There’s a lot in there. In no particular order...
1, I’m not seeking to blame the EU if there are short-term acute economic difficulties for the UK. It is the UK that’s seeking to leave after all; not the EU expelling them. All I’m saying is that if part of the EU’s strategy is to inflict stark economic hardship on a leaving state in order to deter others from following suit, then shame on them.
2, Yes, in my opinion May’s exit plan was a better outcome than no deal, to the extent that I understood the minutiae of her proposal. I’m with the lovely Miss Caroline Flint, however, in that we must honour the outcome of the referendum and leave. The shame sits with the MPs of all liveries for forcing us down the no deal route in their pathetic and undemocratic attempts to reverse the (slim, but no less a) majority opinion of the electorate. I know the response to this from you, Oslo, Watford etc. so let’s not bother, eh?
3, Even with the prospect of lower tax revenues and a deficit to reduce a few years ago it was still the view of them in the red corner that we should spend our way out with infrastructure projects and the like. Now I’d imagine that policy doesn’t sit well with the current argument so is abandoned?
4, We have no idea whether there’d be an immediate downturn or not. There might be a honeymoon period of rising prosperity for all we know. If I was in government right now I’d be sucking up to the Yanks, Japs, Indians and (maybe the) Chinese etc. to create the right environment for their inward investment. I’d be prepared to offer tax incentives in return for jobs, which themselves will swell the tax coffers with PAYE, NIC and VAT as spending in the economy is always the key. How hard can it be when you’re Eton/Oxbridge educated and running a show that’s unencumbered by European red tape and protocol to drum up deals that deliver this? Of course, we’ll shape some deals well and some not so, but put an expiry date, caveats and parameters on such things and you’re away. Christ, I could do these and I was educated in a bucket of horse ****!
5, It wasn’t just Tory Brexitremists (good one!) that scuppered May’s deal. Corbyn’s Commissars have taken three years to declare where they think they are in the whole shooting match, and that was just a shameless ‘about turn’ to win votes back from the Nambies after recent electoral mailings. Very strange, seeing that the blue collar heartlands that used to pay their wages voted to leave. Further evidence, should any be needed, that they’ve abandoned these heartlands and are very much in the thrall of the Islington Champagne Socialist Brigade.
6, Back to ‘can do’. We all know that influential people talking doom & gloom becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s a nice lazy way for political and economic commentators to appear to be authorities on their subjects. If there was more positivity about this we’d fare much better. Talk us down continuously on the telly and people get frightened, batten down the hatches and, sure as eggs is eggs, you get the worst possible outcome. Sadly, you can’t run two realities and fast forward to assess their respective outcomes, but just because one decision is less certain than the other doesn’t mean it’s outcome is likely to be worse.
