According to ForeignPolicy.com there are two key reasons for the current fuel meltdown:
‘Though the trucker shortage has been a problem in many other European countries, the U.K. has been hit particularly hard. Most fingers, especially in Europe, point directly at Brexit as the culprit. Tax changes and new, tightened immigration laws have made it more difficult and time-consuming for European Union nationals to move in and out of the country for work. Many foreign workers are seeking other less strict destinations, not just truckers.
Still, the COVID-19 pandemic has not made things any easier. With the travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders of the past year and a half, many non-U.K. resident workers retired early or sought less demanding employment options. With most going back to their home countries, the vast majority haven’t returned, and they are not expected to, either. Lockdowns have also closed driving centers, which means there were fewer driver tests for truckers, which in turn means there were 25,000 fewer candidates able to pass their test last year compared to the year before.’
However, ask these Brexiteers and they do not want to admit this. For them it is Boris Johnson, the government generally, social media, ITV news… but not Brexit itself. The problem with denial though is that it becomes impossible to create solutions that are sustainable and work if the causes are discounted.
The Foreign Policy analysts are very clear as to where we are at:
‘…It also points to one of the perils of the entire Brexit adventure: Losing a pool of European labour that is vital to make the country run was never going to be a recipe for stability, even if it was popular with the take-back-the-borders crowd that propelled Johnson to office.’
If a doctor tells us the cause and the remedy and we ignore it. Guess what happens?
Douglas James
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