Realists, rationalists and idealists
Many years ago I studied International Relations where the big dividing lines are between idealists, rationalists and realists.
Idealists believe in international law, peace and pink unicorns, realists believe might is right- just so long as they have the biggest army and rationalists believe real life is a compromise between the two.
But the current debates in the UK are increasingly difficult to follow because the idealists think they are realists. Brexit supporters can only see good things coming from Brexit and so that is what they argue has happened.
As a result they will willingly twist any fact, argument or issue into — Brexit made this better or remainers made it worse.
So when Russia invaded Ukraine I said to the good lady wife, “I must buy the Saturday Telegraph to find out why it is all the fault of Black Lives Matter”.
I was joking but the Telegraph wasn’t because it does have articles every day on why this is the fault of the woke, the greens, and BLM. Apparently they have weakened and distracted us.
Also they have a dozen articles claiming the UK’s response to the crisis is far better than the EU’s because the UK has left the EU. There are even claims that the EU’s elite is “taking advantage” of the crisis to pursue its mad scheme of ever closer union; obviously a greater threat to world peace than a murderous loon in the Kremlin.
Which has to skate over the several problems. Why the countries being attacked all desperately want to join the EU? Why Putin wanted the UK to leave? Why the USA and the EU are leading the challenge to Putin, not the UK? Why the UK has been laundering kleptocrats billions for decades and allowed them to pay millions to one political party? Why the government is so scared of its populist supporters that it has closed its borders to its desperate allies?
Also apparently the invasion of Ukraine was only made possible because the attention of the West was distracted by Greta Thunberg, yea right. As a consequence we need to stop Net Zero to stand up to Russia.
Because making yourself more dependent on your enemies energy exports will tell him you are serious.
These “idealists” are in charge of the UK, the no nothing gammons and they think they are the realists.
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.