If ever proof were needed of the parochial nature of politics, the politics of Great Britain today demonstrates this clearly, and at the same time unveils its true goal – that of simply staying at the top.  The politics of the UK may well keep those in ‘power’ in power – but what it isn’t doing is protecting the well-being of the British public.

Whether you support to remain a part of the EU, or to leave it, it is fair (I think) to say that the British government is not representing your interests; and the recent display of public grand-standing by government Ministers shows this yet again.   

Following on from a dressing down from the EU concerning its proposals, the British government finds itself humiliated and without a clear direction towards the amicable Brexit that it claims to desire.  Its reaction: to blame the EU for not behaving like adults, for failing to come up with an acceptable solution to Brexit and to belligerently claim that the EU wouldn’t like Britain when it was cornered!

Putting aside for one moment the fact that Britain has ‘cornered’ itself; we can see key political leaders in the United Kingdom essentially behaving like sulking children.  The tweet published by Donald Tusk showing a picture of British Prime Minister Theresa May selecting a cake with the subtitle “Sorry, no cherries” was (in my humble opinion) childish in the extreme, and honestly quite insulting. 

(It is also possible to claim that it was insulting of the British government to seek to bypass the chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier by approaching the heads of the individual member states; presumably in an attempt to negotiate in a piecemeal fashion.)

Yet the reaction of the British government has been equally childish.  Theresa May made a televised statement in which she indicated that she felt it was ‘unacceptable’ the fact that the EU had rejected the UK’s proposition ‘at this late stage’ without having suggested an alternative.  This was closely followed by the British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt who then warned Brussels not to mistake British politeness for weakness, stating that “If you put us in a difficult corner, we will stand our ground – that is the kind of country we are.”

This kind of empty rhetoric can in fact, only be for home consumption.  Do the British politicians sincerely believe that either Michel Barnier or the leaders of the 27 remaining EU member states will suddenly turn and rethink the EU’s negotiating position because the United Kingdom accuses them of not being adult?  The EU may not be being adult, but I would argue that neither is entering into public name-calling! (Indeed, Jeremy Hunt’s comments that Britain will stand its ground is very much the political equivalent of the Just William “I’ll scream and scream ’til I’m sick’)

In truth, none of the EU leaders can possibly be reasonably be expected to shoulder the responsibility for the position in which Britain finds itself – the freedoms of the EU even permit individual troublemakers (such as Boris Johnson) to actively sow discontent through rumour, innuendo and downright lies – without reproach. 

Even if, as Theresa May has indicated that it is unacceptable that the EU has rejected the UK’s proposition ‘at this late stage’ without having suggested an alternative, one can only question how it is that Britain ended up ‘at this late stage’ without an acceptable proposition.  It is not as if there are not pre-existing models for dealing with the EU; it is not as if Britain was not instrumental in helping to establish those self-same models!  From my perspective, there can be little sympathy for any party which enters into negotiations without a clear goal at which to aim, and which expects the other parties in the negotiations to do all of the work: suggesting ideas, setting direction and (of course) accepting the blame when a solution cannot be found.

The shame of it is, that Britain’s decision to leave the EU was taken without any clear idea of what that meant or indeed how it could be achieved: and that is not the fault of the referendum so much as it is the fault of Theresa May triggering Article 50 before that position could be understood. 

That which has been done so far has been done for purely political reasons, not for the benefit of the population, nor for the much publicised ‘respect for the spirit of the referendum’.  The reactions from government ministers clearly show that the British government would much rather leap over a cliff into the abyss (albeit shouting obscenities at the EU from afar) rather than simply slow down their run and avoid oblivion.  The British government is principally concerned with keeping favour (power) at home – by blaming those naughty foreigners – than it is on finding a practical and workable solution.

As a result, what seems to be lost in all of this is that the departure of the United Kingdom from the EU is something which will have a profound impact on the next several generations of UK (and EU) citizens.  This is not a competition for a personal goal, this is a life-changing event for an entire nation, and it is being treated like a game by those that are ‘playing’.  Making announcements to the British public denouncing the EU and complaining that it is ‘not fair’ cannot possibly help the negotiation process – in any way.  All it can do is distract the British public (and only the British public) from the plain fact that the negotiations are failing, and that by association the British government is failing in its duty to the British public.

Amidst all the talk of respecting the spirit of the referendum result – where is mention of looking after the needs of the citizens?

When the means becomes the end, then perhaps the end is no longer the real goal…