One of David Davis's top advisers resigned last week saying that the whole Brexit negotiations were a complete shambles? Well, as Mr. Dylan once said, 'you don't need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind blows,' ask any man in the street, no matter how they voted, they could have told you that?
What is going wrong?
Well, everything really. We are almost 15 months down the line since we opted out of Europe and still, there is utter confusion about what is actually going to happen. Even the EU negotiators say that we are nowhere near the point we should be at, which means that we have not even begun to negotiate as yet.
At least after a summer of infighting, the Government appears to be rallying around Davis and making some tentative plans, even if they are all terribly wrong.
What's up?
Well, let's just take today, Tuesday, August 15th. Mr Davis has set out a temporary customs deal as an interim step before we finally leave Europe, saying that an interim Trade Deal lasting perhaps two or three years would be in everyone's interest. Exactly whose Mr Davis or is it because you have not done your job properly. He also offered stream-lined borders and frictionless trade, forgetting of course that if no trade deal is struck we will have to slap VAT and huge customs duties on any goods entering the country. Having not even begun to negotiate the bare bones of the 'divorce bill' and the figure for the settlement of any final bill, one European negotiator muttered that the UK was living in a world of fantasy.
One thing that Britain has certainly not realised is that the sheer logistical cost and effort to set this all up should have started on day one.Still, the huge problem of Northern Ireland has not been fully explored. How will the borders be maintained, what restrictions will be placed on them and how will the whole thing be policed?
Even when cornered on Radio 4's Today Programme and confronted with the damning facts Mr. Davis insisted that everything was going incredibly well. He seemed a little short on answers when told that the EU has insisted that they will not talk regarding anything further until the initial points have been agreed on. Seems fair enough logic to everyone apart from our own politicians!
Every four years we go to the polls and vote for a Government of well-informed, intelligent experts, who are surrounded by those civil-servants who help them do their job to the best of their abilities. Then again, probably not, or we would not be in the mess we are all sliding into?
