"I have never welcomed the weakening of family ties by politics or pressure" - Nelson Mandela.
"He who travels for love finds a thousand miles no longer than one" - Japanese proverb.
"Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence." - Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
"When people's love is divided by law, it is the law that needs to change". -
David Cameron.

Thursday 8 February 2018

Brexit and its impact on UK regions

Brexit and its impact on UK regions

It's official.  There is no region in the UK that will not be worse off as a result of Brexit.
Source: Twitter
What is disappointing, thought not surprising, is the Tories are scrambling over each other to refute these figures - despite that they are the result of analysis undertaken by multiple government departments - which incidentally one of their own stood up in parliament and liked about.  

The latest on this heard from Downing Street is that the figures above are actually 'provisional'.  Fair enough.  That leaves open the possibility though that the impact from UK leaving the EU might actually be worse than that modelled when the figures are, um, finalised.

It is a strange irony that those regions which voted Leave are the ones likely to be worse off.

What the above figures can never however capture is the non-monetary value of EU membership.  Our being free to live, work, study and retire in another member state, without going through a complicated or expensive visa process.  The pride that came from knowing we were a part of something bigger and better. Not perfect - but definitely better.  That so many are losing their status as an EU citizen against their will is shameful and something no doubt will be regretted for a lifetime.

There is a case going to the courts on this last issue - can our citizenship rights be stripped from us without our consent? Worth keeping an eye on this.

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