How bitter is the first bite of Brexit

At the end of the day, the mutation of the virus and the change in the Christmas rules – the less we move, the better, otherwise the mutated virus will no longer stop it, say the government virologists, yesterday as calm as they are – they were more annoying than the lines in Kent

There is the mutation of the coronavirus and there is Brexit: many commentators on British and European issues say they are not confused, but judging by the reaction of British citizens, their message has not reached. Everyone is talking about this “taste of Brexit” before Christmas, before the end of the negotiations between London and Brussels, as the lockdown rules across the Kingdom intensify. The media simultaneously published yesterday images of: the queues in supermarkets, extremely long despite the assurances of chains like Sainsbury’s that repeated that “the traditional English Christmas dinner is safe”; the queues of trucks stopped in Kent (some even with a fine on the windshield, an absolute joke) and on the other side of the Channel, after France announced the closure of the crossing for the weekend; passengers at airports collapsed on their luggage waiting for clear directions about their travels. As you can easily imagine then the French ears rang a lot yesterday, because for the British it was clear that the immediate and draconian shutdown was actually a punishment for having wanted to drag Brexit to this point, to the point where it is discussed. cod and (little) money. Atlantic’s Tom McTague formalized the issue in a tweet: “Isn’t this simple? 1. If we talk about Covid, France’s response is draconian but rational and justified. 2. If it has something to do with Brexit, it is irrational and unjustified. They are separate issues, both points are easy to accept, whatever you think about Brexit ”. But rationality, when it comes to pandemics, divorces and France, is not an abundant good.