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IDEAS | PROVOCATIONS | TRENDS | PEOPLE Observations ANDER GILLENEA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES IN THE PICTURE during the San Fermín the city’s co-patron festival in northern saint. Popularised by A bull leaps into the Spain. The week-long Ernest Hemingway, it Pamplona bullring event, a mixture now draws as many as over the heads of of fiesta, sport and one million visitors cowering bull runners bravado, celebrates annually. 12 | NEW STATESMAN | 12-18 JULY 2019 Commons Confidential Kevin Maguire offers his pick of the week’s gossip from Westminster Anoosh Chakelian meets Betty Boothroyd, who’s determined to campaign for a second referendum Grace Blakeley explains Deutsche Bank’s last ditch attempt to save itself Michael Henderson on the joy of small-town cricket COMMENT The myth of mass togetherness Why we still talk about national unity By Mark Damazer nicorns romp through time to be resolute, to get on the Brexit debate. with Brexit and to bring the UWe have become whole country together.” accustomed to hearing their The next day, the ever- calling sounds on our current bubbly Johnson convert Matt affairs programmes – instant Hancock mentioned unity technology solutions to border several times on Radio 4’s checks in Ireland, frictionless Today programme, declaring: commerce with the EU 27 “[Johnson] is best placed while operating outside the to deliver Brexit and then single market, rapidly made unite the country… with an free trade deals with the rest optimistic agenda that will of the world, a sovereign bring the country together.” immigration policy that both The idea of unity is lovely significantly reduces immigrant and very comforting. Jeremy numbers but keeps Britain’s Hunt knows that too – but this employers happy – and more. snippet, from his leadership But the Conservative website, takes a rather different leadership contest is also tactical approach to the matter. frequently populated by what “When we unite we win… feels like the largest unicorn We need a leader who will of them all, best spotted by bring our party and our use of the phrase “unifying country together – and knows the country”. (That normally that we can’t win elections by should mean unifying the UK alienating 48 per cent of our as opposed to England, but is country.” not always stated, and must Johnson would not wish grate with millions of Scottish, to put his quest for unity like Welsh and Northern Irish this – and indeed Hunt himself, people.) There are variations once coshed for his softness on the theme, but the stirring on Brexit deadlines, has hardly calls for mass togetherness are made it a campaign leitmotif. easily identifiable. It is a very tall order to Unifying the population is a bring together a population of virile and seemingly desirable 66 million around anything unicorn, embodying a noble serious, never mind about enough aspiration, but what something as toxic and atavistic on earth does it mean? In as Brexit. We might concede, current political debate it is even if reluctantly, that unity self-evidently linked to Brexit. may be a necessary rhetorical Here are some key soundbites fantasy. You would hardly wish from Team Boris – doubtless to present yourself to the public crafted by his uber-minder as fighting only for the interests Lynton Crosby. In a Mail on of a particular group. “We Sunday article on 30 June fight for the working class,” or Johnson wrote: “Now is the “liberal internationalists” t 12-18 JULY 2019 | NEW STATESMAN | 13 OBSERVATIONS t or the “landed gentry”. we feel happily restored in our But we might at least ask faith in a common enterprise? COMMONS CONFIDENTIAL the candidates – and ourselves We don’t know. The – some penetrating questions presenters of the heavyweight Corbyn’s feuding comrades about how they’re going to news programmes probably Kevin Maguire get even vaguely close to understand that the “unifying unity nirvana. We have had a the country” stuff is virtuous, Combatants in an yes saga over Corbyn going few clues. Johnson wants to semi-compulsory blather. They increasingly hostile civil to this Saturday’s Durham combine public sector pay don’t have the time to stop war within Jeremy Corbyn’s Miners’ Gala concluded with rises with lower taxation proceedings, and the grammar camp no longer conceal the Dear Leader agreeing to (do I spot a frolicking baby of these encounters – at least as bitter enmities. One BBC address the northern white unicorn?). Hunt wants to put currently understood by both hack was left open-mouthed working class masses for more money into social care broadcasters and politicians – when a chat with Seumas a fourth consecutive year. and defence. doesn’t allow for the hot air to Milne was interrupted by Miliband did it once, Blair There are other, sometimes be gently coaxed back into the a passing Diane Abbott and Brown not at all. more specific, hints. Hunt, speaker’s mouth. growling “Don’t believe a for instance, would bring the The lack of any discernible word he says”, the shadow Commons Speaker John DUP into the Brexit negotiating national unity about any home secretary character- Bercow, by the way, privately team. We all know why: it is assassinating a stunned consented to speak if asked to not unreasonable of him to try director of strategy. The the Durham “Big Meeting”, to get a parliamentary majority Was there ever increasingly fraught tug of but formal invitation came for whatever his putative Brexit a golden era of love between rival disciples there none. Brother Bercow plan amounts to. But putting over Comrade Corbyn is a waving at the crowds from the DUP still further inside the national unity? gift to critical Labour MPs. the Royal County Hotel’s Conservative tent will rapidly The revolution’s children are balcony alongside “Red Len” detach Northern Ireland’s number of issues is not, of devouring each other. McCluskey, Corbyn and a Catholic population from itself, a problem. We are not politburo of Tory hate figures your unity ticket – along with likely all to agree on myriad Posh philanderer Boris could’ve triggered a wave of millions more in the UK who things – how to tackle climate Johnson’s refusal – or Conservative heart attack by- consider the DUP a bastion of change, the appropriate level of inability? – to name all his elections. Maybe next year? reactionary politics. taxation, how to reform offspring would see Theresa May’s early Brexit the police or provide better the bed-hopper As little love was persona (the lengthy “Brexit social care… denounced as lost between means Brexit” phase) did not What matters is that most feckless and exiting Brexit talk much about national unity of us understand the processes feral by snobby chief negotiator – though it did talk about the by which decisions are made Tories if he lived Olly Robbins subtly different idea of the and, grudgingly, accept the on a council and his former national interest. She tried outcomes – without resorting estate rather political master, to go it alone – and her late to violence. But maintaining than packing David Davis, attempt to get a Brexit deal such a consensus is not easy, tennis racquets to as was between with Labour only succeeded and Brexit is putting a real strain spend weekends on the ambassador Kim in inadvertently bringing a lot on our agreement to disagree. Chequers country estate. Darroch and Donald Trump. of Conservatives together to But we could make a start Ealing lip Stephen Pound Intimates of Robbins claim speed up her downfall. Not by asking Messrs Johnson was overheard inquiring, he stood outside a Whitehall quite the kind of unity she and Hunt when, outside during a Speaker’s House watering hole with a bottle was seeking. war, there was a golden era shindig for single parents, of champagne after Davis It is devilishly hard to obtain of national unity. Macmillan “Why isn’t Boris Johnson resigned, yearning to be even a passable impersonation post-Suez? When Attlee here?” Restaurant-trashing papped by a passing snapper. of political unity in a raucous created the welfare state? Or Buller Boys believe that they Sir Humphrey’s anonymity democracy. How do you under Tony Blair before the can buy their way out of proved a disappointing cloak measure success? Would it Iraq War? Maybe none of responsibility for life. of invisibility. be through Prime Minister the above – which does not Johnson’s approval ratings? mean these were all disastrous Iron man Jeremy Corbyn’s Should the ballot for PM end (So perhaps anything further periods either. We just need Arnie Schwarzenegger in a tie, a Tory MP suggested north than 51.9 per cent – to a more realistic yardstick routine to prove his fitness that the casting vote should go take a familiar figure not at all to understand political to govern isn’t going to Richard Ratcliffe, husband at random – would be enough?) achievement and the limits unnoticed. The track-suited of jailed Nazanin Zaghari- Would Prime Minister Hunt of what politics can do. We septuagenarian was, he said, Ratcliffe. The Foreign declare victory for unity if there need a better debate about this hailed on a jog by an Islington Secretary might agree, unlike were fewer off-stage grumbles unity thing – but don’t hold constituent with a shout of his blundering predecessor. l from the armed forces? your breath. l “Fucking hell Jeremy, you’re Kevin Maguire is the Might there be a referendum, Mark Damazer is master of supposed to be dead from a associate editor (politics) of perhaps three years after we St Peter’s College, Oxford and a heart attack.” The yes-no- the Daily Mirror have Brexited, to see whether former BBC Radio 4 controller 14 | NEW STATESMAN | 12-18 JULY 2019.