British MPs brandish scarves – Francisco Seco / AP / SIPA
“It’s not goodbye, it’s goodbye.” Whether it was a “farewell” or a “goodbye”, it was the last sitting of British MPs in European Parliament this Wednesday before
Brexit, scheduled for this Friday. Between the tears of certain convinced Europeans and
the elation of Nigel Farage, this historic day was particularly intense for MEPs.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne? @LabMEPs #Brexit ? pic.twitter.com/KSPWxlEtl0– PES ??? (@PES_PSE) January 29, 2020
The Social Democrats (S&D) group organized a farewell ceremony in honor of the Labor deputies. In the gallery, the head of the parliamentary group, the Spanish Iratxe Garcia Perez, wiped away a few tears. The President of the Parliament, David Sassoli, tries to console her.
Soccer match atmosphere
Facing her, the Labor MEPs proudly brandish red and blue scarves, in the colors of the European and British flags: “United in diversity”. Elected Rory Palmer had the idea. “I thought that a football scarf could symbolize the special friendship between the UK and our European friends, which will continue after this sad week. “
Of course, forever ? https://t.co/06ctQDSqLq
– Iratxe Garcia Perez / ♥ ️ (@IratxeGarper) January 29, 2020
Some cry, others kiss. The “standing-ovations” follow one another. Everyone wants to believe that the UK will one day return. “When we see that Brexit doesn’t work, there may be an opportunity to come back,” hopes Richard Corbett, leader of Labor MEPs, who remembers being one of the first British parliamentary trainees .
“Mister Brexit” in the “role of the villain”
Striking contrast with Nigel Farage, the strong man of Brexit, who does not shy away from his pleasure: “I’ve been trying to lose my job for twenty years, it finally happens! “Laughs the man who has been re-elected four times since his first mandate as MEP in 1999. For his last press conference in Brussels, he is putting on a show, all smiles in front of his supporters, who laugh at every good word.
“Here is the man of the moment, Mr. Brexit,” said his communications officer, who asked that there be “no applause or no whistles” in the room. Farage, elected in an institution which he rejects but which has given him his notoriety, recognizes this: he liked to play the role of the “bad guy”. And claims the theatricality of his character. He hopes the UK will become a competitor for the EU, which he wants to end, and that Brexit will lead to further departures, citing Poland, Denmark and Italy.
“A great drama”
A funny atmosphere in the huge European Parliament building, packed on this historic day. Dozens of cameras from across Europe provide duplexes and interviews. Here, the Italian Antonio Tajani, the former president of the hemicycle. There, the German Manfred Weber, short-lived candidate for the presidency of the European Commission, in great conversation with the Pole Donald Tusk, former head of the European Council.
“Everyone deeply regrets Brexit and you can feel it in the corridors of Parliament,” said Luxembourg MEP Christophe Hansen (PPE). “I have experienced a lot of (farewell) speeches, which almost bring tears to our eyes. These are colleagues who believe in the EU. We feel that for them it is really a great drama, “he adds.
We will remember that on this historic day of voting on the #Brexit, miss Belgium 2020 made an unexpected appearance to say the least in the European Parliament, two weeks after her election. pic.twitter.com/BymqqHNNcU
– Clément Zampa (@clementzampa) January 29, 2020
In the midst of this excitement, Miss Belgium 2020 makes an appearance as lunar as it is noticed, at the invitation of a Belgian elected representative who wants to explain the role of the European institutions to her. Not many people outside, however, except a couple of tourists who watch the Union Jack float for a few more hours, alongside the other EU flags.
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