Mired in dishonesty

I must apologise for the radio silence on this blog. This stems partly from a deep dejection about the state of both national and international politics (the barbaric conduct of Putin’s war against Ukraine, and the barbaric Israeli response to Hamas’s barbaric attack on October 7 2023), and a feeling that all the points worth making have already been made, time and time again, but to no avail. Here in the UK, we remain mired in dishonesty, as we have been since June 2016, or perhaps more particularly since the last hopes of reversing Brexit disappeared with the election of the egregious Boris Johnson in December 2019. Johnson’s personal dishonesty exploded in his face, but it is still not possible for politicians of either main party to be honest about the true costs, and absence of benefits, of Brexit. It has taken on the status of an idol – the Golden Calf? – which must be worshipped. As I have said repeatedly, the costs are not just economic (though those economic costs are now well documented, and according to the recent Goldman Sachs report amount to around 5% of GDP), but relate to the “closing of the British mind and heart” against our European neighbours, the betrayal of fraternity and friendship, the consequent weakening and isolationism of Britain’s place in the world, and the loss of direction of the ship of state, caught in treacherous cross-winds and currents.

Dishonesty has a habit of spreading. So the miasma of dishonesty surrounding Brexit – refusing to acknowledge or face or address facts, offering fictions in their stead – has now spread to a wider manner or style of legislating, and political and media discourse more generally, most recently seen in the passing last night of the shameful and dishonest and potentially deadly Safety of Rwanda Bill. The Lords eventually gave way, as they have to, but not before David Anderson, Lord Anderson of Ipswich, and a school mate of mine, gave a speech which I hope will be remembered long after the pathetic nonsense of the Safety of Rwanda Bill is forgotten.

Lord Anderson eviscerated the dishonesty, and the disquieting implications, of the Bill in a splendid piece of calm and measured parliamentary oratory. “The benefits of the Rwanda bill remain to be seen. Its costs will be measured not only in money but in principles debased. [These include] disregard for our international commitments, avoiding statutory protections for the innocent, and the removal of judicial scrutiny over the core issue of the safety of Rwanda…We are concerned over the safety of Rwanda both in the present and in the future. This bill is honest about neither. Parliament is asked to declare that Rwanda will always be a safe country…we are asked to be complicit in a present-day untruth and a future fantasy…The Rwanda bill is a legal fiction that makes the law look like an ass, and those who make it, asses.”

It says much about the current state of British politics that such a speech had to be given by a cross-bench peer rather than a democratically elected politician. Meanwhile, another commentary on the state of the nation which I found myself applauding came from the musician Nitin Sawney: “So where is the mainstream U.K. political leader who – thinks Brekshit was a farce, hates children being murdered in their thousands, wants an inclusive, fair society for all, will call out corruption and nepotism in their own party or government, will appoint an ombudsman to fact check MSM reporting and political discourse, will rebuild our NHS and cut waiting times for ops and appointments, will tackle climate change with renewable energy policies, will clean up our waters, will cut processing time for asylum seekers, will open up LEGAL routes and stamp on racism, will bring back grants for higher education, will consider legislation to regulate the AI revolution, will bring down inflation and redistribute wealth through fair taxation and helping productivity, will implement a welfare system that eliminates the need for food banks, will take care of the vulnerable, will rebuild trade relations with Europe and isn’t a hypocritical arsehole? Anyone?” Anyone in the Labour party, for instance? Bravo Nitin.