Brexit is as much a disaster as is Tropical Storm Harvey. That Storm has been going backwards and forwards, on and off the Gulf Coast, causing untold damage.

The Brexit ‘negotiations’ are stalled before they start. Both sides seem to be determined not to negotiate with the objective of reaching constructive solutions. In the process there is scope for untold damage.

Why is this? Perhaps it seems like jobbing backwards and it may be unreasonable to suggest that there was not enough forethought at the time when the UK joined the European Community.

But history would support the argument that the UK does not belong in the EU. No one should enter into a commercial arrangement when the relationship between the parties is not well-founded. Don’t make friends with those who are not your friends.

The EU is a very dubious mixture of ingredients. There are clear beneficiaries and clear losers. Nothing is uniform. The problem for the UK is that withdrawing from this unholy alliance is likely to be much, much more painful with exceptional uncertainties than almost any Brexit voter could have imagined.

The UK shouldn’t have joined. Once in, it would be better to try to improve the structure than leaving. Is there perhaps still time for wisdom and common sense to prevail over rather than short-term emotion?