>ruling classes' devoted their attention to Brussels
You are right. I expressed what I think poorly.
My belief is that the ability to blame Brussels and focus attention away from the realities of the UK meant that many people could avoid thinking about the demolition of local services and the emiseration of their fellows and instead focus on "the big picture".
There isn't another game for our politicians & public services to play now.
Also agree on the nature of Singapore.
As ever, it is the rich making sure that they get even richer, at the expense of the poor.
As for Singapore-on-Thames, that really is a dystopian nightmare, given the authoritarian nature of the Singaporean government.