Britain and Brexit: Breaking Free and Back in Control

                 It is no secret that the British Empire built itself on the oppression and exploitation of other nations, due to either weakness, savagery or convenient resources; to this day the UK does not want to lose what, to them, they should control. They were once the colonizers of the most powerful empire on earth and the the powers that be. The British Empire was the nearest thing there has ever been to a world government (Ferguson, p.24). They have always got rid of otherness, Protestants, Catholics, slaves, tyrants, chavs, or… The European Union. They do not like or want to do as told. The UK does not want to compromise but lead as pleased and boast off their uniqueness on democracy and liberty because “it remains the most distinctive feature of the Empire, the thing that sets it apart from its continental European rivals” (Ferguson, p.22). How can they be fully in control when they must abide by the rules of the EU? “Let’s take back control” was the Brexit motto that convinced the British population to vote for Leave.  They are the leaders and “no organization has done more to impose Western norms of law, order and governance around the world” (Ferguson, p.20). Therefore, “Let’s take back control” resulted in convincing the British population to vote for leave. Though wary in regards to their future, they have always been victorious on their own. The aim of this essay is to analyze Britain’s idealization of its own way of exercising power and the resulting need of leaving the EU to reinforce this notion of superiority. I will examine certain aspects of their idealized sense of leadership and power in the films Darkest Hour, Brexit: The Uncivil War and the novella The Cockroach.

                There are more than plenty of different media examples which present a romanticized and idealized version of the past, especially in regards to the UK during wartime. One of the most recent mainstream war films to accomplish this perpetuation of the myth would be Joe Wright’s 2017 film Darkest Hour. Whether the film is historically accurate or not, it does work as superb Brexit propaganda. The film suggests England congratulating itself on an idealized past with a conventional idea of patriotism. They are the heroes who wish to end tyranny across Europe and who have save themselves, and the rest, without help from others. Gary Oldman’s Churchill constantly lacks support from his peers and is disapproved of by popular opinion. He is seen as taking all the most difficult decisions for a country at stake while having France pulling for negotiation rather than fighting Hitler and not receiving full assistance from USA president FDR, who tries to keep his country out of the conflict. This could convey the message that it is sometimes both possible and necessary for Britain to go on their way, even if the rest of Europe will not. The UK’s strength and power has always helped them deal with their problems in their own terms, fighting the two great wars from the start and remaining victorious. They can be just fine on their own, as they have always been. They will get rid of whatever may threaten their democracy and liberty.

                While it was once a country fighting against fascism, it is now conducting a vote where the outcome was undoubtedly influenced by the ongoing refugee crisis. Once striving tirelessly to lend a hand to the innocent victims of war, those in need of a new home, and now seeming more inclined to reject them. This reaction to immigration is one of the points of research in Toby Haynes’s HBO film Brexit: The Uncivil War. Some EU leaders argued that aiding the refugees was a moral obligation whereas EU opponents saw immigration affecting the internal life of the country. Steering clear of this issue was an important driver for the “leave” vote. Many who oppose the EU seem to argue that it takes control away from individual nations, including the UK itself. In one scene of the film, VoteLeave campaign director Don Cummings claims, in an attempt to appeal to a misguided sense of nostalgia that they “want to return to a time when we knew our place, when things made sense… fictional or not.” In another scene, a woman taking part in a focus group cries: “I’m sick of feeling like nothing, like I have nothing! Like I know nothing. Like I am nothing. I’m sick of it!” It does not seem to be a coincidence that she is a middle-aged WASP woman from the countryside who represents the image of a once alleged superior race and this was the type of people targeted by Cummings. How could they have possibly gone from being the biggest force to be reckoned to sending the EU 350 million pounds a week and being forced into taking in immigrants? Mistrust and fear of losing control made Brexit a reasonable solution for the nation’s population.

            Fulfilling the nation’s wishes “to be set free from a loathsome servitude” (McEwan, p.21) is the main purpose of Boris Johnson’s book caricature (with a hint of Donald Trump) Jim Sams, a cockroach who turns into the UK PM and the main character in Ian McEwan’s satire novella The Cockroach. The solution to recover their freedom comes in the form of Reversalism, a Brexit allegory, as their new economic system. When questioned on why tearing their nation apart and inflicting demands on their “best friends” and pretending they are the enemies, Sams’ reason for pushing Reversalism at any cost is a single word: “Because.” McEwan has stated that this is what Brexit comes down to: “I haven’t heard an economic argument about the advantages of Brexit for a long time,” he says. “It has passed out of that realm. I think it’s become religious. It’s gone all misty-eyed. We want it because we want it.” There seems to be an obsession on getting away with what they want and continue to stand out as still the most powerful nation in the world. The UK cannot be a servant to the EU when they once were the “closest thing to a world government” (Ferguson, p.24). They felt deprived, as an individual nation, of the power to make many decisions for their own benefit. Appealing to the idealization of their past and strength, Jim Sams proclaims they will “stand alone just as we have stood alone in the past.” (McEwan, p.35) By the end of the story, Sams succeeds and turns back into a cockroach, among his fellow government peers, wollowing in the trash after causing havoc and a possible terrible decision, resembling those who have ruled and keep ruling the nation.

           Either on a positive or not-so-flattering note, these three examples of Brexit satire or propaganda seem to have a common thread: the idealization of power of the once almighty and colonizer British Empire. Through their visual media, they either continuously portray themselves as war heroes and visionaries against the fascists of the world and those who dare to defy them even when facing utmost adversity, or satirize a possibly outdated patriotic sentiment of nationalism. If their way of dealing with turbulent times and problems has always worked for them, then they will continue to stand on their own and take control of their nation like they once controlled a big portion of the world. The once subjugator does not like to be subjugated. Whether their separation from the EU will bring prosperity or seemingly impending economic havoc (as claimed by some experts) is yet to be seen.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

(All references were taken from the PDF version of the books)

-                     McEwan, Ian (2019). The Cockroach. Penguin Random House, Knopf Canada.

-                     Ferguson, Niall (2003). Empire: How Britain made the modern world. Allen Lane, London.

-                     Haynes, T. (2019) Brexit: The Uncivil War. HBO. TV film.

-                     Wright, J. (2017) Darkest Hour. Universal Pictures, Focus Pictures. Retrieved from:  https://cuevana3.io/4258/darkest-hour-ihy0v  

-                     Interview by inews.co.uk. Retrieved from: https://inews.co.uk/culture/books/ian-mcewan-cockroach-interview-brexit-uk-publication-date-343206