Brexit according to Paxman: peasants’ revolt against political elite

BBC2’s Newsnight former presenter Jeremy Paxman says Donald Trump’s popularity down to ‘people’s exasperation with old politicians’

Former Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman (Photo: Chris Mangion)
Former Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman (Photo: Chris Mangion)

The United Kingdom’s vote against the European Union membership is down to the citizens’ hatred of the detached political elite, rising against the establishment that has let citizens down, British political interviewer and journalist Jeremy Paxman surmised.

“The EU is smug and undemocratic and the referendum result was a peasants' revolt against the political establishment. So many amongst the European political elite fail to understand that people don’t like being governed by people they cannot control.

“It’s a big mistake to argue that the exit vote was down to an innate dislike of the European Union: it was a vote to leave the EU, the innate dislike of lack of accountability. The fact the political class fails to understand this is a terrible reflection of who they are. Hardly anyone in the referendum campaign made a political case in favour of Europe but focused on scaring people.”

The EU is smug and undemocratic and the referendum result was a peasants' revolt against the political establishment. Jeremy Paxman

Paxman delivered a lively speech during this year’s conference organized by Ernst & Young, firing one jibe after the other at the British political class and politicians worldwide.

His intervention was about the UK political situation, but expanded his argument to show how the British sentiment towards the political rulers was spread around the globe.

“Hillary Clinton is a boring machine-washable candidate lacking common touch and Donald Trump’s selling point is that he doesn’t know much about politics… politics is really a show-business for ugly people and people worldwide are sick to the back teeth of old politicians.

“Similar candidates with similar appeal are everywhere… Trump was keen to be seen with Nigel Farage because, as he told Mississippi, Farage was responsible for Brexit – even though he wasn’t.”

Paxman lambasted former UK prime minister David Cameron for allowing the fate of his country to be determined by a referendum in order to guarantee the safety of his party. “Well, if you’re going to take a gamble like that then you should have done your homework.”

The former Newsnight presenter set much in store in depicting European leaders as failing to grasp the real concerns of their citizens.

Paxman, who voted in favour of EU membership, insisted that citizens were tired and have had enough of the EU’s way of imposing its continental interests on to national needs.

“This is a large bloc which includes different experiences and histories. What do either of these countries have in common? There cannot be an instantaneous view of the EU. Belonging to a huge trading block is useful but political elite should stop thinking that continental interests should come before local interests.

“What matters is what you see around you and what you do. The European Union should have been shocked by the announcement of a Brexit referendum and should have moved towards a reform.”

Delving into the ever-ageing British population, currently standing at 11 million people who are aged 65 and over, Paxman – inadvertently or not – stepped onto a current political platform: vote 16.

“I think that lowering the voting age to 16 in the UK is a very bad idea indeed … however it should also be the other way round and cap voting age to 65 … no representation without taxation,” Paxman said, half-jokingly. The comment was based on his argument that British politics is run for the elderly, with politicians focusing on maintaining their stronghold.