June 7, 2018 12.57 pm This story is over 69 months old

George Smid: Just get on with Brexit

Not knowing what Brexit means leads to more divisions

There is a ‘Brexit fatigue’ malady going around the land. It is affecting Leavers and Remainers alike. The disorder disturbs the mind – whenever the affected person sees, hears or reads anything about Brexit (which is every day) he or she exclaims “for God’s sake get on with it’ – and don’t bother me anymore.

To deal with this disorder is simple. When ‘get on with it’ is exclaimed, a question ‘get on with what?’ should bring the person down to earth. Because, less then 300 days to the intended departure from the EU (29. March 2019) nobody knows what Brexit means. Not knowing what ‘it’ is, we cannot get on with ‘it’.

The cabinet is split into two working groups to evaluate two conflicting scenarios. Neither the government, nor the opposition parties are able to say what ‘getting on with it’ means. Brexit simply means too many things to too many people.

For Brexit supporters, Brexit is the answer to their frustration with NHS, housing, schooling and declining living standards; for some Brexit is the vehicle of their ambitions.

For Brexit refuseniks Brexit is a danger to NHS, social provisions and already causing further decline of living standards — detrimental to exactly the things Brexit was supposed to fix.

For at least one person Brexit means brightly painted ‘Dumbo Jet’ for personal use.

Brexit is, already, diminishing the control of our money (devaluation), control of our laws (Parliament replaced by executive orders) and losing control of our borders (see the proposals for the UK to open its border with no control). This cannot be dismissed as ‘project fear’; this is ‘project real’, it has happened.

The government, the Parliament, the country, the families are divided about the wisdom of Brexit and about the cost and benefits of leaving the EU.

Gone are the simple days of soft Brexit, hard Brexit, no deal Brexit. These days we discuss nitty gritty of custom arrangements, Good Friday agreement, Euratom, Galileo, access to medicals, repatriating criminals, security, supply chains … And we cannot make up our mind on any of these.

Bizarrely, the more complicated issue, the less time allowed – the Withdrawal Bill presented to Parliament has only two days allocated. Talking now about Parliament taking back control is farcical.

We are led by a government which dodges the difficult choices and it is not honest with us.

We know the easiest trade deal in history is not going to happen. But we do not know which trade deal, if any, is going to happen.

We know the UK will be paying £40 billion by October. But we do not know what deal this payment is supposed to secure.

This is hard to accept. Not knowing what Brexit means leads to more divisions.

Is there a way out of this schizophrenic attitude? Can we reconcile Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Can we treat this collective identity disorder? If unity is strength will we fall divided?

We might fall, but we don’t have to. We can come together. How? We need to understand ‘the other half’. We need to build a consensus.

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George Smid is chair of the European Movement East Midlands.