These are just my own idle thoughts, based on what I’ve heard on Radio 4 and read in the papers.
Brexit is supposed to be mainly about sovereignty, yes. One of the main grouses is about having to jump through the hoops set by Brussels.
A farming programme yesterday said post-Brexit they have all sorts of formalities to go through that weren’t there with Britain being “family”: forms to fill in, customs checks (previously just drive through), health/sanitation checks for food cargo, etc etc.
This calls to mind something I’d often thought as a cyclist dodging inconsiderate drivers, sometimes in hairy close shaves: “All drivers should be made to be cyclists for a while, so that they can experience at first hand what it’s like to be at the receiving end of inconsiderate driving.”
Maybe they should’ve done a similarly spirited dry run for Brexit before they voted: go through all the hoops in their interactions with the EU — as private individuals (tourists, employees in EU-based companies), as commercial entities.
They might’ve thought twice about voting for Brexit if they had been made to queue up for ages as non-family (instead of just walking straight through), go through checks (visas, work permits, papers) as non-family. Oh and of course the hassle of having to apply for visas and other permits beforehand — even applying online would still take time.
(UK, 2020)
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