On Wednesday, MEPs held a Two Minutes Hate against Britain. It wasn’t called that, obviously. Its official title was “The UK’s Withdrawal from the EU (debate)”. But it resembled the “hideous ecstasy of vindictiveness” described by George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four far more than it resembled a parliamentary debate.
Journalists focused on the relatively restrained assertions by Michel Barnier, Jean-Claude Juncker and the other bigwigs that the backstop was non-negotiable and Britain should do as it was told. But the rank-and-file MEPs who spoke afterwards felt less need to be diplomatic. Guy Verhofstadt, the Liberal leader, warned us, “you gonna pay the price!” Dan Hannan MEP. Telegraph.
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