Opinion

I found David Davis's article on his economic strategy for Brexit to be quite illuminating. Here it is: http://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2016/07/david-davis-trade-deals-tax-cuts-and-taking-time-before-triggering-article-50-a-brexit-economic-strategy-for-britain.html The main points are as follows: 1) Britain should start making trade negotiations now 2) We should sound out the EU prior to invoking Article 50 3) We should invoke Article 50 when we're good and ready (e.g. by year end) 4) The EU will in all likelihood yield to our demands to access the single market 5) We should be prepared to walk away from the EU (to WTO rules) 6) Many trade deals can be in place within 2 years. 7) Our long term future is rosier outside of the EU. Another source of (quite blunt) views on Brexit come in the comments sections of The Express, and other tabloids who have been feeding their readers all sorts of anti-EU pro-Brexit stories which have stoked up their readership in...

Article 50 (A50) represents the point of no return, where the UK formally announces that it is withdrawing from the EU. The real point of no return was of course the referendum result, but A50 represents the next milestone in the Brexit process. Those calling for an early A50 argue that there is no benefit to delaying, as this just adds uncertainty and delays the entire process and inevitable recovery. They (mainly Leavers) don't want the referendum result annulled. Those who want to delay A50 say that we need time to prepare (not least, set up a new department for Brexit), and entertain the notion of pre-negotiations, as well as buying time to set up trade deals elsewhere in the world. The EU is very clear that there can be no exit negotiations until Article 50 has been triggered, and it looks very unwilling to compromise. The markets have taken the Brexit vote relatively calmly, and so far it's been very smooth going. This is because nothing has actually happened yet, and wo...

The trouble with an in/out referendum is that there are many different issues which all get conflated into one binary decision. It’s a bit like voting for Labour/Conservative, when you may not agree with everything one particular party does. It would be utterly wrong to paint the majority of Leavers as racists. Although I voted Remain myself, it is important to understand and respect the people who voted Leave. There are some very good, and very valid reasons for voting Leave: We do not agree that the United States of Europe is the right direction for Europe, and we do not want to be part of it. Further integration is undesirable.  The European project is doomed to failure, perhaps by a debt crisis. Best just to leave a sinking ship.  We have no control over our borders, either from Eastern Europeans, Turkey, or from other migrant crises from Syria.  Our sense of identity is fundamentally British, not European.  We have our own values, which are distinct fro...