Shortages?

Not unpredictably, Project Fear has been ramped up to Project Hysteria.

Which companies are you referring to, GG? Is there a list, or have you trawled through every UK company.

When Remainers post things they do try to back it up with information so that people can look at their sources. Leavers don't tend to be quite so forthcoming. It does make their statements less than credible IMO

You are right Paddyann when you accuse David Cameron of irresponsibly calling the referendum to pander to the extreme right of the Tory party, but it may still also be true that the narrow victory for the leave side could not have been achieved without the intervention of Vladimir Putin.

Let's just remember who supported leave. In the UK the leaders of all the political parties - Tory, Labour, LibDem, SNP, Green, Plaid Cymru, Alliance, SDLP, etc all supported REMAIN. The only parties to support leave were UKIP, BNP, EDL and other far-right extremists.

If we looked at our international friends, REMAIN was supported by all our 27 EU partners, all our NATO allies, all the Comonwealth countries and the leaders of all our other important trading partners such as China and Japan.

Which foreign politicians supported the leave side??? Only Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and the French Fascist Marine le Pen.

OK, some decent folk were fooled, but that should tell them all thety need to know about which way they should have voted.

Obviously, when we leave, all our food prices will drop.

It's not obvious at all, eazybee. Can you explain how it's going to work? Work without dropping all tariffs on imported food and putting our farmers out of business, that is...

The 1975 referendum was not about joining the EEC, we were already in it. It was about whether or not we remained in it. I can't believe that people are still getting that wrong...

And it is no longer the 1970s; things are vastly different now.

Incidentally, I notice when we go to France that food is still a bit more expensive than it is in the UK. So what does that do to your 'argument'?

Like remainers saying that Land Rover Jaguars problems are due to Brexit, when in fact it is due to the fact that 80% of its vehicles are currently diesel and due to new regulations emanating from the EU they are having to design and retool factories to manufacture hybrid and electric vehicles???

Typical scaremongering tactics if in doubt blame it on Brexit!!!!

The term "Project Fear" has been adopted by leavers to divert and undermine the opinion that there is the real possibility that there will be some food supply issues post Brexit.

A sort of Project Distraction! If we say it is all going to be better after March 29 often enough it will be!

Let's be honest nobody really knows as there is no final deal yet. If the food industry is concerned we need to listen...one way or another it is building up to price rises!

Yes GrannyGravy13, and Jaguar Land Rover have stated that those electric and hybrid powered vehicles will be built in EU countries if Britain leaves the European union on a no-deal basis

PECS, that is just it nobody knows what will happen after 29th March as we have never been in this situation.

People from both sides of the argument can be found guesstimating and that is all that can be done.

If immigration falls very low our health service and social care will be much poorer paddyann. I trust you don't eat potatoes. Potatoes are immigrants!

GrannyGravy I have never jumped out of a plane without a parachute, but I have been advised by experts (IE folk who do know what they are talking about) that this would be a foolhardy, dangerous and most probably suicidal thing to do. I think I will listen to their advice.

OK nobody knows for sure the likely result of a no-deal brexit, but we would be mad not to listen to the advice of experts.

* GrannyGravy* and that is the issue. Leaving the EU is a political ideal that has been promoted and progressed without due diligence on the impact on all citizens of the UK. It is madness to be so close to the leave date without any real idea of the short, or long, term impact. Even the most avid leaver must feel a little tiny bit concerned at the potential for economic crisis.

Not unpredictably, Project Fear has been ramped up to Project Hysteria.

In which case, JenniferEccles we are taking our cue from our own dear government who are buying up fridges to stockpile medicines, commissioning space on ferries for importing medicines and digging up the sides of motorways on the approach to ferry ports to accommodate the huge queues of lorries waiting to clear the ports as they deal with increased paperwork
Oh, and the armed forces which are 'forward purchasing' (stockpiling) supplies to ensure that they don't go short of food.

Not to mention army reservists being put on standby and consideration of using the Civil contingencies Act (effectively imposing martial law.)

news.sky.com/story/uk-begins-stockpiling-at-military-bases-to-prepare-for-no-deal-brexit-11617564

news.sky.com/story/army-on-standby-to-handle-food-and-medicines-shortages-in-event-of-no-deal-brexit-11453093

www.businessinsider.com/theresa-may-spending-2-billion-to-manage-no-deal-brexit-chaos-2018-12?r=US&IR=T

inews.co.uk/news/politics/matt-hancock-uk-buy-fridges-stockpile-drugs-brexit-no-deal/

oh for heavens sake Eazybee, do you really think that a comment made by a relative at a wedding in 1975 is more relevant than those warnings made today by the people who supply the food to the UK supermarkets? Really?

nobody knows what will happen after 29th March as we have never been in this situation.

And 16 million of us have absolutely no wish whatsoever to be put in this situation. If only we could devise some way that only Leave voters have to suffer the consequences of their vote...

Not just 16 million Maizie, more like 49 million out of the 66 million Britons who never voted for this brexit nonsense.

I'm just talking about the ones who expressed a view, varian.

But I'll let the ones who didn't bother to vote have the benefit of the doubt and not include them in the group who have to suffer the consequences

Sadly we would all have to suffer the consequenses if this brexit nonsense is not stoped.

I suppose if one has been misled by the nonsense and misinformation spouted by some of the Brexit team then it is easier to believe them again when they dismiss the warnings by experts as 'Project Fear'. If one more person on here compares the millenium bug to this unnecessary economic and social catastrophe then I think I shall scream. For the last time, the millenium bug was averted by careful and sensible planning by EXPERTS, despite the hysteria whipped up by some of the more irresponsible newspapers, what a difference to what is happening now.

Who was it who said "It is easier to fool people than it is to get them to admit they have been fooled"?

Sorry eazybee but I find the opinions of leaders of relevant industries rather more credible than a 40+ year-old anecdote from someone who knows someone who knows someone!
Currently watching a man who runs a fruit and veg importing business who says that 24 hours in the life of a mushroom or a strawberry is crucial!
Then there's the chap who makes English wine and is happy with a no-deal brexit, as he thinks his will fill the gaps left by the lack of French/Italian/Spanish wines.
Not in my house they won't!!

It's not the possible unavailability of fresh products, nor the lack of tinned tomatoes. It's those who will panic when certain items are unavailable or in short supply and they will empty the shelves of all other things. I saw it when the snow stopped deliveries last year, it wasn't just fresh stuff that disappeared fast.

In regard to experts, I feel that the expert that should be listened to is Richard Burnett CEO of the Road Haulage Association. His members are the Hauliers that transport the vast majority of the Freight that passes through the channel ports every day.

Burnett has several times spoken on Brexit in the last twelve months, and his words have been highly accurate in predicting the situation we now face. In that, he has recently advised that his members feel that should Britain leave the EU on a no deal basis on the 29th of March, then nothing will happen on the 30th simply because nothing will be ready.

It would seem that many in the Road Haulage industry and those in management at the ports continue to hope and believe that a deal will be struck and therefore have made little commitment in the way of the infrastructure that will be required for a no deal situation.

That situation could remain for a number of weeks or even a month or perhaps two following Brexit. However, without doubt, the EU Commission would soon come under pressure from member states asking why Britain is still having all the advantages of trading with the EU without any of the obligations. It is then that Burnett believes that disruption through the ports will begin as vehicles are stopped for checks.

We can I feel hope that the above turns out to be the case as that would at least give the UK more time after Brexit to attempt to make "some arrangement" with the EU as its largest trading partner. However, there are a number of detriments to consider should there be disruption through the ports.

In the above, Britain is now almost sixty thousand HGV drivers short according to some estimates carried out in the Road Haulage industry. In that, large numbers of extra drivers would be required to carry out journeys that would have been done by those delayed at the ports

Heavy goods vehicles are high cost to purchase and maintain on the road, and no business buys any vehicle unless it has guaranteed work for it into the future. Therfore, there is not a large number of vehicles at present "sitting idle" to carry out the journeys of those delayed at the ports would have done

As it stands at present I believe that British commercial vehicle drivers would be able to cross into Europe to their first delivery or collection but would not then be allowed to travel around the EU carrying out deliveries or collections, but must return to Britain on making that one delivery or collection.

Many EU based hauliers have advised that they will not be willing to have their vehicles engaged in Channel port operations to Britain if "no deal" comes about as they would not want them delayed at those ports

Much to consider indeed.

Thats right craftergran and that is why I have taken the sensible precaution of buying extra larder items each week to have a bit of 'overstock' to see me through for a little while. I have no intention of being involved in unseemly scuffling over the last loaf or whatever in my local shop. In fact, the more I think about it, it is better that I do stay away from the shops if we crash out on 29th March; I will not be responsible for what I say to any Brexiteers I may meet.

In the hypothetical situation that this brexit nonsense was not stopped, I wonder how long it would take the disappointed shoppers who voted leave because they thought they would be better off, to twig that they had been conned, fooled, taken for mugs?

It’s all ‘could happen’, ministers ‘might’ resign etc. I’m with you MissAdventure - a sensible post.