Midweek Brexit

I said some two years ago that the last part of the Brexit process that the UK would control was when to submit the A50 notice. Nothing in the 104 weeks or so inbetween have changed the truth or accuracy of that statement.

Even with the WA and the TA is in the gift of the EU27 to grant or deny the UK, and the terms have to be acceptable to them and in accordance with the EU’s rules and regulations, and those of the WTO. too. It is and never was the case that the UK would just get whatever they wanted. Anyway, in any negotiations, it is compromise on both sides, but as the UK really doesn’t know what it wants, or the various sides inside the Government and Conservative party cannot agree on what they want from Brexit. And most of it is caky anyway, so the EU would always reject anything that is cherry-picking.

Yesterday a report was published on immigration, and was wide ranging, but it also divided opinion from those areas that need lots of cheap foreign labour to pick fruit or clean bed pans and from those who have a dogmatic refusal on anything other than a total ban on immigration. Or as close as it can be to that.

The real problem is that this is only 50% of the picture, as whatever the UK suggests or actually does to EU citizens wanting to live and work here, the EU would do the same to UK citizens working and living in the EU, thus breaking the promise that the Brexiteers promised that nothing for those living in the EU would change. It would change everything for them, the worst part for those EU and UK citizens who have married someone from the other “side”, it could mean the break up of families, in fact it already has for those EU citizens being denied the right to stay with their partner.

And this is why Brexit is already happening, and having horrible and cruel effects. And will get worse.