The Referendum

Referendum disaster

AN earthquake in the UK takes my attention this week, which has pushed cycling and related transport matters to the back burner.

I refer, of course, to the public referendum  when 17 million UK citizens shocked the world with a demonstration of what many consider an act of twisted political logic and xenophobic madness by voting for the UK to leave the European Union. So  we are bound to ask,  what next can they do for Britain?

They may have  turned their backs to the world and caused some to remark  that we should never underestimate the power of the stupid, but that is to ignore their other qualities.

The migration crisis was clearly their concern. And they are right, the EU has failed to deal with this worsening crisis made worse to their minds no thanks to

a virulent right wing press winding everyone up with its distorted headlines and lies about millions of bad people coming to the UK.

However,  notwithstanding all of that, how can we now put this untapped source of political and economic excellence to further use?

How can we get them to pool their brilliant minds to do the work normally left to the politicians and experts they clearly think incapable.

Such as relieving them of the tiresome business of renegotiating all the deals  EU membership has bestowed on the UK but which will be lost now, thanks to the Leavers.

Where to begin:

Let`s not trouble the Leavers with Chancellor George Osborne’s threat to levy £30bn in benefit cuts - not to mention solving the NHS waiting list crisis by privatising the NHS thereby making it unaffordable for most.

Instead, here a few more mundane issues which may need to be sorted.

1.     How do the Leavers envisage securing around 3.5million British jobs directly linked to British membership of the EU’s single market – that is 1 in 10 British jobs?

2.     How will they  secure the 50 per cent of UK exports to other 27 EU countries – over 300,000 British countries operate in EU markets?

3.     How will the Leavers renegotiate trade agreements with the rest of world which are currently made through the EU?

4.     How will they ensure that British families continue to enjoy lower mobile phone roaming charges, lower credit card fees, cheaper flights and proper compensation when flights are delayed or cancelled – all benefits secured through the EU.

5.     How will they secure the commonly agreed EU environmental standards which have led to improvements in air quality, cleaner rivers and cleaner beaches?

6.  How can the Leavers assure the 1.4 million British people who live abroad in the EU that they may continue to access health care currently available through EU membership? Plus, how will they reassure the 2.9m foreign nationals living and working in the UK that they won`t lose the rights assured them under EU.

7.      How can the Leavers assure  UK students they can still benefit from the European Union’s Erasmus student exchange scheme – over 14,500 UK students did so  in 2012-13 .

8.     How will the Leavers continue to drive their cars when they go to Europe, if the driving licences issued in the UK are no longer valid throughout the EU.

9.     How will the Leavers assure that rights on equal pay for men and women -  enshrined in EU law - will continue under Tory rule?

10.                        How will they renegotiate the European Arrest Warrant which enables the UK to extradite criminals wanted in other EU countries?

That’s enough home work to be going on.