Withnail & I and Brexit.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Here is a bloody brilliant piece of writing by Ben Myers on the 30th anniversary of Withnail & I  in the historical context of Brexit. Ripper stuff:

New Statesman

[Sweder]

I arrived at Rotterdam airport late last night on a delayed flight out of London City Airport.
Two other flights landed at the same time, one from Barcelona, the other from Vienna.
The immigration desk only had two officers on duty, so they fast-tracked two flights straight to the baggage hall. Guess which one lined up for an hour to go through passports?

The reality is, whatever the ostrich-like, gung-ho Brexiteers think, there's more of this to come.
On Wednesday, the UK Goverment will jump from a (admittedly spluttering) plane with no idea if their backpack contains a parachute or a load of dirty laundry. We'll find out when the time comes to pull the cord, I guess. David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, assures us our position with Europe will be much the same as it was pre-Article 50. Come again? A) I'm not sure the rest of Europe thinks so and B) if so, what's the fucking point? It'll cost us north of 40 billion pounds to pay our way out. So we can 'take back control'.

I'm not saying leaving the EU is all together wrong; the EU remains a cabal of nefarious pirates, filling their pockets whilst the nations link arms to sing lusty songs of unity and peace. But to plough ahead with no plan, no vision, no agreement or understanding, is surely folly on a massive scale.

Nigel Farage called for the UK to tighten border controls after Westminster was attacked by a lone assailant using a car and a knife. The attacker was born and raised in Birmingham, England, radicalised via the global family of nutbars just as capable of using electronic communiation as we are. He was hell-bent on doing damage, just as he was before he converted to Islam. Borders schmorders; the enemy is within, just as it is in the United States, where White Supremicist crime is reaching record levels. Building walls isn't going to stop any of that, but if Trump's goons can brow-beat the media into not reporting it, things will look, well, simply great.

The ignorance of hard facts on display here is breathtaking. We're seeing it daily from 45 and the gaggle of White House apologist and alt-right lunatics egging him on. Journalists are dismissed, even banned, for doing their jobs. Smears and lies abound as tax-payers money - current total US$330 million since inauguration - is squandered to care of 45's family arrangements and weekend golfing excursions. Newt Gingrich tweets 'at least this POTUS doesn't charge US$ 900,000 for a round of golf' as Obama once allegedly did. Really? Smearing a man who's administration was shamelessly choked and blocked at every turn by an aggressive, hostile Republican Congress and Senate? Fox News reported that POTUS was 'working hard in the White House this weekend' even as some Country Club member was posting snapchats of him watching TV in the clubhouse in Florida. The lies asre getting so big and so wild they're almost impossible to debunk.

The USA, we're asssured, is one of the UK's main 'allies' in the future wonderful wide world of free trade. Meanwhile, the US is embarking on protectionist policies to move manufacturing back within its borders. The crumbs from that table will be meagre enough, with or without Theresa May's shameless dash to grasp that tiny little hand so soon after the coronation.

Another Great Trading Hope, China, is teetering on the edge of recession. When they make decisions it's on a huge scale. Their reaction to Trump's impending isolationism could affect the whole of Europe (as well as Australia, another huge China trade partner), let alone our own, soon to be isolated, island.

The United Kingdom is rapidly becoming the Untied Kingdom. It's horrible to watch. Anyone who dares call out the Emperor for wearing no clothes is pilloried as a Remoaner and a Bad Loser. 48% of the voters thought this was a bad idea at the time. I'll wager that figure is a good deal higher now.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

A Brexit and a Remainer?

[Sweder]