It’s traditional

Brexit has been on my mind, particularly now that the original ‘leave’ date has passed, and there is still no plan.

Robin Ford, April 2019

 Brexit brings incomprehension,
 Many ways to disagree.
 ‘Leave’ and ‘stay’ in fierce contention
 In the end where will they be?
  
 Politics that’s full of scheming
 (Far away in time and space).
 Quite surreal, or was I dreaming?
 Fractures in an island race.
  
 Spain’s Armada; Drake withstanding. 
 Blitzkrieg; Churchill’s famous speech.
 Hastings; site of William’s landing
 On a southern England beach.
  
 Do they fear re-occupation?
 (William once stood on that shore.)
 Do they sense an obligation?
 “Fight them on the beach” once more.
  
 Referendum; time for thinking.
 Half thought leave and half thought stay.
 Neither side looks much like blinking
 Surely it must end one day.
  
 Who is right? And who’s mistaken?
 Probably we’ll never know.
 When from dreaming I awaken
 Will it be the status quo?
  
 Listen! Can you hear the spinning,
As both sides devise and plot,
 Tired the interviews beginning:
 “Much worse with the other lot.”
  
 Hegemonic power (briefly)
 Ruled the waves; they don’t forget.
 So they tell the story (chiefly);
 In the end the sun did set.
  
 Thatcher, Cromwell, Wars of Roses;
 (Mary Stuart’s fate was sealed.)
 There are times when, one supposes,
 Inner conflict is revealed.
  
 What’s the English answer to it?
 Is their genius perhaps:
 Soft hypocrisy leads through it, 
 Humour keeps it under wraps.

Channel Tunnel a reminder 
 Of those decades when we thought
 Edward Heath had played a blinder - 
 Told them what the UK brought.
  
     Now Vera Lynne I’m going to misquote,
     About that fateful referendum vote

          While traffic’s stopping
          And bird poo’s dropping
          On white cliff’s making them a mess.
          They’re negotiating
          While folk are waiting
          To find out if they’d had success. 

Good luck to us all!