Brexit is a Pig in a Poke

Imagine your boss sends you to a sealed-bids auction. Upon arrival you realise you have no idea how much money she wants you to spend, what she wants you to buy, or what the end game is. Obviously you'd put bids on every single item in the auction and hope for the best. Right?

That's the position into which the British public have put Theresa May. You go to that auction, Ms May! You buy that pig in a poke, whatever the cost! Hang on, you didn't buy the wrong pig in a poke, did you? Naughty Theresa!

The argument for invoking Article 50 soon is that negotiations cannot begin until it has been triggered.

But hang on... Are we really ready to begin negotiations?

Surely the first and most important rule in the art of negotiating is to know your own objective. What do you want? What will you accept? You don't go to that auction until you know which item you're there to buy, how badly you want it, and how much you're willing to pay.

So, what do we want? 

Please, do not say, 'out of the EU'. There are several different & contradictory flavours  of Brexit; each has its supporters. 

Some would say that access to the single market outweighs the desire for reduced immigration; others would say the reverse. Some would say we should sever all economic ties to the EU and go straight to WTO rules; others say that's economic and political suicide.

What we as a country need from our government now is for it to research and investigate several viable options. This does not mean negotiating with the EU. This is the pre-negotiation phase. This involves Ms May tasking Mr Davis and his ministry with putting together a short list of Brexit options. These should be presented as deals we think we could actually negotiate along with expert analysis on the implications (to education, employment, taxes, national politics, socioeconomic conditions in the UK, the global financial and political situation, etc.)

In simple terms, these options should include:

1. Something akin to the Norway or Switzerland model
2. Something along the lines of the Canada or Turkey model
3. Moving straight to WTO rules 
4. Remaining in the EU 

This short list must then be set before parliament for them to decide. Then and only then — when we know what we are negotiating for — will we be ready to trigger Article 50.