Be honest on Brexit Politicians need a shared trust

CURIOUS beast, trust. It’s at an all-time low in politicians. And in journalists, come to that.

So if you have i ssues with one writing about the other, I quite understand. Yet trust in people we’ve never clapped eyes on is at an all-time high. Curiouser and curiouser.

We trust strangers with our money on eBay, with our homes on Airbnb and with our hearts on dating websites.

This trust in technology has led to blind faith in machines to get us around safely and soon we’ll put our lives at the mercy of selfdriving cars.

We used to look people in the eye to make snap judgments on whether they’re wrong ’uns.

Nightmare

It takes a second, enough for feelgood chemicals to flood our bloodstreams if they pass the test.

Trust is the bridge between the known and unknown, but the internet has turned it on its head.

We now trust it to vet individuals and i nstitutions on our behalf.

Airbnb has an entire department run by an ex-CIA man devoted to it, checking if customers are on terrorist wanted lists so you can be assured a suicide bomber isn’t about to bed down on your sofa.

And we rely on the opinions of others to book holidays and hotels by reading their reviews.

Trust is what’s lacking in the Brexit nightmare. The DUP’s Arlene Foster doesn’t trust Theresa May, Dublin is suspicious of the DUP, no one trusts the EU, or believes a word slippery swagger stick David Davis says.

To get a deal that has to change. It means forgetting about keeping our negotiating position under wraps and showing Michel Barnier our hand – being open about exactly what we want from the EU when we leave it.

When we opted for Brexit last year it was a leap of faith. Who knew about the Irish border, the £39billion divorce bill, or what awaited EU citizens here or Brits in Europe? That has occupied so much time in Phase One of talks that we’re only just getting to Phase Two and trade.

It’s a difficult concept for a politician, I know, but honesty might now really be the best policy.