It will be the year in which the United Kingdom either steps back from the brink or the year in which the people of Wales and the UK – especially our youth and those of working age - face a 20-year struggle to undo the damage that is certain to follow Brexit.
It is now more than 18 months since the referendum on our EU membership, yet the public is still no wiser about what lies ahead for the country and its economy. As we approach perhaps the most important set of negotiations in living memory, we are still no wiser about our own government’s negotiating objectives.
A large majority of the public now believe we will be worse off rather
than better off – they have seen that the country is already poorer. To
make matters worse the OECD believes the UK will be at the bottom of the
pile for wage growth in 2018.
An even larger majority believe Britain’s influence in the world will be diminished rather than enhanced – they have spotted that Presidents Trump, Putin and Xi are the ones who are delighted at the prospect of a weaker Europe.
A significant number who voted Leave, though not yet enough, are having second thoughts – many are realising there will be no pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, and that the £350m for the NHS was a lie.
In Wales, the answer to poverty and all our other problems does not lie in excluding ourselves from our biggest market. his is the year when the fabled common sense of the British people needs to come to the fore. People are asking themselves, why is the £ so much weaker this year than last? Why are holidays abroad more expensive? Why are families already more than £30 a month worse off?
As the talks with the EU grind on and stark realities emerge, 2018 will be the year when more and more will be asking, Shouldn’t Wales think again? Shouldn’t the UK think again?
Democracy demands that option is kept open. Mrs May and Mr Corbyn take not
An even larger majority believe Britain’s influence in the world will be diminished rather than enhanced – they have spotted that Presidents Trump, Putin and Xi are the ones who are delighted at the prospect of a weaker Europe.
A significant number who voted Leave, though not yet enough, are having second thoughts – many are realising there will be no pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, and that the £350m for the NHS was a lie.
In Wales, the answer to poverty and all our other problems does not lie in excluding ourselves from our biggest market. his is the year when the fabled common sense of the British people needs to come to the fore. People are asking themselves, why is the £ so much weaker this year than last? Why are holidays abroad more expensive? Why are families already more than £30 a month worse off?
As the talks with the EU grind on and stark realities emerge, 2018 will be the year when more and more will be asking, Shouldn’t Wales think again? Shouldn’t the UK think again?
Democracy demands that option is kept open. Mrs May and Mr Corbyn take not
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