Dear Prime Minister
On Monday night you made a speech at the Lord Mayor’s banquet. You said this:
“I have a very simple message for Russia. We know what you are doing. And you will not succeed. Because you underestimate the resilience of our democracies, the enduring attraction of free and open societies, and the commitment of western nations to the alliances that bind us...
...The UK will do what is necessary to protect ourselves, and work with our allies to do likewise.”
I have a very simple message for you Prime Minister. I know what you are doing and you will not succeed. You underestimate the resilience of my frontal lobes, the enduring attraction of thinking for myself, and my commitment to imbibing the truth rather than dining on verbal sewerage.
I will do whatever is necessary to protect my brain cells from this facile diversion, and will highlight the bankruptcy of your thinking to anyone who will listen.
Fortunately, I’m not the only one awake on our little green island…
As to the specifics:
1. There has been no evidence produced of Russian hacking in the US election – nix, nada, zippa dee doodah. Given the role you are in, you must be aware of the truth - that the whole thing is a scam that was invented by the Clinton campaign in order to distract attention from the DNC’s rigging of the primaries. There is no doubt about any of this. Hillary Clinton will be a historical laughing stock…as will you Prime Minister, unless you wake up pretty sharpish
2. Anyone who has studied the behavioural patterns of politicians will have observed that when political leaders are up to their eyes in the brown stuff, they look around for a distraction. When the criticism is that they are ‘weak’, they get together with a team of experienced ‘strategists’, plus a couple of pasty faced kids from Oxbridge, and invariably decide that the solution is to ‘act tough’ overseas
3. So let’s cut the crap Mrs May – that’s what’s going on, and you know it. I have seen more transparent bullshit, but not since Johnny Juncker last opened his mouth in public. If your objective is to ‘sow discord…foment conflict…and weaponise information’…the things you accuse Putin of…then carry on
Or you could address the real issue…aptly described in the following quotation, kindly brought to my attention by Tim Price, author of 'Investing through the looking glass':
‘Some party hack declared that the people
Had lost the government’s confidence
And could only regain it with redoubled effort.
If that were the case, would it not be simpler,
If the government simply dissolved the people
And elected another?’
- Bertolt Brecht, The Solution, 1953
You are being ‘played’ by Brussels, Prime Minister. You are attempting to keep everybody sweet. Forget it. Brussels is determined to make this a painful and costly process for Britain. We must be seen to suffer for our decision to leave the EU. Brexit must be seen as disastrous for Britain - in order to dissuade the growing number of other Europeans who are sick to the back teeth with the creep, creep, creep towards centralised government by unelected ‘elites’.
Anyone who has ever conducted a successful negotiation of any substance knows the following two things:
1. If you are not prepared to walk away from the table, you are screwed
2. If you do not have a BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement); and if you are not fully prepared to use it - you will be unable to walk away. Ergo, you will be screwed
You can do this Prime Minister – you just lack the balls to do it. You called a general election to get a strong majority – you didn’t get it. Well - tough. But you do have the ONLY mandate you really need for this – the 17.4 million people who went to the ballot box and voted LEAVE. They weren't kidding Prime Minister.
Make your offer. Stand your ground. Negotiate details but not principles. They will either play ball or we will leave on WTO terms. Without this ‘stance’ you will never get a deal, let alone a good deal; they will break you down and enjoy themselves immensely whilst doing it.
The devil may be in the detail, but the breakthrough is always in the stance you take – always.
Just do your job Prime Minister. You’ve got your marching orders from a clear majority of the British people. Stop whining about Russia...and get on with it.