Hell.

[MANICHAEAN]

HELL.

The subject of “hell” has been quite prevalent in the news lately. I understand firstly that the Holy Father has declared “hell” not to exist, which seems to contrast with the President of the European Commission who expressed a view recently, that there was a special place in hell for Brexiteers who refused to endorse in the British parliament, the deal agreed between Teresa May’s government and the EU. Does the spiritual authority of Saint Peter’s mortal representative surpass that of this somewhat arrogant European institution?

Then of course there are areas of this planet of ours, where conditions are such that one can quite equitably refer to them as “a living hell.”

Can anyone of our distinguished crew shed some perspective on the subject.

[Whifflingpin]

"I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted #Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely."
Hardly an arrogant comment, and one that anyone, Brexiteer or Remainer, might sympathise with in his own way.

In the time since the referendum, no-one has come up with any coherent plan for Brexit that will not send Britain to Hell in a handcart, as the saying goes. For British people who consider themselves Europeans, it was obvious that there was no way of leaving the EU that would be beneficial to Britain in any way whatever, and the Government's hopeless attempts to produce the impossible have given no reason for any Remainer to convert to Brexitism.

The nastiest place in Tusk's Hell, though, should surely not be for those leaders who have been so unspeakably incompetent, but for those who have promoted Brexit while, at the same time ensuring a comfortable place for themselves and their families outside of the wrecked economy and society that will be left in post-Brexit Britain.

[MANICHAEAN]

If you look at the professions & incomes of the likes of: Boris Johnson, Rees Moggs & the individual accused of providing a lot of finance ( with Russian backing??) to the Brexit campaign, I tend to agree with you.

[Ekimhtims]

No doubt this has little to do with Hell as a place of eternal damnation <giggles>, and though I'm afraid I might be playing devil's advocate isn't the challenge of Brexit itself a warning to all those who are members of the EU?; that should you ever want to leave you will run into insurmountable difficulties?

I'm neutral on Brexit as I have no skin in the game, but I'd be a bit more involved should one of the United States wish to succeed from the Union. But I suspect a State wouldn't be foolish enough to proceed towards leaving on a simple political promise in a non-binding referendum. Britain's foolishness is not the decisions it has yet to codify, but those it has already made when not required.

[Whifflingpin]

Britain's problem is that it has lost a layer of discrimination (or maybe hypocrisy) that is essential to the democratic function. "Everyone" has always assumed that politicians at all levels are self-serving liars, but, at the same time, it was expected that anyone caught out would also resign.
For a couple of decades at least (and much as I would like to blame Thatcher, I think it was Blair who finally destroyed the concept of honour in UK government) politicians caught out in lying and double-dealing have repeatedly been given "the full-confidence" of their leaders (or were themselves the leaders) and the electorate has failed to respond to the shameless lack of decency in its politicians. People not only assume that politicians are liars etc, but take it for granted that it is OK even when found out. (One of our leaders, yesterday, is supposed to have tweeted that he had just voted in the local elections. There were no elections taking place where he lived. I saw plenty of comments saying, in effect, that he is a buffoon, but none actually condemning the lie, only his incompetence as a liar. Admittedly, it was only a baby fib, a Jonsona you could say, rather than a Farrago of lies.)
The Brexit campaign and pro-Brexit leaders have profited enormously by their predecessors' wrecking of the public moral compass. Massive lies were told, and have since been admitted. Electoral fraud was committed on a large scale, and the juniors have been prosecuted and punished. "Everyone" knows that the Leave campaign was funded in part by external enemies of the UK & EU, but there is total public apathy about that. In spite of that, the pro-Brexit leaders repeat day after day the phrase that we must respect the referendum - respect the lies, the fraud, the treason - knowing that the country they are supposed to be ruling will be worse off in every possible way if Brexit goes ahead, and knowing that the majority of the country have realised what a disaster Brexit will be and would now reverse the earlier result.
Yesterday we had elections for many local councils. All the pro-Brexit parties have suffered massive losses (not just the main parties in Parliament, but also that party which people would vote for if they wanted Brexit but were fed up with the total lack of progress the main parties are making towards it.) The parties that are campaigning to remain in the EU have had massive gains. The Prime Minister, who "respects the referendum et al," is claiming that this result means we are fed up with the lack of progress towards Brexit. Such blatant denial of the obvious is surely a sign of insanity or something far worse. If the former, the sooner she is admitted into the care of the NHS the better. If the latter, then there is most surely a seat for her in the Ninth Circle - (you see, we are on topic with a reference to the sublime Dante.)