The day of Brexit reckoning is almost upon us

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

By this time next week, the United Kingdom could be in the midst of a preChristmas constitutional crisis.

Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit withdrawal agreement will be voted on in the House of Commons next Tuesday following a week of feverish debate.

It would appear, at this stage, that the deal she has struck with the European Union will not pass with MPs on both Remain and Leave sides angry at what has been produced from the negotiations, believing for various reasons that it is the worst of all worlds.

While the Prime Minister has tried to be pragmatic, the situation the UK faces in terms of following EU law, rules and regulations during the transition phase but not having a say in how and what is drawn up shows that we maybe didn’t realise how good we had it.

Indeed, the UK Government’s own forecasts state that the country will be poorer under any form of Brexit compared with staying in the EU.

And with a no-deal Brexit set to cost the economy almost 10 per cent in GDP over 15 years, according to these documents, driving over a cliff edge on March 29, 2019 is simply not a realistic option.

There is not a Commons majority for anything and deadlock has long since been reached. The past two-andthe a-half years have been a spectacular failure of leadership, negotiating and expectation management. The Westminster Parliament has been reduced to a shadow of its former self. Where once there was gravitas there is now feebleness.

Promises can’t be delivered and their purveyors know it – the day of reckoning is almost upon them all but, also, us.