Eu canny be serious?

by Paul Kavanagh

Away back in 2016, when the world seemed a saner place – which is saying quite a lot because the world was pretty messed up in 2016 – the idea that the UK might crash out of the EU without any deal or with a deal that left us outside of the single market and the customs union was regarded with horror. In Scotland, it was viewed as especially noxious to the body politic, and particularly unacceptable, even to the likes of then Labour in Scotland leader Kezia Dugdale. Now here we are in 2018, facing the very real prospect of crashing out of the EU with no deal, and leaving the single market and customs union is touted as the will of the people by our Westminster rulers.

It’s the worst of the worst nightmares of the Remainers in 2016, who were supported by all the leaders of political parties in Scotland. Even worse, we now know that the campaign was bought by dirty tricks and the flagrant breaking of electoral law by the Leave campaign. The vote was bought by dirty money and outright lies. There are allegations and suspicions of Russian meddling in the campaign. Then after the Leave campaign secured the result that it had longed for for so many decades, we discovered that despite having a lifetime to prepare not only did it not have a Plan B, it had no Plan A. It had not a clue. All it had was a hatred of the EU and all its works.