Cut down to size

Micheal Barnier replied to faux war hero and Walter Mitty a-like, Mark Francois yesterday. The Essex MP had written a missive to Barnier in which he set out in Brexiteer terms the incoherence of the ERG stance.

Barnier's reply:

“While nobody has been able to demonstrate to me the added value of leaving the most integrated economic and free trade area in the world, I have always respected the UK’s decision to withdraw from the EU.

Mr Barnier sets out how those “demands” – on adherence to EU rules and the role of the European Court of Justice – were both “agreed” by Boris Johnson, in the Brexit deal.

It was voted for by the House of Commons, including yourself, as part of the withdrawal agreement ratification,

“All we are asking of the UK is to honour its commitments in the political declaration.”

An agreement is still possible, he went on to write – “despite the short time available, which is the choice of your government”. So, either they knew what they were voting for, or didn't read the WA and PD, in which case more fool them.

Isn't it time we had someone as grown up on the UK side as Barnier? Not while the UK Government will only employ people, civil servants even, who "believe in Brexit" This is clearly madness, but where we are as a country, and it will be the cause of much foolish direction and mistakes in the forthcoming months and years.

It would appear that the UK Government has spent £10 billion on a track and trace system that doesn't work, money which seems to have gone to Ministers and Cummings' friends. Quite how they could have bried through three billion a month when a working system on Apple and Android systems was already working. In fact, if you are travelling to Germany, you must download it before you leave.

That works.

Even Gibraltar got a working track and trace system.

All the time, dodgy deals are being down for supply goods for the pandemic or Brexit, with no oversight for eye-watering amounts of money, with no oversight or apparent auditing so no consequences. A pest control company got a £24,000,000 contract to supply PPE. They catch rats, that is what they do. The company had assests of £18,000 and yet they get a £24,000,000 contract.