Today is the first day of the year 2017 AD or would be if political correctness did not dictate that is should be called  2017 CE, the two letters standing for “of the Christian Era”. It seems that the longstanding “AD”,  in the “Year of Our Lord” might be upsetting to our non-Christian compatriots, who probably couldn’t care less! This is notwithstanding the  uncomfortable truth is that the Christian Era can hardly have started with the birth of Jesus Christ, a Jewish child to a Jewish family that in any case appears now to have been in around 4 AD/CE. A more credible date for the commencement of the Christian Era would be the calling of the first Council of Nicaea by the Emperor  Constantine some 325  years later at which the familiar creed of that name was formulated as the core of Christian belief, but this would make the year starting today 1692 and we would be looking forward to the massacre of Glencoe and perhaps more pertinently the Salem Witchcraft Trials!

This is the year in which we find out what “Brexit” means, other than of course as we all know, because Mrs. May told us, that it means “Brexit” which must count as one of the most absurd political statements of all time! Apparently it comes in two consistences, hard and soft. We cannot start to negotiate the terms until “Article 50 Day”, except that the government can hardly trigger this until it has negotiated the terms, which hopefully it has been doing frantically for the last few months! The whole point about Article 50 is that it is deigned never to be used!

A small majority of those who voted in the referendum chose to leave the European Union which it seems makes it mandatory for the government to take Britain out of the EU, whether or not this is a wise decision. “Vox Populi………….”  A similar small majority in the USA voted to elect Mrs Clinton as president, but this apparently does not mean that she gets the job. Instead by the machinations of an “Electoral College” it goes to her rival Mr Trump! Democracy on each side of the Atlantic seems to have different meanings! But at least in America the people will after four years have an opportunity to change their minds, the people of Britain may find that more difficult. Perhaps another consistency should be sought: “Elastic Brexit”, which would enable a future wiser and stronger government to take Britain back into the EU, while preserving the Cameron Concessions.