It can not have missed anyone's notice that Great Britain really is in a mess. The pound has lost 30% of its value recently against the dollar, and we are now almost on equal parity with the Euro. VAT has stuck at 20%, even after we were promised by our late and lamented Chancellor, George 'Mr Wallpaper' Osbourne, that it was simply a temporary measure, and worse of all, our Brexit negotiator's act and behave like headless chickens. Why, even our 'dear leader,' the forever fragrant, Mrs May, has been crying to the politicians in Brussels and to of all people, The Queen; that she really knows not what she is a-doing.
Where did it all go wrong?
Probably about 18 Months ago. From the get-go, neither side put a strong enough case for definitive and decisive action. The remainder's, under ex-PM Cameron, certainly did not hit home strongly enough to the average voter about the myriad of problems to come. The leavers painted a picture that everything in the garden would grow firmer and stronger in a Free UK. The problems of education, the health service and our many social ills would all be swept away by the torrent of money that we would save from the grasping pockets of the EU.
The worst is yet to come!
Since then there has been nothing but uncertainty and confusion. The Financial Organisations say they will leave London on masse, toppling it from its place of European dominance once the deal is done.
Food prices already on the rise are likely to go up by 20% in the next 18 months with inflation following it. Even the ex-New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said last week that apart from electing Donald Trump as President of the US, it was the dumbest thing any nation had ever done.
Ok, she had very little choice, but the PM made a rod for her own back by allowing Boris Johnson and Michael Gove into the cabinet.
The Foreign Secretary has undermined her at every turn, almost mocking her attempts at negotiation and pushing his own agenda, whilst she herself certainly does not help her cause by her constant dithering and mind changing. Even this morning our Chief-Negotiator David Davis, not a man who can be easily trusted on matters of probity, explained that a deal should be cemented by Xmas and we will be out of Europe in 12 months.
But can we believe him! Of course not? We have been ill-served by those we trusted to serve us and there is no reason to think that will change. We offer Europe a pittance to free ourselves, whilst they want billions more. All the while, markets, currency and certainly our business'es wonder when we are going to get a firm and a clear and certain way forward.
No wonder the man in the street is utterly confused, for if a writer of fiction had laid out the shambles of the past 18 months as a plot line for a novel...no one would believe them!
