Bishop berates poor, deluded Brexiteers who voted “quixotically” to leave the EU

Feb 21, 2017 by

by Archbishop Cranmer:

Initial coverage looked very encouraging. The BBC reported that the Rt Rev’d Christopher Chessun, Bishop of Southwark, had exhorted the House of Lords to pass the European Union (Notice of Withdrawal) Bill un-amended; that for better or worse, in sickness and in health, they should allow the Prime Minister to just get on with it. So promising did this BBC report of the Bishop’s speech (Hansard [Col. 24]) seem that it earned a tweet (and quite a few re-tweets) with epithets of wisdom: Sensible Bishop. Alas, the appreciation was a little premature.

Bishop Christopher did indeed exhort the Lords Temporal and Spiritual not to weigh the Bill down with tedious Remainiac amendments, but not without taking a swipe at those who voted Leave:

Despite the vagaries of the European Union Referendum Act, it was clear that voters understood that they were, in effect, making a decision, not merely expressing an opinion. They did so in sharply differing numbers riven by age, income, qualifications and location. Regrettably, many parts of the country that have most benefited from EU funding voted decisively, if quixotically, to leave.

Why, O why did he juxtapose recipients of EU funding (ie poorer areas) with quixoticism?

Quixotic: extremely idealistic; unrealistic and impractical; resembling or befitting Don Quixote; impulsive and often rashly unpredictable; actuated or swayed by emotional impulses; foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals.

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