This post is of course long overdue; by this time hardly anybody argues about Brexit anymore, ordinary people just yell “Bring it on now!” and “Cancel it altogether!”, while politicians are unabashedly using any methods they can find for their own particular goals.
But while we still had a argument, as opposed to a shouting match, I found out that, while myself favouring Scotland out of the EU and out of the UK, I could understand better those who wanted Scotland in the UK and the UK in the EU than those who wanted it to stay in (whichever) one of these Unions but leave the other.
Because it seemed to me that the vast majority of people in these latter two groups were always waxing lyrical about the advantages of local government, when talking about the Union they didn’t like, and presaging economical doom and glory if leaving the Union they liked.
Many years ago I was present at a business meeting when at one point one negotiator accused his opponent, “But half an hour ago you were using the very opposite argument!” Upon which the latter, quite cooly and with just the ghost of a smile, retorted, “Sure, because it was convenient for me.” Immediately the atmosphere changed from tense to relaxed.
Trouble is, back then we weren’t discussing anything that would have any direct personal impact on any of us, so he could admit this use of double standards. After all, we were not presenting ourselves as paragons of wisdom and virtue either.
(originally posted on Tumblr)
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