Exactly ten years ago today, the British people voted by a decisive margin to leave the European Union, ending over four decades of rule by the unaccountable bureaucracy in Brussels. The Leave campaign's slogan, 'Take Back Control', captured a collective yearning for sovereignty. The Daily Express, guided by the late political editor Patrick O'Flynn, became the first British paper to advocate withdrawal.
Project Fear's Failure
The Remain campaign, led by Prime Minister David Cameron, warned that Brexit would be like 'putting a bomb under the economy'. But Project Fear failed. With heroic defiance, the majority of voters refused to be intimidated. Boris Johnson's declaration on the eve of polling that 'tomorrow will be our independence day' helped cement Leave's triumph.
Remainers' Persistent Opposition
Disillusion soon set in, cultivated by the Remain lobby determined to thwart the referendum result. If Remainers had accepted the vote, Brexit could have been a roaring success. Instead, they have refused reconciliation. Last weekend, a 'National March to Rejoin' was held in central London. Andy Burnham, soon to be Prime Minister, has spoken of his hope to return to the EU. Sir Keir Starmer has said putting Britain at the heart of Europe 'will be the defining act of my government'.
Dynamic Realignment: A Euphemism for Surrender
Starmer's government is engaged in 'dynamic realignment', a euphemism for perpetual surrender, accepting ever more EU rules. Britain becomes an associate member of the Customs Union and Single Market, making large payments without policy input. This has already happened with fishing policy, and further compliance on food standards, professional qualifications, free movement, and GM products is expected.
Propaganda and Economic Myths
Remainers paint Brexit as a disaster. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy compared Tory Eurosceptics to Nazis and supporters of South African apartheid, and was forced to apologise for claiming Farage had 'flirted' with the Hitler Youth. Alarmism blames all economic ills on Brexit, but ill-judged Labour policies like tax rises and welfare expansion are far more responsible.
As former Cabinet Minister Lord Lilley pointed out, during Britain's 28 years in the Single Market, goods exports to the EU grew less than 1% a year, while exports to 111 countries with no trade deal grew four times as much. Before the war in Iran, Britain had the fastest growing economy in the G7.
Benefits of Freedom
During the Covid pandemic, the government's taskforce, led by Kate Bingham, devised the world's first successful vaccine. The predicted exodus of financial jobs from the City of London did not materialise; in 2022, positions in the financial sector rose by 87,000, a 24.7% increase. Trade agreements reflecting national interests have been concluded, but more should have been done since 2016.
Unfulfilled Promises
The public wanted control over justice, welfare, and immigration systems, but authorities failed. Faith in courts collapsed, social security spending soared, anarchy on England's southern coast grew, and net legal migration exceeded 906,000 in June 2023. The political elite, attached to diversity and federal unity, has little enthusiasm for independence. The British people are denied the invigorating Brexit they backed ten years ago. They deserve better.
