Yorkshire Post

EU’s demands are music to ears of proud Brexiteers

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IT IS good to be alive. The EU continues to demand the Crown Jewels for our having the cheek to want to leave its clutches and its negotiator, Michel Barnier, wants to teach us a lesson for our temerity.

The Europhiles attack Theresa May, refreshed by her mountainee­ring, for saying she will fight the next election as she gets a grip on her mutinous Parliament­ary crew. They say Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, is a “joke”, which must please The Joker no end. And Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commission president, kisses Tony Blair.

I have not felt better for years. It reminds me of when I was helping Margaret Thatcher to repel all boarders.

I sometimes wonder whether Juncker and Barnier have ever heard of the Berlin Wall. It fell because people will not be denied their freedom for ever.

This pair of unelected commissars will go to almost any lengths to stop us leaving the federal Europe they are assiduousl­y trying to build, regardless of the people.

They fail to realise the obvious: that their intransige­nce is a tonic for a Brexiteer nation. We do not take kindly to dictators. They are reinforcin­g Britain’s determinat­ion to leave.

And they should be wary about taking on our Brexit negotiator, David Davis. He has served in a Territoria­l Army SAS regiment, with an oft-broken nose to prove it. first be clear that anything can happen when Tory MPs get jittery about the next election. I need mention only the demise of Margaret Thatcher in 1990 to convince you.

The best that can be said at present for Mrs May is that there is no clamour for her to go; there is no obvious candidate stirring it up; Brexit on whatever terms is still 18 months away; and there is no need for another election for five years, provided the DUP Ulstermen continue to provide a lifejacket.

Time and Brexit are potentiall­y on her side. If she delivers an acceptable Brexit – and the EU’s current intransige­nce seems likely to prevent a miserable fudge – she will be hailed as a saviour by all bar the Tory Heseltines of this world.

Where then Jeremy Corbyn, his revolution­ary Trots and Nicola Sturgeon and her Scottish Nationalis­ts?

It surely would take only a modest competence in communicat­ion to sink their discredite­d ideas beyond trace.

That is the first requiremen­t from Mrs May. She needs to rally her party, reinforce the grass roots and rekindle enthusiasm and self-belief.

She can do that partly by hammering the opposition into irrelevanc­e by telling us what a Corbyn/Sturgeon Britain would look like.

This may well be classed as negativism by the purists but Mrs May has left everybody on short rations when it comes to criticism of the Opposition. Let loose the dogs of war.

Without them we are in danger when Corbyn’s Momentum machine is assiduousl­y at work on idealistic youth.

Once you have clearly planted in the public’s mind what you don’t believe in, you can more easily inform them what you positively stand for.

Leave aside an acceptable Brexit settlement, I would urge Mrs May, in her crucial speech to the party conference, to pledge three things:

A truly Conservati­ve platform as the only way to national success, holding out reward to those who will work for it, lower taxes whenever possible, promoting responsibl­e enterprise based on a soundly-run economy and free trade with the world.

A social programme that protects the weak and vulnerable, controls immigratio­n, builds many more houses, energises education and reforms the NHS on a viable long term basis.

Reassuranc­e in an irresponsi­bly dangerous world of Britain’s commitment to law and order at home and peace abroad through sound defence.

This is your chance to shine. Mrs May. Seize it.

 ??  ?? Theresa May’s weakened authority will test her resolve on delivering Brexit. With her party conference looming, she must seize the moment.
Theresa May’s weakened authority will test her resolve on delivering Brexit. With her party conference looming, she must seize the moment.
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