How some countries help rich people save a little VAT

It is sometimes said that rugby is a hooligan's sport, played by gentlemen. This is in contrast to, you guessed it, football. I played both sports as an amateur, with rugby the longest. Most years I played at fullback, often just a fair distance from the real battle. As a lock on the door, so to speak, the opponent was allowed to escape with the ball, while most of the attackers were still participating in the ceremony. Furthermore, as a former footballer, I had a fairly good kick between the posts, so I had to keep my legs fresh. Sometimes I think of my rugby days when I try to follow developments in the UK surrounding Brexit.

Britain's exit from the European Union

The entire process surrounding Brexit can be compared to the introduction of the oval ball into the pool. The half-half throws the ball and hopes the ball goes out to his team's side. To increase the chance of success, he throws the ball slightly towards his players. Not much, because that's not allowed. The idea then is to play the ball with the foot backwards. Not to the side, because that is not allowed. Not even with your hands, because that is not allowed either. There are still many rules that you, as an ordinary person, do not know and therefore regularly wonder how difficult these rules are. Then we also have the “opposition” or opponent. On average, there are between 800 and 900 kilograms of muscle mass pressing against each other for each team, which does not make controlling the ball any easier. There is a risk of accidents if everyone does not adhere to the rules – written or unwritten. The role of a good referee is crucial here, because the rugby player wants to win and takes the space given to him by the referee, whose decisions are beyond any debate.

In the whole Brexit process, we are missing the independent referee running the match, even though there are not two but at least three teams on the field. The ball is bowled regularly in a scrum. Sometimes the ball comes out again, but not according to the rules. Sometimes it gets stuck there and has to be put back in. If the ball comes out well, the best player lets the ball fall from his hands and starts the rally again. Many players in the Brexit process do not know or adhere to the rules of the game. So, we're watching a Brexit rugby match, where all sorts of things are happening, but the Test line is never reached to score the point. The beautiful green field has now been plowed and turned into a mud bath. It's great to watch but it doesn't make any progress.

There comes a time when the game is over. Whatever the result, it is usual in rugby for players to form a gate to let their opponents through and thank them for a difficult rugby match or for giving them a last friendly match. Once bathed, it is good practice to add a fun third half, singing along and respecting the opponent. I wonder if this will happen after the Brexit game. If the match ended again, we would know whether we had watched a football match or a rugby match. I hope for the latter, because then everything will be okay in the end, whatever the outcome.