Tory MEPs laugh about playing Brexit games, then delete the evidence

It’s only been a couple of weeks since a Tory MEP seemed to compare the EU’s social democrats to Nazis. But Tory MEPs have managed to embarrass their party yet again.
This time, they’ve used their strong political judgement and posted a picture of themselves having a laugh while playing a Brexit negotiation board game. Because Brexit, which affects everybody’s lives, is clearly just a game.
Siri, show us the perfect metaphor for Tories playing with people’s lives
The image was posted from the Conservative MEPs’ official Twitter account. But they quickly deleted the evidence, as the link originally included in Labour MEP Richard Corbett’s tweet has now vanished:
For them, #Brexit is just a game. A game with people’s livelihoods, futures, health and more. But, hell, let’s just have fun with it….. https://t.co/hCQN9Vnf8T
— Richard Corbett (@RCorbettMEP) November 7, 2018
Read on...
Support us and go ad-freeBut Corbett, an anti-Brexit campaigner, retrieved the evidence:
My previous tweet commented on a #Conservative tweet which they hastily deleted. Too bad I found a copy (thanks, Oleg): pic.twitter.com/Ci7oCCMv2i
— Richard Corbett (@RCorbettMEP) November 7, 2018
And long after the tweet was deleted by the Conservatives’ official account, Tory MEP John Flack remained defiant:
The only game in town ….. BREXIT The board game. A few minutes light relief from the hard work in Brussels today. pic.twitter.com/SjCFQXMhiv
— John Flack MEP (@JohnFlackMEP) November 6, 2018
Pun pile-on
Whether gambling on a referendum, or playing chicken throughout negotiations, the Tories have treated Brexit like a game from the start.
Unsurprisingly, Twitter was on hand to provide a masterclass in board-game-related Brexit puns:
Or Cluedo without a clue.
— Andy Williams (@cheltandy) November 7, 2018
Yes, the board game does actually exist
The game in question is available to buy online, for £66 no less:
And dare we say the gameplay description accurately describes the Tories’ current Brexit negotiation performance:
Will you save the country, or unleash political and economic carnage? …
You’ll be… shocked by the duplicity of your colleagues sneakily pursuing their own separate strategic goals
The description of how to succeed at the game explains where the Tories are going wrong:
Working out the Brexit deal requires patience, cunning, and forward thinking.
And if this recent admission by Brexit secretary Dominic Raab is anything to go by, “forward thinking” is definitely lacking:
Reassuring that the Brexit secretary “never knew” Britain was reliant on goods passing between Dover and Calais because our country is an island. Oh well, he knows now, better late than never pic.twitter.com/OhxG7jNOgv
— Matt Zarb-Cousin (@mattzarb) November 8, 2018
Games aren’t so fun when it’s real people’s lives at stake
But others are struggling to see the funny side:
Well,I suppose if you are going to damage (& risk wrecking) your economy and that of Ireland,risk peace,close businesses,throw thousands of people out of jobs & deprive future generations of Brits & Europeans of rights of travel & residence,then why not make a joke of it? #Brexit
— Gavin Barrett (@ProfGBarrett) November 7, 2018
Labour MEP Seb Dance added:
The Tories’ negotiation strategy in one picture.
Piss about (in the middle of the afternoon judging by the daylight) rolling the dice on people’s livelihoods and prospects.
Ooh what fun. See whose town is decimated by factory closures; pick a card to deport your neighbours. pic.twitter.com/W12uLJq8J2
— Seb Dance MEP (@SebDance) November 7, 2018
No self-awareness
This latest incident again demonstrates a staggering lack of self-awareness and political judgement by Conservative politicians. While they laugh, Brexit warnings are coming in thick and fast: from health, to economic standards of living, to the potential demolition of workers’ rights in a post-Brexit, Tory deregulation fantasy land.
What Tories seem to regard as a game could, in fact, be torture.
Get Involved!
– Support The Canary’s fierce journalism.
Featured image by screenshot and screenshot
Support us and go ad-freeWe know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.