Johnson claimed that he was “working up a plan so people can bung a bob for a Big Ben bong”. Now, what she hailed as this “moment of national celebration” is repurposed as a moment of national consolation. What are you planning to do to mark Brexit day? Since the story is now about “coming together”, the doubters must play their part in a ritual of forced cheeriness. • Fintan O’Toole is a columnist at the Irish Times and author of Heroic Failure: Brexit and the Politics of Pain

Source: The Guardian January 17, 2020 16:37 UTC