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Brexit Unfolded: How no one got what they wanted
Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the EU divided the nation, unleashing years of political turmoil. The result has been a sulphurous atmosphere in which many remain unreconciled to Brexit whilst, in a tragic irony, some of those most committed to it are angry and dissatisfied with what was delivered. In this clear-headed assessment, Chris Grey argues that this painful legacy was all but inevitable. Left undefined by the referendum, the actual meaning of Brexit emerged only gradually, through the confusing and often dramatic events that followed. This compelling book skilfully unpacks those events, explaining how and why the promise of Brexit dissolved, creating discontent on all sides.
303 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 17, 2021
This book was very informative, it gave a deeper understanding on what was going during the last few years in the UK. I’m no expert but read this book for info so i can’t say if he’s right or wrong but I do agree on a lot of what Grey said.
you know, in Lebanon we've been having 6+ hours queues for fuel, now luckily no more than two if with higher prices, and lots of stations have closed but it's Lebanon. To think that the same is happening in the UK. Because of Brexit. A decision the 17.4 million people made (yes, if you know, you know). Well, clearly it's more complex than that but it paints quite a picture, doesn't it?
you know, in Lebanon we've been having 6+ hours queues for fuel, now luckily no more than two if with higher prices, and lots of stations have closed but it's Lebanon. To think that the same is happening in the UK. Because of Brexit. A decision the 17.4 million people made (yes, if you know, you know). Well, clearly it's more complex than that but it paints quite a picture, doesn't it?
July 17, 2021
Poisoning the well
Chris Grey produces a succinct summary of events since the 2016 Referendum and what the Irish Times described as 'an unprecedented act of self-harm'. Neither a fanatical leaver nor an ardent remainer, Grey is in no doubt that Brexit is a mistake mainly because nobody, with the exception of Richard North of the Leave Alliance, ever bothered to consider the question asked by the Trade Commissioner after the vote - what sort of relationship with the EU does the UK want? Instead, and this includes the Labour Party, UK politicians pursued the childish fantasy of the benefits of membership without the responsibilities. The 'exact same benefits' were promised by David Davis in January 2017, the same month that his boss, Theresa May, by announcing withdrawal from the customs union and single market, made it impossible. Grey shows how the politicians and the media, by their lack of understanding of EU institutions, Ireland and the Union's other nations, have weakened the United Kingdom, delivered a Brexit that wrecks the UK's internal market and is a long, long way from what was wanted or promised. Probably worse still is that Brexit has poisoned political debate with false and dishonest claims repeated even after being debunked, the hysterical language of 'treason', 'traitors' and 'enemies of the people', and treating opponents with contempt; the bizarre spectacle of billionaire newspaper publishers, hedge fund moguls and University-educated Etonians railing against 'the elite'. An issue that did not rate highly has produced multiple social divisions. Remainers must also take responsibility for failing to promote the case for membership over several decades. The Liberal Democrats' 'B******s to Brexit' tee shirts were just as assinine as the Brexit Party's antics at the 2019 European Parliament. It will take a long time to restore a functioning democracy by which time the UK may no longer exist.
Chris Grey produces a succinct summary of events since the 2016 Referendum and what the Irish Times described as 'an unprecedented act of self-harm'. Neither a fanatical leaver nor an ardent remainer, Grey is in no doubt that Brexit is a mistake mainly because nobody, with the exception of Richard North of the Leave Alliance, ever bothered to consider the question asked by the Trade Commissioner after the vote - what sort of relationship with the EU does the UK want? Instead, and this includes the Labour Party, UK politicians pursued the childish fantasy of the benefits of membership without the responsibilities. The 'exact same benefits' were promised by David Davis in January 2017, the same month that his boss, Theresa May, by announcing withdrawal from the customs union and single market, made it impossible. Grey shows how the politicians and the media, by their lack of understanding of EU institutions, Ireland and the Union's other nations, have weakened the United Kingdom, delivered a Brexit that wrecks the UK's internal market and is a long, long way from what was wanted or promised. Probably worse still is that Brexit has poisoned political debate with false and dishonest claims repeated even after being debunked, the hysterical language of 'treason', 'traitors' and 'enemies of the people', and treating opponents with contempt; the bizarre spectacle of billionaire newspaper publishers, hedge fund moguls and University-educated Etonians railing against 'the elite'. An issue that did not rate highly has produced multiple social divisions. Remainers must also take responsibility for failing to promote the case for membership over several decades. The Liberal Democrats' 'B******s to Brexit' tee shirts were just as assinine as the Brexit Party's antics at the 2019 European Parliament. It will take a long time to restore a functioning democracy by which time the UK may no longer exist.
July 27, 2021
Clear, concise, and well worth the time
June 29, 2021
Chris Grey is the "go to" authority on the Brexit experiment. His weekly blog is always informative. This book is the most concise and clear summary of the five years since the referendum.
An absolute "must read"
An absolute "must read"
January 10, 2023
Devastating account of the betrayal of intelligence and commonsense brought upon us by Brexit morons.
November 21, 2021
Perhaps even more depressing that I expected this to be. The book does a fantastic job of explaining the bewildering events after the Brexit referendum, and it does not paint a pretty picture of the state of British politics, shaped by decades of anti-EU propaganda from what may well be the most vile tabloid press in all of Europe. It's a shame what this country has brought onto itself, but then in democracy we get what we deserve.
July 27, 2021
Chris Grey gives it both barrels in this Brexit critique. The author giving a good clear account of the episode so far.
August 9, 2023
This book is well-written and quite detailed. It covers mainly the years between the vote and leaving the EU.
It's quite depressing reading this trawl through the years between the Brexit campaign, vote, endless discussions of what Brexit meant, and the eventual deal and exit of the EU. It was an absurdity to have a vote with the choices between the status quo and a completely undefined alternative which nobody expected to be chosen, but that's what happened.
It's fairly clear from reading this book that nobody understood Brexit, including the politicians. Everyone knew what they didn't want but nobody knew what they wanted. None of the main political parties supported Brexit as their official position, although part of the Conservative Party were individually in favour and campaigned for it. What ensued was basically a Civil War between Leave and Remain.
Theresa May basically wasted all the time she had. Reading through it all again, and I followed most of it day by day at the time, is quite enlightening as to how hapless she was. The years she was at the helm could have seen a much better outcome if she hadn't dithered endlessly before coming up with a deal which proved unacceptable to nearly everyone. Labour were equally hopeless and never had a policy. A "People's Vote" might have given a way out but nobody could ever agree on what choices should be on offer.
In the end, Johnson at least got things moving (even if he didn't know what he had agreed to), although his eventual deal was largely May's deal but with Northern Ireland effectively detached from the rest of the UK with separate rules - something which crossed one of May's infamous "red lines".
Nobody will ever agree on whether Brexit was a success or not, and Covid and Ukraine provide something of a smokescreen to hide its effects behind. If it proves not to be a success there's always the scapegoat that it wasn't a "true" Brexit that was eventually picked from the options available.
Personally, all I was ever bothered about was the breakup of the UK and the EU's environmental laws being jettisoned. Both look safe (for now). I, like almost everyone else, still don't understand international trade.
It's quite depressing reading this trawl through the years between the Brexit campaign, vote, endless discussions of what Brexit meant, and the eventual deal and exit of the EU. It was an absurdity to have a vote with the choices between the status quo and a completely undefined alternative which nobody expected to be chosen, but that's what happened.
It's fairly clear from reading this book that nobody understood Brexit, including the politicians. Everyone knew what they didn't want but nobody knew what they wanted. None of the main political parties supported Brexit as their official position, although part of the Conservative Party were individually in favour and campaigned for it. What ensued was basically a Civil War between Leave and Remain.
Theresa May basically wasted all the time she had. Reading through it all again, and I followed most of it day by day at the time, is quite enlightening as to how hapless she was. The years she was at the helm could have seen a much better outcome if she hadn't dithered endlessly before coming up with a deal which proved unacceptable to nearly everyone. Labour were equally hopeless and never had a policy. A "People's Vote" might have given a way out but nobody could ever agree on what choices should be on offer.
In the end, Johnson at least got things moving (even if he didn't know what he had agreed to), although his eventual deal was largely May's deal but with Northern Ireland effectively detached from the rest of the UK with separate rules - something which crossed one of May's infamous "red lines".
Nobody will ever agree on whether Brexit was a success or not, and Covid and Ukraine provide something of a smokescreen to hide its effects behind. If it proves not to be a success there's always the scapegoat that it wasn't a "true" Brexit that was eventually picked from the options available.
Personally, all I was ever bothered about was the breakup of the UK and the EU's environmental laws being jettisoned. Both look safe (for now). I, like almost everyone else, still don't understand international trade.
April 30, 2022
I imagine Brexit will launch a thousand books (and more) over the coming years as the implications, both positive and negative, start to become clear. It surprised me how much of the four year's fiasco I had already forgotten about. The author states in the early paragraphs that he voted for the UK to remain in the EU, so there is no doubting his stance. He also lays out how his particular skill set (academia), and areas of expertise (international treaties & trade) places him in a position to look at the whole period from a professional point of view.
As a British national living in the EU, my sympathies were very much in the remain camp, and I was also surprised how much of the residual frustration and anger flared up at certain points in the book. Interesting now to be able to take a step back and look with a lot less emotion at the period, and see the overwhelming flaw that kicked everything off had such divisive implications over the following years: Brexit was never defined before the referendum, and thus the many differing views of what it meant could never then be reconciled.
I wouldn't say that I enjoyed the re-visit, but I feel it is a very necessary and timely reminder of how bad government can quickly get out of control.
As a British national living in the EU, my sympathies were very much in the remain camp, and I was also surprised how much of the residual frustration and anger flared up at certain points in the book. Interesting now to be able to take a step back and look with a lot less emotion at the period, and see the overwhelming flaw that kicked everything off had such divisive implications over the following years: Brexit was never defined before the referendum, and thus the many differing views of what it meant could never then be reconciled.
I wouldn't say that I enjoyed the re-visit, but I feel it is a very necessary and timely reminder of how bad government can quickly get out of control.
July 24, 2022
The fallacies, delusions, inconsistencies and outright lies from the Leave campaign.
So absorbing, I finished it in four days. It explores academically and systemically the fallacies, delusions, inconsistencies and outright lies from the Leave campaign. The author is not impartial, but the approach is very objective and pragmatic. My takeaway: (i) Nobody agreed that to leave the EU single market, the UK would have to break its internal market with the Irish sea border. (ii) Theresa May government failed to create consensus on what Brexit meant. Thus, nobody backed the ultimate form it took. That lack of consensus-building and allowing a nasty culture war of Leavers/Remainers are her most significant failures in her premiership. (iii) It's impossible to imagine a world order where the UK remains a significant actor when its politicians are squabbling over their domestic agenda and dramas. The UK has lost track of the multipolar/regional nature of the world in economic, political and regulatory affairs.
So absorbing, I finished it in four days. It explores academically and systemically the fallacies, delusions, inconsistencies and outright lies from the Leave campaign. The author is not impartial, but the approach is very objective and pragmatic. My takeaway: (i) Nobody agreed that to leave the EU single market, the UK would have to break its internal market with the Irish sea border. (ii) Theresa May government failed to create consensus on what Brexit meant. Thus, nobody backed the ultimate form it took. That lack of consensus-building and allowing a nasty culture war of Leavers/Remainers are her most significant failures in her premiership. (iii) It's impossible to imagine a world order where the UK remains a significant actor when its politicians are squabbling over their domestic agenda and dramas. The UK has lost track of the multipolar/regional nature of the world in economic, political and regulatory affairs.
November 25, 2021
Brexit is nicely summed up in an Irish Times editorial 'no state in the modern era has committed such a senseless act of self-harm'.
Essentially the tale of nation duped by the lies of a leave campaign backed by self-serving fantasists within the Conservative party. It's a depressing but informative read and as another commentator has said, it really does not paint a pretty picture of the current state of British politics.
Chris's weekly blog is also worth a read for those wishing to keep abreast of current Brexit shenanigans.
Essentially the tale of nation duped by the lies of a leave campaign backed by self-serving fantasists within the Conservative party. It's a depressing but informative read and as another commentator has said, it really does not paint a pretty picture of the current state of British politics.
Chris's weekly blog is also worth a read for those wishing to keep abreast of current Brexit shenanigans.
October 16, 2023
This was exactly the book I was looking for. It explains all the processes that lead from the referendum to the TCA. The level of detail is appropriate, not too much, not too little. It explains the history while being both clear and entertaining.
While I agree with the author on basically everything, I do feel that he didn't really attempt to steel-man the Leave position and I think the book benefited from a bit less editorialising.
Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in understanding how Brexit actually went down.
While I agree with the author on basically everything, I do feel that he didn't really attempt to steel-man the Leave position and I think the book benefited from a bit less editorialising.
Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in understanding how Brexit actually went down.
July 9, 2023
This is an excellent run through and analysis of what happened after the Brexit vote up until the UK officially left.
I have a slight disagreement with one of the conclusions but the others are fine and, I guess, cover my worry... which is probably yet to to uncovered of ever.
Very easy to read and follow.
I have a slight disagreement with one of the conclusions but the others are fine and, I guess, cover my worry... which is probably yet to to uncovered of ever.
Very easy to read and follow.
February 4, 2022
An excellent overview of the first five years of the Brexit process.
While there's nothing new in here, of course, the book does underline the way in which the delusional and belligerently ignorant approach of Brexiters had managed to take a bad decision and make things so much worse.
While there's nothing new in here, of course, the book does underline the way in which the delusional and belligerently ignorant approach of Brexiters had managed to take a bad decision and make things so much worse.
February 10, 2025
Although I have lived in the US for 19 years, I am originally from the UK and I keep a weather eye on my country of birth, particularly since the unmitigated disaster that was, and is, Brexit. I was appalled at the time of the referendum. Indeed, I have been a strong europhile for as long as I can remember and the vile antics and fatuous arguments of the right wing (and a portion of the left too is has to be said (Corbyn et al)) criticizing the EU as though the UK was somehow not benefitting from membership and was somehow being held against its will and was being punished and subject to unfettered red tape despite the fact that the UK had massive rebates on membership, opted out of the Schengen agreement and especially the Euro and generally spent much of its time repeating tired and false tropes about how everything from immigration and austerity to the lack of success on the football pitch was down to evil, unelected bureaucrats within the EU. It wasn't true then and its not now although the narrative has shifted to blaming the EU for "punishing" the UK for leaving. This is a subject covered in this excellent story of Brexit post referendum.
You will gather from this intro that I consider Brexit to one the stupidest things that any country has ever done in terms of its trading and political relationship with its closest neighbors, other than declaring war on them. It was led and championed by venal and corrupt politicians, racists and bigots who, in my opinion, were either out to further their careers (Johnson) or because they are simply bigoted people (Farage). This book charts the passage of Brexit from the referendum result to the present day and I actually read the latest version which charts progress, or lack thereof, over the last couple of years up to Sunak's inept premiership. I like this approach. There has been much written about the lead up to the vote and the lies and distortions told by the Leave camp, the vacuity and ineptitude of Labour under Corbyn and the utter failure of Cameron and his group of retainers to mount a case for continued membership.
Now, having written that.
I share CG's analysis that there was no Brexit that was going to please everyone and it was totally unclear what "Leave" actually meant because there was no plan to implement a leave vote. I am baffled that people voting leave seemed incapable of understanding that and viewing what leaving the EU was likely to mean. I see belonging to a golf club as analogous to being a member of the EU. You have to pay to be a member and there are likely to be rules that you don't agree with within the bylaws of the club. You may also feel that the committees that write and control those laws, and by extension your behavior, are not accountable to you personally. However, when you join you sign up to those rules you know that they may evolve over time but as a member you have an input to that process. Also, by paying you get to play on a great course you otherwise would pay a fortune to play as a guest, if you even had access at all. You get to experience the clubhouse, network with other members etc. In other words you get a lot of benefits for what you pay.
The Leaver position seemed to be that they wanted to retain all the benefits of being a member but not pay the fees and not adhere to the club rules. No club is going to, or should, permit that. This is the line, minus my analogy, that this book takes. It explains in detail what is meant by "Customs Union" and "Single Market" which was never clearly explained during the campaign and is widely misunderstood to this day. Promises were made that we could stay in these EU programs but not have to adhere to things we didn't like such as free movement of people. The UK government also seemed to think it didn't need to bother with Northern Ireland despite the fact that a hard border there went against the Good Friday Agreement. Failure to just let this ride was, as always, put down to EU intransigence. CG makes a great point that the UK seemed to think they could vote to leave and then get the EU to do all the work of agreeing what Brexit looked like, along the lines the UK would find acceptable. I didn't realize that when Teresa May was asked what she wanted the post Brexit relationship to be, she apparently replied: "Make us an offer". Ludicrous.
So the book definitely comes from a Remainer perspective which makes me more likely to concur with the narrative but I think its persuasive. CG does a great job of explaining the misunderstanding over the withdrawal agreement and the post Brexit agreement and how these were and are so often erroneously conflated. I don't think I had quite appreciated that at the time. The book starts with a list of abbreviations used in the text and there are many in this area. One can get confused reading them as they are used in the text and having this reference available is very handy.
Brexit is a disaster that will hamstring the country for generations. This is a good account as to why that is the case although I suspect, in these divided times, it is likely to be read only by those who already agree with the central line of argument, like me.
You will gather from this intro that I consider Brexit to one the stupidest things that any country has ever done in terms of its trading and political relationship with its closest neighbors, other than declaring war on them. It was led and championed by venal and corrupt politicians, racists and bigots who, in my opinion, were either out to further their careers (Johnson) or because they are simply bigoted people (Farage). This book charts the passage of Brexit from the referendum result to the present day and I actually read the latest version which charts progress, or lack thereof, over the last couple of years up to Sunak's inept premiership. I like this approach. There has been much written about the lead up to the vote and the lies and distortions told by the Leave camp, the vacuity and ineptitude of Labour under Corbyn and the utter failure of Cameron and his group of retainers to mount a case for continued membership.
Now, having written that.
I share CG's analysis that there was no Brexit that was going to please everyone and it was totally unclear what "Leave" actually meant because there was no plan to implement a leave vote. I am baffled that people voting leave seemed incapable of understanding that and viewing what leaving the EU was likely to mean. I see belonging to a golf club as analogous to being a member of the EU. You have to pay to be a member and there are likely to be rules that you don't agree with within the bylaws of the club. You may also feel that the committees that write and control those laws, and by extension your behavior, are not accountable to you personally. However, when you join you sign up to those rules you know that they may evolve over time but as a member you have an input to that process. Also, by paying you get to play on a great course you otherwise would pay a fortune to play as a guest, if you even had access at all. You get to experience the clubhouse, network with other members etc. In other words you get a lot of benefits for what you pay.
The Leaver position seemed to be that they wanted to retain all the benefits of being a member but not pay the fees and not adhere to the club rules. No club is going to, or should, permit that. This is the line, minus my analogy, that this book takes. It explains in detail what is meant by "Customs Union" and "Single Market" which was never clearly explained during the campaign and is widely misunderstood to this day. Promises were made that we could stay in these EU programs but not have to adhere to things we didn't like such as free movement of people. The UK government also seemed to think it didn't need to bother with Northern Ireland despite the fact that a hard border there went against the Good Friday Agreement. Failure to just let this ride was, as always, put down to EU intransigence. CG makes a great point that the UK seemed to think they could vote to leave and then get the EU to do all the work of agreeing what Brexit looked like, along the lines the UK would find acceptable. I didn't realize that when Teresa May was asked what she wanted the post Brexit relationship to be, she apparently replied: "Make us an offer". Ludicrous.
So the book definitely comes from a Remainer perspective which makes me more likely to concur with the narrative but I think its persuasive. CG does a great job of explaining the misunderstanding over the withdrawal agreement and the post Brexit agreement and how these were and are so often erroneously conflated. I don't think I had quite appreciated that at the time. The book starts with a list of abbreviations used in the text and there are many in this area. One can get confused reading them as they are used in the text and having this reference available is very handy.
Brexit is a disaster that will hamstring the country for generations. This is a good account as to why that is the case although I suspect, in these divided times, it is likely to be read only by those who already agree with the central line of argument, like me.
December 23, 2025
Shows that Brexit was more cock-up than conspiracy. There was no clear consensus on what leaving the EU meant and no plan for how to achieve it. Whatever agreement was proposed, some Brexit supporters would denounce it as betrayal.
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