Must-Read: Kevin Hjortshøj O’Rourke: Deserting the Battle for Britain

Must-Read: Kevin Hjortshøj O’Rourke: Deserting the Battle for Britain: “Former ‘Remainers’–those who wished to stay in the EU–seem to have given up…

…As we saw in 2008, when Irish referendum voters refused to ratify the Treaty of Lisbon, there is a potential anti-immigrant voting bloc in the poorer parts of Dublin… the same kind of voters who turned out for the UK’s Brexit referendum…. The question, then, is why the Irish haven’t developed UK levels of animosity toward EU immigrants… Much of the blame… lies with British political leaders… those who have made careers out of attacking the EU, often on entirely specious grounds… [and] lukewarm Remainers, such as former Prime Minister David Cameron, who never made a strong case…. Now, even committed Remainers are failing to make the case for continued two-way labor mobility between the UK and the EU, and for membership in the European Economic Area (EEA). Ireland hasn’t had this problem. Notably, Sinn Féin, Ireland’s nationalist party and the former political arm of the Irish Republican Army, has not indulged in the kind of xenophobic rhetoric used by the UK Independence Party….

Put plainly, English animosity toward the presence of fellow Europeans has a lot to do with some of the worst aspects of English society…. Remainers must continue to explain to the English why the free exchange of goods, services, and people with Europe is good for Britain…. Brexit comes in two flavors: membership in the EEA, with access to Europe’s single market and free movement of people, or an exit from the single market, followed by unpredictable trade negotiations. There is still a huge amount to play for: we don’t know which of these two outcomes English voters would choose…. For Remainers not to make the case for EEA membership, when they had previously been in favor of remaining in the EU, is an astonishing abdication of responsibility.