Chris Grey

So all of these things have been some more predictably than others, because, I mean, I don't think you can necessarily have predicted what was going to happen with Trump and NATO.

Although I think you could argue that pre-Trump, the direction of travel of US foreign policy already meant that Europe...

was going to have to become more of a defence and security entity than had ever to be in the case.

Basically, all of the assumptions behind Brexit and what the post-Brexit world would be like if Brexit was put forward, they have all been destroyed.

Well, it's interesting.

I didn't see it, but I would take that sort of analysis to come out of the BBC documentary that was put out this week.

Is that right?

I'm sure there's an element of truth in that.

And of course, you could say that with or without Brexit, that element of politicking would be occurring as well.

I don't think, in general terms, I don't think it can ever be reduced to one particular thing.

And I think this is another example of it.

And I suppose in particular, what I would say is that for all of the gaming and larkiness, if you like, and the political positioning in gameplaying,

For some people, this was a deadly, serious ideological agenda on both sides.

And so the fact that it kind of became also caught up with those kind of Oxbridge or the Oxford common room games doesn't negate the fact that for all kinds of people, something much bigger was at stake.

And I think in a way that the BBC documentary somewhat was capturing that kind of larkiness

kind of somewhat did a disservice by going along with it.

And one of the things in general I dislike about some of the BBC political coverage is the way of politics being treated as this kind of, oh, isn't it a laugh, isn't it a game, you know, all of that kind of thing.

And I think, you know, at the most charitable, it's designed to make politics more accessible.

I think actually it doesn't speak with sufficient seriousness to the seriousness of our times or to, in this case, the seriousness of Brexit.

I think I do.