The Guardian has guessed right about Brexit all along, so we can trust this editorial
The Guardian view on Brexit bureaucracy: tied up in red tape
Always one to oppose red tape, the Guardian
As the clock runs down [!] to the end of the transition period on 31 December, ministers are no longer bothering to offer the false hope of a relatively frictionless trade agreement with the EU. Even a Canada-style free trade deal will mean a vast infrastructure of compliance and checks: permits for lorry drivers to enter Kent, huge customs clearance centres and tracking apps are all in the mix. The government estimates that, from 2021, there will be over 400m extra customs checks a year on goods going to and from the EU.
The Graun is left only with its final fallback:
As the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has acknowledged, re-litigating Brexit is a pointless exercise. But given the immediate context, the folly of not extending the transition period becomes more apparent with each passing week...As one senior figure in the pharmaceutical industry put it recently, there is a desperate need for “a bit of breathing space” as companies face an unprecedented set of variables and unknowns. But even at a time of national crisis, the theological demands of Brexit continue to trump all practical considerations.
The link goes to a lengthy list of worries in the Pharmaceutical Journal -- the Graun's fiercely independent and talented editorial staff have largely filleted that and added their own bit about how they told us so, and how we must extend transition. I assume all the staff are on holiday.
No comments:
Post a Comment