Europe’s most senior bureaucrat, who is a well-known opponent of Brexit and allegedly wishes the process to go as badly as possible to act as a deterrent to others leaving the bloc, is ready to allow the United Kingdom to delay the official departure day by 12 months or more.
German lawyer Martin Selmayr, who became Secretary General of the European Commission after a controversial and contested appointment in February 2018, is prepared to allow the United Kingdom to draw out its own torture at the hands of the European Union by an extra 12 months or more, according to sources quoted by London’s The Times newspaper.
Lending his voice to a growing number of Eurocrats who appear to believe forcing out the British government and seeing it replaced with a new one may be an easy route to a favourable Brexit outcome, the newspaper notes “senior officials and diplomats” are reported as saying the extension could be made long enough for “UK elections and a new government so that means until the end of the year”.
Selmayr’s comments to these figures also seem to confirm the claims made by Brexiteers like Nigel Farage that the claims by British lawmakers — including the prime minister — that an extension could last just weeks or a couple of months was a “ludicrous suggestion”. Mr Farage said in February that this was a ploy to gently break the idea of cancelling Brexit day to the British public, but in fact during this short extension “there would be no-one to negotiate with during this period” as the main players in Brussels would have already returned to their home nations to campaign for the May 2019 EU elections.
The Times reports Selmayr as making similar remarks, noting that a short extension would be nonsense and that “six weeks won’t fix anything” because of the recess from Brussels.
A longer extension would, in turn, create difficulties for both sides, however, as the UK remaining a member beyond May would mean the country having to elect new Members of the European Parliament. This would be the clearest sign yet to the British public that the withdrawal from the European Union they had voted for was not going to happen and give the voting public an opportunity to punish the defacto anti-Brexit Conservative and Labour parties at the ballot box, stuffing the European Parliament with even more anti-Europe, and probably populist members.
The projected rise in populist MEPs is already a matter of significant concern for many in the European Parliament and Commission, who are expending great deals of energy to attack populist leaders in the run-up to the vote.
Selmayr, widely seen as the power behind Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and who, thanks to his 2018 promotion, will remain at the top of the EU long after his former boss is replaced, has been said to be a “monster” and who is a “believer” in the European project who thinks “a destructive Brexit is the best way to keep Europe together.”
He is joined in that conviction by European Parliament president Antonio Tajani, who Breitbart London reported just yesterday as discussing how Britain’s treatment over Brexit at the hands of the European Union should serve as a “deterrent” to others. Speaking to a German newspaper this week, the top Eurocrat said of the need to keep European members locked in: “The example of the British will serve as a deterrent. We have to change the European Union. But we have to stay together.”
Like Selmayr, the top European also said he would be willing to allow Britain a Brexit date extension — but again to get rid of Theresa May. Giving his reasons for an extension as “new election or a new referendum”, Tajani remarked: “They have decided to go. That’s their problem, not ours.”
Unfortunately for freedom-loving citizens across the continent, the EU’s punitive stance appears to be working. Despite being long-term campaigners for a Swedish referendum on EU membership, the Sweden Democrats have stepped away from that position while acknowledging that was because of the EU acting in bad faith. Party leader Jimmie Åkesson said last month: “Clearly the EU does its utmost to complicate Britain’s departure… It would be irresponsible for Sweden to leave before knowing how it goes with Britain.”
Oliver JJ Lane is the editor of Breitbart London — Follow him on Twitter and Facebook
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