The grown ups
The British Chambers of Commerce is calling for a better relationship with the EU, post election. A no brainer that every party could easily agree to? Apparently not. Although Labour is promising to at least try to get on with our largest trading partner, the Tories still have their fingers in their ears and are humming loudly to keep reality at bay.
One of the really interesting aspects is that it seems BCC members thought that post Brexit difficulties would fade and die after time as the system settled in, but that the EU constantly changes its rules and they have to adapt to those new rules or their exports die.
This is called “regulatory divergence by inertia” and it is a huge problem for the UK. Because we have no choice but to accept these rule changes or be banned from selling in the EU, and we have no say whatsoever over what the changes are, how much they cost, whether they suit us or when or even if they are introduced.
This was the very issue that the Norwegian government told me, before the referendum, meant it would be mad for the UK to leave the EU. They were spot on.
Here we are 10 years later and British industry is having to follow someone else’s rules and regulations. So much for the great escape, the bonfire of red tape, the sunlit uplands, Singapore on Thames and all the other sad fantasies of the Brexiteers.
New, truly sovereign Britain, unshackled from the corpse, free to set its own laws, no longer a serf state, Global Britain; has to follow EU laws even though it left 8 years ago and will always have to do that if it wants to keep 50% of its trade going.
Heavens knows how much business has to spend keeping up with the latest directive, satisfying its customers that its goods comply with the latest missive, changing its designs and components and raw materials.
But that is going to keep happening, unless a Westminster government decides to act like sensibly and actually talk to the EU, in a sane, balanced and realistic way.
Labour says it will, the Tories scream treason every time someone thinks of visiting Brussels. Which do you think are the grown ups?
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
By Jonty Bloom Media
And of course these kinds of problems were both foreseeable and foreseen, and were what Theresa May (for all her faults) was trying to avoid, but the ultras kept putting the boot in.
But we hold all the cards