Six years on, the cold reality of Brexit is hitting Britain
Reading about Brexit and its emerging realities on the sixth anniversary of the UK voting to leave the EU (Brexit is making cost of living crisis worse, new study claims, 22 June), I was reminded of the Hans Christian Andersen story The Emperor’s New Clothes. Here, the weavers persisted with the lie that they were creating the most fantastic set of clothes for the emperor. He believed them, despite the fact that there was no evidence of their existence. So certain was he of this false narrative that he led a public procession celebrating their wearing, only for a child to say: “He’s got nothing on.”
As Covid drifts away, along with the other excuses touted by the Brexit brethren, the businesses, farmers, fishers and scientists of Britain are now realising the horrible truth: Brexit was a fraud of giant proportions. Disconnecting from its neighbouring and biggest trading partner was always foolish and, in economic terms, suicidal.
The weavers of Brexit convinced voters that they would get their sovereignty back, even though they never lost it. They spun stories of incredible wealth generated from all sorts of magic trade deals, even though former British leaders such as Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher were exponents of a Europe that would make trade its central theme and that, along with a suite of rights-based initiatives based on proper human values, would outlaw war from within for future generations.
At least the emperor finally realised his folly. It’s time the British people realised the same sooner rather than later.Séamus BolandBallycumber, County Offaly, Ireland
On the sixth anniversary of the Brexit vote, a reminder of some of the points made by the Vote Leave campaign: If we vote leave, we can create a
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