Substitute ‘Guy Verhofstadt’ for ‘Italy’ and ‘the Prime Minister’ for ‘England’ in an extract from a recent, keenly-observed and well-researched, post-match report of the (infamous?) England v Italy rugby match - which saw Italy adopt an unanticipated and unsettling strategy - and you can almost discern the same jaw-dropping tactical shock in the EU MEP’s ‘left-field’ approach - proposing continued EU citizenship for UK nationals; almost offering a post-Brexit bridge across the Channel - as that which temporarily baffled England at Twickenham in their 2017 six-nations rugby contest against Italy at the end of February.
First here is Guy Verhofstadt’s unexpectedly conciliatory note today, from BBC online news pages reporting the Belgian politician’s remarks:
“Mr Verhofstadt, who leads the liberal group of MEPs in the European Parliament, told the BBC that the [EU citizenship] matter had to be prioritised and "cannot be part of the political games" that have taken place over the last few months… Mr Verhofstadt said the situation "is a crisis for the EU". "The fact that a large country like Britain is leaving the EU...? It's shown a crisis in the European Union - it's a disaster. That Britain goes out of the EU is a tragedy, a disaster, a catastrophe - you name it."”
Now the substituted match report:
“[Verhofstadt] did much more than compete... [he] tried something different… there was no humiliation at the hands of [the Prime Minister] and there was nothing that [Verhofstadt] did that demeaned… in the slightest, no matter what anybody else might think. [Verhofstadt] held up a mirror to the modern-day game, the endless torrent of breakdowns, and… showed where it needs to improve… Above all, [Verhofstadt] showed that glorious uncertainty is such a joy in this mechanical era. Now that is not a bad afternoon's work.”
Associated Press noted that Italy’s rugby tactics had ‘angered’ England: “It was smart and innovative from Italy coach Conor O'Shea - and it bewildered England so much that some of its players asked the referee how they could combat it.”
Mr Verhofstadt’s conciliatory tone, that so seemed to baffle the prepared intransigence of the UK Government, was echoed by another EU notable, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who has said today that he hopes that the UK will rejoin the European Union at some point in future.
Has the EU taken a leaf out of Conor O'Shea ‘book of tricks’?
Perhaps, but perhaps not.
Perhaps it might be possible to look at the Italian’s rugby tactics not so much as a ‘trick’ but as an innovative approach. That is what Stephen Jones thought and I think he might well be right. Might these EU note worthies actually be genuine in their efforts to reconcile and compromise?
Not likely; according to Stephanie Flanders (J.P Morgan’s chief market strategist for Britain and Europe) speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions tonight. The former BBC economics editor is certain that there can be no likelihood that the EU will give something away for nothing.
And the game the EU is playing is just not rugby for Boris Johnson (again seeming to be Sir William Stanley reincarnate) who seems set against compromise and ever-determined to be on the ‘winning’ side: “I think we have illustrious precedent in this matter, and you will doubtless recall the 1984 Fontainebleau Summit in which Mrs Thatcher said she wanted her money back, and I think that is exactly what we will get," he [Sir William – sorry Boris] told BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg in BBC Two's Brexit: Britain's Biggest Deal.”
It is interesting, therefore, to find an excellent Welsh source of Rugby comment use the same words as Guy Verhofstadt - ‘catastrophe’ and ‘disaster’ – in the context of England’s unexpected departure from the Rugby World Cup in October 2015 and consider... was that 2015 rugby exit a precursor of Brexit?
“When the word "catastrophe" starts being applied to the result of a game of rugby union a sense of proportion is clearly required. Yes, England are out of the World Cup but life goes on, clocks cannot be rewound and the competition proceeds without them. English rugby may be looking into a yawning sink hole of self-inflicted horror but this is still sport, not war, famine or death… As the former All Blacks forward Craig Newby tweeted in the early hours, England advanced further when they were jumping into harbours and drinking like fish… England's exit from the Rugby World Cup is a disaster for business - and could see a £3.5billion loss to the country's economy, experts have warned.”
If the UK can show the same subsequent form post-Brexit as the English rugby team - currently looking to equal New Zealand's All Black’s world record of 18 straight Test victories, then all will surely be well for the UK.
Yet can anybody emerge from a process of attrition a winner?
Look at what happened to Sir William Stanley.
To quote (albeit shamefully out of context) the unsurpassable and inestimable Scots rugby commentator Bill McLaren:
“The All Blacks that day looked like great prophets of doom.”
