The Great Betrayal

'Betcha we don't leave.' I wrote that on the evening of 24 June 2016, once the euphoria had passed. A lot of us leavers, despite being elderly and thick, knew. The establishment wouldn't let it happen.

Quite how the establishment stopped us from leaving the European Union, though, we could never have guessed. A mandate which became a process and resulted in the UK being the laughing stock of the world. We might have guessed at the relentless howls of outrage from that extreme block of transgressed remainers, the hostility of the House of Commons, the civil service and the BBC. That was a given, and it all played its part. But beyond our imagination was the readiness of politicians to ignore or subvert the vote, the sheer ineptitude of those charged with negotiating our withdrawal, the spite of the EU and the intercession of that usual thing, events.

THE GREAT BETRAYAL tells the story of a failed Brexit and a betrayal of the British people, drawn from interviews with those at the very centre of what became, in the end, a surreal charade.

“A valuable volume”

The Times
The book is exactly what you would expect from Liddle. It is a no-holds barred account that literally throws readers into the lagoons of exasperation, anger and disillusionment that stretch across Leave Land. It is not a book that remainers will enjoy, but in our polarised times it is definitely one they ought to read Sunday Times
Engaging . . . If you're a fan of the Liddle school of political invective, you'll love this book -- Harry Mount Spectator

Rod Liddle is a journalist and author. Born in 1960, he attended a comprehensive school near Middlesbrough and the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has made award-winning TV documentaries for Channel Four and was previously the editor of Radio Four's 'Today' programme. He is currently a columnist for the Sunday Times, Sun and Spectator, of which he is associate editor. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party.

'Betcha we don't leave.' I wrote that on the evening of 24 June 2016, once the euphoria had passed. A lot of us leavers, despite being elderly and thick, knew. The establishment wouldn't let it happen.Quite how the establishment stopped us from leaving the European Union, though, we could never have guessed. A mandate which became a process and resulted in the UK being the laughing stock of the world. We might have guessed at the relentless howls of outrage from that extreme block of transgressed remainers, the hostility of the House of Commons, the civil service and the BBC. That was a given, and it all played its part. But beyond our imagination was the readiness of politicians to ignore or subvert the vote, the sheer ineptitude of those charged with negotiating our withdrawal, the spite of the EU and the intercession of that usual thing, events. THE GREAT BETRAYAL tells the story of a failed Brexit and a betrayal of the British people, drawn from interviews with those at the very centre of what became, in the end, a surreal charade.

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