I keep seeing images of Nigel Farage and other fans of Brexit celebrating their win by waving the Union Jack.
Which is really ironic, and seems to indicate a lack of thinking things through on their part. Which, under the circumstances, isn’t terribly surprising.
Already, Scotland — which voted strongly to remain in the E.U. — is girding itself for another vote for independence, and this time it seems likely that they’ll succeed in seceding.
As I Tweeted in the midst of it all last night:
The Royal Navy should get busy moving those missile subs south…
— Brad Warthen (@BradWarthen) June 24, 2016
And that, of course, would mean the end of the Union Jack. Right? I mean, how could you keep the St. Andrew’s Cross after that?
Flag of England
For those who haven’t paid attention the last few centuries, the Union Jack represents the union of England and Scotland, hence the combination of the St. George’s and St. Andrew’s crosses.
True, I’m no expert on heraldry or anything. Maybe an independent Scotland would still be part of the Queen’s realm, and she could still fly the Union flag when she’s in residence at her palace.
But still… that’s a rather empty sort of union these days, isn’t it?
Here’s the flag they should be waving, since this is what they voted for. Not quite as satisfying to look at, is it?
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Yes! That pretty much describes how deeply they’ve thought this out.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson is saying of Europe, “I won’t say I’ll be missing it, Bob.”
bradwarthen.com has just learned that the folks in Brussels offered some pretty lame inducements to get Britain to stay:
The EU should stop calling for a hard exit by Britain. It’s counter-productive; this wasn’t a vote to lever a better bargain on EU membership terms. Instead the EU should avoid the temptation to dive into a contentious divorce proceeding – which will only end badly for all – and instead articulate understanding of the emotions involved in the vote and encourage a trial separation. No threats, no retribution, no anger, no bullying.
I know, it hardly ever works in personal divorce cases; but what’s the harm in trying? Everyone knows the other path is ruinous for all. Can people, collectively, be smarter than they are individually in times of identity crisis?
I can’t get away from it! Even when I’m performing routine tasks within the dashboard of my blog, WordPress taunts me with little dialogue boxes making references to Brexit:
Victory for subsidiarity, though?
Only if the smaller constituent parts are competent to accomplish what the larger entity did for the people…
A few visceral reactions. England sees what raw participatory democracy can lead to, for better or worse. Did the Queen vote? Swing was only 2 %. Think 3 or 4 % really knew what was gong on? Angela is rubbing her hands; now only the French to deal with. And we know how that plays out. Vladimir is smiling.