REVIEW: Brexit: Falling Out

The United Kingdom was supposed to leave the European Union almost five months ago; instead, it looks set to leave without a deal in a little over two months’ time. This year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival brought together a selection of the country’s best experts on the topic to explore: Has Brexit changed the UK and its standing forever?

Chairing was Anand Menon, professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King’s College London and co-author with Geoffrey Evans of Brexit and British Politics. To his right was Helen Thompson, professor of Political Economy at the University of Cambridge, whilst in the middle sat Meg Russell, professor of British and Comparative Politics at University College London. Next to her was Gavin Esler, formerly a presenter of Newsnight and author of Brexit Without the Bullshit, and on the far right (perhaps fittingly) was Alex Massie, Scotland Editor of The Spectator.

Menon began by posing five questions: Should Brexit happen; what happens if it does happen; what might Parliament do to stop Brexit happening; how does Britain’s current political situation compare to that of other countries; and what impact has Brexit had on British democracy?

Helen Thompson pointed out how divided Britain is as a result of Brexit, and she confessed to not having a clue which side – Leave or Remain – would prevail. At least British politics aren’t as polarised as US politics, though, Thompson conceded.

Meg Russell said that she does not believe a no deal exit will occur, as she believes the British Parliament will prevail in preventing it. She discussed how Britain’s membership of the EU has impacted its political system, accelerating in her opinion the decline of the two-party system. She also decried what she called the ‘megaphone diplomacy’ of both sides of the debate, seeing Parliament as trapped between a rock and a hard place.

Gavin Esler pointed out that Edinburgh was the seat of the Scottish Enlightenment, and he characterised populism as the Un-enlightenment. He referenced Michael Gove’s remark that “the people in this country have had enough of experts”, and he joked about the rate at which US President Donald Trump lies, whilst politicians in the past were held to account for not telling the truth. Esler even seemed to compare those who support Brexit to people who believe the Earth is flat: Both preference subjective feelings over objective facts, he argued.

Alex Massie made a distinction between the questions ‘Should Brexit happen?’ and ‘Is Brexit a good idea?’. Although Massie himself voted for Britain to remain in the EU, he believes that Brexit has to happen, because a majority of the electorate voted for it. There must be a very good reason to overturn the result of a referendum, and Massie doesn’t believe he has heard that yet.

There was a generous amount of time allotted to audience questions at the end of the debate. Although Brexit: Falling Out was arguably skewed in favour of Brexit-scepticism, it was overall characterised by a remarkable degree of nuance and balance, thanks in no small part to Menon’s excellent chairing.