It was
always going to be a disaster. Queues of HGVs stretching miles from Dover. The
Good Friday Agreement threatened by the controversial Northern Ireland
Protocol. Increased support for Scottish Independence. The promised lands of
lucrative new trading partnerships exposed as nothing but carbon copies of
pre-existing EU deals (with Australia the only exception). The livelihoods of
fishermen, farmers, and small business owners threatened by extra costs and
paperwork. All this, and we have yet to feel the long-term economic damage of
leaving the EU, which the Office of Budget Responsibility predicts will cause a
4 per cent reduction to GDP. A recent poll shows that a majority of British
people believe we are worse off having left the EU. Clearly, Brexit was a
mistake.
That’s the argument of the doomsters in this debate. But
others claim that while short-term damage is inevitable – there is always
blowback from a jilted partner – Brexit is a long-term project, one that is
tied to the fundamental principle of sovereignty. The Referendum result was not
just a reflection of disgruntlement with out-of-touch elites or the falsehoods
of the Leave campaign, but a direct consequence of the EU’s failings. Instead
of unaccountable bureaucrats in Brussels, we should put our faith in the idea
of the nation state – the best vehicle for democracy. Granted, our trade with
our neighbours is reduced, but that was a political choice, and the bulk of
Britain’s economic activity is domestic. There are plenty of opportunities for
success outside the shackles of EU regulation – what better indicator than the
speed of the vaccine roll-out, which far outstripped that of other EU
countries? If we sit tight and play to our strengths as a country, we will reap
the rewards.
Which side is right?
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