Brexit Day has arrived. Hurray or boo hoo?

Although the Big Day has arrived - 11 o'clock tonight - there is no real sense of change coming after we have left the European Union. But those who support the UK leaving the EU are buying bottles of champagne from the supermarkets and putting up Union Jacks outside their homes as if a Great War has been won and we are all at last liberated. Boris is promising a new golden era ahead of us and invites us to look to the future with optimism and hope. Well, hope certainly, but optimism? I really don't know. I don't feel optimistic. I feel sad, disillusioned, uncertain and troubled, and also a genuine loss at the thought of this island being cast off from its European family. I can imagine arriving with my passport at, say, Lisbon airport to be greeted by a sniffy immigration officer not wanting to let me in. This is probably too pessimistic, but I can imagine some European countries thinking to themselves, "From now we are going to treat Brits differently." It has to be said, however, that ever since we joined the EU all those years ago we never ever felt truly European, not like the French or the Germans or Italians. We are after all an island. And over the years UK governments have rejected much of the EU club membership special offers, such as switching from the pound to euros. We didn't want euro money in our pockets even though we always had to have euro money in our pockets when we cross over to Europe for holidays and business trips. But that was our island decision. And then of course there were all those opt-outs, making sure the UK didn't become too immersed in EU ways. And Maggie Thatcher used to battle every year demanding money back, and successfully. So in a way Brussels has been used to our somewhat reluctant membership of the European community. Now we - well half of Britain - are seemingly relieved that we don't have to put up with all that Brussels bureaucratic nonsense any more. So out come the champagne glasses. I agree we have never been a truly paid-up member of the EU, we have always complained and stamped out feet but basically, as the fifth most powerful economic country in the world, we, the Brits, gave far more than we took away during our EU membership. We and the EU will be the loser by our exit. Now we have to see what happens in the so-called transition period which Boris has set as 11 months but which Brussels says will be at least two years and probably five. That means lots of uncertainty for a long time. We are going back to having blue and gold passports but we don't know what that will mean at airports. And what happens to the mass of Brits who live and work in Europe? Will they be allowed to stay put with no changes? Surely they will. What will happen to intelligence-sharing and the defence of Europe? Well, Nato still exists so I guess the defence argument will be solved although as we, with the best armed forces in Europe, exit the EU, Paris and Berlin are bound to push ahead with their plans for a European army. And how disastrous that will be. So, all in all, today, Friday January 31 2020, is a disturbing and dispiriting day.