A Brexiteer in the BBC Question Time audience has compared Britain in the EU to Soviet Russia.
What’s more, in the context of everything that’s happened since the vote, it didn’t even seem that odd.
Tom Leonard, part of the audience in Sutton Coldfield, was given the opportunity to ask the opening question.
Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas responded suggesting there should be a second public vote on the terms of Brexit sooner rather than later for a number of reasons, particularly so people from EU countries would know if they would be able to stay in the UK or not.
Dimbleby turned back to Leonard again, asking him he thought Lucas counted as a “naysayer”.
He said: “I’m afraid you are.
When asked by Dimbleby what he wanted to see, Leonard added: “I just think we’ve been given a great opportunity to re-engage with the rest of the world.
“Lots of countries out there that suffered under Soviet oppression would have yearned for situations like this and now it’s put time to unleash our full potential... and repair relationships that are damaged such as the Commonwealth where all the growth is happening.”
For reference, in 2004, eight countries, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia all joined the EU after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Poland, East Germany and Romania were not in the USSR but were under Soviet domination and are now EU member states.
One person who did seem quite enthused about the idea was broadcaster and columnist Julia Hartley-Brewer...
Bravo.
David Dimbleby presented Thursday night’s BBC Question Time debate from Sutton Coldfield. On the panel were Conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg MP, Labour’s Liz Kendall MP, Green Party leader Caroline Lucas MP, Liberal Democrat Norman Lamb MP, and broadcaster and columnist Julia Hartley-Brewer.