More Brexit ‘Mayhem’ for the Government. The Tories are in disarray over our exit strategy, while EU leaders walk all over us. When will our politicians get on with it and do what we told them to do in the referendum?
VIDEO SCRIPT:
Brexit chaos and confusion.
Theresa May under attack.
What is her exit strategy?
Hi, I’m Leon Hawthorne. Another Tory civil war over Europe while the EU prepares to take us to the cleaners in the next phase of negotiations.
Brexit means Brexit, she said. So, why’s it so difficult for Theresa May’s Government to say what is its end goal? What relationship does it want with Europe after we quit?
Remainers are quick to say: nobody voted to make themselves poorer. So, they are mobilising to reverse the result of the referendum or, at least, keep us in the Single Market and Customs Union.
But everyone agrees immigration was the number one reason people voted for Brexit. If we stay in the Single Market, we have no control over EU immigration.
Paying money to the EU budget and subjugation to the European Court were also big reasons for the vote. Again, these continue if we accept any of the soft Brexit options.
Let me deal with the transition period. That’s the time after we leave the EU on March 29th 2019 until a final arrangement comes into force in December 2020.
The EU says during this time, effectively we get the same deal as Norway. Everything stays the same, except we don’t have any voting rights.
In my opinion, it’s not worth wasting time challenging this. The reason we need a transition period is because our government wasted so much time. So, let’s just focus on the end goal.
This is what I think. It’s not just about the economy. There’s more to life than money. There’s national dignity, sovereignty and independence.
There might be a short-term economic blip. All change is difficult, but then we will find new markets and new opportunities, unhindered by the lead weight of EU bureaucracy.
A realistic goal is something like CETA, Canada’s agreement with the EU. We can cut and paste that trade deal and spend the next few months negotiating adding services on top.
The EU has long wanted a levy on financial service transactions. I think that is unavoidable. Let the banks pay a fee in order to do business freely in the EU. But the British taxpayer should not pay to trade.
After our divorce bill and the end of the transition period, Britain should not pay any further money to the EU. The USA doesn’t, Canada doesn’t, so we will not.
We can agree visa-free travel for the peoples of Europe, the same deal we have with the US, allowing stays of up to 90 days.
But for immigration and work, we would set our own criteria and numbers on an annual basis, as required by our economy.
We would not be subject to the European Court of Justice. There should be a neutral arbitration body for any treaty disputes.
This is not rocket science. This is simple, fair and achievable within a few months. Time for our government to get on with it.
I’m Leon Hawthorne. Thanks for watching.
© Leon Hawthorne 2023 