At the end of the Jim Carrey film “The Truman Show”, his character Truman Burbank has finally realised that a whole world of possibilities exist outside the manufactured world his captors have benevolently created for him.
He has reached epiphany, and turns for one last time to address those that have held him captive his entire life. They have engineered his environment, controlled his interactions and provoked his responses, and now he has a chance to speak with them before he steps out of the giant padded cell they have created for him and his emotions.
And his captor says from on high “You can’t leave, Truman. You belong here. With me.”
The whole world holds its breath, as Truman considers his response.
He turns, pauses, and says…
“In case I don’t see ya…….good afternoon, good evening and good night.”
He smiles. Bows.
And then with a mingled look of joy and trepidation, he turns away to begin his new life.
The watching millions, enthralled by his long-overdue act of courage and defiance, watch as he steps into a new world, full of real risks and adventures, costs and benefits, loves and losses.
Their joy is unconfined, and his captors are confounded at last.
What should we say to the EU if on March 29th we manage to throw off their authoritarian shackles and leave our manufactured reality?
How about “So long and thanks for all the fish”?