Gnome-Trek: Episode 7. Into the Plague: Chapter 18

 

The Channel. The Final Frontier... 

These are the continuing voyages of the Flying-Brick ‘Gnome’. It's continuing mission, to go boldly...

Chapter 18: Leaving Europe

On leaving the train, we head straight onto the motorway, straight into the rain.

I'm not sure if the surfaces of the M20 and M25 are designed to keep you awake or not, but I feared what effect it was having on the poor Gnome's tires. For fifty miles the road surface battled with my sanity. The almost regular road joins making the Gnome sound like a demented train.

There were major road works going on. When aren't there major road works going on? But this had a slightly foreboding air to it. These appeared to be works readying for the oncoming giant lorry parks, the Farage Garages, that are to be another necessary and crazy result of the UK's oncoming Brexit. The fact that these were being built on flood plains, that flooded four times a year, was simply indicative of the complete shambles that is Brexit.

All this soon unearths suppressed anger at what is being done to the country of my birth, and the affect that it is and will have upon my friends and family.

Now, just so we know what we are talking about here, there are three and a half major reasons given for people voting to leave the European Union; cost, immigration, sovereignty, and, well er, kippers.

All of these have long known to be false reasoning based on misinformation. The latest figures from the CBI show membership of the EU profited the UK by at least three trillion pounds. Before joining, the UK was the poor man of Europe. Within it we became the fifth, nearly fourth, richest country on the planet. Since leaving (and the main damage has yet to be done) we are sliding down the list. Echos of Eurovision Song Contest spring to mind.

Sovereignty in the UK is with its parliament. We've always had it, up until now. It now rests within a small cabal within the government. 

Immigration: Leaving the EU was sold as controlling our borders. Oh yes, what a great idea! Since leaving we have found out that this means not getting enough employees for the NHS, for farming, for the hospitality industry etc etc. It also took away the right of UK citizens to stay and work in any of the other European counties. Yeah, thanks for that.

Fish. Yeah, 'nuff said.

So apart from the wrecked economy, the loss of rights and freedoms, and giving the UK international pariah status, what has Brexit done for you?

From the 1st of January onwards, these huge parking areas will be full of lorries trying to cross to Europe. That just has to be great for the portable toilet industry....

We arrived in Bristol late afternoon. The Elf had still not received her results! We could not risk staying in the house, for fear of catching the dreaded lurgy, so we went to Plan B.

We had no choice. We had to sleep in the Gnome on their short driveway (the Gnome just fitted into it) next to a busy road. It was to be a difficult night interrupted by traffic and the occasional drunk. 

What was to follow would be a rollercoaster of emotions...