I have recently been approached by two readers who have asked me to be less pessimistic, my reply is that I am merely realistic. But spurred by the criticism I thought I would look at an article by Sir Iain Duncan Smith in yesterday’s Sunday Telegraph.
Sir Ian is the head of the new Taskforce for Innovation and Growth through Regulatory Reform, which has been set up to allow British business to take advantage of the freedoms that Brexit has won. The article is full of nice phrases, “allow our nascent business….. to thrive”, “a new approach to over-complicated regulation emanating from the EU”, “an opportunity to be nimble and focus on SMEs”.
But there is not one single concrete proposal, it is to be fair only 5 years since the UK voted to leave and 28 years since the founding of UKIP. The last time I read a something similar it was from the ERG telling the Treasury to find ways to cut red tape, now that they had been set free. Which makes me think the Brexiteers have been involved in a grand crusade, but now they have vanquished the enemy, they discover they have no specific idea what to actually do. Remember HM Treasury did a full report into the benefits and costs of Brexit. Better regulation and cutting red tape would, it found, boost the British economy by 0.1%, leaving the Single Market would cost the economy more than 5%, much of it because of more red tape. If that was Project Fear, then all we need is a list of the obvious and easy changes that couldn’t be achieved while in the EU, which will add another 5% to the British economy. Which would, of course, make the UK no better off, just the same as before Brexit.
There you go, that’s me being optimistic, I hope it has cheered you up, back to usual tomorrow.
Brilliant! But for your own mental health you really should avoid reading the Telegraph (in all its manifestations), and the Mail, Express ... - and especially don't read a single syllable of any of the nonsense from IDS. This was and remains about who runs (and backs) the Tory party and to what philosophy, not about what's best for Britain or its business - and we all know what BoJo thinks about business ... Do keep on truckin' - we need calm, sensible, realistic voices amongst all the crap.
Lol - Well Jonty you made me laugh! They tell me I'm pessimistic. Pretty much unsurprisingly we have been focused on escaping the EU and not what life will look like after the EU. But now we know what life is like for a month it is easier to plan and focus on solutions. I'd rather have a pro-business Tory government than an anti-business one.
It is fortuitous that Covid has happened as it has bought us time to think and for Brexit not to be the sole target of any ire. If IDS needs to have some help give me a shout