For those wishing to Remain in Europe there are three encouraging well argued articles in today's Guardian, the leader, those by Nick Clegg and Zoe Williams.
The Leading article is asking for patience from our friends in Europe and not to write us off for at least 48% of us wish to retain the closest of links with Europe. Asking forgiveness, for sending huge destabilising shock waves all over Europe, 'not contempt for a nation that backed Brexit on a series of fantasies and lies'. Not to press 'too hard for the invocation of article 50' (the starting gun) until our political disarray has had time to recover or we may be rushed 'into choices that you may regret'.
Nick Clegg argues that Britain importantly deserves a new election before activating article 50. Writing that 'The government not only finds itself without leader-ship, it has no plan, no consensus and no clue about what it wants to do in the future' . It agrees only ' that the UK should leave the EU.'
'The new prime minister ... should immediately publish a white paper setting out a full plan ... and must seek a democratic mandate for their plan in an early general election.' Crucially article 50 should be triggered only after that plan is scrutinised in parliament followed by a vote of consent from MPs.
He like me fears moves 'to turn the city into a low - regulation Dubai'. The intention recently expressed by George Osborne of a big reduction in Corporation Tax from 20% to 15% (under half that of the major countries of Europe) indicates that he like Ireland will be attempting to attract companies keen to reduce their taxation in a race to beggar our neighbours in a race to the bottom. What price British Values then?
Ireland did it to escape from severe financial trouble but Osborne claimed our economy was the best performing around.
Zoe Williams and Paul Mason of the Guardian have recently revealed that they, like me, voted in favour of the Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Zoe worries that a snap General Election could be called before Labour have corrected their current disarray. She writes that he won by a landslide 'that leadership election against three politicians who had forgotten how to make the core arguments in favour of social democracy'.
Remember Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall - were all established figures. He alone represented a long lost case for integrity, straight speaking, and demanding social values which spoke to people far outside Labour's ranks. Perhaps it was the enormity of his success appeal to the masses which caused the regrettable cold shoulders he received from Labour MPs.
Zoe argues that the Labour Party is tearing itself apart when they agree fundamentally with his views 'over privatising the NHS; over the importance of a social safety net; over the role of taxation; over appropriate regulation in markets, over energy and climate change'.
Even though I believe that replacing Trident is a huge waste of money as well as a danger to a world that says it believes in nuclear disarmament we could merely continue with the current government's policy of kicking the issue into the long grass.
Just some thoughts of my own. Contrast all this idle talk about the saving of weekly costs of being a member of Europe with the costs and waste of highly skilled manpower which will be needed to unravel ourselves and replace forty years of agreements with Europe. A process which could all to easily leave us with less rights as individuals, in or out of work. No doubt there is some unnecessary complication but the major thrust surely were to improve our standard of life.
Above all what has happened to the promise of eliminating unwanted immigration from European nationals whilst retaining our trade agreements? Let's face it, we were conned!
To finish on a lighter note congratulations to Wales and their place in the semi-finals of the European Cup. As an English immigrant of exactly 50 years standing perhaps I can now claim to be fully integrated. However last night saw the end of Iceland's dream and my wish to see Wales and Iceland meet in the final.
The Leading article is asking for patience from our friends in Europe and not to write us off for at least 48% of us wish to retain the closest of links with Europe. Asking forgiveness, for sending huge destabilising shock waves all over Europe, 'not contempt for a nation that backed Brexit on a series of fantasies and lies'. Not to press 'too hard for the invocation of article 50' (the starting gun) until our political disarray has had time to recover or we may be rushed 'into choices that you may regret'.
Nick Clegg argues that Britain importantly deserves a new election before activating article 50. Writing that 'The government not only finds itself without leader-ship, it has no plan, no consensus and no clue about what it wants to do in the future' . It agrees only ' that the UK should leave the EU.'
'The new prime minister ... should immediately publish a white paper setting out a full plan ... and must seek a democratic mandate for their plan in an early general election.' Crucially article 50 should be triggered only after that plan is scrutinised in parliament followed by a vote of consent from MPs.
He like me fears moves 'to turn the city into a low - regulation Dubai'. The intention recently expressed by George Osborne of a big reduction in Corporation Tax from 20% to 15% (under half that of the major countries of Europe) indicates that he like Ireland will be attempting to attract companies keen to reduce their taxation in a race to beggar our neighbours in a race to the bottom. What price British Values then?
Ireland did it to escape from severe financial trouble but Osborne claimed our economy was the best performing around.
Zoe Williams and Paul Mason of the Guardian have recently revealed that they, like me, voted in favour of the Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Zoe worries that a snap General Election could be called before Labour have corrected their current disarray. She writes that he won by a landslide 'that leadership election against three politicians who had forgotten how to make the core arguments in favour of social democracy'.
Remember Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall - were all established figures. He alone represented a long lost case for integrity, straight speaking, and demanding social values which spoke to people far outside Labour's ranks. Perhaps it was the enormity of his success appeal to the masses which caused the regrettable cold shoulders he received from Labour MPs.
Zoe argues that the Labour Party is tearing itself apart when they agree fundamentally with his views 'over privatising the NHS; over the importance of a social safety net; over the role of taxation; over appropriate regulation in markets, over energy and climate change'.
Even though I believe that replacing Trident is a huge waste of money as well as a danger to a world that says it believes in nuclear disarmament we could merely continue with the current government's policy of kicking the issue into the long grass.
Just some thoughts of my own. Contrast all this idle talk about the saving of weekly costs of being a member of Europe with the costs and waste of highly skilled manpower which will be needed to unravel ourselves and replace forty years of agreements with Europe. A process which could all to easily leave us with less rights as individuals, in or out of work. No doubt there is some unnecessary complication but the major thrust surely were to improve our standard of life.
Above all what has happened to the promise of eliminating unwanted immigration from European nationals whilst retaining our trade agreements? Let's face it, we were conned!
To finish on a lighter note congratulations to Wales and their place in the semi-finals of the European Cup. As an English immigrant of exactly 50 years standing perhaps I can now claim to be fully integrated. However last night saw the end of Iceland's dream and my wish to see Wales and Iceland meet in the final.
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