Mione Goldspink's article for the Flyer, October 2018

Local Matters with Mione Goldspink October 2018

We have learned this week that we will all need to apply for International Driving Licences if we wish to drive in France or Germany after we leave the EU. All our lorry drivers, taking our exports across the Channel, will have to apply as well. Our lorry drivers have the added problem of massive long queues on the Motorway as they line up for the ferry or Tunnel. The Government is preparing to install banks of Portaloos along the hard shoulder, as this huge lorry park is a real probability. Lorries coming into our country will face long delays in France because of Custom checks, and if they are carrying cargoes of fresh food like fruit, vegetables, and salad, these will all deteriorate. A less serious problem, but an annoyance, may be that the charges for using a mobile phone in the EU maybe higher if we are no longer a member.

I make no apologies for writing about Brexit. It is such a serious subject and its ramifications and consequences will affect us all. The Government's own analyses all show that we will be worse off after we leave, and it is making serious plans (spending public money on the work). It is planning for the stockpiling of food and medicines. It is such a calamity that our country, so long a brilliant leader in medicines, standards and regulations, has already lost the European Medicines Agency. This has moved to Holland. The British pharmaceutical industry is dismayed by what is happening and has real worries about treatment for UK citizens.

Many of our Farmers are also dismayed. The summer fruit and vegetable growers rely on seasonal workers from other EU countries to pick the fruit and vegetables. They normally employ about 60,000 workers per year, but the Government is proposing a visa scheme for only 2,500 - what a mistake!

To those people who are worried that we are being overrun by thousands of EU citizens, I would say that there are already existing EU rules under which countries have permission to limit the numbers if they can show good reasons. Our Tory government has chosen not to use these rules.

The motor industry is worried about Brexit and the chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover has warned that 10s of thousands of jobs could be lost if no deal is reached before March. The NHS and Care Services are losing EU national staff as they are worried about their futures here in the UK.

Why should we leave a club which has given us Peace and Security for over 45 years? We should never forget the horrors of 2 World Wars. The EU was formed to prevent such wars from ever happening again.

All these damaging effects of Brexit are being revealed. The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to give us all a chance to vote on the final deal. We call for a People's Vote.

Mione Goldspink

Chairman, Bishop's Stortford Liberal Democrats

email: mionegoldspink@hotmail.com