If Teresa May just fired the starting gun to Brexit, what the hell was the referendum about?

Here’s a bit of wonk-ness.

Announcing that you will repeal legislation is not the starting gambit on the way to leaving the EU. In fact, it raises more questions. For example, the European Communities Act 1972(ECA72) repealed the following acts in part or in full.

The Import Duties Act 1958
The European Free Trade Association Act 1960
The Finance Act 1962, 1964, 1965,1966,1968,1970,1971
The Sugar Act 1956
The Agriculture Act 1947, 1957, 1967,1970
The Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1963
The South Africa Act 1962
The National Loans Act 1968
The Plant Varieties and Seeds Act 1964
The Trade Description Act 1968
The Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946
The Customs and Excise Act 1952
The Iron and Steel Act 1953
The Coal Consumers Councils (Northern Irish Interests) Act 1962
The Iron and Steel Act 1967
The International Organisaiatoins Act 1968

Do not forget that there may be further legislation affecting the remainders of the acts that are mentioned here so there will have to be further corrections for those as well.

In place of the European Communities Act or, in reality, the EU, the Government will have to come up with a brand new trade agreements with the entire world, including the EU that have to come into effect the second the ECA72 is repealed.

Without this information the UK literally does not have any legislation governing the import or export of goods and that's important.

There cannot even be one second were there is no law to govern the international trade of the UK. Nearly every high street in the UK needs shipments from the rest of the world to fill its shelves. Short of Harris Tweed and Johnston's of Elgin, there are hardly any other stores that can withstand any delay on the delivery of goods.

If we stick with the Government’s logic on this occasion, we cannot know what the new trade regime will be until after the negotiations have ENDED. T. May herself said that she cannot put all of her cards on the table before the negotiations begin and she will have to play her cards close to the chest during the negotiations.

This of course hampers the ability of Parliament to scrutinise the potential import and export duty levels that will affect everyone on these islands.

Laws can be passed through Parliament fairly quick but, in cases like this where a totally new international regulatory system is being established; Parliament will not let these new standards pass without “proper scrutiny”. So…let’s assume one year of debate at the least; which means Parliament will need to see the replacement for all for those acts, and more, a trade deal with every country on the planet.

So on one hand we will either have Parliament seeing the replacement laws in 2018 or not seeing them until Brexit is completed around 2019.

Remember, when Brexit hits, the UK will still be doing business with the rest of the world. There will be cargo ships filled with produce, oil, cars, both trying to enter an leave the UK. Without laws to govern trade. Those ships and cargo would be stuck in limbo.

Despite the media hoopla, we are still T-pulse 103 days since the referendum and we still have no plan.