Dodges reveal a dangerous contempt for the public
One of the most frustrating elements of the US elections was the failure of the American media to ask Donald Trump a straight question and press him for an answer.
Trump’s tactic of baldly stating goals without details of the means – ‘build a wall’, ‘bring back jobs’, ‘beat ISIS’ – worked for him, not just on polling day, but in giving wiggle-room to U-turn on campaign pledges.
The lesson wasn’t lost on Theresa May, who appears to be hoping to ‘Trump’ her way through all questions on her plan for Brexit.
Today’s Prime Minister’s Questions was a case in point.
“We are preparing carefully for the formal negotiations” @theresa_may to @jeremycorbyn asking about customs union https://t.co/m4DmsKH6zi
— DailySunday Politics (@daily_politics) November 16, 2016
Despite a series of questions from Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who made use of Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s remarks to a Czech newspaper that Britain would ‘probably’ leave the EU customs union, the Prime Minister declined to answer or provide any information.
She replied:
“On the whole question of the customs unions, of the trading relationships with the EU and other parts of the world […] we are preparing carefully for the formal negotiations. What we want to ensure is we have the best possible trading deal with the EU once we have left.”
When Corbyn referenced a leaked cabinet memo warning the government has no Brexit plan, May replied:
“I have to say […] yes we do have a plan. Our plan is to deliver the best possible deal with trading with the EU.
Our plan is to control movement of people from Europe into the UK, our plan is to negotiate free trade agreements with rest of world.
We are united in our determination to deliver on the will of the British people…”
“No common strategy has emerged, in part because of the divisions within the cabinet” says @jeremycorbyn on #Brexit https://t.co/T0XkIIjZTb
— DailySunday Politics (@daily_politics) November 16, 2016
That was it, besides some Cameron-esque attacks on the opposition.
This is becoming a bit of a trend. When the memo leaked yesterday, the government rejected the findings, and that repeated the mantra:
“We are focused on getting on with the job of delivering Brexit and making a success of it.”
This statement, much like May’s today, contains no information whatsoever. It’s just a serious of words meant to give an impression of activity, competence and uplift.
Ironically, the net effect is merely depressing, and reveals the chaos and stagnation of a government in over its head.
The contempt it shows for the public – in whose name Brexiters claim to act – was summed up eloquently by the grinning face of Brexit Secretary David Davis, as the Prime Minister dodged her way past these questions.
A good measure of the health of a political culture is how much of these Trumpish tactics it is willing to tolerate – and the resources it can muster to defeat them.
Adam Barnett is staff writer for Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter @AdamBarnett13
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3 Responses to “PMQs: Theresa May ‘Trumps’ her way through Brexit plan questions”
Mick
It’s no biggie. Again, the Left mistake silent diplomacy for having no plan.
Besides, given the PC left’s total indifference to no transparency over Lisbon, happening under LABOUR, they are the last to whine that nobody tells them anything.
They rarely give the rest of us proper answers to anything.
Ed
What is becoming quite clear is that there is a division within the Government that makes it impossible for Teresa May to say anything about how Brexit is meant to develop. After four months it should be possible to say something sensible about what sort of immigration controls might be acceptable to the various EU countries, the status of EU citizerns here and the types of trade agreements that could be negotiated and how environment, food saftey and labour regulations would relate to these. If there was any ‘silent’ diplomacy going on the foreign correspondents would have an inkling of it but the silence is deafening. The Daily Express is, of course, merely a propaganda sheet for hard Brexit and no longer provides any news stories.
Skembear
It’s all been a complete clusterf**k from the start
Very poor ‘post truth’ on both sides
None of them thought for a second the electorate would vote to leave and there is no plan.
All we get from the right of politics is a Vicky Pollard response
Yeah, but, Labour, but lefties, but yeah
They need to get a grip and the MSM need to do their job and report the truth.