黑洞社区

Following on from our piece looking at how Brexit could affect London, what do business owners across the rest of the UK think the picture will be like after Brexit? Read viewpoints from four different corners of the UK as the nation braces itself for its imminent exit from the European Union.

View from the north-east

View from Scotland

View from Wales

View from Northern Ireland:

鈥淲e have taken no precautions whatsoever 鈥� it鈥檚 such an unknown subject鈥� 

Moffitt & Robinson has eight full-time staff and currently uses around 10 subcontractors, a 鈥渇ew鈥� of whom are foreign workers, says director Willie Moffitt.

He is not concerned about Brexit. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be worried, I鈥檓 fed up with listening to the scaremongering about Brexit. I don鈥檛 think Brexit is going to be as bad as the scaremongers [say].鈥�

When it comes to the question of a hard border in Ireland, he argues that there is too much movement 鈥� both in terms of workers and lorries 鈥� for this to happen. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 see either government trying to stop them from going down there, it wouldn鈥檛 be in their own best interests to have a hard border,鈥� he says.

He continues: 鈥淚 think the reason for all the border talk is that Europe doesn鈥檛 want the UK doing side deals through the Irish border.鈥�

Moffitt is not a fan of some current EU legislation: 鈥淎t our tea on the building site we were talking how it would be great to get rid of some of the ridiculous European laws.鈥� 

As for the consequences of Britain leaving the EU, he states: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any fears about Brexit. Yes, materials may go up in price but if you put a tariff on anything coming from the UK to Europe, it鈥檚 going to be swings and roundabouts.鈥�

As for making preparations for Brexit, he says: 鈥淲e have taken no precautions whatsoever 鈥� it鈥檚 such an unknown subject 鈥� people say you should prepare for Brexit, nobody knows what to prepare for.鈥�

In terms of the skills shortage in construction, Moffitt says: 鈥淚n construction and engineering in Northern Ireland, we鈥檝e had problems with staffing for a number of years but the easy way was to bring in migrant workers rather than trying to address the situation. Now migrant workers are moving back home and suddenly there鈥檚 a crisis. 

鈥淚 can鈥檛 understand why the UK should be bringing in migrant workers and at the same time be paying people to be on the dole.鈥�

Moffitt does not have a positive view of Brexit negotiations. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think Europe will do us any favours 鈥� they want to give the UK as poor a deal as possible so that it discourages other countries from leaving Europe. If Britain does well out of this it will be the downfall of Europe.鈥�