25 days to go

Morning Mugs

25 days to go then. Brexit looms large and there is still no deal on the table. If we crash out with no deal then the economy is forecast to tank by 9%. Put that into context, the 2008 recession caused it to drop by just under 2%. Expect bad things. Lorries queueing at the ports. The cessation of the transport of medicines and chemicals and many other specially licensed goods. Services of course, such as lots of finance will be on its arse as various licences to trade cease. Eurostar, the shuttle and air travel will be disrupted. And of course we have the irish border issue. I rediscovered my Irish roots recently. My mum was Irish and so I took advantage of this and got my Irish passport at the end of 2017. I've not used my UK one since and the chances are I won't even bother renewing it. Right now I truly hope the UK gets broken up, that Ireland reunifies and Scotland goes its own way. Why is one Union entered into voluntarily a bad union, but another forged by force a good one? 

The truth is I'm not sure I want much to do with a country so seemingly willing to believe the lies of Farage and Rees-Mogg etc, a country of people that denied the 16 year olds a vote and then told them they were doing it for their best. How fucking patronising is that? A country that decided it's now citizens abroad a vote on an issue directly affecting them? A country that is about to give up the single biggest freedom - the right to live and work in 27 other countries - on the sword of a non-existent immigration issue, stoked by the fear factor racist right wing press. When did this country ever remove such a wide ranging human right in its entire existence? There is so much wrong with the UK, I'm now rather hoping everything is worse than the alleged 'Project Fear' forecast. In a sadisitc way I hope the very people who were told it would impact them the most find themselves impacted the most. I want to hear the hollow calls of how unfair further austerity is on them, how they are even poorer, how they can't get medicines they need as quickly as before. I really and rather childishly want to be able to say

'We told you so'. 

Even though there's every chance I could be impacted by this. I have some vague plans ready but who knows how things will impact everyone. I do wonder, for example, how the banks are fixed for the mass mortgage, loan and credit card defaults that might be heading their way. What if a civil disobedience movement occurs, where people refuse to pay for fuel, debts etc en masse? Could we really be heading for a form of martial law? Riots on the streets? Civil War? 

It may not go that far, but one thing is for certain, this country is divided like never before and those divisions will not be healed in my lifetime, and maybe not in my children lifetime. How incredibly sad and how easily avoidable ll of this mess was. But one good thing right come of it.....the death of the party system in this country, and with it the death of career politicians, first past the post electoral system, an unelected second house and the Conservative party who have acted in their own interests ahead of the nations. Scant compensation I know, but maybe the start of something new that makes society fairer and more representative. 

Later Mugs