Abstract
This article examines the role of irony and satire in public discourse on Brexit. It is argued that pro-Brexit discourse is structurally and textually ironic, that this irony has a significant relationship with taboo and transgression, and that this has implications for the analysis of Brexit. The article shows that an analysis of Brexit discourse must take account of Brexit irony and that this task is specifically aided by insight from critical humour studies. Alongside that, the article argues that some comedians, through some uses of satire, are uniquely able to criticise Brexit discourse in ways that are not open to ‘serious’ political commentators. The article uses political discourse from Nigel Farage and Michael Gove, and comedy from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, to highlight these points.
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