Despite the Conservative’s incompetence on the domestic front at least they have proved one thing; that there is no workable solution to Brexit that gives us what they promised.
That was the words of The New European editor Matt Kelly following the latest round of talks where even a watered-down Chequers proposal was knocked back by the union who remained characteristically stoic in Salzburg this week.
The pound plummeted as May delivered a speech saying the UK “cannot accept anything that does not respect the result of the referendum”, fully in the knowledge that the promises set forth in the referendum are, inevitably, undeliverable.
As Kelly said, “There is no workable solution to Brexit that gives us what they promised.
“Absolute sovereignty, total control of our borders, freedom from the European Court of Justice, continued frictionless access to our biggest trading partner and the ability to make independent trade deals with whomever we choose”.
And he could go on.
The list of undeliverable promises set forth in the referendum campaign that now lay dormant in the latest rounds of talks should leave people at either side of the debate aggrieved.
David Davis’s promise that there will be no downsides to Brexit has since been debunked on numerous occasions. Even by the man himself, once, when he claimed he always said the negotiations will be “tough, complex and at times confrontational”.
The debate around free movement also seems to have stalled despite many prominent Brexiteers saying it will end in March 2019. What was once a key sticking point for most Leavers has been watered down so much it is almost unrecognisable from the current agreement, and many new economic deals are being struck with relaxed immigration laws at the heart.
Notions of Britain taking back control of its fisheries, of money getting pumped into the NHS and of frictionless trade being maintained have also been scuppered, which begs the question; why are we still doing this?
Brexit is mortally wounded – it’s time to let it die.