Annoying the neigbours

What a week it has been once again in British politics!

We have a new Prime Minister; Teresa May. Is this the same Teresa May that wanted to abolish the Human Rights Act, withdraw Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights, order vans to be driven round south London threatening immigrants. And, and I am not making this up, making a story about an asylum seeker getting round being deported because he had a cat. Oh and repeatedly trying to get the snooper's charter into law. Yes, the one and same. However, she has also been confronted with the harsh realities of the constitutional mess that triggering Article 50 is. And so she has delayed that act until the end of the year, or the beginning of next.

She has also met with the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, who made it clear that Scotland would have to be very much part of the negotiations on leaving, and if it did not suit Scotland, then a 2nd independence referendum would be called. And that is beside being in the EU underpinning the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland. So, her choice is, leaving the EU (if the constitutional mess can be sorted out) and break up the Union that makes Great Britain. Or do neither.

She has also brought in several of the people who lead the Leave Campaign, including a certain Boris Johnson, who was thought to have had his career killed; he is now Foreign Secretary! The mind boggles. However, Michael Gove who did do a good job at Justice was sacked for, and this is just a guess, for stabbing just about everyone in the back. And front. And the Chancellor has also been sacked, this was thought due to issuing the threat of a draconian budget if there was a vote to leave. He didn't follow through on that, and has missed all the financial targets he set for the country.

The EU has stated that no negations with Britain if Article 50 is enacted will take place until Britain has left, which takes at least two years, and it seems that the lead negotiator, David Davis, seemed not to know that negotiating with individual European Countries after this two year period was illegal, and such trad negotiations can only take place with Europe, en bloc! So, nothing to worry about there.

It turns out, of course, that nothing is ever simple, and now our new Man at the FO, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, has stated that the sovereignty of Gibraltar is not up for discussion; but of course it will be, and Spain likely to veto any deal it doesn't like. Would Spain do something like that if it thought it could wrestle Gib out of Brit hands? Of course. Headline in Sunday's newspapers was that Australia is keen for a trade deal, and there might be one linked to New Zealand too. But such deals take a decade to complete, and as has been pointed out, Britain has no negotiators. The ones we do have, er, work for the EU, so unless they want to change sides, we will have to source new ones, train them and so on. Taking more time.

It has also become clear that any deal to allow EU nationals to remain in Britain after Brexit would be tied into a deal to allow UK Nationals, mostly retired, to remain in the countries where they now live. Otherwise a couple of million, mainly retired people, would be returning to Britain. Isn't democracy great?

And then there is the neighbours:I knew Bob and Diane voted to leave, and when I spoke to Diane I could have skirted round the subject, or just point out the error of their ways. I chose the latter, which surprised her somewhat. They get the Daily Mail, which has been unflagging in support of Leave before, and now after, with there being plenty of scare stories about immigrants. The economic reality and that having a trade deal with Europe will cost more than we pay now and without free movement of people there will be no deal she just does not believe. Does not believe because she believes Nigel Farrage, their saviour who resigned just when he would have to start dealing with the facts. I called him a shameless coward, and that did if for Diane who stopped our conversation then.

I regret nothing.