I don’t normally believe Australians. Especially spin bowlers like Shane Warne, trying to persuade an umpire they have just trapped Yorkshire’s finest, Joe Root, LBW in front of middle stump.
But, I am impressed by an article in the Spectator written by former Aussie PM, Tony Abbott, (better known for posing in his budgie-smuggling Speedos) who is questioning why the UK should be so scared of Brexit.
The Australians currently see us as the nation who saw off the Kaiser, Hitler, Napoleon and the Spanish Armada, now being consumed by doubts peddled by hand-wringing Remain bureaucrats and public servants.
As he pointed out, a no-deal relationship between Australia and the EU hasn’t stopped them from currently enjoying US$70bn of growing annual trade, notwithstanding Aussie exports having to journey all the way from the other end of the earth.
Living standards rise through the miracle of free trade. If the EU want to impose taxes and quotas on our exports, let’s not retaliate. After all, and eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind. They would only be increasing costs for their own citizens, and I can’t see that sort of policy being overly popular with European voters. Especially with European elections coming up.
Some of the scare stories about unemployment rising by between 500,000 to 800,000, the economy falling off a cliff and interest rates climbing to unsustainable levels if we voted leave, were completely wrong. Why should we believe these doom-mongers this time round? European exporters will still want to sell us everything from avocados to medicines; Audis to Mercedes and everything in between.
So, Tony Abbott is an Australian who gets the thumbs up from me on Brexit. But, I will still be raising a questioning eyebrow during this summer’s Ashes, if batsmen like David Warner, currently suspended for cheating, protests his innocence after edging a catch into the gloves of Johnny Bairstow, another of Yorkshire’s finest.
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