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Daniel Hannan, ‘A short term cost for long term gains’ Brexit and the state of UK politics

Britain’s entry into what became the European Union was very much foreshadowed during the Menzies era, when the United Kingdom attempted to join the European Economic Community only to be vetoed by French President Charles de Gaulle. Menzies was obviously highly opposed to the move to join, not only because of its economic consequences for Australia and his sentimental attachment to the British Commonwealth, but because he understood how fundamentally important national sovereignty is to the healthy functioning of a democracy. After marathon political battles, Brexit is now an accomplished fact, but Britain faces a complex task in seizing the opportunities of independence and shedding itself of the extensive regulatory remnants of Brussels’ control, particularly with the interruptions of the recent pandemic.

In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Daniel Hannan, one of the architects of Brexit, about the state of independent Britain.

Lord Hannan of Kingsclere is an author and columnist. He serves on the UK Board of Trade and is a Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party responsible for its international relations. He teaches at the University of Buckingham and the University of Francisco Marroquín. He has written nine books, including the New York Times bestseller Inventing Freedom: How the English-Speaking Peoples Made the Modern World. He sat as a Conservative MEP for 21 years, and was a founder of Vote Leave. He writes regular columns for, among others, The Sunday Telegraph, The Washington Examiner and Conservative Home.