Doom letter

THE Stroud District Green Party ‘doom and gloom’ letter published in the Gazette contributes nothing to the UK Government’s excellent transition negotiations.

Martin Whiteside and Lynne Haanen on behalf of the Stroud District Green Party, are simply trying to scaremonger an ‘extension’ in the blind belief that we could still remain in the undemocratic failing EU.

As Minister for the Cabinet, Michael Gove in his transition speech yesterday reaffirmed in Parliament: “On 31 January this year, Mr Speaker, the United Kingdom left the European Union. And last month we confirmed to our European Union partners there would be no extension of the transition period beyond 31 December. My counterpart as co-chair of the Joint Committee confirmed that this marked a ‘definite conclusion’ to the matter and the deadline for extension has now passed. As a consequence, from 1 January 2021 we will embark on the next chapter in our history as a fully independent United Kingdom.”

For the majority of the UK population this is a welcome decisive, crystal clear and unequivocal confirmation.

We are leaving the undemocratic self-serving EU.

It is a facile suggestion to extend the Brexit negotiations as it would immediately weaken the UK’s position in the eyes of EU arbiters.

The public have had enough delays over the last four years.

Enough of moaning Remainers, biased media, parliamentary vacillation, distortion and distraction – all driven by the insidious blinkered EU leaders, Marxist Labour opposition, ineffective Liberals and dictatorial Scottish nationalists.

That is why the Conservative Government was finally voted in.

However, we are also in a long term global war against the awful Coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic, the PM and his Cabinet and our excellent Civil Service need everyone’s trust, support and encouragement. Whatever your political beliefs, social status, ethnic group we must positively support our government in power to survive.

To the majority of people who have sold goods or services, negotiated agreements and deals, especially in business, it is a proven essential to keep a ‘no-deal’ option clearly on the table, as a tangible possibility. That stated, a UK/EU Brexit no-deal should be the last option, but it may be the only way to allow the UK to start globally trading immediately in January 2021. Even without a ‘deal’, we can trade immediately with the rest of the world under the WTO terms of agreement.

The UK government website positively confirms that we have ready-to-go ‘new trade agreements’ lined up around the world. It encouragingly shows lists and specific signed-agreements with at least twenty countries globally; and established ‘ongoing engagements’ with another nineteen. So small and large businesses and employees alike should not be afraid of the future, but should take heart and prepare for the inevitable changes that will take place after Brexit and through the ‘pandemic to vaccine’ period. I believe that all EU member countries will want to continue to sell us goods and buy British products after Brexit. We can accommodate and handle this independently, as we always have in the past. Please do not listen to the scaremongers! We will stay friends with all our neighbours and all civilised global countries to rapidly form more trade agreements that suit every individual sovereign state.

It is time to be confident and trust our nation’s experts and negotiators.

Our world leading British planners and implementers are already managing all aspects and complexities of leaving the EU. The UK Government has been diligently preparing for a smooth Brexit for years since the referendum. In addition to the Prime Minister and his 22-strong Cabinet and over 25,000 dedicated civil servants work on Brexit.

The total number of staff in our excellent UK Civil Service has tripled since the summer of 2018, and through last year’s international index of International Civil Service Effectiveness (InCiSE), the British civil service was rated as the best the world against 38 other countries. We are the best and should shout it loud!

Shame on the Stroud District Green Party.

It is an unpatriotic and thoughtless low-blow to frighten the public by highlighting the deadly realities of the global pandemic, to undermine and further pressurise the UK Government that are working with Churchillian commitment 24-hours a day to steer the UK back into calmer waters.

Philip Maynard

Retired British optimist

Dursley