Johnson can stop referring to Captain Hindsight – the gas storage crisis was flagged up 4 years ago when the Rough Storage facility was closed. Less than 1% of Europe’s stored gas is in the UK. This is not sensible planning – similar to the run down in PPE stocks before Covid. Energy prices go up and down as can supplies.
The HGV crisis – Shapps put the problem down to 40000 tests could not take place during the pandemic. That seems a high number but still leaves the industry 60000 short. As the majority of drivers are 45 and over this shortfall is not just down to Covid. One of the fundamental arguments given by Brexiteers was the reduction in foreigners (widely seen as sponging on social security and the NHS). Well 1.300.000 foreign born WORKERS have returned home. Hence the shortages in many areas. Priti Patel has trumpeted the success of this policy of barring unskilled workers. The present shortage cannot be laid at Europe’s door – we have control of our immigration policy.
There is an argument that employers will now train British workers and pay more (Is this really a Tory Policy? Imagine the howls and crocodile tears if the minimum wage was raised by 10%, which would barely cover recent increases in the cost of living (petrol up 12% council tax up 4%, energy costs up at least 20%, food costs 5-10%). The government have promoted a low-wage culture and done its upmost to undermine union representation. The Who song ‘Won’t get fooled again’ should be essential listening for those who voted Brexit/Tory.
So can we have an apology from those who voted for Brexit about the queues at the petrol station, the empty shelves in the supermarket, rotting food in the fields. Please note that the bankers in the city are unaffected by all this. And we have not done any trade deals of importance in the last 5 years and the USA has just snubbed us again.
The EU has many faults and has struggled with vaccination to start with (now generally ahead of us). Slow and cumbersome, but essentially beneficial. People like Johnson like being a big fish in a small pool rather than a small fish in a big pool! however it is worth noting that there are skill shortages across Europe including France and Germany.
Unfortunately I cannot promote the Labour Party as an alternative. ‘No ideology, no plan, no idea’ sums them up at the moment.