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11 words that mean different things in Brexit Britain

11 words that mean different things in Brexit Britain

The new era calls for a new language.

1. Boris

Once a dynamo, glad handing, tribune of the people, now after the political avalanche caused by Brexit a "Boris" is the sort of person to whom you send the text:

"Sorry, I've lost all my numbers. Who is this?"

2. Project Fear

Post-Brexit it's true meaning has come into common parlance: "Project Fact" for Remainers, or "Project Talk Down Britain" for Leavers.

Picture: EdStock/iStock

3. Majority

Technically this word does mean the same thing, but some people seem to have been unaware that a majority can be reached quite easily in a two horse race where every vote against changes the relative score by two (unless it's an abstention). Many Leave voters expressed surprise and then dismay that their single vote had contributed to the 51.9%. victory for Brexit.

4. Sovereignty

Definitely the thing Leave voters were all motivated by, and definitely not anything else. Immigrantion is not a synonym, so don't try to be clever.

5. The "United" Kingdom

Disunity is Unity, Black is white. Post-Brexit, it seems this will refer to all parts of England and Wales with the exclusion of Islington, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

6. Labour "Party"

Party when preceded by the word Labour now means 40 Members of Parliament willing to vote for a man in a beige jacket, and 172 extremely miserable other people.

7. Liam Fox

Apparently not a punchline anymore.

8. Deficit cutting "plan"

Before June 23rd a plan of this nature was something the chancellor of exchequer George Osborne created in order to bring the nation's finances into surplus by 2020. Post-Brexit and his leadership ambitions dashed, it turns out this term means nothing.

9. Control of our borders

What do you mean "our"? This isn't communism. Anyway "Control" means whatever we want it to mean. It doesn't imply fewer immigrants. That's a common misunderstanding.

10. Momentum

A losing team on the Apprentice. The praetorian guard of the dear Leader, battling in tortoise shell formation since Brexit caused a revolt in Labour's Parliamentary Party.

11. Brexit

This previously meant the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. Now we're not so sure. Tory leadership candidates differ on what this will entail, the Leave campaign had no solid definition, and the pro-Remain Liberal Democrat Party is gaining membership at an alarming rate.

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