David Davis admits the Government has done no impact assessments - Brexit

OK so he was either lying or being extremely economical with the truth earlier this year (on the Andrew Marr show, I think) when he said the assessments were being made, or he is lying now. Either way he’s a liar.

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How does he still have a job? He’s a liar at worst or incompetent at best. I despair at the path this government is taking. What a terrible mess the UK is in.

If there was any sort of real opposition then they wouldn’t get away with it.

Not sure whether they are getting away with it; they’re being made to look foolish and incompetent and Labour are pulling ahead in the polls…

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Well I did an impact analysis with our office cleaners the day after the referendum – here is how it went;

They were talking about how they were glad their Brexit Leave votes had won.

Me: so you voted leave?

Them: Yes

Me: had you thought about how that might pan out in the longer term?

Them: How do you mean?

Me: Well our company imports products to Europe from our manufacturing throughout the East and sells (amongst other places) into Europe. WE can bring these products into UK or Spain offices and sell on, yes?

Them: Yes

Me: And if the UK is outside Europe and in the future has to a) complete extra papers to export to Europe, or b) can no longer fly goods to Europe truck to UK for cheaper non-urgent freight without more paperwork this will put up the cost of our freight forwarders and therefore our costs to our company to come through UK to Europe. The UK becomes more expensive to use as a European hub, yes?

Them: OK, we get that.

Me: So if it becomes more expensive to ship through UK do you think we might choose to ship through Spain where this extra cost burden would not exist – that would save the company the extra cost.

Them: Yes, makes sense.

Me: So can you see that row of desks over there?

Them: Yes.

Me: And that clump of desks there?

Them: Yes

Me: Well those are the people that do all of the international incoming and outgoing trade/freight/sales with Europe and the second group do all of the financials for that trade.

Them: And,

Me: If we don’t do that work in the UK we won’t need people sat at those desks then we certainly wouldn’t want to pay to have empty desks cleaned so we’ll be cutting down on what we pay to our cleaners, oh, that would be you.

Them: Hmmm. Aahhhh. Never really thought about it like that.

Me: There is also a little extra. If those people are now unemployed, they’re not paying tax into the pot in fact they are pulling out of the pot so you will have to pay extra tax on your earnings just to maintain the status quo and keep the NHS just as it is.

Them: Hmmm. Ooops

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Apparently there are shed loads of investors queuing up to invest in the UK after the UK leaves the EU, no one seems to know what they want to invest in, but I’m 100% certain it won’t be the NHS, social care, social housing, infrastructure, education or adult skills training.
The reason why the department for exiting the EU has done no assessments is quite simple, they all live in the fantasy world of need us more than we need them, they will offer us whatever we want.

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And maybe, like our MPs, we should have all made an effort to explain this stuff BEFORE the referendum.

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This does raise something which has been bothering me for a while - we see the rabid Brexiters with their red lines but where are the MPs who supported Remain - why no demands from them?

Apparently cash has been agreed, our future rights have been agreed, problem is the Irish border question.
The big problem with out without a deal is services. The UK has a 60 billion deficit in goods but a 100 billion surplus in services, services are not covered in WTO terms, so leaving without a deal, lose the passporting rights and its an economic catastrophe. My prediction is an out like Norway transitional period which will probably drag on for years

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I still feel with the likes of Farage still foaming on the sidelines like a rabid dog, and his fellow-travellers and foreigner haters Cash, Fox, Johnson, Gove, Redwood, Duncan-Smith etc.,it could end up a ‘walk-away no-deal’ anyway.

Loved the Farage comment on keeping his EU Pension though, ‘Of course, why should my children suffer’. Place the emphasis where you like he is still a hypocrite of massive dimensions.

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What I can’t understand is all the anger from retired Brit’s. Watched question time last night and amazed at how angry a lot of pensioners seem to be with the EU. Seems they are blaming the EU for all the UK government’s failings over the year’s. Uncontrolled immigration, down to inept governance, lack of housing again down to inept governance. Underfunded education, healthcare, social care, infrastructure, again all down to inept governance. Not inept governance on the part of the EU but inept governance by both the Conservatives and the Labour party. Buck stops with them on all of it.

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