Through the good offices of
Austin Mitchell, BrexitCentral has been passed a memo written by former Prime
Minister, Tony Blair, to his former Director of Communications, Alastair
Campbell, on the subject of Brexit…
Dear
Alastair,
While commending your enthusiasm
for the cause I wouldn’t want you to antagonise the British people, particularly
former Labour supporters who made the mistake of voting for Brexit. Our task is
more subtle. It’s to force the government to negotiate with every vested
interest in this country rather than the EU, so we don’t build up anger against
Europe. The aim must be to make Brexit look so difficult that government gives
up rather than increases dislike of an EU which is so good for our people, even
if they don’t know it.
With this in mind I
suggest:
1. Pretend to accept the
referendum result. No use putting it down to lies, Russian gold, or “too close
to call”. The majority was bigger and clearer than what the Tories got in 2010,
2015 or 2017. People won’t like being told their votes don’t
count.
2. Don’t call Brexit voters
stupid, under-educated, racist or gullible. Many of them voted for me. We won’t
win their votes back by abusing them.
3. Don’t defend the EU’s point of
view: say they’re right to require us to jump three hurdles before they’ll talk
nitty gritty, or suggest offering them bucket loads of money. As negotiations
turn nasty, we can’t afford to appear to be on the other side, rather than
Britain’s.
4. Don’t fraternise with the
enemy or run to Juncker, Merkel or Macron. All these pilgrimages (mea
culpa) make it look as though we’re helping them and snitching on
Britain.
5. Don’t bang on about the joys
of the Single Market – we’re in a deficit of £60 billion with it and selling off
railways, companies and utilities to finance it. So defend it as better than
being assaulted by Trump and forced to eat chlorinated
chicken.
6. Don’t start attacking the
government for being too tough in the negotiations. However incompetently, they
are carrying out the wishes of people and, to be realistic, the EU has us over a
barrel if it just sits there and demands that Britain jumps through hoops and
hands over huge sums before it can be told what it can get. If it had any sense,
the government would start whipping up anger about EU intransigence and we don’t
want to be seen as defending that, however much it helps
us.
7. This government could
collapse, bringing Labour into power. Then our former party will have to choose
between fighting and failing. We can’t trust Corbyn to see things our way, but
it will be disastrous to be seen as the sell-out
party.
8. Much as cosmopolitans like
you, me and Peter love the EU, it was always a deal designed to suit the
interests of France and Germany rather than Britain. So it’s no use portraying
it as Britain’s salvation and the greatest thing since Sure Start. It’s a good
idea to urge changes which will make it better for Britain. They won’t happen,
of course, but it makes us look better than telling people it’s wonderful when
they know it isn’t. Talk of returning to “lead” Europe is better than admitting
that we’d be slinking back, humiliated, to sit on the naughty
step.
9. Another fear campaign won’t
work. People won’t believe it any more but it’s difficult to admit that our
government allowed manufacturing to shrink so far that Britain can neither pay
its way nor support the structures of an advanced society. So talk of all the
help we get from the EU without saying ‘it’s our own money back’. Don’t mention
the drain of belonging or Germany’s huge surpluses at our
expense.
10. Accept that Britain has its
problems but don’t admit to the scale of a disaster which can be blamed on us.
In or out of the EU, we’ll face the huge problem of building back to viability.
We must avoid the Dunkirk spirit for the moment, but create just enough fear to
make people think it’s safer in the EU than standing up for ourselves. This is a
bit difficult because Europe punishes failures like Greece rather than helping
lame dogs over styles. So we need to concentrate on suggesting domestic reforms,
particularly any which help such symbols of our national greatness as the City
of London, the banks, the multinationals and all those foreign investors who’ve
bought up our companies, utilities, railways and properties because of their
faith in this country. Keep the people happy by building more houses and
offering bigger mortgages, rather than dirty factories or risky
investments.
11. Warn about galloping
inflation rather than the cheaper food available outside EU agricultural
protectionism.
12. Don’t mention the war,
Germany or the euro. Your skill at putting a first-class case for second-rate
policies served us well in the old days before Gordon messed it all up. Now the
issue is not the future Labour offers Britain, but the gloomier one Brexit
offers you and me. I don’t want to diminish your enthusiasm for the cause but we
must not open ourselves up to accusations of sexing up the EU or offering
another dodgy dossier. This is an occasion when the hand of history must be
portrayed as punching our people in the gut, rather than resting on the
shoulders of you and I, or the rest of Britain’s
elite.
Yours
Fraternally,
Tony
I am guessing that this is quite possibly genuine but even if it is not, the truth contained as to the vile thought processes of people like Phoney Tony is still 100% accurate!
