Brexit: David Davis is Having a Laugh

Here’s the latest comedy duo, starring the man leading the drive to get Britain out of the EU and a partner who is trying to get Scotland out of Britain’s own union.

The Brexit comedy act, who might be called “the Chuckle Brothers with very little to chuckle about” are Brexit Secretary David Davis and former Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond.

Performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, the pair have taken turns having swipes at Brexit, the Prime Minister and themselves.

Just when many people were suspecting that British politics was becoming something of a joke, this unlikely pair seemed to be trying to prove that is true.

The show is called “Alex Salmond Unleashed” and it has begun a two-week run at the Scottish festival.

Salmond, who lost his Westminster seat in June’s general election, said the subject of his first of 10 shows would be “Scotland in Europe”. He talked about Scottish hero William Wallace and the country’s European history, then to the surprise of the 350-strong audience, he introduced as his first guest David Davis, the man who heads Britain’s Brexit negotiation and has been jokingly dubbed the “Brexit Bulldog”.

As Davis walked on stage, Salmond, a former First Minister of Scotland, said: “Remember, all the guests are my pals, so watch how you treat them.”

“Can I introduce you to the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom?”, Salmond said, before adding “… perhaps the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.”

PM lacks humour

In their Brexit comedy exchange Salmond questioned his “pal” on divisions in Cabinet over the timescale for Brexit. A smiling Davis told the audience at one point that ”Mr Salmond is trying to make me lose my job.”

Salmond had promised to use the Edinburgh gig as an opportunity to reveal “ the things you can’t say in office” but Davis’s friendly appearance was a surprise as the Brexit Secretary is in the middle of delicate Brexit negotiations that cast him at a polar extreme from the position of Salmond and the SNP.

The SNP desperately wants Scotland to stay in the EU and would much prefer to end three centuries of political ties with England by driving through a Scottish secession.

Both ribbed the Prime Minister for her lack of humour. Davis recounted that he had once jokingly suggested to May that the Department for Exiting the EU could be called “Department X”. Her response was “not a flicker,” he said.

The pair joked about the Government’s infighting over exactly how Britain will leave the EU. Davis said the so-called “transition period” for leaving the EU meant something different to everyone, “including me on different days”. Some joke that!

Salmond, who is still a key player in the Scottish independence debate, said he was “increasingly attracted” to the idea of European Free Trade Agreement membership for Scotland. He also predicted to journalists on the weekend that within three or four years Scotland would hold another referendum that would finally deliver independence.

Brexit comedy is all fun and games but both men are playing for high stakes indeed…

 

by Bob Graham

 

 

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