EU Referendum


Brexit: saving us from new ideas


05/11/2014



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The tiresome thing about the burgeoning "debate" on EU exit strategies is that, on both sides of the divide, that debate doesn't even exist. The different parties are on transmit mode only. There is no exchange of ideas, no development and, most of all, no thinking.

Thus, we have Hannan still prattling on about Switzerland, as if its government was not in the midst of a constitutional crisis, following the 9 February referendum on immigration. And on the other hand, we have the luvvies in the Guardian, dribbling out their same dreary litanies.

"Norway is not a member of the EU but is a member of the European Economic Area, which means it is part of the European single market", says Larry Elliott. "But access comes at a price: Norway has to accept EU laws and regulations without having a say in how they are made", he adds.

Then there is that little matter of the end of the world that was supposed to happen on 1 November, that TBF forgot about, the classic displacement activity of a certain kind of "eurosceptic" - anything but address the grinding work of a serious exit plan.

Meanwhile, the Flexcit YouTube has done 1,700 views. That's a healthy number of people who have taken part in a virtual debate. Whether they agree with them or not, our viewers have voluntarily looked at some different ideas – which is more than our other protagonists are doing.

That is the only future for the debate – where it must happen if it is to survive. The rest is sterility, born of an overweening arrogance of people who believe that one set of ideas can last a lifetime, with no need to develop and adapt to a complex and changing situation.

Thank goodness we have men such as these. Without them, we might actually have to confront new ideas, new solutions and actually make progress. And that would never do.

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