More Reflection

More Reflection

I have been angry about the referendum result but I am now finding the situation more and more hilarious. Is it possible, just possible, that Lewis Carroll had a premonition about Brexit when he wrote Alice In Wonderland, but decided to tone down the fantasy a bit? Curioser and curioser doesn't come close to getting it.

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has just announced that there will inevitably have to be higher taxes and public spending cuts (more than those already planned, that is). Never mind what happened to that chimerical £350 million, he was quite definite, even a little smug about it. Has any Chancellor, ever in history before, anywhere in the world in a democrary, announced both increased taxes and spending cuts at the same time, being definite about it (and possibly a little smug)? I think we have a world first record there. What's more, this was voted for by the electorate; surely another history-making world first. If Leave voters weren't quite sure what they were voting for when they voted, they do now.

It doesn't stop there, not by any means. It turns out that the areas that voted Leave most solidly are those most dependent economically on the EU. In effect, voters voted solidly for job losses. In France, Francois Hollande must be green with envy and tearing his hair (not that we Brits would mind that, of course). What wouldn't he give for a majority who would vote for job losses (and higher taxes and public spending cuts)! He's facing strikes and outright rebellion when he tries to tinker even mildly with the labout laws. I think we're going to need extra security around abattoirs come December to deal with hordes of turkeys beating on the gates and demanding to have their heads cut off for Christmas.

Don't go away yet; I haven't finished. I think we can reasonably guess that many of the Leave voters may feel they have been conned. There is to be new government leadership shortly; guess who the candidates will be? Who else can it be but the conmen? The UK being a democracy, there will be a vote at some stage and the conned electorate will be invited to vote for the conmen. You couldn't make it up!

As a very minor footnote I played boules this afternoon and was ribbed by my French friends about the England vs Iceland football debacle. I tried to persuade them that England had lost deliberately, to make the next round easier for our French friends. They didn't believe me. I don't know why; I'm sure I would have been believed in England.