The weekend Brexit

Kind of a lull has settled over the Brexit process for the last few days, after the EU published its draft negotiating document. That this had more pages than the Governments sectoral analysis tells you how poor preparation has been in London.

The EU has said that a solution to the Irish border has to be found before dealing with anything else. This is because it is the most difficult problems to solve, if it can be. And let us not forget, that if there is no other solution, the UK Government has agreed that NI and the rest of Britain will have strict alignment with the EU. IF Westminster keeps ts word on that December agreement. Let us not forget, failure to honour this agreement will be seen in a very bad light, not just by the EU but by the rest of the world. Breaking trade promises just at the point you have to agree hundreds of new ones when trust is everything.

The alternative to not honouring that agreement would be to crash out of the EU with no trade deals in place, hard borders and huge amounts of paperwork, red tape and delays at all borders. Brexiteers claim that trading on WTO terms have no fears for them, thanks Boris, but my regular reminder that NO country in the WTO trades purely on basic terms, there are FTA agreements with at least one other country for every member. Britain would be a disadvantage to every other country, including North Korea. No fears. No idea more like.

Then there is the 3 million EU citizens that have made their home in UK, they are being used as a bargaining chip by Britain, not knowing on what terms, if any, they will be able to stay beyond March 2019. And that whatever UK does to EU citizens, then the EU will lay the same terms on UK citizens living in the EU. This should have been the easiest agreement of all, for those directly affected and the rest of us, knowing that sectors that rely on EU citizens for their workforce. EU citizens working in UK pay taxes, pay NI contributions, further inflate the economy by buying goods and services. We all benefit, then those that work in the NHS and care systems delivery providing labour that the UK economy itself cannot deliver. Every EU citizen living in the UK delivers an economic benefit to the country. Why is this even a "thing".

And then there is the morals of messing with people's lives. Not just the EU and UK citizens, but their families, children. It is just disgusting that Britain has allowed this to develop over the two years since the referendum, when UK citizens living in the EU were clearly told, that nothing would change for them in the event of a leave vote.

Another hollow promise.

Stories are emerging of people having lived in the UK for decades now being denied lifesaving treatment in the EU as they cannot prove they have the right to live in Britain. I mean, what the fuck has happened to this country that is allowing this to happen, and then the newspapers, or most of them, are not reporting on this, and instead fan the flames of hate and mistrust. Yes, I'm talking about you Daily Express and Daily Mail.

UK will leave the EU by simple action of international law and the calendar on 29th March 2019. The clock is ticking. Philip Hammond revealed today that the Government has not undertaken economic assessment of its preferred method of Brexit.