TV Pick of the Week: Brexit: A Very British Civil War - review by Yvette Huddleston
Brexit: A Very British Civil War BBC iPlayer, review by Yvette Huddleston
Hard to believe, but it is now ten years since the EU Referendum vote and whichever way you look at it – whether you voted Leave or Remain – there is no doubt the seeds of division that were sown during the run-up to the vote, and in the years since, have left the country forever changed, and not necessarily for the better. It could be argued that the kind of politics and the tone of political debate that have become the norm is one of the unintended consequences.
This two-part documentary looks back at the period from the May 2015 general election, up to the actual vote in June 2016. It takes in all the major players and political figures at the time – with the notable exception of Dominic Cummings who was invited to take part and declined – so we hear from David Cameron, Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, George Osborne, Jeremy Corbyn, Michael Gove and Gordon Brown, among others.
Johnson’s former wife Marina Wheeler talks about the late-night discussions with Boris about whether he should support his friend David Cameron in the Remain campaign or jump ship and join the other side, while veteran Labour MP Kate Hoey recalls the experience of sharing a stage with Nigel Farage for the Leave campaign, commenting on the ‘Trumpian’ feel of the event. Bob Geldof also turns up, describing his altercation with Farage while he was out campaigning on behalf of Remain from a boat on the Thames while the UKIP leader was leading a flotilla of small boats supporting Leave.
What comes across most clearly is the chaotic nature of that period of our recent history and the fact that personal ambition was also very much at play. According to George Osborne, for Johnson this wasn’t about the core issues of the referendum, he had his eyes on the top job – “it was Game of Thrones”. Johnson denies this saying: ““Everybody says I did this in order to be PM. I would have become prime minister anyway.” There are few who come out of this well, with people jostling for position and some being prepared to play dirty. A perfect storm of misinformation – and blatant lies – with feelings running high on both sides.
Alongside an impressive roster of commentators, directors Max Stern and Norma Percy make good use of well-selected archive footage that highlights some of the key events across the months of campaigning.