Analyse af David Lammys tale om Brexit

David Lammy’s speech to the Commons is a strong critique of Brexit and the nationalist ideas around Britain leaving the EU. He talks about Britain’s imperial past and shows how the country has always been dependent on cooperation with others. In this way he argues that the Brexiteer dream of “total independence” is unrealistic and even dangerous. He uses irony, metaphors, repetition, and appeals to ethos, logos and pathos to make his point stronger. His main claim is clear: Britain was successful because of cooperation, not isolation. In this essay I will look at how Lammy builds his argument, focusing on both the historical examples and the language he uses, and I will also consider how well he gets his message across.

First of all Lammy puts his argument in the context of British history. He reminds people that Britain became strong through treaties and alliances. He argues directly against the idea of “Empire 2.0” by pointing to the darker side of the empire, like exploitation and racism. By bringing up the Suez Crisis, which was seen as a national embarrasment, Lammy shows how Britain could no longer act alone after World War II. He also points to the weak economy before Britain joined the EEC in 1973, compared to the stronger growth after. This is meant to show the risks of going back to isolationist politics. At the same time he talks about the moral issues of empire and how power was build on injustice. He also mentions agreements like NATO and the Paris Climate Accord to show that sovereignty only has value, when it is shared.