We should quit now and sort out details later

THE great Brexit debate is finally under way with politicians having a field day at taxpayers’ expense.

It will be very difficult to get consensus, but one thing is certain – Brexit will happen.

The real problem that the United Kingdom faces is getting the other 27 member states of the EU to agree, for each has a veto.

It’s one of the reasons I believe the EU in its present form is doomed. Economic strains are already telling and, it has to be remembered that the Greek problem has never been solved.

One of the major difficulties that the unelected bureaucrats of Brussels have is that, if they get negotiations wrong and the UK is seen to prosper, it is inevitable that other nations will wish to quit, Denmark, Holland and Italy being among the first three.

Even in France, the 35-hour-aweek nation, there is a strong movement to be free of Brussels shackles. France quitting would quickly accelerate the break-up of the EU.

But even if this occurs, we will still be trading with each other. Perhaps the original Edward Heath concept of Europe as a trading organisation might actually happen.

Today’s problems are a direct result of politicians with different agendas getting away with modifying the trading concept into one gigantic European legislative organisation.

At the end of next month, Article 50 will be triggered, and the real negotiations will begin, but the likelihood of agreement seems to be pretty slim.

With 27 nations having separate agendas coupled with ideas that unelected and powerful European bureaucrats will wish to impose to preserve their empires, could prove insurmountable.

Of course, with Britain leaving, they will not have so much money to play with, so there could be austerity and even redundancy amongst their ranks. What a dreadful thought.

Seeing this mass of hostility ranged against us, surely the cost-effective course of action would be to quit on April 1, falling back temporarily on World Trade Organisation rules until commonsense prevails and sensible agreements made. After all, Euroland sends more goods to us than we to them. Russell Luckock is chairman of Birmingham pressings

firm AE Harris