Margaritis Schinas, a spokesman for the European Commission, may have been waiting for the perfect moment to recite the lyrics from the Spice Girls’ evergreen hit, “Wannabe”, during a speech on Brexit deal in Brussels.
“The withdrawal agreement was agreed with the UK government, with the EU27. It is now on the table, it is not open for negotiation and we expect the United Kingdom to tell us what they want… what they really, really want”, Schinas smilingly said after a brief pause.
EU spokesman @MargSchinas says the UK needs to tell us "what they want, what they really, really want." #turnsoundOn #brexit #spicegirls pic.twitter.com/30M49TeGe4
— Georg von Harrach (@yourmeps) 22 January 2019
Schinas’s apt reference with a touch of frustration and good sense of humour has set off a major landslide on social media, as users suggested that the spokesman was a secret fan of British girl band:
Obviously a secret Spice Girls fan…
— John Smyth (@johnsmyth2110) 22 January 2019
…and the replacement for the 5th @spicegirls is… #SpiceGirls #Brexit #EU https://t.co/j9qHQtehIY
— Mohsin Akram (@MightyAkram) 22 January 2019
Only the Spice Girls can solve Brexit pic.twitter.com/GMSSASgCxV
— Dan Murphy (@_MurphysLaw_) 23 January 2019
— David MacDonald (@DAMacDonald1980) 22 January 2019
Another netizen suggested using other Spice Girls’ songs as the soundtrack to Brexit…
Other @spicegirls songs that can be used as the soundtrack to #Brexit:
— Nathan Peter Grassi 💎 (@NathanPGrassi) 22 January 2019
Never give up on the Good Times
Let Love Lead the Way
Denying
Bumper to Bumper (re: Dover)
Do It (pro-leave)
Headlines
Goodbye (by the EU27)
Move Over
Wasting my Time
and… Stop https://t.co/bU75zQx5uH
…while fellow Twitterians lost themselves to improvisation:
UK to EU:
— Russ Grinter (@RussGrinter) 22 January 2019
We are never ever, ever getting back together
We are never ever, ever getting back together
You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me
But we are never ever, ever, ever getting back together
Like, ever
~ Taylor Swift #brexit #themusical
‘If EU want to be my lover, EU gotta get with my friends.’
— Harry Craig 🇪🇺 (@hazcraig1) 22 January 2019
Many pointed to the fact that the timing for the bombshell phrase was perfect:
Wondering how long Schinas was waiting for this perfect moment. For how many hours of negotiations was he humming the song in his head hoping that no one else would use it before him. You can see the pride in his eyes. Please watch #brexit #spicegirls https://t.co/qRrc4jIL91
— Terpsichori Savvala (@Terpsichori_) 23 January 2019
That’s so funny 🤣 timing is perfect as the #SpiceGirls tour starts this year — excellent way to start trending.
— Carol Ann Whitehead FRSA 🦓The Zebra Partnership (@Zebra_carol) 22 January 2019
(Clears throat)
On a serious note it would be brilliant if only #Brexit could be solved with a zigg-ah-zigg-arrr
(Sorry couldn’t resist 😂) https://t.co/JFsrz2fJIj
Schinas nails it.. perfectly pitched: weary, quietly exasperated, humour with an edge of pity
— SaevaIndignatio (@IndignatioSaeva) 22 January 2019
Last week, the withdrawal agreement endorsed by London and Brussels was voted down in the UK House of Commons. On 21 January, Prime Minister Theresa May, who refused to rule out the possibility of a no-deal scenario, set forth a Plan B to find a way out of the deadlock.
One of the major sticking points with Brexit is the inability to reach a consensus on the UK’s border with Ireland, and May’s alternative plan was to resume talks on the so-called Irish backstop.
READ MORE: Sony to Relocate European Headquarters to Amsterdam Amid Brexit Process
May has already dismissed calls for a second referendum, stressing that the UK should not postpone its withdrawal from the 28-member bloc. The UK is set to leave the EU on 29 March, with the transition period expected to end in December 2020.