As time passes, some things become clear. The problem isn’t Brexit; the problem is the Brexiteers. Or, to put it slightly differently, while Brexit may be sub-optimal, the Brexiteers are much worse than that. They are awful.
Extraordinarily, Jacob Rees-Mogg is now the bookmakers’ favourite to be the next prime minister. As the champion of the backbench Brexiteers he can no longer be dismissed – or, indeed, indulged – as an enjoyable eccentric. He is serious and perhaps now merits being taken seriously himself.
As an intellectual matter, Brexit remains a respectable cause. The vision of Brexit imagined by The Spectator has much to commend it even if I think it bends, just a little, towards a heroically optimistic version of this country’s future. But if we survey the ranks of elected Brexiteers, has any cause, even an ostensibly respectable one, ever been championed by such a collection of know-nothing charlatans?
Remarkably, nearly two years after Brexit the cabinet has still not decided on a position vis a vis the customs union.
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