You can safely say that if you are sitting at a table with a group of fellow Europeans the conversation will turn to Brexit. Regular readers of this space will have discovered that I am not fan of Brexit but yesterday I actually found myself defending the breakaway and saying that it could just work. Mad dogs and Englishmen. The majority of Europeans that I know and meet are amazed that Britain wants to break away. "Stronger together," is their phrase and of course they are not wrong. But let's face it, the European Union is not really fit for purpose. If Britain can exit the EU and secure a decent deal and then rapidly sign trade deals with the US, Canada and other Commonwealth states. then it could just work.
Britain has a reputation for always being able to secure a deal. But the problem is time. How long is all of this going to take? Some say years. But Britain does have an advantage; it is one enormous market which at the moment receives plenty of items and goods from the European Union. If this market is closed, then other countries will be quick to step in and reap the rewards. Times are changing and Britain just has to look forward.
My full defence of Brexit was quite robust but at the end of the day I left the table thinking that things would have been very different if the referendum had not been called in the first place. Remember two years ago? A strong pound, the economy growing and low unemployment.