May’s hard Brexit obsession is bordering on insanity
THIS week Theresa May and her Government are seeking to take another step closer to a hard Brexit, doubling down on her commitment to leaving the European Union next year, without any customs union in place.
This reckless approach increasingly flies in the face public opinion, with poll after opinion poll indicating that most people believe we are better off as members of both the customs union and single market.
The reality of crashing out of the EU is hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk across the UK. Jobs put at risk by the very Government who are supposed to support them. Not only does the Government position endanger the livelihoods of so many workers, it also threatens a frictionless border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Last week, the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement was widely celebrated. This week, the UK Government is set to rip it apart. Anyone who watched Patrick Kielty’s wonderful documentary “My dad, the peace deal and me” will know how hard fought that agreement was, how fragile peace is and how critical a border-free Ireland is.
When people across the UK went to the polls on the June 23, 2016, the terms on which we would leave the EU weren’t on the ballot paper. Momentum is building behind the calls for a public vote on the final Brexit deal and I’m one of the people backing it.
Give the people the final say on whether the deal being negotiated by the Government is a good or bad one. That’s just taking back control, isn’t it?