Is the tide starting to turn? Last week in The Selby Times there were three pro-remain letters expressing concern about Brexit but none from pro-Brexit readers. Are people starting to recognise what a ghastly mess it all is? Of course, next week there may be a response from leavers who are still keen to see the country impoverished in return for some notional idea of sovereignty. We shall see. But this week the Sunday Times seems to be the same.
In the last couple of years, the Sunday Times letters page has usually contained quite a number of letters from Brexiteers, either cheering it on or, more recently, about the lack of progress and the EU's bullying intransigence or whatever. The odd letter from a remainer might get published. This week they were four Brexit related letters, all pro-remain. One stressed that British industry actually want to have regulatory alignment because it's a good thing. Another questioning how Germany can be a manufacturing and exporting powerhouse inside the EU when we somehow cannot. The writer says Germany and China export a lot because they provide good value, high quality products, something I have argued on this blog quite a few times. The third letter says people should be allowed to have a final vote and claims polling shows a majority support the idea.
But the one that caught my eye was one from someone who lives in Dover but has taken a number of recent trips to Heathrow airport. During the journey the writer noted the number of the trucks on the road, counting a couple of hundred with just two being UK registered, the rest were foreign, mainly EU. The obvious conclusion is that much of the traffic is imports from Europe and the writer asks who is going to be most affected by disruption to trade?
European companies may not sell as much to us, but we won't be eating as much either.
The Sunday Times carried a front page story about a YouGov poll showing the public were moving towards right-wing parties and beginning to favour BoJo and remaining in the EU. The poll details were not given but at the end of the report, it says the survey found if there was a new referendum, the result would be 54% - 46% for remaining in the EU. I'll keep an eye out for this poll since, if true, it would show the highest level of support for the EU since July 2015.
I note also that Dominic Raab has refused to deny the government is stockpiling food (HERE).
As several people have pointed out the government is facing both ways on a potential no deal outcome. Talking tough in Brussels that no deal is better than a bad one, while at home, starting to advise what will probably be a very surprised British public to get ready for food shortages!
