A really heartbreaking thing about this disastrous Brexit process is the bleeding away of our international credibility. Britain, for all of our domestic debates, was a respected agent in international affairs - pragmatic and grown-up. /1
Our reputation was decades in the making - but is being shattered in a matter of a couple of years. No matter what one's opinion on leaving the EU, there were always wider imperatives about the trust that could be placed on us as a diplomatic and trading nation /2
Trust and mutual respect is crucial for any future treaty or trade deal - a network of smart civil servants, capable diplomats and reliable business brokers. One's words and actions as a nation are still crucially important to our perceived value /3
This process has turned a highly respected G7 nation into a unreliable laughing stock. Worse - we look like spivs - treating hugely complex issues as a game - playing brinkman with millions of people's livelihoods. Whatever the motivation, this was NEVER a good look. /4
The tragedy is that our rapid squandering of this trust has real long-term damage - far longer than the political vision of our current MPs. The damage done is like a slow bleed, our GDP and influence seeping away, just as the problems of the world grow more critical. /5
It is a crime against future generations of this country that a generation of politicians felt themselves so entitled that they could waste a multi-generational dividend so easily on their personal golden calf. A national disgrace to any thoughtful democrat. /end
