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A8 WORLD NEWS
Monday 18 February 2019

In Brexit limbo, UK veers between high anxiety, grim humor

By JILL LAWLESS horrible feeling that they’re litical life. The economy has drive through EU countries if market lettuces and French
Associated Press going to dress it up and stalled, growing by only 0.2 Britain leaves the bloc with- beans, oranges and lem-
LONDON (AP) — It’s said label it as something we percent in the fourth quar- out a deal. Of more than ons.”
that history often repeats want, but it isn’t.” ter as business investment 11,000 who applied, only Brexit supporters often turn
itself — the first time as trag- to nostalgic evocations of
edy, the second as farce. World War II and Britain’s
Many Britons feel they are “finest hour,” to the annoy-
living through both at the ance of pro-Europeans.
same time as their country The imagery reached a
navigates its way out of the peak of absurdity during
European Union. a recent BBC news report
The British government on Brexit, when the anchor
awarded a contract to announced that “Theresa
ship in emergency sup- May says she intends to go
plies to a company with back to Brussels to renego-
no ships. It pledged to re- tiate her Brexit deal,” as the
place citizens’ burgundy screen cut to black-and-
European passports with white footage of World War
proudly British blue ones — II British Spitfires going into
and gave the contract to battle.
a Franco-Dutch company. The BBC quickly said the
It promised to forge trade startling juxtaposition was
deals with 73 countries by a mistake: The footage
the end of March, but two Anti-Brexit demonstrators stand next to a van with large cartoon style portraits of leading British was intended for an item
years later has only a hand- politicians including, from right, Prime Minister Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, David about a new Battle of Brit-
Davis, outside the Palace of Westminster in London, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019.
ful in place (including one Associated Press ain museum. Skeptics saw it
with the Faroe Islands). as evidence of the broad-
Pretty much everyone in It has been more than two registered a fourth straight 984 — less than 10 percent caster’s bias, though they
the U.K. agrees that the and a half years since Brit- quarterly decline. — have been granted the disagreed on whether the
Conservative govern- ons voted 52 percent to 48 Big political decisions have papers. BBC was biased in favor of
ment’s handling of Brexit percent to leave the EU. been postponed, as May’s “It will put people out of Brexit or against it.
has been disastrous. Unfor- Then came many months minority Conservative gov- business,” McKenzie said. Some pro-Europeans have
tunately, that’s about the of tense negotiations to ernment struggles to get “It’s been an absolutely di- hit back against Brexit with
only thing this divided na- settle on Brexit departure bills through a squabbling sastrous process for our in- despairing humor.
tion can agree on. terms and the outline of fu- and divided Parliament. dustry, which keeps Britain Four friends have started
With Britain due to leave ture relations. Major legislation needed to supplied with, essentially, plastering billboards in
the EU in six weeks and At last, the EU and Prime prepare for Brexit has yet to everything.” London with 20-foot-by-10-
still no deal in sight on the Minister Theresa May’s gov- be approved. He’s not alone in raising the foot (6-meter-by-3-meter)
terms of its departure, both ernment struck a deal — Britain still does not have a specter of shortages; both images of pro-Brexit politi-
supporters and opponents then saw it resoundingly deal on future trade with the government and Brit- cians’ past tweets, to ex-
of Brexit are in a state of rejected last month by Brit- the EU, and it’s unclear ish businesses have been pose what the group sees
high anxiety. ain’s Parliament, which like what tariffs or other barriers stockpiling key goods in as their hypocrisy.
Pro-EU “remainers” lament the rest of the country has British firms that do business case of a no-deal Brexit. Highlights included former
the looming end of Britons’ split into pro-Brexit and pro- with Europe will face after Still, some Brexit-back- U.K. Independence Party
right to live and work in 27 EU camps. March 29. ers, such as former Daily leader Nigel Farage’s vow
other European nations May is now seeking chang- That has left businesses and Telegraph editor Charles that “if Brexit is a disaster,
and fear the U.K. is about to es to the Brexit deal in hope citizens in an agonizing lim- Moore, relish the prospect I will go and live abroad,”
crash out of the bloc with- of getting it through Parlia- bo. of a clean break even if it and ex-Foreign Secretary
out even a divorce deal to ment before March 29. EU Rod McKenzie, director of brings short-term pain. Boris Johnson’s pledge to
cushion the blow. leaders say they won’t re- policy at the Road Haul- “Perhaps it is time for a “make a titanic success” of
Brexiteers worry that their negotiate, and accuse Brit- age Association, a truckers’ Brexit recipe book, like Brexit.
dream of leaving the EU ain of failing to offer a way lobby group, feels “pure those comforting wartime The friends dubbed the
will be dashed by bureau- out of the impasse. anger” at a government rationing ones full of bright campaign “Led by Don-
cratic shenanigans that will May insists she won’t ask he says has failed to plan, ideas for dull things,” Moore keys,” after the description
delay its departure or keep the EU to delay Britain’s de- leaving haulers uncertain wrote in The Spectator, a of British soldiers in World
Britain bound to EU regula- parture, and has refused whether they will be able to conservative magazine. War I as “lions led by don-
tions forever. to rule out a cliff-edge no- travel to EU countries after He added that he and his keys.” The billboards are
“I still think they’ll find a way deal Brexit. March 29. neighbors were willing to now going nationwide, af-
to curtail it or extend it into Meanwhile, Brexit has McKenzie says truckers “set out in our little ships to ter a crowdfunding cam-
infinity,” said “leave” sup- clogged the gears of Brit- were told they will need Dunkirk or wherever and paign raised almost 150,000
porter Lucy Harris. “I have a ain’s economic and po- Europe-issued permits to bring back luscious black- pounds ($193,000).q