This is a classic Brexit story. A key EU agency is leaving the UK. For various reasons this move will cost £540M. The UK will foot the bill.
How will this be received in UK?
independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…
-Ok, obviously the agency must be in the EU
-We've chosen to leave the EU
-Someone has to pay, and if we're leaving it should be us
-It's annoying that the leasing contract was messed up but, well, someone has to pay
-He doesn't think we should pay a Brexit bill
-He doesn't know about, and wouldn't care about, the Medicines agency
-The Mail will tell him it's an EU stitch up, and he'll believe it
Because in his head the EU is an entity and not, ultimately, other taxpayers like him
I appreciate this may come across as Liberal snobbery, but it doesn't change the facts.
A lot will simply reach the wrong moral conclusion, helped by the Mail etc
If this story breaks there'll be a lot of voices saying it's ok to ask "why should we pay?"
And a lot of people who will be happy with that position
That's ultimately the issue with #Brexit
and then we made it ok to take these indefensible positions as national foreign policy
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