COMMENT: Let's all take a break

Maybe it’s the relatively-new phenomenon of the 24hr news cycle, but there seems to be a feeling about that someone needs to say something about anything every few seconds.

We are beset, surrounded and submerged by comment, opinion and propaganda on any subject you care to name. Take any current news story and if there hasn’t been a development in the past few seconds then there has to be one now. The readers/viewers/Tweeters expect it.

Or do they? 

The heated atmosphere created in the run-up to the EU referendum saw many who should know better caught in the 24hr news trap. Something had to be made to happen every other minute, lest the other side stepped into the breach. As opinion began to tilt towards the Brexit camp, so the hysteria grew.

Stir in the furore over the delayed decision on the south-east’s new runway and you could be forgiven for thinking Europe in general, and UK Plc in particular, was going rapidly to the dogs. The two – EU and runway capacity – became inextricably linked and now need to be disentangled.

There are two simple lessons to be learned. First: Remainers, you lost. Get used to it. Brexiters, you won – but only just. And secondly, let’s now just get on with sorting out the result, but preferably calmly and with a little forethought. 

Parliament has risen. No runway decision and Article 50 yet to be invoked. Ministers and MPs have gone on their hols (with some of them sitting at Dover and blaming the French or those that voted the other way from them).

BTN has called for a quick verdict on the airport capacity question but with Brexit it is far too complicated for a fast Euro departure date.

The new PM does at least have a quiet period to consider her strategy.

August is a time for contemplation.   

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OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum

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Laurie Price, Horsham

Please do not pontificate on the Referendum. If you believe the lies and half truths told by the LEAVE campaign which resulted in a very narrow margin was "fair"then you have a rather more distorted view of reasonableness than most! Its the biggest most catastrophic decision of most peoples lifetime. There was no plan for BREXIT and all the key BREXITERS have left the stage leaving others to clean up after them!

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