Why I continue to write about Brexit nearly a decade after the referendum |
So why am I still writing about Brexit?
Business Editor Ian McConnell offers his views on why this topic is so crucial as we look forward.
Before getting to what Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had to say about putting “Britain at the heart of Europe”, I would like to take a step back to explain something.
Sometimes I am asked, on occasion politely and sometimes not, about why I continue to write about Brexit.
There is no doubt this query oftentimes comes from the politically motivated and we should not underestimate the degree to which some people - die-hard Brexiters and more moderate people who clearly do not appreciate the issue being raised - would like silence on it.
I have even had discussions with people where I mention the economic damage of Brexit and they immediately start diatribes about the Scottish Government, in what on occasion amounts to breathtaking deflection.
Yes, the SNP has stuck steadfastly with its view that European Union membership is a good thing.
However, it is surely difficult to argue this is not an entirely rational stance - just look at the economic damage caused by Brexit.
It is also worth observing the Scottish Liberal Democrats, on the other side of the constitutional divide from the SNP, also highlighted the grim effects of Brexit in their manifesto for the Holyrood election.
They declared: “The botched Brexit deal - pushed by Nigel Farage and delivered by the Conservatives - is making us all worse off and Labour don’t have a plan.”
The crux of the matter, leaving the politics out of things, is there is a huge body of research and expert opinion highlighting colossal damage to the UK economy from Brexit.
Yes, the Brexit vote might have been 10 years ago next month, the UK’s technical departure from the EU in January 2020 and the country’s hard exit from the single market nearly five-and-a-half years ago.
However, it is crucial that people realise the damage is........