Nobody Is Talking About Brexit

Stock photo of implausibly attractive people representing the ones I know

There was a time earlier in the year when lots of people were talking about Brexit.  But now the leave date has passed and there isn't a credible new one in place yet it all seems to have gone quiet again.  I think it is a subject everyone is avoiding because although it no longer seems like a live issue it continues to be highly controversial.  It isn't often you want to get into an argument with someone on a subject that they are quite likely to get wound up about.  And if you do, there's always Twitter.

How The Tories Sunk Brexit

Of all the things that have happened in the run up to, during and a consequence of Brexit one really stands out as exceptionally surprising.    Leaving the EU was blocked in the House of Commons by the Conservative Party.

This was unexpected enough.  Most surprising of all is that the main drivers behind this were the most anti-EU grouping, the ERG.  It's had a profound effect.

How I Could Have Turned Into A Leaver

I haven’t really kept up with this blog, mainly because my business has been rather busy.  Despite Brexit of course.  But it is also because it hasn’t really turned out as I expected.  I thought that it would basically be a question of the shape of Brexit gradually emerging and then being implemented in a fairly monolithic way.  I thought that the drama was over once the votes were counted.  The political problems initially failed to materialise.  It is hard to remember now, but Mrs May’s original proscription of ‘Brexit means Brexit’ was quite a decisive stroke at the time.  We weren’t going to carry on arguing about it.  We were going to leave. Brexit meant, well, Brexit.  We didn’t know the details but no doubt they were on their way.

Think Where We Could Be Now

I know the political views of around 50 people.  I don't talk about politics all the time though, so I don't know how their views change and develop in any great detail.  Also these people are ones I just happen to know and they aren't a representative sample.  But nonetheless as a rough estimate I could make a guess that if 1 person I know changes their mind that is equivalent to 2% of the population.  Not very scientific, but better than reading the newspapers.

Thoughts on the Anti-Brexit March London June 23rd 2018

To get in early with a moan, the organisers gave the big march in London yesterday some weird name I’ve already forgotten.  They should have just called it the anti-Brexit march.  That’s what it was, on the second anniversary of the vote.   It wasn’t suprising that the date should be marked by the supporters or opposers of the outcome.  What was surprising was the vast number of people who turned up to support the losing side.   There was a pro-Brexit march as well, but that was limited to the few thousand that most causes can summon up.   The anti-Brexit crowd was estimated to be 100,000, which looking at the airiel footage was unlikely to be an underestimate.

If We Don't Have A National Government Brussels Will Impose A Brexit Deal On Us

Well it has been quite a big week Brexit wise.  Jeremy Corbyn gave a big speech where he said that Labour would keep the UK in the Customs Union.  Theresa May gave a big speech where she said that the Conservatives would, err, I am not sure what she said even though thanks to the snow I was able to watch most of it while working at home. 

Divergence - How It Will Cost Jobs

I was reading a recent Westminster regulation as part of my job the other day.  Divergence is already starting.  It starts with a definition which is similar to but different from the existing one that is in use in the relevant EU regulations.  It might well have been simply that the drafters didn't bother looking at the EU text, or weren't aware of its existence.  Or possibly they felt that they couldn't refer to it without making an otherwise routine bit of legislation into a political football.  Who knows?  But it is already adding to the complexity of my business.  This kind of thing is lose-lose of course.  It will make the UK a harder market for EU and other foreign countries to export into as well as adding to the UK's costs and making us less competitive.  The sooner we get back to common sense and rejoin the better.