Brexiters Break Three big Campaign Promises Before Breakfast

Greg made this comment earlier today:

"That much of this vote was driven by xenophobia is unfortunate. I think many of the people made a correct decision for the wrong reasons. And the fact that young people want to stay in the EU shows how they want what the Euro professed to be able to do and they likely still believe the Euro can bring a more united Europe..... but they are wrong, in my view, that the current arrangement can or will do that. Im not sure its goals even were that. Its goals were always monetary and intended to use markets to discipline people. All the other talk was a sales pitch, never at the core of the project."

http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2016/06/krugman-on-brexit-calm-down-grieve-and.html

I disagree the kids were wrong. I think they properly compared their choices between staying and Brexit.

There are definitely a lot of problems with the euro system though Britain is not on it. There are also some real problems in the UK-though this is mostly about the bad electoral choices in voting for David Cameron twice and now Brexit.

But the young folks did not fall for the fallacy that if your status quo has some real drawbacks or even a lot and is very far form optimal then any change will do no matter towards what.

It might seem melodramatic but I don't think so: Hitler was change from a very imperfect Weimar Republic status quo. Godwin's Law is usually right, but 2016 is the year that is the exception to the rule.

Yglesias:

"That one group of establishment policymakers made bad policies is not a good reason to make new, even worse policies."

http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2016/06/krugman-on-brexit-calm-down-grieve-and.html

I don't buy that the EU project was just a cynical lie. I think in the 1940s and 1950s there was a very sincere concern that Europe never again have a World War. It worked. But of course, you don't get credit for your successes. Good news is no news.

As for the idea that those who voted Brexit for the wrong reasons but were still right, I find this very doubtful. First of all, just looking at who supports this gives you pause: Trump, Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, Putin, Iran.

Then look at all the lies told for Brexit. Already three big campaign promises have been broken and it's not even breakfast.

https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/746316499653169153

"The world of politics moves fast."

"Yesterday, David Cameron was Prime Minister and Britain was a member of the European Union."

"This morning, before most people had eaten breakfast, it became clear both of those things will soon be untrue."

"And the world moves just as quickly for Brexit campaigners."

"They've spent weeks making promises and pledges about what the world is going to be like when we break free from the shackles of the European Union."

"Immigration will be lower, they said. We'll have £350m a week extra to spend on the NHS, they said."

"And because it's the democratic will of the British people, they said we'll go to Brussels straight away to invoke article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which would trigger our escape from the EU."

"By 8am this morning, senior Leave campaigners had already rowed back on all three of those pledges."

"Nigel Farage told Good Morning Britain it was a "mistake" for the Leave campaign to claim there'd be £350m a week extra for the NHS after Brexit "

"Asked to guarantee that money would go to the NHS he said: "No, and I would never have made that claim. That was one of the mistakes that the Leave campaign made."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/3-brexit-promises-campaigners-wriggled-8271762#rlabs=6%20rt$category%20p$1

I guess for those who voted for Brexit because of the extra $350 million pounds for NHS, sorry, that was just a mistake the Brexiters made.

Enjoy your Brexit.

As for the promise of lower immigration?

"Speaking on BBC News this morning, Tory MEP Daniel Hannan said: "People are grown up and they understand this isn't something that can happen tomorrow."

"No one has ever suggested there is going to be no immigration."

"There will be EU nationals watching this programme now and I want to underline - no one has suggested any change in their status."

"Brexit campaigner Dr Liam Fox said: "A lot of things were said in advance of this referendum that we might want to think about again and that (invoking article 50) is one of them."

"I think that it doesn't make any sense to trigger article 50 without having a period of reflection first, for the Cabinet to determine exactly what it is that we're going to be seeking and in what timescale.

"And then you have to also consider what is happening with the French elections and the German elections next year and the implications that that might have for them."

"So a period of calm, a period of reflection, to let it all sink in and to work through what the actual technicalities are."

It's going to be interesting to see how many promises the Brexiters made that are kept.

Few and none is my guess. But then, this was a psychosomatic vote. A solution in search for a problem.