Replies

"Brexit" as voted in the referendum was not even agreed on by most. Many voted because they didn't want EU migrants (i.e. no more Poles, Romanians etc.) - and I understand that, in the years after 2004 nearly 2 million EU citizens went to the UK. This was not a vote against immigration of non-Europeans

Most Brits wanted the single market, the free movement of goods, services and capital. Anyway, so the first thing May should have done is set the rules for what she wanted - she didn't. If she had said "Hard Brexit it is" then she should have planned for the IRish border question, but she did not

Bert, you probably mean HARD, no-deal Brexit with borders not open. What harm can that do?

The biggest one is the Western European supply chain. Most products are built across many countries - just as in the US you won't have one factory in Alabama that makes a car from nuts to finished product. These supply chains rely on Just-in-Time delivery. IF the borders are not open, then this model is shot. So the manufacturers will shutter UK factories
The UK loses leverage - as part of the EU it had leverage to force trade deals with larger states. Now it has no exports that other countries want, so China, Russia, India, Japan can demand more concessions from the UK
It loses financial access to the EU markets - as if Hong Kong was suddenly shut off completely from the mainland. the UK's economy is driven by banking. End that and you have a problem

These are some of the ways Brexit will be harmful. Now there can be good sides -- housing prices will crash, lots of EU immigrants will leave, so more jobs, but then those jobs will be limited as well because less people will be needed, so it might endup as zero. Then probably no more worries about Northern Ireland if it unites with the Republic of Ireland. And no more griping about the Scots as they go their own way. So just the United Kingdom of England and Wales. That would be the bright side. Oh and Sajid Javid will be PM