The Conversation (0)
x
Joanna Taylor
Aug 06, 2020
Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
A government advert is being ridiculed for suggesting the UK has a "close friendship" and "shared values" with the EU.
The advert, promoted by the Cabinet Office, is supposed to inspire excitement about the UK's "new relationship" with the European Union post-Brexit.
But as many people pointed out, "friendship" doesn't usually involve a four-year public campaign to leave as quickly as possible.
Now the UK has left the EU, we can build upon our existing friendship as sovereign equals. We share history, value… https://t.co/9DZYPBOhkh— Cabinet Office (@Cabinet Office) 1596615693
The division, falsehoods and accusations of racism and xenophobia can't simply be smoothed over by invoking our "shared history and shared values".
Especially when negotiations have inflamed tensions with EU officials and led to years of parliamentary upheaval at home.
@cabinetofficeuk This is the approach .@BorisJohnson SHOULD have adopted Day-1, i.e. 24JUN2016. Instead we've had 4… https://t.co/0fXudC5r8i— 💙KT *pro-PR* PARKER 🇫🇷🇬🇧🇪🇸 (@💙KT *pro-PR* PARKER 🇫🇷🇬🇧🇪🇸) 1596632613
@cabinetofficeuk None as long as the UK government dismantles democracy, mishandles a pandemic and promotes xenopho… https://t.co/I1wDTWUofz— TheBossRoss 🇪🇺 🧶 ❄ 📷 💉💉💉 (@TheBossRoss 🇪🇺 🧶 ❄ 📷 💉💉💉) 1596638767
But the majority of backlash to the advert was sparked by the suggestion that the UK and the EU are "sovereign equals".
Firstly, although EU states do agree to by treaty to share sovereignty, in practice each has its own government and makes its own decisions with guidance from EU rules.
And secondly, the suggestion that the UK is "equal" to every single EU member state put together is a little arrogant, to say the least.
@SteveLawrence_ @cabinetofficeuk We left a club of 28 members, we're now apparently equal to the remaining 27 whils… https://t.co/mCQQpT9oJn— Jan Bird (@Jan Bird) 1596617684
@cabinetofficeuk The EU isn't a sovereign nation. The motion the UK will be their equal is laughable. The UK has de… https://t.co/vXWef2sFTE— Jonas #GTTO #FBPE #FBPPR 🇸🇪🇩🇰🇬🇧 (@Jonas #GTTO #FBPE #FBPPR 🇸🇪🇩🇰🇬🇧) 1596630936
@cabinetofficeuk You’ve kinda blown that friendship thing. And what’s the “sovereign equals” stuff? Sounds loaded… https://t.co/zz9sjVwob0— Dr Mike Galsworthy (@Dr Mike Galsworthy) 1596636791
The advert is the latest instalment of the government's 'Let's Get Going' media campaign.
The UK left the EU on 31 January but will remain in a transitional period until December 31.
During this time, the UK is still trying to smooth out the details of total disentanglement from the EU, and is pursuing trading deals elsewhere, notably with the US.