Four Corners: Sept 5

Four Corners features a UK report, “Brexit: The Battle for Britain” that charts the tactics and spin employed by both sides of the recent campaign to leave the EU.

“The British people have made a very clear decision.” – David Cameron

On June 23, Britain was rocked by a political earthquake: the nation had voted to leave the European Union. Within hours the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, had resigned, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was facing calls to do the same and the pound was in freefall.

“The sensation was really like … dropping into quicksand and realising that there was nothing and nobody that could actually pull you out of it.” – Craig Oliver, Former Prime Ministerial media adviser

The result left many shocked to the core, but as this film captures, voters had been sending signals for months.

“It’s about time England took England back, you know? They don’t call us Great Britain for nothing, do they?” – British voter

The referendum campaign had become a lightning rod for disenchantment and distrust aimed at the financial and political “elites”.

“Go back to London with all your yuppie friends.” – British voter

In the aftermath of the vote, this film from the BBC charts the tactics and spin employed by both sides of the campaign.

“When Boris announced on that Sunday that he was joining the ‘Leave’ camp I jumped for joy!” – Nigel Farage, Former UK Independence Party leader

“It’s slightly ridiculous that a ‘Leave’ campaign fronted by a combination of Tory toffs and people with well-heeled backgrounds, (is) lecturing everybody else about the establishment and how the elite are riding roughshod over the interests of the country!” – Lord Mandelson, Remain campaigner

Featuring interviews with key players including UK Independence campaigner Nigel Farage, David Cameron’s chief media adviser and the spin doctors from duelling campaign teams, the program explores the deep divisions and fears in Britain that fuelled this political revolution.

“You could talk until the cows came home about the fact that for every pound a migrant might get in terms of money, they pay ten pounds out in taxes, but there was this feeling that there was no control over the country and no control over our future.” – Emily Thornberry, Labour Brexit spokesperson

And asks how Britain will grapple with the tensions so starkly exposed by Brexit.

“The sniffy and patronising way in which Liberal middle class elite in London has just looked at the votes of people in my patch and said, ‘These people are either too stupid, too Northern, too working class, too poor or too old and they didn’t really know what they were voting for’, I just think it’s deeply offensive.” – Andrew Percy, Conservative MP

Monday 5th September at 8.30pm on ABC.