Sputnik: What do you make of the leaked report into the UK economy post Brexit this morning?
David Lindsay: This is not necessarily, terribly much of a surprise. As a Brexit supporter myself but from someone who comes from a more left wing back ground tradition, I think they are correct, the policies of the present government are pursued in the context of Brexit then the economic consequences are very dire indeed. What is needed is a government formed as Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonald have been, by the traditional left wing position to the European Federalist Project which is very largely on economic grounds and who are capable of therefore of implementing policies that would not have these disastrous economic effects within the context of Brexit but would in fact have very beneficial effects and presuppose leaving the European single market to deliver them.
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Sputnik: Could the leak lead to a change in tack going forward to negotiations in order to offset the impact of leaving the bloc?
David Lindsay: Seen in the context of yesterday's blueprint this is absolutely devastating because yesterday's blueprint effectively if pursued would establish this country as a kind of vassal state, obliged to obey the laws of the EU with no say on their content, obliged to continue to make payments even though they have no say into it, with EU citizens still entitled to live here to their hearts content and with no trade deals until this transitional period is over at the end of 2020.
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Theresa May has staked her reputation on there being a deal with the EU. So there has to be one, or there has to be this one. That is the context in which this leak is reported this morning saying the combination of the continuation of this government and the implantation of EU's blueprint for transition for leaving will be economically catastrophic and the only solution I can see is a change of government.
Sputnik: Yesterday, the EU set out the guidelines for the transitional period, what are your thoughts on the proposed guidelines?
David Lindsay: They're no surprise but they are absolutely outrageous. They are what many of predicted and saw coming, but they are extremely alarming and annoying nevertheless. Theresa May is too weak to stand up to them I'm afraid, I don't think she's a bad person, I knew her very briefly a long time ago, but she is out of her depth quite hopelessly. Boris Johnson is absurdly out of his depth as Foreign Secretary, David Davis who I admire in many ways is not an appropriate person to be secretary of state for leaving the EU, he ought to be a campaigning back bencher, and he doesn't have the temperament of a cabinet minister and an international negotiator.
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I'm afraid these outrageous disgraceful guidelines are the way it is going to be. We are going to spend a number of years and I don't believe it is only the years specified, I think it could be a lot longer, as effectively a colony and a vassal state of the European Union, obliged as a colony to keep the laws without any say over them, obliged by a vassal state to pay imperial tribute as outlying provinces had to pay to the Romans.
Sputnik: How damaging could the leak prove to the future of Theresa May as Prime Minister given its likely to lead to more Tory infighting?
David Lindsay: It's already beginning to crystallize the opposition to her within her own party that there already was. This is now an issue that they really can focus their efforts. There are lots of reasons to be discontented with her, but this is a big issue around which they can rally themselves in order to seek to remove her by the end of this calendar year.
The views and opinions expressed by David Lindsay are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.
