Richard Littlejohn with the big stories of the last few days: Brexit (obviously); police being called to a rubber duck race at Bourton-on-the-Water; a man called George Freeman, who nobody has ever heard of, announcing he WON'T be running for Prime Minister; Escape To Victory; and an MP who's told us she's a lesbian...
What part of 'Leave' don't these MPs understand? RICHARD LITTLEJOHN says Remain's refusal to accept the referendum result shows contempt for democracy
By Richard Littlejohn for the Daily Mail
28 June 2016
The defeated Remain campaign were always going to be sore losers. They must not be allowed to get away with overturning the result of the referendum.
In refusing to accept the outcome, they have shown their innate contempt for democracy and aim to frustrate the clear will of the majority of the electorate.
They have become so used to getting their own way that their petulance is no great surprise. We should tell them to go forth and multiply. The people have spoken and our decision must be respected and implemented in full.
But while the graceless arrogance and temper tantrums of the Remain brigade were only to be expected, there are worrying indications that some leaders of the victorious Leave camp are starting to back-pedal, too.
Brexiteer Daniel Hannan (Tory MEP for South East England), one of the most consistently impressive anti-EU voices, showed the first signs of going wobbly during an interview on BBC2’s Newsnight
Tory Brexiteer Daniel Hannan, one of the most consistently impressive anti-EU voices, showed the first signs of going wobbly during an interview on BBC2’s Newsnight.
He said the vote to leave and regain control of our borders did not necessarily mean that the numbers of immigrants coming to Britain would be reduced. Hannan suggested any new deal to retain access to the single market could also involve having to accept freedom of movement.
That would entail the Brexit campaign reneging on its promise to cut immigration to the tens of thousands. Challenged by presenter Evan Davis, Hannan tried to pretend that Leave had never said there would be a ‘radical decline’ in the headline figures.
Sorry, but that’s not what most people thought they were voting for. Our inability to prevent millions of migrants moving here at will was probably the defining issue of the entire campaign.
Boris Johnson, too, appears to be claiming now that immigration was not the ‘number one reason’ we voted for Brexit and has started sucking up to Bank of England boss Mark Carney, who should be given a one-way ticket home to Canada after abusing his office to bolster Remain.
Johnson wrote yesterday: ‘We must reach out, we must heal, we must build bridges — because it is clear that some have feelings of dismay and loss and confusion.’
Boris Johnson, too, appears to be claiming now that immigration was not the ‘number one reason’ we voted for Brexit and has started sucking up to Bank of England boss Mark Carney (pictured)
Fair enough, but statesmanlike magnanimity in victory should not translate into feeble concessions when it comes to renegotiating Britain’s relationship with Europe.
Nor should it mean watering down a clear mandate from the British people simply to salve the hurt feelings of those who voted the wrong way.
If some distressed souls are genuinely experiencing ‘dismay, loss and confusion’ then they should seek solace in a psychiatrist, priest or bottle of Smirnoff. Boris may divide opinion, but he’s played a blinder over the past few months and deserves to be favourite to succeed David Cameron. To the victor the spoils and all that.
Johnson wrote yesterday: ‘We must reach out, we must heal, we must build bridges'
Even if you think BoJo clambered on board the Leave bandwagon for cynical reasons of personal advancement, so what? He showed genuine leadership, which is more than most of his colleagues did.
Boris spoke for Britain at a time when Cabinet members, including the Prime Minister and Chancellor, were talking the country down.
Certainly, thick-as-Bisto Theresa May shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near No 10. She spent the campaign hiding behind the sofa while others were putting their careers on the line.
As I reported recently, when it came to Brexit, Theresa found herself in a minority of one at a meeting of 200 Conservative supporters in her own Maidenhead constituency.
If she’s so out of touch with voters in her own backyard, how on earth can she expect to lead a Britain in which more than 17 million people voted against her stance on Europe?
Just in case you still think Theresa’s the way ahead for the Tories and the country, it’s worth reminding yourself that, as Home Secretary, she has been in charge of the immigration shambles for the past six years.
There have also been hints that Boris may be considering rehabilitating George Osborne by offering him the Foreign Office in return for his backing in the leadership contest.
That would not only be a serious mistake, it would be a slap in the face for everyone who voted Leave.
Boy George was the architect of the worst aspects of Project Fear. His apocalyptic warnings of economic ruin if we voted to get out were reprehensible.
Here’s what finally convinced me that Osborne was not a man ever again to be trusted with public office.
A couple of days before the referendum, I was listening to Nick Ferrari’s phone-in show on LBC radio. A man called in to complain that his 86-year-old widowed mother had rung him in a state of panic after hearing Osborne’s disgraceful warning that her pension would be in peril if we didn’t vote for Remain.
The race for the Tory leadership has begun after Cameron announced he would step aside the morning after Britain voted to leave the European Union
She was understandably beside herself with worry.
What kind of despicable individual preys on the fears of the elderly for political gain? Osborne should be thoroughly ashamed of himself.
More to the point, as Foreign Secretary, Osborne would inevitably have to be involved in the negotiations for Britain to leave the EU — something to which he is vehemently opposed. Would you trust him not to sell us out in Brussels?
Extracting ourselves from this corrupt, anti-democratic racket is going to be a long slog, but we are negotiating from a position of strength. There’s no reason why we can’t emerge from the process with everything we want, from control of our borders to reclaiming our traditional fishing waters.
It is a time, in Shakespeare’s words, to stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood and disguise fair nature with hard-favoured rage.
There must be no role for resentful Remainers, nor must Leave dilute our demands or lose their nerve.
If the embittered EU-fanatics think they can bully us out of fulfilling our nation’s independent destiny, then they have learned nothing from this bruising referendum campaign.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, it was business as usual for Plod. Gloucester police raided a rubber duck race at Bourton-on-the-Water and threatened the organisers with arrest if they didn’t call it off.
The event had been organised to raise money for an NHS motorcycle blood delivery service. They released 100 rubber ducks onto the River Windrush, which runs through the town.
Apparently, the race was in contravention of a by-law covering the use of the village green on Sundays, and some residents had complained.
A police spokesman said: ‘Organisers of the duck race were given advice about guidelines and permissions governing the staging of events on the green.’
Mind how you go.
Gloucester police raided a rubber duck race at Bourton-on-the-Water and threatened the organisers with arrest if they didn’t call it off
Wotsisname not standing for PM - and Thingy quits
Hold the front page! George Freeman, the Life Sciences Minister, has announced that he does not intend to run for Prime Minister. Thank God, we were worried sick!
In case you’re wondering, I haven’t got any idea who he is, either. Or why he decided to tell us he wasn’t standing as Call Me Dave’s successor.
George Freeman, Life Sciences Minister, announced that he does not intend to run for Prime Minister
I didn’t even know we had a Life Sciences Minister. What is a Life Sciences Minister and why do we need one?
I thought life science was something to do with posing naked at an art class.
Since the referendum result was announced, all kinds of nonentities have been thrusting themselves forward.
I turned on the Andrew Neil show on BBC1 on Sunday morning to see a woman I’d never heard of announcing that she wasn’t resigning from a job I never knew she had in the first place.
Over on Sky, someone described as ‘former Shadow Chancellor’ Chris Leslie (Who he?) was being interviewed with the kind of reverence that used to be accorded to Rab Butler.
I pay more attention to politics than most people, but I can’t remember anyone called Chris Leslie being Shadow Chancellor. When did that happen?
I thought Chris Leslie was that bloke from Blue Peter who was wrongly named as Ulrika Jonsson’s rapist.
As I write, Sky News has just announced that Lisa Nandy is the latest Shadow Cabinet minister to resign.
Nope, me neither. Isn’t Nandy’s a piri-piri chicken restaurant? Still, as I’ve said before, never underestimate the ability of the political class to make everything about them.
How else would the Boys In The Bubble look at the most momentous political decision the British people have taken in half a century and conclude that the real message is: What we want is Stephen Crabb.
Wasn’t he a frogman?
Flicking channels on Sunday, trying to avoid the political coverage, I stumbled across the film Escape To Victory on TCM.
For the uninitiated, it’s about a game of football in Nazi-occupied Paris between the German national side and a team picked from Allied prisoners of war.
The Allies are managed by Michael Caine (who else?) and include the late Bobby Moore, Ossie Ardiles, Pele, Mike Summerbee and, bizarrely, Sylvester Stallone in goal. Needless to say Our Boys win the match and escape.
Whoever decided to schedule this movie on the weekend after the Brexit vote is a genius.
Film, Escape To Victory on TCM, about a game of football in Nazi-occupied Paris between the German national side and a team picked from Allied prisoners of war, managed by Michael Caine (centre)
Not sure who looked more shocked by the referendum result — Boris or Call Me Dave. Both seemed horrified by what they’d just done.
As Boris surveyed the wreckage, I was reminded of the line from The Italian Job: ‘You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!’
As the nation agonises over Brexit, Tory MP Justine Greening decided that the aftermath of the referendum was the ideal time to announce that she was a lesbian. Good for her. But, frankly, who cares?
What part of 'Leave' don't these MPs understand? RICHARD LITTLEJOHN says Remain's refusal to accept the referendum result shows contempt for democracy
By Richard Littlejohn for the Daily Mail
28 June 2016
The defeated Remain campaign were always going to be sore losers. They must not be allowed to get away with overturning the result of the referendum.
In refusing to accept the outcome, they have shown their innate contempt for democracy and aim to frustrate the clear will of the majority of the electorate.
They have become so used to getting their own way that their petulance is no great surprise. We should tell them to go forth and multiply. The people have spoken and our decision must be respected and implemented in full.
But while the graceless arrogance and temper tantrums of the Remain brigade were only to be expected, there are worrying indications that some leaders of the victorious Leave camp are starting to back-pedal, too.
Brexiteer Daniel Hannan (Tory MEP for South East England), one of the most consistently impressive anti-EU voices, showed the first signs of going wobbly during an interview on BBC2’s Newsnight
Tory Brexiteer Daniel Hannan, one of the most consistently impressive anti-EU voices, showed the first signs of going wobbly during an interview on BBC2’s Newsnight.
He said the vote to leave and regain control of our borders did not necessarily mean that the numbers of immigrants coming to Britain would be reduced. Hannan suggested any new deal to retain access to the single market could also involve having to accept freedom of movement.
That would entail the Brexit campaign reneging on its promise to cut immigration to the tens of thousands. Challenged by presenter Evan Davis, Hannan tried to pretend that Leave had never said there would be a ‘radical decline’ in the headline figures.
Sorry, but that’s not what most people thought they were voting for. Our inability to prevent millions of migrants moving here at will was probably the defining issue of the entire campaign.
Boris Johnson, too, appears to be claiming now that immigration was not the ‘number one reason’ we voted for Brexit and has started sucking up to Bank of England boss Mark Carney, who should be given a one-way ticket home to Canada after abusing his office to bolster Remain.
Johnson wrote yesterday: ‘We must reach out, we must heal, we must build bridges — because it is clear that some have feelings of dismay and loss and confusion.’
Boris Johnson, too, appears to be claiming now that immigration was not the ‘number one reason’ we voted for Brexit and has started sucking up to Bank of England boss Mark Carney (pictured)
Fair enough, but statesmanlike magnanimity in victory should not translate into feeble concessions when it comes to renegotiating Britain’s relationship with Europe.
Nor should it mean watering down a clear mandate from the British people simply to salve the hurt feelings of those who voted the wrong way.
If some distressed souls are genuinely experiencing ‘dismay, loss and confusion’ then they should seek solace in a psychiatrist, priest or bottle of Smirnoff. Boris may divide opinion, but he’s played a blinder over the past few months and deserves to be favourite to succeed David Cameron. To the victor the spoils and all that.
Johnson wrote yesterday: ‘We must reach out, we must heal, we must build bridges'
Even if you think BoJo clambered on board the Leave bandwagon for cynical reasons of personal advancement, so what? He showed genuine leadership, which is more than most of his colleagues did.
Boris spoke for Britain at a time when Cabinet members, including the Prime Minister and Chancellor, were talking the country down.
Certainly, thick-as-Bisto Theresa May shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near No 10. She spent the campaign hiding behind the sofa while others were putting their careers on the line.
As I reported recently, when it came to Brexit, Theresa found herself in a minority of one at a meeting of 200 Conservative supporters in her own Maidenhead constituency.
If she’s so out of touch with voters in her own backyard, how on earth can she expect to lead a Britain in which more than 17 million people voted against her stance on Europe?
Just in case you still think Theresa’s the way ahead for the Tories and the country, it’s worth reminding yourself that, as Home Secretary, she has been in charge of the immigration shambles for the past six years.
There have also been hints that Boris may be considering rehabilitating George Osborne by offering him the Foreign Office in return for his backing in the leadership contest.
That would not only be a serious mistake, it would be a slap in the face for everyone who voted Leave.
Boy George was the architect of the worst aspects of Project Fear. His apocalyptic warnings of economic ruin if we voted to get out were reprehensible.
Here’s what finally convinced me that Osborne was not a man ever again to be trusted with public office.
A couple of days before the referendum, I was listening to Nick Ferrari’s phone-in show on LBC radio. A man called in to complain that his 86-year-old widowed mother had rung him in a state of panic after hearing Osborne’s disgraceful warning that her pension would be in peril if we didn’t vote for Remain.
The race for the Tory leadership has begun after Cameron announced he would step aside the morning after Britain voted to leave the European Union
She was understandably beside herself with worry.
What kind of despicable individual preys on the fears of the elderly for political gain? Osborne should be thoroughly ashamed of himself.
More to the point, as Foreign Secretary, Osborne would inevitably have to be involved in the negotiations for Britain to leave the EU — something to which he is vehemently opposed. Would you trust him not to sell us out in Brussels?
Extracting ourselves from this corrupt, anti-democratic racket is going to be a long slog, but we are negotiating from a position of strength. There’s no reason why we can’t emerge from the process with everything we want, from control of our borders to reclaiming our traditional fishing waters.
It is a time, in Shakespeare’s words, to stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood and disguise fair nature with hard-favoured rage.
There must be no role for resentful Remainers, nor must Leave dilute our demands or lose their nerve.
If the embittered EU-fanatics think they can bully us out of fulfilling our nation’s independent destiny, then they have learned nothing from this bruising referendum campaign.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, it was business as usual for Plod. Gloucester police raided a rubber duck race at Bourton-on-the-Water and threatened the organisers with arrest if they didn’t call it off.
The event had been organised to raise money for an NHS motorcycle blood delivery service. They released 100 rubber ducks onto the River Windrush, which runs through the town.
Apparently, the race was in contravention of a by-law covering the use of the village green on Sundays, and some residents had complained.
A police spokesman said: ‘Organisers of the duck race were given advice about guidelines and permissions governing the staging of events on the green.’
Mind how you go.
Gloucester police raided a rubber duck race at Bourton-on-the-Water and threatened the organisers with arrest if they didn’t call it off
Wotsisname not standing for PM - and Thingy quits
Hold the front page! George Freeman, the Life Sciences Minister, has announced that he does not intend to run for Prime Minister. Thank God, we were worried sick!
In case you’re wondering, I haven’t got any idea who he is, either. Or why he decided to tell us he wasn’t standing as Call Me Dave’s successor.
George Freeman, Life Sciences Minister, announced that he does not intend to run for Prime Minister
I didn’t even know we had a Life Sciences Minister. What is a Life Sciences Minister and why do we need one?
I thought life science was something to do with posing naked at an art class.
Since the referendum result was announced, all kinds of nonentities have been thrusting themselves forward.
I turned on the Andrew Neil show on BBC1 on Sunday morning to see a woman I’d never heard of announcing that she wasn’t resigning from a job I never knew she had in the first place.
Over on Sky, someone described as ‘former Shadow Chancellor’ Chris Leslie (Who he?) was being interviewed with the kind of reverence that used to be accorded to Rab Butler.
I pay more attention to politics than most people, but I can’t remember anyone called Chris Leslie being Shadow Chancellor. When did that happen?
I thought Chris Leslie was that bloke from Blue Peter who was wrongly named as Ulrika Jonsson’s rapist.
As I write, Sky News has just announced that Lisa Nandy is the latest Shadow Cabinet minister to resign.
Nope, me neither. Isn’t Nandy’s a piri-piri chicken restaurant? Still, as I’ve said before, never underestimate the ability of the political class to make everything about them.
How else would the Boys In The Bubble look at the most momentous political decision the British people have taken in half a century and conclude that the real message is: What we want is Stephen Crabb.
Wasn’t he a frogman?
Flicking channels on Sunday, trying to avoid the political coverage, I stumbled across the film Escape To Victory on TCM.
For the uninitiated, it’s about a game of football in Nazi-occupied Paris between the German national side and a team picked from Allied prisoners of war.
The Allies are managed by Michael Caine (who else?) and include the late Bobby Moore, Ossie Ardiles, Pele, Mike Summerbee and, bizarrely, Sylvester Stallone in goal. Needless to say Our Boys win the match and escape.
Whoever decided to schedule this movie on the weekend after the Brexit vote is a genius.
Film, Escape To Victory on TCM, about a game of football in Nazi-occupied Paris between the German national side and a team picked from Allied prisoners of war, managed by Michael Caine (centre)
Not sure who looked more shocked by the referendum result — Boris or Call Me Dave. Both seemed horrified by what they’d just done.
As Boris surveyed the wreckage, I was reminded of the line from The Italian Job: ‘You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!’
As the nation agonises over Brexit, Tory MP Justine Greening decided that the aftermath of the referendum was the ideal time to announce that she was a lesbian. Good for her. But, frankly, who cares?
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