Sorry state of affairs may only worsen

It may only have been added to the collective lexicon fairly recently, but it would be interesting to know how many times the word “Brexit” has been uttered or printed in the last two years or so.

Whether you voted leave or remain, it is impossible not to be astonished by the apparent confusion that has shrouded every avenue of the tortured negotiations behind Britain’s imminent withdrawal from the EU.

Be it a government so utterly convinced the result would go one way they were left completely unprepared when the public voted the other, or an opposition party apparently unable to make its mind up what it wants, one can barely describe the whole affair thus far as anything other than a shambles.

Everyday has brought fresh warnings over potential consequences but there has been precious little in the way of tangible developments.

Now, however, a Fife group established to deliver aid to refugees has revealed it is to cease donations to Europe over Brexit fears.

It is a rather depressing state of affairs and one wonders if it represents merely the thin end of the wedge.

There are now fewer than six months to go until the UK’s departure.

Negotiations will have to be significantly stepped up if similar stories of woe are to be avoided in the crucial weeks and months to come.