CSM EDITORIAL
So, some Remainer has leaked the dossier known as Operation Yellowhammer which warns of food and medicine shortages in a no-deal exit. Cabinet minister Michael Gove said it outlined a “worst-case scenario”, that the cross-government study was old and that Brexit planning had accelerated since Boris Johnson became prime minister.
The warnings in the report are not actually that scary. Project Fear seems to have lost its teeth somewhat?
The leaked dossier said leaving the EU without a deal could lead to:
- Fresh food becoming less available and prices rising. Really? Our Ghanaian and Nigerian friends are desperate to provide fresh food to us. Keep some ports open for their produce. Worst case scenario – getting Brexit is worth suffering some tinned produce for a while. The poor Syrians and Venezuelans will be thinking we’re pathetic as they collect grass and trap sparrows so their families can eat.
- A hard Irish border after plans to avoid checks fail, sparking protests. Britain cracked Enigma for God’s sake. Computerising border checks on the Irish border should be a breeze by comparison. The IRA and others will always kick up a fuss and try to portray chaos – that’s what opportunistic cowards do.
- Fuel becoming less available and 2,000 jobs being lost if the government sets petrol import tariffs to 0%, potentially causing two oil refineries to close. Unemployment dropped by 51,000 to 1.29 million and employment increased by 28,000 to a new all-time high of 32.75 million in the three months up to May 2019. 2,000 jobs lost is a mere pinprick. From the latest available data, fuel shortages seem highly unlikely.
- UK patients having to wait longer for medicines, including insulin and flu vaccines. Don’t believe a word of it. Fly them in from the US if necessary.
- A rise in public disorder and community tensions resulting from a shortage of food and drugs. There may be some Black Friday behaviour in certain stores which no doubt Sky and the BBC will pounce on – try Union Street, Plymouth on any Saturday night. Most Brits will just go about their shopping in a normal, British and polite way. Those of us lucky enough to live in the countryside know where to get fresh produce and will not need to fight for it – farmers will be delighted to sell it straight to us.
- Passengers being delayed at EU airports, Eurotunnel and Dover. Many will put off travelling until things have calmed down. WhatsApp and Skype are great.
- Freight disruption at ports lasting up to three months, caused by customs checks, before traffic flow improves to 50-70% of the current rate. No doubt Boris’ Brexit preparations have been focused on this issue. The problem here is that the EU holds many of the key levers, so if they start misbehaving let’s push them to the back of the queue and create priority ports for those importing nations who we can trust and who wish to replace them. If that means we need to build our own cars, so be it – let’s do some deals with Cadillac and Tesla.
Have we become that pathetic as a nation that we cannot arrange – and pay for – trade assistance from friendly nations at a time of change? No. Have we lost our stiff upper lip to such an extent that we are all like whining Remainers Lammy, Adonis and Soubry? No. That seems incredible. Highly unlikely. If true, pathetic.
Deliver Brexit on October 31st, Boris, and watch the British People do what they do best – getting creative, working together to overcome difficulties and giving it some wellie. Whining loss or indomitable spirit? Put your money on the latter. Brexit beckons – bring it on. The alternative is becoming an international embarrassment – opening the door for a Corbyn Government which many of us will never accept, causing far more chaos than that portrayed by the yellows’ Yellowhammer.