Brexit may sound sexy, but a more accurate name for the Vote Leave campaign would be ‘UKsodoff’ If a single word can change the course of a nation, “Brexit” might yet be it. It was coined in 2012 on a playful analogy with the existing portmanteau word “Grexit”, when a Greek departure from the euro seemed to be on the cards. For an idea about which adherents like to promote suspicion of foreigners, it is perhaps odd that the “exit” part of Brexit derives from Latin rather than good old honest Anglo-Saxon. Do we really need to borrow old words from dead Italians to describe our proud wish to stand alone eating pizza on a floating American weapons platform? Meanwhile, the people of Northern Ireland have been airbrushed from the debate by the word: what we are talking about, after all, is a departure by the UK, not just Britain. But Brexit sounds dashing and sexy, even if referring instead to “UKsodoff” would be more technically accurate. The opponents of Brexiting, on the other hand, are stuck with the resigned moan of “remain”. (Why not “stay”? I suppose because you can’t really pronounce “Bstay”; but the ludicrous “Bremain” hasn’t caught on either, despite the efforts of a few poor souls.) Brexit is inevitably the active, adventurous option; staying is what people do when they are left behind after the Rapture. Do we want to ascend to geopolitical heaven or do we want to be sad-eyed remainders? Continue reading...
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