We must avert a Titanic fiasco
Finally, it’s becoming very clear what Brexit actually is. It’s a financial and cultural iceberg that has struck HMS UK. It’s not devastating. Yet. But how we respond will decide whether we sink or swim. At the moment, we’re adrift at sea after the captain and the first mate who caused the crash rowed off into sunset in the first lifeboat they could find.
That leaves us with the very petty officers of May, Johnson, Davis and Fox to man the bridge. But instead of steering us to safety, they seem hellbent on finding another iceberg.
In the 100 days after the EU referendum, the water has continued to seep in. Even though we’re still over two years away from leaving, the pound has gone into freefall, almost equalling the euro.
Sterling has lost nearly a fifth of its value against the dollar and is at its weakest since 1848, a year when revolution swept Europe as the people demanded more democracy!
A weak pound may be fine for exports but for a country that imports more than it sells abroad, it’s terrible for businesses, shops – and you.
That means rising prices at home, energy bills going up, extra costs on businesses and holidays abroad becoming more expensive.
Unilever’s bid to slap a 10 per cent increase on its goods like Marmite and Persil is just the beginning.
Since the Brexit vote in June, research by Mintec has shown the wholesale cost of commodities and ingredients has sky-rocketed. Butter prices are up 58 per cent, sugar up 37 per cent, beef by 33 per cent and wheat up 17 per cent.
This will lead to creeping inflation, interest rate rises and more expensive mortgages.
The Resolution Foundation think tank estimates a so-called Hard Brexit could knock about £800 off the wages of low-paid workers – the very people most likely to have voted leave.
All the while, the passengers of HMS UK are running around the decks, blaming each other, not those at the wheel. Those of us who backed remain take no pleasure whatsoever in seeing what’s happening to our great country.
But from the business organisation the CBI to the TUC, all are warning about the perils of May and her henchmen’s determination for a Hard Brexit.
Their plan to leave the Single European Market – which helps support three million UK jobs and generates a quarter of a trillion pounds of trade every year – is like smashing up all the remaining lifeboats!
We all know Brexit is going to happen. The people made a decision and we have to respect that.
But a big reason for the 17million who voted to Leave was to “take back control” from Europe.
Which is why this Government’s refusal to let MPs have a vote on the final terms of Brexit made no sense.
No one voted for May and no one backed a Brutal Brexit that will take the ship down. What we need is an orderly departure.
One that ensures no man, woman, child or business is left to sink. That means allowing companies to still get free trade access to Europe, like Norway does. It’s not perfect but it’s better than letting them drown.
It means significant investment in the UK to boost our transport and infrastructure to make us more productive. This lack of investment under the Tories has led to British workers being a third less productive than their counterparts in the US, Germany and France.
It’s at this time we need Labour to get on to the bridge and start giving advice. Corbyn’s appointment of Sir Keir Starmer, the former Director of Public Prosecutions, as Shadow Brexit Secretary is a very smart move.
Firstly, we have a legal expert who can scrutinise the Government’s Brexit plans. Already he and his team have set 170 big questions that need answering – on the NHS, immigration, business, workers’ rights and consumer protections.
Secondly, Labour is making the case for further investment in infrastructure and transport links. Corbyn’s plan for a National Investment Bank to invest £500billion in these projects will be vital.
We can still stop the UK from sinking. But its clear Mayday isn’t working. That’s why we all need to play a part in drafting, and approving, a rescue plan that saves everyone.
This week my granddaughter woke up after a nightmare. “What’s wrong?” asked her dad. “It’s the clowns, Daddy. Everyone’s been saying they’re coming to our school.” And she’s not alone. These idiots dressing up as “killer clowns”, some with chainsaws, to chase and scare kids, should have the book thrown at them if they’re caught. And if I come across a “killer clown” scaring kids, he’ll have more than a bloody red nose when I finish with him.