Ten years on

I still remember the day after the Brexit referendum when my youngest daughter asked me what it means. I replied that it means that we are leaving the EU. Little did any of us realise how long the process would actually take. Ten years on and our relationship with the EU is still a political yoyo, casting a long shadow over our economy. It has given us a period of political turmoil and cost us six Prime Ministers so far. 

The EU was, is and never will be perfect. Local national and supernatural governments have to be about compromise rather than imposing the will of individuals. In the UK, it is the same with the Westminster Parliament, the devolved authorities, the mayoralities and the local authorities. 

Brexit has been a disaster. It has affected most aspects of our society from the economy to immigration. There is no form of Brexit that can be made to work. There was no plan in leaving. Many benefits were offered, especially around the idea of sovereignty, a meaningless concept in the modern age. None have come true.

In global terms, the UK is a piddling little set of islands off the west coast of continental Europe. It has punched above its weight for centuries yet the issues that face the world now are not sovereign issues but global issues. Climate change, mass immigration, inequality, pandemics, child poverty can never be solved by national governments, only by the collaboration and cooperation of different countries.

The UK needs to be aligned to and be able to influence those countries closest to it. Whether we like it or not, these islands are part of Europe, not the Americas nor Asia. Future competition will come from the United States (less so), China, India and, when it gets its act together, Africa.

The UK needs to join the EU for two reasons: firstly to be part of something greater than we are and secondly to have a seat at the table. If we don’t like what we hear, far better to be able to have influence than walk away. 

I look forward to the day when sanity prevails.