Michel Barnier has contracted Covid-19 and I wish him and everyone else who has been or will be affected good health. Michel Barnier is too much of a gentleman to blame Brexit, he is both rational and logical. To blame Brexit for his problems would be irrational just as it is irrational to blame the EU for Britain's problems.
Britain is now in a real pickle not only does it have to contend with a health and economic disaster, it also has to contend with cutting itself off from its most important trading partners after December 31st 2020. Brexit is dragging Britain further into the mire.
There is something wrong with the markets when both the FT100 index and the Pound plunge. The Bank of England has dropped interest rates to their lowest rates ever. Normally, a currency falls when interest rates go down but this time the Pound went up but how long for? The social and economic future looks grim.
Where are the unicorns and fields of milk and honey that Brexit politicians promised voters? They are all gone. Levelling up is now a dream to be left for a long time. Covid-19 will make everyone suffer but the poor will suffer most, and Brexit will make their plight worse. I would exchange Brexit anytime to be relieved of Covid-19.
Droves of doctors and nurses have returned to their home countries because of the Brexit attitude that made them feel unwelcome. We need all the health workers we can get in our hour of need. The covid virus doesn't care if you were a leave or remain voter but you could die or live with serious health consequences if there is no doctor or nurse to treat you.
Farmers need workers from the EU to pick fruits and vegetables; they won't becoming, and this could lead to food shortages. 40% of our food comes from the EU, the lorries won't becoming, and eventually there will be extra food shortages if the crisis carries on much longer.
We have a shortage of care workers from the EU because they, too, have been made to feel unwelcome and have gone home. Who is going to look after your grandmother or grandfather when there are severe staff shortages owing to both the covid-19 crisis and Brexit?
When this is all over, both the UK and the EU will be in desperate trouble. Britain will get over the health crisis. However, Brexit will exacerbate the continuing economic problems, and it could finish us off. Can we really afford to have long queues at Dover and Calais to prevent food and industrial products coming in?
Can we afford to have a health service and social care system denied of health workers by the stupid bureaucracy of immigration controls. The poor will suffer most.
When this health crisis is over; Britain and the EU will have to stay very close to ensure a full recovery. Britain needs the Single Market and Customs Union and the EU needs us to stay in these organisations. Petty squabbling and nationalism won't help anyone. Mister voter and Mister Politician it is time to get real and to put the evil genie of Brexit back in its lamp.
Thursday, 19 March 2020
Monday, 9 March 2020
World recession
Sooner or later there was going to be another world recession. Everything was ticking along nicely, but was it? Government, corporate and private debt has been soaring once again. Memories are very short. The Covid 19 epidemics are not the cause of the precipitate falls in the stock and oil markets but they are the catalyst of a fear which is gripping investors. Some investors are more frightened of losing all their money than their health. But, of course, losing your health is contributing to the fear. Fear is now overcoming greed and for as long as this fear lasts there will be shocks to the markets.
During the financial crisis of the 1930's we had leaders who were able to lead the world out of trouble. One such leader was Franklyn D Roosevelt, who, in my opinion, was one of the greatest US presidents; he levelled with the US public and did not lie. He assuaged the public's fears and introduced practical measures to help working people. Printing money was not enough for him. He lead the US out of recession and prepared the American economy to be strong enough to fight and defeat the forces of nationalist Germany and Japan. Without him Western liberal democracy probably would not have survived especially in Western Europe. The Soviet Union would have won in Europe and, Western Europeans would probably to this day have been subjected to Stalinist type regimes.
Today we have few Western leaders with the competence of Roosevelt. They do not have the strength of character to tell the truth or the ability to act to create economies which support the common good. Some Western leaders are either liars or bullies and sometimes both. Administrators are faced with dealing with fake news and being forced to do what they are told by incompetent leaders. This is a recipe for disaster if the beginnings of a new economic and financial crisis are not cut-off in the making.
We can but hope that someone or something will pull us through. There is a message here for Britain, which is by far the most indebted of all the G7 nations. We have left the EU, but this is not the best time to leave its single market. The EU and the UK will be best placed to work together rather than drift apart if there is a financial emergency. Let's hope that common sense will prevail but, populists are short on common sense.
During the financial crisis of the 1930's we had leaders who were able to lead the world out of trouble. One such leader was Franklyn D Roosevelt, who, in my opinion, was one of the greatest US presidents; he levelled with the US public and did not lie. He assuaged the public's fears and introduced practical measures to help working people. Printing money was not enough for him. He lead the US out of recession and prepared the American economy to be strong enough to fight and defeat the forces of nationalist Germany and Japan. Without him Western liberal democracy probably would not have survived especially in Western Europe. The Soviet Union would have won in Europe and, Western Europeans would probably to this day have been subjected to Stalinist type regimes.
Today we have few Western leaders with the competence of Roosevelt. They do not have the strength of character to tell the truth or the ability to act to create economies which support the common good. Some Western leaders are either liars or bullies and sometimes both. Administrators are faced with dealing with fake news and being forced to do what they are told by incompetent leaders. This is a recipe for disaster if the beginnings of a new economic and financial crisis are not cut-off in the making.
We can but hope that someone or something will pull us through. There is a message here for Britain, which is by far the most indebted of all the G7 nations. We have left the EU, but this is not the best time to leave its single market. The EU and the UK will be best placed to work together rather than drift apart if there is a financial emergency. Let's hope that common sense will prevail but, populists are short on common sense.
Tuesday, 4 February 2020
Brexit Done and Dusted
There is no use crying over spilt milk. We have left the EU and we will not be going back in a hurry; despite the optimism of pro-remain politicians in the UK and Europe. I doubt that there will be much demand from the UK populace to rejoin even if there is a collapse of the economy. Many EU states simply won't want the UK back because of the damage that it will do to the EU economy. It is not just in the UK that nationalists hold sway.
Forget about the economy for a minute; the UK has now become a weakened state. The world has changed a lot since 1973 when Britain joined the EC. China has become a super-power that is now able to challenge the US. India is on its way to becoming a super-power; it has developed nuclear weapons and is capable of landing rovers on the moon. It is rapidly overtaking Britain and France both economically, diplomatically and militarily. China and India are two more giants that Britain has to contend with, but all on its own. In 1973 the world was trying to engage in free trade. Not so, now, for protectionism is the name of the game. Every state is now putting its own national interests first. The only organisation which pooled sovereignty to try to work for the common good of its constituent nations was the EU and we have just left it.
The UK must now decide what is in its national interests, it is obvious that the US is pulling us up and that China is pulling us down. Very soon we could find ourselves being pulled left by the EU with India pulling us right. Our country could become a poodle not knowing where it will end up, and with no control of its destiny.
The UK could easily disintegrate. I am quite surprised at how quickly nationalist sentiment is growing in both Northern Ireland and Scotland. It seems to me that England is now pushing Scotland and Northern Ireland away. English politicians are ignoring the desires of the Scottish and Northern Irish electorates to be remain close to the EU. We are also seeing the growth of nationalism in Wales. We could end up having to manage the disintegration of the UK whilst trying to extract what is left of the nation from the EU.
The worse aspect of the political situation in the UK is the incompetence of government when either of the main political parties are in power. Over the last thirty years they have both presided over a fracture within our society where a significant proportion of people have been left behind. These unfortunate people have been left with failing schools, a failing health service, poor transport systems, and poor and expensive housing. They also have to contend with low wages and insecure employment. It is no wonder that they are "pissed off", and that they have turned to populist solutions, which will never work in the long run. Their future looks bleak.
Possibly, there will be a Brexit dividend for the health, wealth and unity of the nation; but can anyone expect our politicians to deliver on this given their past performance?
Don't be surprised if Brexit is a complete failure, but hope for the best.
Forget about the economy for a minute; the UK has now become a weakened state. The world has changed a lot since 1973 when Britain joined the EC. China has become a super-power that is now able to challenge the US. India is on its way to becoming a super-power; it has developed nuclear weapons and is capable of landing rovers on the moon. It is rapidly overtaking Britain and France both economically, diplomatically and militarily. China and India are two more giants that Britain has to contend with, but all on its own. In 1973 the world was trying to engage in free trade. Not so, now, for protectionism is the name of the game. Every state is now putting its own national interests first. The only organisation which pooled sovereignty to try to work for the common good of its constituent nations was the EU and we have just left it.
The UK must now decide what is in its national interests, it is obvious that the US is pulling us up and that China is pulling us down. Very soon we could find ourselves being pulled left by the EU with India pulling us right. Our country could become a poodle not knowing where it will end up, and with no control of its destiny.
The UK could easily disintegrate. I am quite surprised at how quickly nationalist sentiment is growing in both Northern Ireland and Scotland. It seems to me that England is now pushing Scotland and Northern Ireland away. English politicians are ignoring the desires of the Scottish and Northern Irish electorates to be remain close to the EU. We are also seeing the growth of nationalism in Wales. We could end up having to manage the disintegration of the UK whilst trying to extract what is left of the nation from the EU.
The worse aspect of the political situation in the UK is the incompetence of government when either of the main political parties are in power. Over the last thirty years they have both presided over a fracture within our society where a significant proportion of people have been left behind. These unfortunate people have been left with failing schools, a failing health service, poor transport systems, and poor and expensive housing. They also have to contend with low wages and insecure employment. It is no wonder that they are "pissed off", and that they have turned to populist solutions, which will never work in the long run. Their future looks bleak.
Possibly, there will be a Brexit dividend for the health, wealth and unity of the nation; but can anyone expect our politicians to deliver on this given their past performance?
Don't be surprised if Brexit is a complete failure, but hope for the best.
Tuesday, 21 January 2020
Australian Fires
Australians are not the world's biggest producers of CO2 per capita and as far as their nation goes they are well down the "polluters" order. Western Europe has reduced its per capita production of CO2 to a far greater extent than most of the other nations of the developed world but it is nothing to shout about.
Australia is not solely responsible for the catastrophic bush fires which have raged across their nation; all of the developed nations are. We have been pumping too much CO2 into the atmosphere and it is adversely affecting the the global climate and weather.
There is no God raining down brimstone and hellfire upon the earth. Nature has no care for any country that is affected. All of the climate and weather problems are self inflicted. Australians are hardy and resourceful people who will recover from the latest weather tragedy. But will their forests fully recover? Will whole species have been wiped out by the conflagration? Will there be another climate catastrophe inflicted upon the unique habitat that is Australia?
Recent scientific research has shown that the oceans are now 1 degree celcius warmer now than in pre-industrial times. This is a colossal amount of heat energy which drive global warming for centuries. Dangerous climate change could now be unavoidable but we are still pumping more and more CO2 into the atmosphere. The warming oceans and air are now causing the release of vast quantities of methane gas, which has been stored in the sea and tundra for millennia, to add further to the greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere.
How will we be able to cool the global climate down? Block out the sun? What would happen to farming if we did that? Put industrial sized refrigeration units into the sea? Where would all the heat go? Back into to the atmosphere.
There is now danger that the Amazon forest could suffer catastrophic fires. What would happen if the Amazon region becomes another desert? Anything is possible.
Calling climate change campaigners prophets of doom, will not help. We can no longer afford to propagate the myth that excessive production of CO2 gas is not warming up the planet. False optimism could easily see us off. The facts have been clearly laid out climate change is already worse than what was predicted 30 years ago.
It will be of no use to put climate activists on police lists claiming that they are terrorists. We are all adding to the problems of global warming. We won't need to risk terrorists to kill us off as the bigger risk is adverse climate change and we could be committing climate suicide if we are not careful. It is time for politicians to wise up along with the rest of us.
Australia is not solely responsible for the catastrophic bush fires which have raged across their nation; all of the developed nations are. We have been pumping too much CO2 into the atmosphere and it is adversely affecting the the global climate and weather.
There is no God raining down brimstone and hellfire upon the earth. Nature has no care for any country that is affected. All of the climate and weather problems are self inflicted. Australians are hardy and resourceful people who will recover from the latest weather tragedy. But will their forests fully recover? Will whole species have been wiped out by the conflagration? Will there be another climate catastrophe inflicted upon the unique habitat that is Australia?
Recent scientific research has shown that the oceans are now 1 degree celcius warmer now than in pre-industrial times. This is a colossal amount of heat energy which drive global warming for centuries. Dangerous climate change could now be unavoidable but we are still pumping more and more CO2 into the atmosphere. The warming oceans and air are now causing the release of vast quantities of methane gas, which has been stored in the sea and tundra for millennia, to add further to the greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere.
How will we be able to cool the global climate down? Block out the sun? What would happen to farming if we did that? Put industrial sized refrigeration units into the sea? Where would all the heat go? Back into to the atmosphere.
There is now danger that the Amazon forest could suffer catastrophic fires. What would happen if the Amazon region becomes another desert? Anything is possible.
Calling climate change campaigners prophets of doom, will not help. We can no longer afford to propagate the myth that excessive production of CO2 gas is not warming up the planet. False optimism could easily see us off. The facts have been clearly laid out climate change is already worse than what was predicted 30 years ago.
It will be of no use to put climate activists on police lists claiming that they are terrorists. We are all adding to the problems of global warming. We won't need to risk terrorists to kill us off as the bigger risk is adverse climate change and we could be committing climate suicide if we are not careful. It is time for politicians to wise up along with the rest of us.
Monday, 6 January 2020
The Middle East - there is no justice
Between November 1945 and October 1946 some of of Hitler's lieutenants were brought to trial for war crimes and genocide. Hitler, himself, committed suicide for fear of being brought to trial. Other leaders such as Himmler chose to commit suicide as well, rather than face justice. In the face of the biggest crimes against humanity, the allies, who defeated Germany, made sure that that death sentences were not meted out without the chance for the accused to defend themselves. The world saw the evidence against the accused clearly laid out.
No crime in history could have been greater than the holocaust. Even so, the accused were afforded a trial although many called for the summary execution of the accused. The Western Allies did the right thing.
The tit-for-tat summary execution of the Iranian General Suleiman is a non-judicial act. It was not necessary, as he should have been captured and brought to trial in an International Court for his alleged war crimes. He should have been given the opportunity to defend himself. The Iranian people could then see for themselves how the General performed. Justice would have seen to be done as this would have contributed to the peace.
Middle East diplomacy is now spiralling out of control. Revenge attack will be followed by revenge attack. The region is probably heading for war. Restraint is necessary. I doubt this will happen and we could be heading for another confrontation, in the Middle East, and revenge attack will be piled upon revenge attack in a never ending cycle. It is time that politicians started talking rather than bombing.
We have a lot to learn from the history and diplomacy which lead to the prosecution of the worst war criminals in history and how the Nuremberg trials helped to promote the peace.
No crime in history could have been greater than the holocaust. Even so, the accused were afforded a trial although many called for the summary execution of the accused. The Western Allies did the right thing.
The tit-for-tat summary execution of the Iranian General Suleiman is a non-judicial act. It was not necessary, as he should have been captured and brought to trial in an International Court for his alleged war crimes. He should have been given the opportunity to defend himself. The Iranian people could then see for themselves how the General performed. Justice would have seen to be done as this would have contributed to the peace.
Middle East diplomacy is now spiralling out of control. Revenge attack will be followed by revenge attack. The region is probably heading for war. Restraint is necessary. I doubt this will happen and we could be heading for another confrontation, in the Middle East, and revenge attack will be piled upon revenge attack in a never ending cycle. It is time that politicians started talking rather than bombing.
We have a lot to learn from the history and diplomacy which lead to the prosecution of the worst war criminals in history and how the Nuremberg trials helped to promote the peace.
Thursday, 19 December 2019
"It's not the Tories wot won it ; it's the opposition wot lost it".
As predicted the Tories won the general election. They didn't need a "guru" to win it for them, they just needed Corbyn and Swinson to lose it. And, they lost it big time. Allowing the governing party to hold a general election was naive and stupid. No wonder countries fail when we have politicians who have taken leave of their senses.
The same people who ran the "Remain" referendum campaign, and failed, organised the opposition to the Tory government. It is correct to say that working class "Leave" voters were treated with disdain and arrogance and they switched their votes in droves to the Conservatives.
I was brought up in a working class family and I think I know how the working class think. They do not want state handouts. They want secure employment which pays them enough to allow them to bring up their families without the need for benefits. They want decent housing without out being pushed from one tenancy to another. They want the opportunity to buy their own house. They want decent schools and above all a decent health service . And, they want this for their children. The working class want exactly the same things as the middle class. They don't particularly want riches but they want a fair crack of the whip. They want the dignity that has been afforded to the middle classes in the affluent South of England.
Successive governments have failed them and above all the Labour party. Wealth has been taken away from them and it has been passed to the rich. Wealth has not cascaded down as Margaret Thatcher promised, it has been sucked up under successive Labour, Conservative and Coalition governments.
None of Britain's social problems can be blamed on the EU; they are all home made. In Germany both the Social Democrats and Christian Democrats have looked after the ordinary citizen far better than British politicians have. The Germans have learnt to apply "real politics" to their social agenda rather than ultra- liberal or socialist ideology.
Lets face it, many working class people are xenophobes just like many middle class people are. It has been easy to blame foreigners and immigration for our predicament rather poor government policy. The working classes have a generosity of spirit and it is rather easy to reason with them that resentment of others is no good: of course, this generosity of spirit is given more freely when you are not being trodden on.
What are the working classes going to get from the Tory government? They have been promised equality of opportunity but just that. But what happens if poor housing and education and poverty prevent you from exploiting your new found opportunities? You will be left on the scrap heap, just as you were before.
To leave the EU without a deal, which closely resembles what we have got now, will leave Britain poorer and with less tax revenue to improve the lives of the left behind. A trade deal with the US will not compensate for what we are losing, and Britain might have to sell the NHS to large US Corporations. Watch out.
The Conservatives have promised a lot to the disadvantaged but this means redistributing the wealth; large Corporations and the middle classes might come to resent this. So watch out again.
Divisions in Northern Ireland and Scotland could lead to political and economic instability and who would suffer the most? You've guessed it.
Forty years in the EU has contributed to British economic success but the fruits of that success have not been distributed equitably. The EU has contributed to peace in Northern Ireland. What will happen when all this is taken away?
Most people, including those in the working class, will probably live to regret what will be taken away from them. Freedom of movement of labour may have been a small price to pay for continued social cohesion and economic development. So be it.
The same people who ran the "Remain" referendum campaign, and failed, organised the opposition to the Tory government. It is correct to say that working class "Leave" voters were treated with disdain and arrogance and they switched their votes in droves to the Conservatives.
I was brought up in a working class family and I think I know how the working class think. They do not want state handouts. They want secure employment which pays them enough to allow them to bring up their families without the need for benefits. They want decent housing without out being pushed from one tenancy to another. They want the opportunity to buy their own house. They want decent schools and above all a decent health service . And, they want this for their children. The working class want exactly the same things as the middle class. They don't particularly want riches but they want a fair crack of the whip. They want the dignity that has been afforded to the middle classes in the affluent South of England.
Successive governments have failed them and above all the Labour party. Wealth has been taken away from them and it has been passed to the rich. Wealth has not cascaded down as Margaret Thatcher promised, it has been sucked up under successive Labour, Conservative and Coalition governments.
None of Britain's social problems can be blamed on the EU; they are all home made. In Germany both the Social Democrats and Christian Democrats have looked after the ordinary citizen far better than British politicians have. The Germans have learnt to apply "real politics" to their social agenda rather than ultra- liberal or socialist ideology.
Lets face it, many working class people are xenophobes just like many middle class people are. It has been easy to blame foreigners and immigration for our predicament rather poor government policy. The working classes have a generosity of spirit and it is rather easy to reason with them that resentment of others is no good: of course, this generosity of spirit is given more freely when you are not being trodden on.
What are the working classes going to get from the Tory government? They have been promised equality of opportunity but just that. But what happens if poor housing and education and poverty prevent you from exploiting your new found opportunities? You will be left on the scrap heap, just as you were before.
To leave the EU without a deal, which closely resembles what we have got now, will leave Britain poorer and with less tax revenue to improve the lives of the left behind. A trade deal with the US will not compensate for what we are losing, and Britain might have to sell the NHS to large US Corporations. Watch out.
The Conservatives have promised a lot to the disadvantaged but this means redistributing the wealth; large Corporations and the middle classes might come to resent this. So watch out again.
Divisions in Northern Ireland and Scotland could lead to political and economic instability and who would suffer the most? You've guessed it.
Forty years in the EU has contributed to British economic success but the fruits of that success have not been distributed equitably. The EU has contributed to peace in Northern Ireland. What will happen when all this is taken away?
Most people, including those in the working class, will probably live to regret what will be taken away from them. Freedom of movement of labour may have been a small price to pay for continued social cohesion and economic development. So be it.
Wednesday, 11 December 2019
This is the worst General Election Campaign that I can remember
This year's UK general election campaign is the worst that I can remember in my 68 years. The campaign has been infected by lies, promises that cannot or will not be met, bluster and bull shit.
Real facts have been challenged by fake facts. All of the media are reporting unchallenged nonsense.
The BBC has been a disgrace it has not not critically examined the claims of politicians and has not exposed their lies and deceit.
Recently, a BBC journalist challenged the Labour party to provide evidence about the poor behaviour of the 5 large corporations towards their employees - and rightly so. The BBC, however, at no time challenged the lies and deceit over Brexit and the new deal.
The electorate have been cheated. The only parties which are not lying and cheating are in a substantial minority. My vote will be going to the Green Party which attempts to put forward evidence based policies. I particularly like their idea of setting aside 15% of farmland which will be managed to improve the environment for wild life. They are also advocating that each school is twinned with a farm so that children will be able to see agriculture and animal husbandry at first hand and how this should fit into an improved ecology. These are the sort of intelligent, economical and practical measures which should be put forward to the electorate.
If the Conservative party wins they are going to execute a Brexit which will possibly be ruinous to the UK. Our standing in the world will be reduced. We will lose substantial trade agreements with the EU and with all the nations, such as Japan and Canada, which the EU has negotiated for us. Most of our current trading agreements will have to be renegotiated from a weaker position.
Britain will not get a trade agreement with the US unless the NHS is on the table. Britain could end up not having favourable trade arrangements with the EU, the US, Japan and Canada. It is shameful that a government would put us in this position. It is time for all politicians to tell the truth about Britain's future.
What is more shameful is the commercial and political position of Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland will be subject to the rules of two customs unions: the UK's and the EU's. Despite what the prime minister says there will be a commercial border between the Northern Ireland and Great Britain. This situation is a terrible mistake and both the UK and the EU could live to regret this. The prime minister has not negotiated a super new deal better than Theresa May's but he has settled for what the EU proposed in the first place. He has caved in to the EU's demands. The loyalist community now know that they have been cheated. Conflict could return to Northern Ireland because of this.
Many people voted for Brexit as they saw this as a means to reduce immigration. If our economy is to thrive then we need immigrants both skilled and unskilled. If immigration stops then the economy, as it is modelled now, will fall into decline. EU citizens are leaving in droves from the NHS, the Finance industry and others: this will have to be reversed. The British people should be told the facts. People coming to our country improve the fabric of our society. They should not be feared and Britain should organise itself to accommodate them.
When we leave the EU there will not be enough money to fund the promises of the two major political parties. The electorate will have been deceived, Bexit voters will suffer the consequences as will Remain voters and those who did not vote. The 13 million of the electorate who did not vote in the referendum still expect the government to act in their interests. The best way for f the government to act in everyone's interests would be either to stay in the EU, or to leave but stay in the Customs Union and Single market. It is not in our national interest to remove ourselves from free trade agreements with the EU, Japan and Canada only to sell our country to the US in exchange.
I hope the electorate will vote wisely but I fear they will not. The slow decline of the UK will start on Friday the 13th.
Real facts have been challenged by fake facts. All of the media are reporting unchallenged nonsense.
The BBC has been a disgrace it has not not critically examined the claims of politicians and has not exposed their lies and deceit.
Recently, a BBC journalist challenged the Labour party to provide evidence about the poor behaviour of the 5 large corporations towards their employees - and rightly so. The BBC, however, at no time challenged the lies and deceit over Brexit and the new deal.
The electorate have been cheated. The only parties which are not lying and cheating are in a substantial minority. My vote will be going to the Green Party which attempts to put forward evidence based policies. I particularly like their idea of setting aside 15% of farmland which will be managed to improve the environment for wild life. They are also advocating that each school is twinned with a farm so that children will be able to see agriculture and animal husbandry at first hand and how this should fit into an improved ecology. These are the sort of intelligent, economical and practical measures which should be put forward to the electorate.
If the Conservative party wins they are going to execute a Brexit which will possibly be ruinous to the UK. Our standing in the world will be reduced. We will lose substantial trade agreements with the EU and with all the nations, such as Japan and Canada, which the EU has negotiated for us. Most of our current trading agreements will have to be renegotiated from a weaker position.
Britain will not get a trade agreement with the US unless the NHS is on the table. Britain could end up not having favourable trade arrangements with the EU, the US, Japan and Canada. It is shameful that a government would put us in this position. It is time for all politicians to tell the truth about Britain's future.
What is more shameful is the commercial and political position of Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland will be subject to the rules of two customs unions: the UK's and the EU's. Despite what the prime minister says there will be a commercial border between the Northern Ireland and Great Britain. This situation is a terrible mistake and both the UK and the EU could live to regret this. The prime minister has not negotiated a super new deal better than Theresa May's but he has settled for what the EU proposed in the first place. He has caved in to the EU's demands. The loyalist community now know that they have been cheated. Conflict could return to Northern Ireland because of this.
Many people voted for Brexit as they saw this as a means to reduce immigration. If our economy is to thrive then we need immigrants both skilled and unskilled. If immigration stops then the economy, as it is modelled now, will fall into decline. EU citizens are leaving in droves from the NHS, the Finance industry and others: this will have to be reversed. The British people should be told the facts. People coming to our country improve the fabric of our society. They should not be feared and Britain should organise itself to accommodate them.
When we leave the EU there will not be enough money to fund the promises of the two major political parties. The electorate will have been deceived, Bexit voters will suffer the consequences as will Remain voters and those who did not vote. The 13 million of the electorate who did not vote in the referendum still expect the government to act in their interests. The best way for f the government to act in everyone's interests would be either to stay in the EU, or to leave but stay in the Customs Union and Single market. It is not in our national interest to remove ourselves from free trade agreements with the EU, Japan and Canada only to sell our country to the US in exchange.
I hope the electorate will vote wisely but I fear they will not. The slow decline of the UK will start on Friday the 13th.
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