The Brexit Iceberg is Unavoidable or is it?

I’m happy to say publicly that I voted remain and for good old fashioned reasons: my business dealt with European suppliers, Malta is my corporate base and, most important, my husband / best friend of 21-years is French.

The arguments laid out by both sides in the run up to the referendum were designed for the lowest common denominator of polarising bullshit rather than focusing on the key points that really mattered. However, that was then and there is no point or value in reviving those bitterly stupid sound bites and raking over the coals.

The point now is that on my husband Fabien’s next Birthday, Brexit - Deal or no Deal - takes affect. That’s in less than twenty weeks by my count.

I now find myself at an astonishingly awkward place mentally on the subject of the potential of a second referendum. The principle of it is fundamentally wrong as it would create an appalling precedent. However, we all know now that we were lied to by both sides, but I s that enough of an excuse given the recent history of lies in politics over expenses, Iraq etc. etc. i.e. it’s nothing new?

The EU is not in good shape from this point of view either and the corruption and lies in their own back yard are equally horrendous. It’s an open secret that a certain major German Bank is supremely bust, that Italy is on the brink of financial implosion and that the ECB has been mopping up junk for so long I suspect they don’t know what constitutes. 

Taking into account our rebate (negotiated by Mrs Thatcher) the UK is the third largest contributor to the EU coffers so it surely cannot be denied that without our membership fees the financial stability in the EU could potentially fracture catastrophically.

Common sense therefore must prevail from all sides of the debate. I would absolutely support a second referendum if two absolute cast iron commitments were given by the EU27:- 

1) that if the vote held was to remain that the U.K. would be able to return to the fold with all rights intact as before effectively hitting a reset switch. 

2) that the EU itself opened the door to reform i.e. no unelected officials, no heinous wastage like moving the European Parliament from Brussels to Strasbourg one a month for £135m per annum and a sensible review of the Schengen rules - even thought neither the Republic of Ireland nor the U.K. are part of it.

If the EU rejects one or other of these points then it demonstrates to me that a mutually agreeable and beneficial Brexit deal is DEAD!

So it becomes the lesser of two evils: terrible deal Brexit or no deal Brexit. 

I have come to the painful decision that if there is no willingness on the side of the EU to meet us halfway to unravel the damage already done, then the only course of action is ‘No Deal’

It will take both sides to stop playing chicken with each other and instead play nicely by respecting the people. Do that and we can avoid the Brexit Iceberg as well as the potential collapse of the EU as it is now.

Let’s pray that sensible minded leaders quickly come forward and make themselves known!