Bitter Belated Brexit Blues

The first time that I had an opportunity to vote was in 1975 on the EEC. At that time I was a bit younger, far less wiser and may be not quite as cynical. The issue as far as I was concerned was fishing. I was used to the bay filling up with Frenchie Crapoos when the weather was poor. We even did some trade, various items were exchanged for canifs, very good home made ones et vino which was not my choice. I remember one of my trades was a gallon of paraffin, requested, collected from Fisherman's Co-op and scullied back out in a punt.

The French fishermen always struck me as to be not terribly well off but pleasant enough. Once we joined the very first thing we gave away was our fishing rights. It doesn't take a genius to see the result. Look on AIS and nearly every boat fishing from Start Point to the Smalls is from Roscoff, Concarneau, Duarnanez et al. Those ports pretty close to each other seem prosperous and their boats look state of the art. Their old boats adorn roundabouts. Our old boats are still in use, yes there's a few new ones but no where near as many as in France. Spain tells another story. I have watched Spanish fishermen land fish so small that they're hard to recognise. I once saw a box of monk being landed and each fish would have comfortably sat on a swan vesta box.

The 2016 referendum saw my vote cast in the same way and for the same reason because it seems to me that if the unelected autocrats pass a law we follow it to the letter, mainland Europe think about it and carry on as they always have done.

I am still disgusted at how our government was instructed to prosecute a few market traders who continued to mark fruit and veg in lbs and ozs. It sums up for me the iniquity and inequity of the EEC which became inexorably worse and politically ever more distant, undemocratic and ever more authoritarian as it morphed into the EU. Eventually it will become totalitarian because with ever closer union there's nowhere else to end up.

I love Europe, driving around France has been amongst the best drives I've ever had, Spanish beaches and hospitality utterly wonderful but the overriding political self aggrandisement of the EU and the endless promotion of failed minor politicians who end up placed in the highest positions by gift of their peers is abhorrent.

Given the choice I'd be walking this beach again tomorrow and I never did drive over the bridge at Millau.

Thus I was looking forward to the removal of the Union Flag from Brussels and Strasbourg. I even had my wish for a bottle of Italian fizz to be put in the fridge until 2300 last Friday night.

Alas, energy was draining quicker that an unaudited EU budget so at 2130 the bottle was opened, a very small amount put in a glass and sipped but by 2200 I was pilled up and crashed.

I missed it. That for which I had voted twice, the moment of sovereignty regained, the responsibility of our parliament to us who vote for or against them restored, the symbol of our nation removed from an aspirant imperious institution. I missed it.

However, in all honesty I haven't noticed any difference, but the crash promised by George Osborne immediately after the referendum, WW3 breaking out, the sky falling in, Cameron's dishonesty and Carneys pessimism is long forgotten. Indeed since Jeff Randall went off to play at racehorses I've never heard a sensible economist but I guess that none of them know what's going to happen either so they invariably spout pessimism on the off chance that they can come back to gloat and tell us they told us so but I think that the real reason for their pessimism lies in the media. Our media which will never expend effort to tell a good story when they can scare us silly. Or try to. Fortunately there is evidence to suggest that increasing numbers pay no attention  to them.

I'm glad the beginning is over because I'm optimistic for what comes next and even if it isn't quite what we think it might be we can vote this crowd out and another lot in which is more than any in EU land can do to any of their commissioners.