Kwasi Kwarteng: Talk is cheap, it’s time to let the Government put Brexit into action

Despite the rhetoric it would be mad for Parliament to delay triggering Article 50
Theresa May: the PM's Government is 'getting on with the details' of Brexit
PA
Kwasi Kwarteng1 December 2016
WEST END FINAL

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“Well, that didn’t go according to plan,” David Cameron reportedly said when he realised that he had lost the EU referendum. This phrase will surely go down as a classic example of English understatement. In its almost casual acceptance of hard facts, it ranks with Emperor Hirohito’s “the war situation has developed, not necessarily to Japan’s advantage”, after the Japanese surrender in the Second World War.

In the weeks and months after the referendum much has been written about Brexit. President-elect Trump has described himself as “Mr Brexit”. Even lexicographers are worrying about the gender status of this new noun — the French and the Germans have decided it is male (le Brexit, der Brexit) while the Italians insist on female (la Brexit).

If only the debate was limited to grammar. We’ve had “hard” and “soft” Brexit. We have had “clean” Brexit. The Prime Minister has even said “Brexit means Brexit”. Nothing seems to dampen the speculation about this little word. Whole treatises of linguistic philosophy could be written about it.

The Government is quite right to avoid this Tower of Babel. Its EU counterparts — Germany’s Angela Merkel, above all — have stated many times that they do not want to enter into pre-negotiation talks with the Government. However entertaining the chat, it doesn’t count for very much at the moment.

Speculation, counter-briefings and the posturing of the media are all part of the circus of public opinion. As Hamlet says to Polonius, these are just “words, words, words”. Beyond the linguistic gymnastics any British government would be insane to reveal its position before the negotiations actually start.

Despite the rhetoric it would be mad for Parliament to delay triggering Article 50. Such a move would undermine the whole idea of British democracy. Everybody knows the outcome of the referendum on June 23. For Parliament to overturn the result would make Britain a laughing stock. Kim Jong-un and any other dictator would think we were the biggest hypocrites, preaching democracy while ignoring the largest popular vote in British electoral history.

One bizarre feature of this whole episode has been the zombie like re-emergence of Tony Blair, Nick Clegg and Peter Mandelson. These politicians, supreme examples of yesterday’s men, seriously believe they can lead a populist counter-insurgency against Brexit but it would be hard to imagine three politicians more out of touch with the mood in 2016. How deluded are these people?

Blair once said that he could feel the “hand of history upon our shoulders”. He doesn’t seem to have noticed that history overtook him long ago. Ukip’s new leader, Paul Nuttall, has openly said he will go after Labour votes in the North, rightly pointing out that the Islington faction, represented by Blair and friends, has never been further removed from the working-class communities Labour used to represent.

In the midst of all this, Theresa May’s government is getting on with the details. The Government’s refusal to engage in a running commentary on Brexit has enabled people to fill the vacuum with court appeals, wild statements and cries of incompetence.

This is what a healthy democracy looks like. Lots of debate and argument. But government ultimately is about doing things. We can leave the words to pundits and political zombies.

Kwasi Kwarteng is the Conservative MP for Spelthorne

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