What is “Britishness”?

Part 8: Parliamentary sovereignty

The British like to be in control, or at least think that they are. Maybe it is our pride, or pugnacity, or both but we do not like feeling beholden to anyone. We want to be seen to stand on our own feet and do things on our own terms. So, Brexit was pitched by its proponents as a bid to break free from the ties that bound us to the EU and reassert our sovereignty by taking back control. It’s a narrative that plays well in the Tory heartlands and the new ‘blue wall’ constituencies in the North where responsibility for inequality and lack of opportunity has been firmly, but unfairly, laid at the EU’s door.

When the Brexit deal was finally announced in the middle of the afternoon on Christmas Eve, the difference of opinion between Britain and the EU over the definition of sovereignty was stark. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen acknowledged that “Of course, this whole debate has always been about sovereignty. But we should cut through the soundbites and ask ourselves what sovereignty actually means in the 21st century. For me, it is about being able to seamlessly do work, travel, study and do business in 27 countries. It is about pooling our strength and speaking together in a world full of great powers. And in a time of crisis, it is about pulling each other up. Instead of trying to get back to your feet, alone. And the European Union shows how this works in practice. No deal in the world can change the reality of [the] gravity in today’s economy. And in today’s world, we are one of…