Age of Madness - prosecuting Boris and other tales from the Brexit front

Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad.

So it is with, it seems, almost everything about our ongoing debate about leaving the EU. This madness appears to have spread throughout the land, a plague of conspiracy theory, offence, insult and obsession. Formerly cheery folk are become monomaniacal advocates of Remain or Brexit, prepared to cast friendships, work and community into the pit rather than admit they might just be over-egging the whole thing just a tad.

Over on the leave side there's a host of people casting those who think otherwise as traitors, quislings and paid lackeys of foreign billionaires. The attempt to find a way through the tangled mass of Brexit options is variously described as a betrayal or a sell out and any deal not conforming to the unwritten gospel of One True Brexit serves only to make us a vassal state, a colony trapped forever in the evil EU web. Some are even ready to countenance staying in the EU if the arrangements of our leaving do not meet the requirements of that One True Brexit.

Not to be outdone, indeed to maintain their lead in spittle-flecked, swivel-eyed lunacy, the Remain Ultras have found a new stupidity - they're going to sue Boris Johnson because the words on the side of a bus might not have been entirely accurate. And people - folk with good jobs and money to spare - have given these numpties the cash to take this action:

On Saturday 17th November, Boris Johnson MP was notified of private prosecutor Marcus J Ball’s intention to bring a private prosecution case against him. The case is in accordance with section 6(1) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, for the alleged offence of misconduct in public office.

Mr Ball has instructed Bankside Commercial to bring on his behalf, the private prosecution against Mr Johnson MP.

Bankside Commercial has retained the services of three barristers from Church Court Chambers: Mr Lewis Power QC, Colin Witcher and Anthony Eskander.

The alleged offence of misconduct in public office arises from statements made and or endorsed by Boris Johnson MP in his capacity as an MP and Mayor of London prior to and following the EU Referendum concerning the cost of EU Membership. Mr Ball alleges that the claim that the UK ‘sends £350 million a week to the EU’ was knowingly false.

Also, that Mr Johnson made or endorsed these statements with the intention of persuading the British Public to vote Leave in the EU Referendum.

Over £100,000 has been raised to conduct this deranged plan with more than 3000 people contributing. The lead numpty, Marcus Ball, says that they'll need half a million quid. To achieve what exactly? Apparently the contested claim about how much goes to the EU (and if you hark back to the referendum campaign, you'll recall it was contested - vigorously) represents "misconduct in public office" because Boris knew it was wrong. How on earth a person, regardless of their day job, conducting a political campaign can be described as acting "in public office" defeats me but more importantly, even if these idiots win their case, there's no chance of this changing what the outcome or direction of the Brexit process (an increasing occult enterprise).

When this is set alongside Lord Adonis accusing the FT of selling out to Japanese corporate interests and The Observer's ever weirder conspiracy theories about "dark money" and "secret webs", it's clear that people have taken almost complete leave of their senses. Add in a different bunch who are now saying that the Prime Minister's (slightly sub-optimal) attempt to craft something from the fog of Brexit is BRINO - "Brexit in Name Only" - and proves it's a Remainer conspiracy to keep us trapped forever in the EU's web. We truly are in a time of madness - "quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat"


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Taking sides in Syria - mad, bad and dangerous

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It seems to me an utter nonsense to seek to end a war by giving the side that appears to be losing more guns. Yet that is precisely - all wrapped up in weasel words about the situation and castigastion of the Assad regime - what we're saying;

Its joint statement said the members had agreed to "provide urgently all necessary materiel and equipment to the opposition on the ground, each country in its own way in order to enable them to counter brutal attacks by the regime and its allies".

And, as ever, this decision - essentially a decision to escalate violence in Syria - is promoted on the basis of the most bizarre judgement. It's not because giving the "Western-backed rebel military command" means supporting the good guys. Nope, we're doing this because some chemical weapons have been used and this was the 'red line' that mustn't be crossed or else!

I could get all geopolitical, talk about arming one or other side in the ever more divisive scrap been Sunni and Shia Muslims. Or argue that we're fighting a daft proxy war with Russia and Iran lining up against the USA and Saudi Arabia. But I'm not going to do that.

No, I'm going to say that, terrible though events in Syria are, it's absolutely none of our business. By all means send relief to refugees, medical equipment to save lives and food for the starving. Definitely clamber onto the moral high ground and tell those fighting to stop it and come and talk to each other to see if there's a way to sort the mess out without murdering half the population.

But arming the rebels. That's taking sides. And we know just how loved we are across the Middle East for taking sides! Before we know there will be a queue of comfortable Syrian exiles and a veritable platoon of ex-military and former diplomatic chaps calling for 'no fly zones', for blockades and for even bigger bombs and guns for the friendly jihadist rebels.

To say it again - it really is none of our business any more than it was any of Gaddafi's business (or for that matter Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton's business) that we fought a long campaign against terrorists in Northern Ireland.

Again. Giving arms to insurgents in Middle East countries - whether we consider them good guys or not - is a monumentally stupid idea. And not why we have a defence budget.

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And so it begins....

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...but still, a strange thing for 'Visit Leeds' to be flogging!

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