Reader TTS

Whatever happens this evening, Britain has already become a different country from the one that voted for Brexit in 2016. The divisions are still there, but a new mood is palpable. It is one

of grim determination. Parliament can do as it likes, but the people want to move on. Over recent weeks, the manoeuvring in Westminster has alienated voters more than ever before.

Disappointment has turned to disgust, as they watch in disbelief the spectacle of MPs striking attitudes instead of sorting out the mess. Nobody in the political class has come out of Brexit

well. “Speak for England,” was once the phrase that brought down Neville Chamberlain’s government during the Norway debate. But who speaks for England today? The news from Brussels is

equally dismal: you British have made this Brexit bed for yourselves; now you must lie on it. But from a British point of view, it is the EU 27 who have forced us to leave on terms that seem

designed either to keep us locked in, or to beggar us. The Withdrawal Agreement is a Procrustean bed, which forces the UK to conform to European rules without consultation or consent.

Procrustes used to amputate any protruding limbs, rather in the manner that Northern Irish Protestants feel that they risk being cut off from the mainland by the deal. A new wave of gloom

and doom has swept the capital, with representatives of the City (not the bankers and fund managers themselves) warning that London’s days as Europe’s financial centre are “over”. Careless

talk has certainly dented confidence, with prime property prices down and still falling. But London still enjoys full employment and it remains to be seen how many firms will really move to

riot-riven Paris. Yet there is a younger generation of Britons who can’t wait to get on with the challenges of the post-Brexit era. It is only anecdotal, but my impression that young people

are steelier than their elders has been confirmed by several vox pop debates on television. Most young Remainers are “over” their grief; it is only those who have lived their whole lives in

the EU who have turned into “Remoaners”. More youthful Europhiles have better things to do. A lot of energy is being invested in the People’s Vote campaign, but most young Remain voters are

already adapting to life after Brexit. Their anger is directed more at the arrogance and incompetence of their own side than at the ordinary people who voted to Leave. Most are no longer

angry about the vote, which is ancient history. Remainers and Leavers alike detest the limbo to which they have been consigned by the same establishment that brought them to this pass in the

first place. They have had enough of keeping their lives on hold and yearn for an opportunity to make the best of whatever settlement we end up with. These young British hopefuls have

confidence in themselves. Perhaps those of us who are older, but manifestly none the wiser, should have confidence in them.