The Times has seen the Operation Yellowhammer document. That’s the series of the worst things that can – will – happen if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on October 31. Guess what will happen?
Traffic jams.
Yes, very serious, we all agree, we’d better call it off.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] France will impose EU mandatory controls on UK goods on Day 1 of No Deal and has built infrastructure and IT systems to manage and process customs declarations and to support a risk-based control regime. On Day 1 of No Deal, 50%-85% of HGVs travelling via the short straits may not be ready for French customs. The lack of trader readiness combined with limited space in French ports to hold “unready” HGVs could reduce the flow rate to 40%-60% of current levels within one day. The worst disruption to the short Channel crossings might last 3 months before flow rates rise to about 50%-70% (as more traders get prepared), although disruption could continue much longer. In the event of serious disruption, the French might act to ensure some flow through the short Channel crossings. [/perfectpullquote]So, if the Frogs insist upon all the paperwork – hey, they’re Frogs – then there will be traffic jams. Which will diminish pretty quickly. And knowing that there will be jams means that people will use alternative routes of course. And, well, that’s about it.
Well, OK, maybe peeps flying for a weekend break might have to wait 20 minutes to get their passport checked. Although quite why isn’t made clear, we’re already out of Schengen.
But that is about it. And therefore:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] The term “Project Fear” must be expunged from the respectable political lexicon. Now that we know the full detail of the government’s Operation Yellowhammer assumptions about a no-deal Brexit, these two words – scornfully applied for three years to all warnings about Brexit – have no meaningful place in the present political emergency. “There’s a lot of scaremongering around,” declared the energy minister, Kwasi Kwarteng, on Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday show, in dismissive response to the Sunday Times’ reports on the leaked Yellowhammer document. Really? These, after all, are the government’s own assessments, not the panicked assertions of ultra-remainers. [/perfectpullquote] [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]In the event of a no-deal exit, there are likely to be serious shortages of fuel, food and medicine; disruption at the nation’s ports; civil disorder; increased poverty; and a hard border with Ireland. To be profoundly and vocally concerned about such a prospect is not “scaremongering”, but a basic civic responsibility.[/perfectpullquote]Those first four are all the same thing, traffic jams. Civil disorder is if people are idiots about traffic jams. Poverty is about the fall in the pound, something that has largely already happened. A hard border with Ireland being something we’re not going to do anyway – because traffic jams of course.
But because traffic jams we must call the whole thing off.
You know, it’s hardly Gotterdammerung, is it? The M20 looking like the M25 on a bad day means we must continue to be ruled by Druncker and Van der Lyin’?
So, just where are all the damn adults?
How much alike climate project fear and Brexit project fear are.
Both based on assertions without any evidence produced to support them, both vilify and demonise any who challenge, both predict dire happenings in the future so impossible for anyone to falsify, both insist they represent the consensus of expert opinion, both, once the particular bit of the future is reached and becomes current time, fail to deliver the doom as promised, both have protagonists getting more and more outrageous, zealous and ridiculous as the looming dooms fail to materialise and the public stop listening.
If you start by assuming well over half of lorries going out of Dover don’t have the correct paperwork then there are bound to be problems.
But what if the transport companies and lorry drivers weren’t complete idiots? What if they knew the rules were changing and so actually did have the correct paperwork all done in advance?
“C’est la bullsh*t” as they say in Calais.
“There’s going to be chaos at Calais!!!!”
Thanks for the warning, I’ll make plans to do something else.
The very fact that people are predicting chaos means there won’t be chaos because people will use the predictions to do something else, resulting in no chaos. It’s going to rain next week, I’ve got an umberella. I need to drive a long way next month, I’ll check the tyres sometime in the next four weeks. It will be cold in December, I’ve got loads of winter clothes in the cupboard.
In the event of a no-deal exit, there are likely to be serious shortages of fuel, food and medicine; disruption at the nation’s ports; civil disorder; increased poverty; and a hard border with Ireland. ‘Likely’ is being used in the same sense as “how likely am I to win the lottery next week?” These are risk assessments – I help businesses prepare risk assessments, for business continuity planning and other purposes. We’ll consider possible events such as a major fire destroying the site, or a chemical spill preventing access for a week. We do this so we can identify ways… Read more »
Half of the lorries delayed on the M20 by Frenchness in Calais will be Eurolorries trying to return to their countries of origin in order to earn the next crust. How impressed will their owners be by displays of Frenchness in Calais?
Having just passed both ways through Ouistreham, the two biggest hold-ups, by far, were:
1. British immigration and boarder control at Portsmouth and
2. The appalling lack of road signs when diverted in the dark off the now irrelevent M27 ‘Smart M-way’ works.
In September,I was also singled out for a luggage search by British ‘security’ when on a sports-touring motorcycle with only a top-box fitted.
Good luck, Tim, with your renewed project.