theguardian.com
Britain should seek to rejoin EU, says civil servant who led Brexit department
Philip Rycroft says promises on issues from economics to immigration have not lived up to expectations
Britain should start talking about rejoining the EU, according to a former senior civil servant who ran the Brexit department.
Philip Rycroft, who was permanent secretary of the Department for Exiting the EU, said the “argument was there to be won” about going back into Europe, adding that a “clear-headed appraisal of what is in the country’s best interests” was needed. However, he said rejoining the bloc could be a “long and windy” road. Continue reading...
![[SCENE: The court of Henry VIII. The King sits on his throne. An ADVISOR approaches him.]
ADVISOR: Your majesty, the kingdom is bankrupt!
HENRY VIII: Damn this costly war...
ADVISOR: Not the war, sir. Ir’s your jester subscriptions.
HENRY VIII: But they’re only 7 groats 95 a month!
ADVISOR: They really add up, your highness
ADVISOR: The palace doth o’erflow with well-reviewed jesters you’ve never even watched
[Show lots of jesters sitting round, bored]
HENRY VIII: Well there’s just so many ‘unmissable jesters’ these days...
HENRY VIII: I always think, I must watch that new jester everyone’s talking about... but then I just end up watching repeats of Johnny Arse
[Show a clearly lowbrow jester, baring his buttocks and shouting “JOHNNY ARRRSE!”]
ADVISOR: We even found an unopened jester-by-post from 1509!
[Show a skeleton in a box with ‘LoveJester’, like the LoveFilm logo, on the side]
ADVISOR: So - let’s cancel some subscriptions:
ADVISOR: NowJester?
HENRY VIII: I’m not missing Game of Jesters
[Ends]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4m3we4apbjayclzcnhwe3pfp/bafkreict7cb5pwr5izjpxmn3xkzb2ua5pm2nwgjggn5ublamwvmtjifwpa)
![Cartoon by Stephen Collins for The Guardian. Script as follows:
[scene is Winston Churchill in a bbc studio, giving his 'finest hour' speech]
1
CHURCHILL:
The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us.
2
CHURCHILL:
Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war.
3
CHURCHILL:
If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free
and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sun-
BBC PRESENTER:
Thank you prime minister
4
BBC PRESENTER:
Mr hitler, your response?
5
HITLER [in the studio]:
Vell zis is hysterical woke nonsense as usual from mr Churchill
6
HITLER:
What we are proposing -
CHURCHILL:
Hang on
7
HITLER:
Let me finish - what we are proposing eez a simple power-sharing arrangement -
8
CHURCHILL:
What's he doing here
BBC PRESENTER:
It's important we hear both sides of the debate
9
CHURCHILL:
This isn't a debate
You don't debate fascists
10
HITLER:
Oh here we go with ze Godwins law!
11
HITLER:
Why must you people always compare ze things you don't like to 'fascists, Nazis, Hitler'...
CHURCHILL:
Because you are a fascist Nazi Hit-
12
HITLER [standing up, saluting]:
RAUSS!
BBC PRESENTER:
*Please* Mr Churchill let him speak
[ends]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4m3we4apbjayclzcnhwe3pfp/bafkreibw4ldc3fhslbvxgy2oqrof2oys5kpgh7zu6a5f3usmx3lf4547qm)
