The country is a shit show - why is there so little mention of Brexit's role?

[Neonskytonight]

That's it really.

Surely all our woes can't be placed at the door of covid and war - it is a good political narrative, but is it really true?

I'm amazed how little questioning by the media and public there is about the role of Brexit.

The biggest Brexit fan I know has now moved on to independence for England.

You don't understand economics

This is the problem with telling people we don’t need experts. Suddenly anyone can be an economist, without the foggiest idea what they’re talking about.

Mix it in with a bit of English exceptionalism and here we are.

Half of Scotland and half of NI happy to support this.

I am opposed as I would be stuck in England with a bunch of Brexity arseholes.

@lightisnotwhite
But the thicko’s were ok to be part of a huge federation of 28 countries where unknown decisions were made on their behalf by MEP’s that very few could name?Nice. The peasants always need someone in charge right.

It would be very easy to look up European Parliament decisions and your MEPs, are you saying people are to thick to do that?

I think what's become clear is that most of the MPs championing it didn't have a clue either. Even Dominic Cummings said this and Aaron Banks (where's he now, Russia?) said the public didn't have a clue what the SM and CU were and that's why they didn't mention them.

Arron Banks was last heard of with his Russian wife Ekaterina somewhere or other, while suing the journalist Carole Cadwalladr, and possibly (or possibly not) still having his office PO Box address in Douglas, Isle of Man which is (or was) a well-known tax haven. (All evidenced in published mainstream newspaper articles.)

Arron Banks fascinates me, as does why anyone in their right minds would listen to a word he says and take it seriously.

Yes, the thickos needed someone more competent in charge. Not sure what's so out there about that basic fact.

You've done that thing where you bleat on and on with word salad about expensive bureaucracy and unelected MEPs. What exactly were these 'problems' brought about by EU membership that you think will be fixed now?

This is the kind of nonsense that drove people to leave. Eurostat reports euro-area inflation at 8.1% - pretty much the same. Brexit has NOTHING to do with it.

So where are all the benefits from the foreigners having left? Where are all these hardworking Brits earning good money for unskilled labour? Because from where I'm sitting, there are thousands upon thousands of unfilled positions in hospitality, to the point businesses are needing to close most of the week because they can't get the staff. Where are all these hard workers who were apparently only stopped from being successful and wealthy by the pesky foreigners?

Nailed it ..

It's just so frustrating when the info was already out before Brexit about what a mess it would cause, but anyone daring to speak against the Cult got flamed, and now here we are.

Brexit has EVERYTHING to do with it. I despair and wonder what some people have between their ears.

This is the kind of nonsense that drove people to leave. Eurostat reports euro-area inflation at 8.1% - pretty much the same. Brexit has NOTHING to do with it

Every country measures inflation differently but the facts are that by taking us out of the SM and CU, we increased costs for imported goods, including energy.

Most EU countries measure inflation similarly to the RPI, which in the UK is around 11%, significantly higher, even CPI is 9% so still much higher.

Rees Mogg acknowledged this when he refused to apply import checks on EU goods as it would increase the price of goods.

Recently spent 3 weeks in Mallorca, despite prices there always being higher there, we found our overall shop and eating out was less than in the UK, fuel was cheaper based on exchange rate.

Not a lot.

There is a genuine problem with the education in this country. We have a massive underclass who don't value learning or knowledge and a culture that means people almost seem to take pride in being ignorant and thick.

The only European countries with higher inflation than the UK are Poland (not in Eurozone and bordering Ukraine) and the Netherlands. We have the highest inflation rate in the G7. The Bank of America recently compared the Pound to an emerging market currency.

But the Holy Brexit must not be blamed.

Sadly though lots of people are not very intelligent. Half of people are less intelligent than average. Average is very...average. Which is why we do need experts. Why all opinions are not equally valuable. We cannot all be taught critical thinking. We are not all even fit for the workplace let alone able to weigh up complex issues. I don't blame Brexit voters. I can't call people gammons and hate them. I blame the intelligent people who willingly sold them a lie, for power and money.

Nope, ours is higher (i.e. worse), and Brexit has a lot to do with that, particularly UK wage inflation.

Most EU countries measure inflation similarly to the RPI, which in the UK is around 11%, significantly higher, even CPI is 9% so still much higher.

You failed to provide evidence of this, so I turned to Trading Economics for a formal comparison:

tradingeconomics.com/country-list/inflation-rate

We're at 9% versus 8.1% for EU. Less than 1% difference. In the scheme of things that < 1% is pretty insignificant. There are bigger fish to fry.

This. Brexit complicates some factors but it is not the cause of a lot of the problems we are facing.

Actually if you look back 3 years all the news reports were about how most of the Brexit scare stories had been exaggerated and that the U.K. was doing pretty well. Then Covid hit.

Just as we are coming out of Covid, Putin invades Ukraine which has triggered a whole new crisis, especially with rising food and energy prices. Meanwhile we have massively increased debt to pay for the Covid furlough schemes and bail outs.

None of you ever read the European press? The EU countries are just as badly hit by this as we are and are not handling it very well either. If anything we have more flexibility to tackle rampant inflation than if we were still in the EU.

Our main problem is we have a Parliament who is obsessed with getting rid of Boris, a very poor boss at the Bank of England and a whole government apparatus which appears totally unable to plan and implement meaningful positive strategy.

I am sure you want to believe Brexit made no difference but you are arguing with your own government's assessments.

Brexit has made inflation worse in the UK than in the Eurozone. It is also a different pattern of inflation and is combined with very low growth, so we have stagflation again - just like we had before joining EEC.

We're at 9% versus 8.1% for EU. Less than 1% difference. In the scheme of things that < 1% is pretty insignificant. There are bigger fish to fry

Really? its quite a difference in % terms.... seeing as Brexit fucked the fishing industry too, we don't even have any fish left to fry.

Europe tends to be more RPI than CPI, so the difference is even greater.

You are wrong. Trading Economics ensure that they are like for like measures. It really isn't a big difference.

Tell you what. If it changes in a month or so, so that UK inflation is less than EU then will you proclaim that as a benefit of Brexit? I wouldn't but that seems to be the argument that you are trying make.

Different countries measure it across across different goods and products, i'd have thought that was obvious.

No i am not making that argument, you stated that inflation is the same across Europe, it isn't.

Look across the whole economy, from farming, import/exports, car production, staff shortages, queuing at EU passport control... the list is endless... Brexit, after 6 years, has been a complete failure... not lest in the division it has caused.... all because Boris wanted to become King of the World.

I voted it. What is there to say? The country is a shitshow yes but not because of Brexit and Europe punishing us. I’d vote the same again. And no I won’t go into it further. Why would I? It’s been done to death

Well that's helpful.

Thank you for making life worse for everyone in Britain!

Yes the DIVISION that has been caused is extremely harmful