THE FALL OF SINGAPORE SPIRIT

The aftermath of the Brexit EU referendum victory has witnessed the triumph of the Fall of Singapore Spirit. The Tories have amply demonstrated why Britain is the shadow of the superpower it once was.

Crucially, currently, the EU and genuine Brexit supporters are in full agreement; both wish to conclude Britain's exit from the EU quickly and without a lot of fuss. The EU has made clear that they are prepared to do a deal. Instead of seizing the moment and offer terms for a quick agreement, the Tories are faffing about and waffling, and waffling, and waffling …

There were some during the referendum campaign on the Brexit side who believed that, in the event of a Brexit win, there might be an offer from the EU to meet Britain's objections in an attempt to keep Britain in the EU. That might have been justified speculation then, but it is redundant now. The EU are not interested in keeping Britain in. They are more concerned to deter other countries from holding referendums as a blackmailing manoeuvre, want to conclude Britain's exit without delay, and move on to deal with the substantial problems with the eurozone.

During the referendum campaign, Vote Leave published a 'roadmap' to 'take back control'. Chris Grayling, The Tory Leader of the Commons, said: 'After we vote Leave, the public need to see that there is immediate action to take back control from the EU'. Grayling continued to point out that the negotiation process would be combined with 'legislative changes before 2020'. The steps Vote Leave set out included bills to increase NHS funding, 'to end the automatic right of all EU citizens to enter the UK', a trade bill and, importantly, a 'European Communities Act 1972 (Repeal) Bill' to repeal the act that is 'the legal basis for the supremacy of EU law in the UK' and to ensure that 'The EU Treaties will cease to form part of UK law and the European Court's jurisdiction over the UK will end'.

Now, however, there is a marked reluctance to understand basic English. Despite the EU making it very clear that they want Britain out, the Tories have convinced themselves that there needs to be a whole series of committee meetings, informal talks, and detailed negotiations that are so extensive that the process could take years. We are told that these things cannot be rushed (just like the Chilcot enquiry into the Iraq war). Some Tories are hankering after keeping free movement of people, including one leading Brexit campaigner, reducing immigration as a goal is being disavowed, and others are prattling about staying in the Single Market.

One leading Tory is advocating that the negotiations with the EU should proceed with the outcome being put to the electorate in a second referendum. Jeremy Hunt, who is an expected leadership candidate, wrote: ‘a “Norway plus” option for us - full access to the single market with a sensible compromise on free movement rules’ should be the goal, with there being another referendum ‘before setting the clock ticking’ by triggering Article 50, the EU's own mechanism for a country to exit as per the Lisbon Treaty.

As if all that is not bad enough, the Tories are now in the midst of a ponderous leadership election. David Cameron is simply treading water. There is no leadership and no drive to carry through the referendum decision. It is planned that the Tories will have a new leader by September. In the meantime, the Tories refuse to enact Article 50.

UKIP, as ever, have missed the point. Nigel Farage, the leader, is miffed that he has not been invited to be involved in the hoped for negotiations. In the EU parliament, he launched into an attack on the EU and demanded an adult approach 'as to how we negotiate a different relationship'.

To recap, as Lord Lawson pointed out during the campaign, the alternative to being members of the EU is not to be members of the EU. The referendum decision taken by the people was to leave. The Brexit campaign was specific in saying that Britain would exit the Single Market (they were specific about this) and revert to WTO rules if needs be. A decision to do so has been taken. The EU is prepared to respect this decision and seek an early divorce. There is nothing to be gained by UKIP slanging off the EU, and such is irrelevant. The EU is not the problem. The EU is in favour of Britain leaving.

George Osborne, who is still chancellor despite his behaviour during the campaign, has said that he would be 'strongly arguing' for the 'closest possible ties' with the EU; he said that we should seek to retain the supposed economic benefits of EU membership, including membership of the Single Market; the terms of this, he said, would be decided in the negotiations which would be taking place over the next two years. Osborne's stance reinforces the fact that he needs to be replaced without delay.

As the English Rights Campaign pointed out during the campaign, membership of the Single Market is akin to membership of the EU and is the EU fanatic's fall-back position. Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, has openly called for continued membership of the Single Market even if Britain supposedly leaves.

Membership of the Single Market is harmful to Britain. It includes free movement of people and so mass immigration is unavoidable. Angela Merkel has restated that free access to the Single Market will only be agreed in return for free movement of people; access comes with obligations.

Furthermore, Britain has a massive balance of trade deficit with the EU. This deficit is ruinous and cannot be allowed to continue. Despite free trade economic theories, it is not self-correcting. The trade policy to be pursued should be to bring our trade with the EU back into balance. Britain needs to leave the Single Market and that was the referendum decision.

The Vote Leave Boris Johnson, who has himself been backtracking, is the frontrunner to replace Cameron as the Tory leader. The Tory leadership struggle will dominate as well as delay proper government. If elected leader (and Theresa May, the Remain Home Secretary, has surfaced from her hiding hole as a stop Boris candidate) Boris Johnson will have a short window of enjoying the initiative, especially if Labour are still embroiled in an internal power struggle between social democrats and Trotskyites.

Given the pro-EU majority in parliament, then a general election is a distinct possibility. How that might resolve the impasse is difficult to envisage. Had UKIP any gumption, then a general election would be their best opportunity to finally break through. Although they would need to take a very good look at their ideological stance to succeed.

The idea that leaving the EU is so complicated that there must be years of negotiations is simply a trick to avoid adhering to the referendum decision. It is a ruse. We need to get out at once. We need to stop giving money to the EU and stop further EU laws being imposed upon us. Frau Merkel has made it clear that we will not be allowed free access to the Single Market, and so we should base our future relationship on the WTO rules. The aim should be to have left the EU by Christmas.

To put this into an historical context, after the introduction of the Import Duties Act of 1932, within six months Britain was able to set up the Imperial Preference area for the British Empire at the Ottawa Conference in July/August 1932.