Some things are almost beyond parody. Lord Frost says the government will hire an external adviser to identify post-Brexit opportunities. We have high hopes of outside input into this process,” he says.

The government of the United Kingdom, almost five years after the Brexit referendum, wants help on identifying post-Brexit opportunities!  The natural response to this is, of course, to laugh like a drain – and to then despair.

But it also worth reflecting upon. One of the strengths (if that is the correct word) of the Leave campaign was that it was primal in its message – and what is primal is usually inexact, if not vague. So Brexit was forced through.

But for every strength there is a weakness.  And at this point of the process, those who have forced Brexit through are saying,in effect: ‘what now?’

Those who were opposed to Brexit will scoff and hope that such an implicit admission discredits the cause of Brexit.

But the idea that had power because of a lack of detail will usually not falter because of a lack of detail.  There was never any particular plan for Brexit: it was instead a political roar of anguish and defiance and (for many) misdirection.

David Frost could go even further and say freely and expressly: We want outside input in identifying opportunities because we don’t have a clue what to do next. Those who supported Brexit would either shrug or nod at the sentiment.

Those with an idee fixe will seldom falter because of a lack of detail. There was never any particularised plan for Brexit: it was instead a political roar of anguish and defiance and (for many) misdirection.

And as a wise person once said: there are no problems, only opportunities – it is just that some opportunities are unreachable – or impractical.
(17 May 2021, Law and Policy blog, David Allen Greene).

My one-word comment: “Pathetic”