
Jonsn’z foṛn qoṛlz c’nt cnsil ɖ truʈ abt Brexit
(Transcription of a Guardian article of 31 October 2021)
Fiśñrǎz ntwɖstandñ, mć v Yṛp lcs on at ɖ YC’z plît wɖ astoniśmnt – n īvn, stl, simṗʈi
Wiłm Cīgn, 31 Octobr 2021
At ɖ rīsnt seḷbreśn v ɖ lîf n aćivmnts v mî frend n felo Rmenr Jon l’Care, I wz asct bî a līdñ acdemic ẃɖr I wz abṣlutli srtn ɖt w cd rījôn ɖ Yṛpiyn Yńn.
Ɖ ansr z ɖt I am nt. Bt az ɖ evidns v ɖ damij v ɖt fūliś reḟrendm dsiźn acruz, it z bcmñ mor n mor srtn ɖt w śd trî. At ɖ vri līst, w śd b rperñ fnsz n atmtñ t riistabliś az clos a rleśnśp az poṣbl – a cōz ćampịnd bî Lebr’z impresiv śadoćanslr, Rećl Rīvz.
V cors ɖr z an obvịs denjr ɖt an apḷceśn wd b gvn śort śrift bî Yṛpiynz, huz peśns wɖ, n simṗʈi fr, ɖ YC mst b clos t xōsćn – nt līst az a rzult v ɖ bizar n rɖr sinistr bhevyr v ǎr so-cōld ngośietr, Lord Frost. Bt ɖ ćansz r ɖt ǎr felo Yṛpiynz – w stl śer ɖ sem continnt – wd rgard it az in ɖer inṭrest, az wel az ǎrz, ɖt a grīṿs err śd b reṃdid.
It me sīm od t b seyñ ɖs in ɖ mdst v a fiśñ dspyt wɖ Frans, bt ɖs vri dspyt z a d’rect consiqns v Brexit, n ɖr r obvịs cnsrnz ɖt ɖ Jonsn/Frost aproć z t esc̣let ʈñz fr śort-trm p’liticl advantij. Ɖs guvnmnt jst luvz t “bizi gidi mîndz wɖ foṛn qoṛlz” (Hnri IV Part 2).
Yṛpiynz’ unḍstandñ v ɖ houl ẃć ɖs cuntri hz dug fr itslf wz iḷstretd rīsntli bî tū coments, fṛm a Bruslz cmiśnr n a rtîrd Deniś ftbōlr. Thierry Breton, ɖ cmiśnr fr ɖ intrnl marcit, sd: “Lc at ẃt z haṗnñ on ɖ sūṗmarcit ślvz. Lc at ẃt z haṗnñ at ɖ petṛlpumps. Lc at ẃt z haṗnñ wɖ ɖ śortij v nrsz n doctrz. Lc at ẃt z haṗnñ wɖ ɖ śortij v trucdrîvrz. Lc at ẃt z haṗnñ in ɖ cnstrux́nsectr.”
Brexit, sz Breton, hz bn “a ctastṛfi” fr ɖ YC. N Pītr Schmeichel – ɖ formr Manćestr Ynîtd pleyr n faɖr v Kasper, ɖ Lstr golcīpr – ẃn asct hiz vy v Brexit bî a membr v ɖ ōdịns jrñ an inṭvy ɖt wz mnt t b abt ftbōl, rplaid s’xñtli: “Ẃt on rʈ wr y ol ʈncñ v?”
Ɖz r jst sm xamplz v frendli obẓveśnz fṛm ppl ǎr prim̦inistr oceźṇli cōlz “ǎr Yṛpiyn frendz”. Closr t hom, a rīdr raili informz m ɖt ɖr z an eria v Wŭsṭśr ẃr “ɖe hv no aplpicrz, n, īvn f ɖe hd, ɖr r no trucs t dlivr ɖm t ɖ sūṗmarcit.”
Ɖ guvnmnt trîz t hîd bhnd Covid n ɖ fact ɖt ɖr r s’plîćen probḷmz arnd ɖ wrld. Bt ɖe r nʈñ lîc ɖ Brexit-magṇfaid s’plîćen iśuz hir. Funi hǎ Jrṃni, ẃć admitd a miłn imigṛnts instd v rpelñ ɖm, z nt suḟrñ ɖ śorṭjz v lebr ɖt w r.
Jrñ hiz bujitspīć, ɖ unrīcnstructd Brexitr Ćanslr Sŭnac wz screpñ ɖ botm v ɖ globl baṛl ẃn trayñ t fînd Brexit diṿdndz. Ɖ frīdm t ngośiet treḑīlz? Sori, ɖ pziśn ɖ guvnmnt fîndz itslf in z ɖt it hz gvn p fnomiṇli pṛductiv treḑīlz injoid az a YY membr n hz bn trōlñ arnd, cap in hand, lcñ fr a hanfl v far wrs dīlz, at gret xpns. Morovr, it hz nt iscept obzrvrz ɖt muvñ ɖ emḟsis on tred awe fṛm ɖ YY hz a neġtiv impact on ɖ YC’z targits fr rdysñ carbn imiśnz.
Agn, wn v ɖ mni beṇfits v YY lejsleśn ɖt w tc fr grantd wz its bnefisnt ifct on ɖ clenlinis v ǎr rivrz n bīćz. W r nǎ plúmñ ɖ depʈs, at a tîm ẃn Britiś wōtrcumṗniz sīm t b mor in ɖ nyz ɖn evr fr p’lūtñ ɖ wōtrz.
Ẃt Sŭnac wz nn tù cīn t emḟsîz last wīc wz ɖ Ofis fr Bujit Rsponsbiḷti’z calkleśn ɖt Brexit hz pṛdyst a prṃnnt hit v 4% t ɖs cuntri’s prodctivti, or GDP p’ capita. I cd hardli b’liv it – or phps I cd – ẃn Jorj Ysṭs, ɖ invîrnmntsecṛtri, dsmist ɖs on ɖ Tde program az “an old figr.” Sori, Mr Ysṭs, bt it z a figr ɖt rmenz vri mć wɖ s, n mcs a nonsns v ol ɖ guvnmnt’s clemz ɖt Brexit friz ɖ icoṇmi t incris its prodctivti.
Morovr, 4% me b a cnsrṿtiv esṭmet. Uɖr indipndnt bodiz, sć az Ɖ YC in a Ćenjñ Yṛp, pt ɖ rdux́n at nirr 6%. Hvr, w cn rlî on Prîṿt Î t levn ɖ glūm. I jst luvd its rīsnt hedlîn: “Brexit nt ɖ fōlt v Brexit.”
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