when Mr Heath occupied No 10.

What happened to trigger our leaving the EU?

Answer – An unfortunate combination of one formidable and effective campaigner, Nigel Farage, one duplicitous politician, Boris Johnson and one politician who combined ineffectiveness with political cowardice, David Cameron.

• Q. Did the contribution to the debate of Mr Corbyn help or hinder the Brexit cause?
• A – An easy one – the decision of Mr Corbyn to abdicate his responsibilities and to leave the policy of his party to the people to decide was a gift to the Brexiteers who provided clear decisive and wholly mischievous and misleading leadership to the doubters.

A few words about the leading Brexiteers.

Mr Nigel Farage.

Holdenforth sees Mr Farage as THE main architect of the Brexit outcome – a view shared by Mr Farage – one of the very few areas where Holdenforth and Nigel Farage are in complete agreement. Farage  has been a consistent critic of all things European since his years in the EU and he has over the years secured significant support by focusing on minor and irrational aspects of our EU membership whilst choosing to ignore the enormous gains throughout Europe by replacing the appalling wars of the previous centuries with the setting up of  civilised cooperative arrangements.

Those doubting these assertions might do well to remind themselves about the events across Europe between 1939 and 1945. Those with longer memories might recall the events of July 1, 1916 when 20,000 British Troops were killed on Day 1 of the Battle of the Somme.

Mr Boris Johnson.

If Farage is the main architect of Brexit – what has been and still is the contribution of Boris Johnson to the success of the Brexit campaign?

Holdenforth has noted that Boris Johnson sought to portray himself as a Churchillian figure able to crystallise the views of the confused UK electorate into an aversion to the EU and a love of – who else – Boris Johnson.

Holdenforth sees an historical parallel but not the one issued by the BOJO PR machine.

Instead we see BOJO as a latter day Horatio Bottomley, a man who was an effective pro war public speaker in WW1 but who later served a prison sentence for crimes against the truth.

To seek to redress the balance we will now and in future blogs refer to BOJO as Boris (Horace) Johnson, with the Horace  being a diminutive of Horatio to remind readers about the reasons for the decline and fall of Bottomley.

Don’t forget – those closest to Boris (Horace) Johnson are the ones who distrust him the most.

Stop press items – a few issues have surfaced in recent days further to muddy the political waters of the UK.

“You have sat too long here for any good that you have been doing. Depart , I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!”

Oliver Cromwell when dismissing the Long Parliament. His comment was used by Leo Amery on day 1 of the debate about the future of Neville Chamberlain – who was replaced by Churchill as Prime Minister just 4 days later.

Holdenforth would like to see A Tory MP stand up in the House Commons and very publicly urge Boris (Horace) Johnson to act on this advice. Most of us outside the Westminster Bubble have enough whispered leaks for now.

And while we are at it – would a Tory MP – any Tory MP – urge Mr Hancock to accompany Boris (Horace) Johnson on his exit stage right?

It seems that Mr Hancock has added to his already formidable catalogue of dubious activities by passing enough ammunition plus a delivery system to Ms Oakeshott to remove him from the public gaze once and for all.

Anything else before we move on.

• Were there piss ups in No10 during the pandemic? It would seem likely given the universal thirst that seems to pervade the Palace of Westminster.

• Sue Gray has been portrayed by some in the Tory Party as the most untrustworthy public servant since Kim Philby opted to throw in his lot with the Bolshevik boys many years ago? Holdenforth cannot comment since we don’t know.

• One professional group likely to be delighted with the complexity of the issues at the heart of current the Brexit debate will be the legal profession – the combination of mostly languid pace of events with the arbitrary nature of the eventual outcomes will be a source of satisfaction to our legal eagles.

More on this aspect in a future blog.

What about David Cameron?

“Brexit cost me my dearest friendships and my marriage… “

Headline above the column by Sarah Vine in The Daily Mail on  March 1

Holdenforth is indebted to Sarah Vine for her observations about the contribution of David Cameron to the Brexit debacle – his decision to hold a referendum … polarised his party … made it worse by abandoning his post — thanks for that, Sarah.

Ms Vine wisely leaves it at that so far as the Cameron contribution is concerned.

Holdenforth adds that the career of Mr Cameron following his decision to abandon ship took a turn for his worse as he became embroiled in the dubious arrangements about the financing of Liberty Steel via Greenshill.

Gosh – do we have another Horatio Bottomley at large albeit a more genteel version?

Holdenforth feels strongly about this particular scandal as it was partly responsible for the decline of that part of the UK Steel sector controlled by Mr Gupta.

Holdenforth will take what happened since the eruption of the In/Out of Europe debate as read and move on.