No-deal Brexit is fault of naive Ministers – Yorkshire Post Letters

THERE is little doubt here in Yorkshire that the Government will be to blame if there is no deal to replace our Brexit transitional arrangements which end in December.

In a survey published this week by Best for Britain, 63 per cent of us think that failure will be our Government’s fault – tying Yorkshire in third place with Wales and behind only London and Scotland (both 72 per cent).

UK-wide, 57 per cent will blame the UK Government for a breakdown in EU talks – dashing hopes that it may have had of pointing the finger for New Year Brexit border chaos at anyone but themselves.

Suspicion was that this was the true motivation behind a Downing Street telephone conference with business leaders. It was billed as an opportunity for Boris Johnson and Michael Gove to impress upon companies the urgency of stepping up their post-Brexit preparations.

But the hypocrisy of being told that “time is running out” by this Government – after it repeatedly refused the opportunity to agree an extension to the process in order to give Covid-battered businesses some relief from more disruption – must have been infuriating.

Participants’ assessments of the briefing were polite – “terrible and disappointing”, “box-ticking exercise” and “stage managed waste of time” – according to press reports. Privately, I imagine the language was more akin to Mr Johnson’s blunt riposte when they had the temerity to raise concerns back in 2018 during Theresa May’s premiership.

From: John Cole, Baildon, Shipley.

RECENTLY the UK negotiated a trade agreement with Japan. The Government trumpeted that whereas under World Trade Organisation rules the tariff on soy sauce is six per cent, under our new agreement with Japan the level will be zero per cent. This is wonderful news for those who use soy sauce.

On the other hand it should be noted that for years the UK, as a member of the EU, benefited from the EU trade agreement with Japan, by which the tariff on soy sauce was – would you believe – zero per cent. So a lot of work has gone into (and incredible disruption caused by) a Brexit shift that will leave us precisely where we were in the first place.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect is that a government department has had the effrontery to present this as some big step forward.

There again, this is by a country mile the most dishonest government of my lifetime.

From: Peter Hyde, Driffield.

OUR current Tory government does seem very competent at getting itself into trouble – free school meals, tiered lockdowns, lack of police staff, illegal immigrants and Brexit negotiations to name but a few.

Most of the problems arise out of the lack of clarity in the wording of the rules and how they intend to make sure needy children do not go hungry during holidays. Yes parents should be responsible for their children’s welfare, but sadly many of those parents are themselves inadequate and children of those people do need protection.

From: Graham Jackson, Cheltenham Gardens, Halifax.

ONCE again I listen to so called “political commentators” and wonder how they can claim to be in their position. The other night, when reviewing next day’s papers and asked to comment on higher infection rates in the North, Eve Pollard said “maybe it’s because it’s colder up north, or they behave less responsibly, or they’re living on top of each other more”. You can tell who doesn’t go north of M25.

From: Hilary Andrews, Nursery Lane, Leeds.

IF test and trace is the answer to solving the spread of coronavirus, can anyone tell me why those following the simple instructions of ‘hands, face 
and space’ remain from 
infection?

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