People need to be switched on to Brexit crisis

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of the East Kilbride News.

There is a six-letter word many people across the United Kingdom are sick and tired of hearing about: Brexit.

However, love it or loathe it, you can’t ignore it – and shouldn’t ignore it.

For Britain leaving the European Union will a major impact on all of our lives for at least a generation.

One news broadcast I watched towards the end of last week included some Brexit commentary from a political correspondent who mentioned live on air that he realised people were tired of listening to the latest moving and shaking on the issue but quickly pointed out that this matters.

And it does. That’s why it gets talked about daily and that’s why we continue to seek the views of our readers which you can find in today’s paper.

There appear to be as many backroom discussions and deals on the go as there are Brexit debates in the House of Commons and, from this observer’s position, the whole thing is an absolute shambles of the highest order.

Instead of stable, sober, pragmatic government in the interests of the nation while respecting the narrow margin of victory produced by the EU Referendum, we have party in-fighting and personal agendas being pursued.

Much is made of the 17.4 million people who voted to Leave but 16m chose to Remain – a figure which includes a majority of voters across Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The deal has to reflect the result of the UK and as the UK voted to Leave, that would have to be honoured, but with a sensible agreement that can bridge the gap and division between both sides.

It’s time for government and MPs to work in the national interest.