Brexit Without the Bullshit

Gavin Esler is journalist, television presenter and author. He was a main presenter of the BBC current affairs show Newsnight for 12 years until 2014. Since 2014 he has been the Chancellor of the University of Kent, a public speaker, and a political commentator and journalist. In 2019 he stood for Change UK in the London region for election to the European Parliament.

The broadcaster and journalist Gavin Esler sets out how the most momentous change in Britain for decades changes everyday life. In 7 succinct chapters, he reveals the profound impact of leaving the European Union on:Food and dietHealth and the NHSJobs and industryEducationTravel to EuropeFrom the food markets of Kent to NHS operating theatres to the boardrooms of big employers, Brexit throws up many surprises. Brexit Without the Bullshit is not about the Brexit you were promised. It's about the one arriving.ReviewsHere's the really useful book: Brexit Without Bullshit by Gavin Esler. Everything a good Remainer needs to persuade the Brexiters, punchy, pithy and short. - Polly Toynbee, Guardian columnistIf you want a pithy, sober, clear-headed summary of what Brexit is actually likely to look like, @gavinesler's new book is spot on. Such a welcome antidote to all the whipped up sentiment - calm, factual, rigorous. - Dr Rachel Clarke, NHS doctor and campaignerEsler lays out with stark clarity the effects a Brexit will have on every significant aspect of our lives. In an ideal world every citizen would read this essential book, and think hard. This is the clearest, most uncompromising and most valuable statement of the facts available; and it could save us from a disastrous mistake. - Professor AC Grayling, academic

TABLE OF CONTENTS. Introduction. 1. Brexit & Our Food Chapter. 2. Brexit, Our Health & the NHS. 3. Brexit, Our Money & Our Jobs. 4. Brexit & Our Children’s Education. 5. Brexit & Travel. 6. Brexit & Our Country. 7. A No Deal Brexit. The Boring Bits: Glossary and Endnotes INTRODUCTION. What is Brexit really going to look like? After 50 years of Britain arguing about Europe, what does leaving the European Union mean for you, me, our families, children, jobs, health care, and our daily lives? Shorn of the posturing and the promises, what are the profound changes ahead? 1. BREXIT & OUR FOOD. The scene at a market in Deal, Kent. Brexit means fewer EU workers from Eastern Europe to pick fruit and vegetables, potentially forcing crop changes and higher prices. Fewer vets for animal health inspections. Trucking EU food to UK will cost more, increasing food inflation 2. BREXIT & THE NHS. Foreign nationals, many from the EU, staff an understaffed health service. Despite the slogan on Vote Leave's Brexit battlebus, quitting the EU will shrink the economy, leaving less money for the NHS. The US will want to sell costlier drugs in return for a US-UK trade deal 3. BREXIT, OUR JOBS & OUR MONEY. Despite lay-offs at EU-facing manufacturers such as Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan and Honda, the labour market has remained tight. However not being in the EU is likely to stymy growth, and financial services will suffer a slow loss of income 4. BREXIT & OUR CHILDREN’S EDUCATION. Brexit will lead to fewer EU teachers in schools, potentially exacerbating shortfalls in science and maths. Productive freedom of movement for brains will decline – for EU lecturers to come to the UK and vice-versa. The end of Erasmus will stunt student experiences 5. BREXIT & TRAVEL. How Brexit changes immigration rules, visas, passport queues, flying to the Continent, coach trips, health insurance such as EHICS cards, driving abroad, mobile phone charges and an issue of great importance for British people: pet passports. 6. BREXIT & OUR COUNTRY. What happens to the United Kingdom after Brexit? English nationalism has sparked an upsurge of patriotic and nationalist feeling in Wales and Northern, to join the already strong independence movement in Scotland. 'We live in an increasingly dis-United Kingdom' 7. A NO DEAL BREXIT. In the event of the UK and the EU being unable to agree on their relationship after Britain's withdrawal, what would falling back on WTO terms mean for UK people and businesses? JARGON & THE BORING STUFF. Brexit glossary. European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), European Free Trade Association (EFTA), The Single Market, Customs Union, World Trade Organisation (WTO), The Backstop, Schengen Area ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Ian Dunt, Alex Andreou, the Remaniacs Podcast, 16 Million Rising, the activists at SODEM, Steve Bray, Barbara Want, the People’s Vote campaigners, Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair, Tom Baldwin, Carole Tongue, Alex Deane, Chuka Umunna, Chris Leslie, Heidi Allen, Dr Sarah Wollaston ENDNOTES. Full list of references with hyperlinks for sources about Brexit, including government statistics, newspaper articles, think tank reports, industry body policy statements