There has been much posturing, many false dawns and plenty manufactured fury over the last many months concerning the negotiation of a deal (or not) to govern the UK’s trade with the world’s biggest and most integrated market which just happens to be on our doorstep, the EU.
But whether it’s a Deal or No Deal, future trading with what is easily our biggest trading partner will become much more difficult following the end of Transition on 31 January. Even the Bank of England, not known for expressing extreme opinions, has said that the hit to the UK economy over the medium term will be worse than that caused by the Covid pandemic.
The damage has already been done. For some, that is a price worth paying but not for the majority of Scots, and not, if the polls are to be believed, for the majority across the UK either now.
But regardless, the damage is done. That is the real point. The UK is out of the EU. Relationships have been damaged in the process, and not just trading relationships. The locks on the doors are about to be changed. The weather is growing colder while the UK is outside and is no longer trusted by those who might once have given shelter.
So where do we go from here? How do we rebuild? Well a reasonable place to start might be to better understand what others think about us after all the recent sound and fury. Plenty of uninformed opinion is thrown about every night on TV by “spokesmen” who see mainly an opportunity to further their particular agendas.
Is it time to hear from some non-politicians? Real people who live in European cities and who know what is going on in their respective countries?
The European Movement in Scotland certainly thinks so and is organising a webinar on 14th December with experts from Rome, Berlin, Brussels and Edinburgh to explore how Europeans now think about the UK and Scotland.
You can find out more at www.euromovescotland.org.uk
24
0
20
