“The United Kingdom, from Brexit to the “Bregret””, on France 5: chronicle of a great disillusionment

FRANCE 5 – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 AT 9:05 PM – DOCUMENTARY

Eight years after voting to leave the European Union, the British are not done with Brexit. If the issue was hardly discussed during the July general elections in Britain, which returned Labour to power, it is because the gap created by the 2016 referendum remains enormous and the political consequences explosive in a country that prides itself on its stability and moderation.

This is the merit of the fascinating documentary directed by Thomas Johnson and written with Eric Albert, a journalist from Worldto describe and analyse the deep long-term damage caused by Brexit. A hampered economy, a damaged international reputation, political chaos… The damaging consequences of the UK’s break with its European neighbours are widely documented and felt, to the point that a majority of Britons now regret this choice. A new term has been coined to designate this trend: “Brexit” (a combination of “Brexit” and “regret”, “Brexit regret”).

But Brexit had a different effect on public opinion: an accelerated loss of credibility in the eyes of political leaders and institutions and a widespread feeling of betrayal. The bitterness, even bitterness, of the half of voters who had voted to remain in the EU was compounded by the anger of Brexiteers, the other half of British citizens who had believed in Boris Johnson’s crazy promises and quickly became disillusioned.

Huge waste

The film clearly conveys this double resentment: that of the small fishermen who voted in favour of Brexit in 2016, to whom we had promised mountains and wonders, but whose Brexit has precipitated the decline, as well as that of the young pro-Europeans whose horizon has atrophied and who feel “prisoners of a decision made by older people”. “We all let ourselves be fooled”sums up a picturesque dance teacher in the documentary.

What can come out of this huge mess? Brexit seems like a truly cruel operation: deprived of the demagogy that consisted in blaming Brussels for all ills, the Conservatives in power found themselves on the front line of their lies. They have shown that they have not the slightest idea of ​​how to manage the post-Brexit. And that their promises – “regain control”, “Global Britain”etc. – these were nothing more than empty slogans. Even replacing the clown and liar Boris Johnson with the “serious” Rishi Sunak did not help.

The strength of this documentary is to show that the disillusionment born of this impressive list of broken promises has not only accelerated the divorce between public opinion and politicians, but has also favoured the radicalisation of the Conservative Party and strengthened the extreme right, with profound consequences for the political landscape.

Certainly, the political alternation benefited the Labour Party. But the election of Nigel Farage, the main architect of Brexit, as an MP in July and the anti-Muslim riots in July fomented by the far right show how much the forces of withdrawal and hatred now weigh on the country.

“Popular anger”

In this regard, we draw attention to the appearance in the film, as head of the Brexit negotiators, of the new French Prime Minister, Michel Barnier. He quotes the “popular anger” as the first cause of the British vote in 2016. And it invites “Let us not confuse populism with the need to listen and understand” This anger and“answer it”.

In this disturbing but rich image, We will regret, however, the absence of an analysis of the position of the Labour Party, now in charge, in Europe. The all-too-frequent appearances of Tony Blair, a perceptive but totally demonetised free-for-all at home, say nothing about this. The reasons why the British, although they have changed their minds about Brexit, seem far from knocking on the EU’s door again have also been overlooked.

English nationalism, insularity and the feeling of British exceptionalism are clearly far from having disappeared with the disillusionment born of the break with the continent. Not to mention pride, tempered, of course, with English humour. “We made a bad decision, but we will stick to it. Otherwise, we will look like fools.”, jokes Rachel Johnson, the former prime minister’s pro-European sister. In conclusion: “But it already is anyway.”