Time for an end to the hokey-cokey

I’m not going to lie, for the past few months when I sit down to write this comment, I do everything I can to avoid writing about Brexit.

Sure, I’ve mentioned it in passing a few times over the past 60-plus issues, a dozen times to be precise, but in terms of comment pieces purely focused on the dreaded B word, I think I’ve been remarkably restrained at a mere two.

But, I’m sorry to say, my demons have got the better of me for this issue.

I mean, seriously, WTF is going on – does anyone actually know?

In our Brexit poll in February, a third of readers voted for no deal, a third for a second referendum and the remaining third was split between Theresa May’s deal, postponing Brexit and ‘past caring’ (although I suspect the ranks of the latter would have swelled considerably if we ran it again).

So, there was no clear consensus in print, in much the same way as there’s very little in the way of accord in parliament and, interestingly, especially for conspiracy theorists, the poll received precisely 650 votes, the same number as there are MPs in Westminster.

But regardless of how you voted, I’m guessing that every single one of you reading this is begging for a decision, any decision, just so you know what’s going to happen, so you can move on.

And to be fair, as I’m writing this, the government has just announced another vote, so, perhaps all will become clear in the hiatus between me writing this and the magazine hitting your doormat. I somehow doubt it.

However, I have absolutely no doubt that all this Brexit hokey-cokey (in, out, shake it all about) and the resulting uncertainty is killing businesses.

And that’s just not on! 

 

Darryl Danielli Editor, PrintWeek