Reality check

Brexit and reality now inhabit the same universe, on our side of the Looking Glass, and although things have looked stable for the first week, there were clouds on the horizon.

First of all, Freedom of Movement. No idea why I used capitals there, but they you go. In the referendum, UK immigrants living in the EU (I know they like to be called ex-pats, but let's be honest what they are) were told by Vote Leave that for them, nothing would change.

Many voted for Brexit.

The useful idiots had delivered, and were then dumped.

Thing with FoM is that it goes both ways, and with everything now being burned on the pyre to ending FoM, the ending of EU citizens having the freedom to live here now applied to those UK citizens living in the EU. In Spain in particular.

Many people retire to Spain, or did, the weather is nice, villas and condos cheap, and they could be part of a British community and live like being at home, but with better weather.

The UK became a third country and rules changed, income was needed, or savings to show you could support yourself, or face only being able to live in your own house for 3 months out of every six.

Brexiteers really don't give a flying fuck about this, so they have been abandoned, and many have to move back to the UK in order to have somewhere to live 6 months of the year. Property prices crashed. Depending on what the final form of Brexit is, and we're not there yet, access to their money in UK bank accounts could be stopped.

Do I feel sorry for them? A little. But when something that would end your right to live and retire in another country is mooted, you should not vvote for it. Even with the assurances from Vote Leave. But they were lied to, used and left to sort their own shit out, many losing their life savings in the process. How were they to realise the endng of the Freedom of Movement would apply them too? Common sense really, but as suggested before, common sense isn't that common.

Meanwhile, the price of fish at Scottish markets has falled by 80% as there are no EU markets that can be reached, and with each day, the chances of ever winning them back is further reduced. Over half the Scottish fleet is tied up in port, as what's the point of fishing if there's no market?

And in UK supermarkets, the fesh produce aisles are pretty empty, as supplies from the EU are just not coming through, aa traffic camera at the Folkestone end of the Tunnel yesterday showed no freight waiting to go in or heading down the M20, like the supply was just turned off like a tap. Rules are not going to change quickly, this is the new normal, and something we will just have to get used to.

But we will always have turnips.

The Government has no actual plans for what it wants from trade deals with other countries, just aspirations about doing what's best for poor countries and for the UK, Liz Truss said as much yesterday in the Commons. Deals done so far are mostly roll-overs from what we had with the EU, not better, so leaving so far has been pointless from a trade point of view.

The UK wants to trade wit both the US and EU in food, but fails to realise it has to make a decision on which set of regulations it wants to follow. You can't do both without putting up even bigger barriers to any trade with the other. I have been saying this for years, so if I understand this, why can't Liz Truss?

Oh......

The UK has been in talks with the US for months about reducing tariffs of Scottish whisky, and there was supposed to be a deal coming in December. No news yet, and with the administrations changing, and attempted coups, I am gussing it's not a priority. And any deal with the US is dependent on the GFA and NI Protocol being honoured.

The City of London is bleeding money and trade to EU centres of commerce, and all the Chancellor can say there are opportunities for being centres for emerging industries, that might be good in five or ten years, but now there is a deal between the UK and EU, the EU will try to get more economic activity moved to the EU zone.

Food supplies to NI branches of food chains has almost stopped from Britain, as paperwork is just too complicated. But the Chancellor stated in the Commons yesterday he was unaware of any issues, but that nice Mr Gove would let him know if there were. Shops might have to resupply through the new super ferries that now run between the Republic and France, cutting out the UK land-bridge.

Ignoring problems, or pretending they don't exist will not make them go away.