Discuss trade terms first

IF only we had a defined and updated Constitution and a constitutional court to enforce it we should not be in this utter mess over Brexit.

There would be no room for saying, “It was only advisory”, the government would have had no shuffle room for wasting time on those months of pointless discussions with Michel Barnier and Theresa May would not have been able to try to act like a President or head of state and sign that silly and irrelevant “agreement”.

We have a long history of international bad feeling and even wars because our Foreign Office and successive governments have never been willing to make it clear our firm position on vital points, there is always a fudge that leads to understandings and avoidable trouble.

We should have insisted on discussing future trade terms – free trade or tariffs – first, before anything else, because everything else hangs on that. The Irish border in particular will be any difficulty only if we have a trade war. Generally it is in the interests of both sides to avoid tariffs, though of course there will be many special cases and points of detail to be agreed, making the Irish border a very minor issue.

Let’s urge our MPS to use some common sense at last, to disown that unauthorised agreement, to ask the EU to get down to real negotiation on terms of trade and make it clear that we leave in March with no possibility of delay. They are bound to have a fallback position agreed and it should not take more than a week or two to get a genuine settlement if people are businesslike and straightforward.

DC SAGE Penclawdd, Swansea