Publish and be damned
The airwaves are silent on the subject of Brexit, neither major party wants to bother with it; but after the election it will be a different matter.
One of the best ways of boosting growth would be to negotiate a rapprochement with Brussels. The Labour party could do that, the Tory party never could. Even if Labour does start talks the remnants of the Tory party, allied with Remain will scream treason.
But then those doing just that will, in large part, have been members of a government that has negotiated and introduced the current Brexit deal. Furthermore their civil servants must have done cost/benefit analysis of the Brexit deal and how it was working. It is what they do.
Now, call me a cynic, but if any of this analysis had pointed to a Brexit benefit it would have been published and publicised, ministers would have shouted the news from the roof tops.
After all when new trade deals have been announced, the ministers have had the numbers at their finger tips on just how much the deal will add to UK wealth, it is always minuscule but they do have the figures. So surely there are the figures for how much leaving the Single Market has cost?
So, the obvious answer is either for a new government to publish the existing research or if the mandarins drag their feet, to just commission new research pronto.
The first rule of policy making is to check your facts and implement policy accordingly. Something that has been lacking for quite some time under the current government. Which might explain why they are so deeply unpopular.
But starting a new administration allows for a fresh start, just basing policy on facts would be a vast improvement. Those facts are out there, they are well known, they have been collected and checked and double checked by think tanks, research organisations and academics. The EU knows what the facts are as do the governments’ of its member states, they collect data too.
If we are going to even have the vaguest, backroom, off the record, exploratory chat with the EU, we will have to be honest and well informed. Because they will be.
They know full well what a disaster Brexit has been for us and how much it has cost them too; they also know we need them far more than they need us.
So publish and be damned by the far right, it will be a badge of honour.
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
By Jonty Bloom Media
Fingers crossed this will happen, it’s been a long time since we had rational, responsible Gvt!
We must bear in mind that the EU continues to have a permanently restrictive monetary policy and Britain has a damaged economy. Rejoining the single market means greatly restricitng public spending just when the economy needs public investment. It is also true that its difficult to see what growth model the UK is now going to adopt to attract investment now that we have cut ourselves off from Europe. We are in a real bind and we have to recognise that there is no easy BIG answer. More likely it will be a process of small incremental change and the hope that the Tories don't get elected for
15 years in time to wreck it.