What an interesting interview, much admiration for Merryn Somerset Webb, a role model for any prospective interviewer and much admiration for Bernard Connolly.

Excellent interview.

You really should have labeled these as part 1 and part 2

Much good sense.

Thank you!

great interview, thank you

I like this guy. Someone telling the truth and speaking common sense on the EU and our future outside it, being far greater than in it. The EU is the greatest con and swindle in modern times. Germany and France have acquired huge trade surplus at the UK's expense (similar to the US and China situation, trade is largely one way) and let the smaller economies tied to the Euro to be run into the ground and now technically bankrupt. Just look at the true cost of the EU, how much the UK has paid into it since we became member. And the true cost is not just the membership fee, but running two parallel political and legal systems and the vast 'industries' around those. The cost must surely be into the hundreds of billions or even over a trillion pounds by now. And what do we have exactly to show for it? Is the UK doing great economically and exporting loads to the EU? Nope. Our national debt is 95% and exports are a mere 13% of our economy compared to the large manufacturing and agricultural base economies of Germany, France and Spain. So what exactly has the EU given us then? Endless Directives, regulations, and an endless flood of cheap migrant labour that undermines our labour market, lowers wages, and living standards, and pushes house prices ever higher. The benefits: We can travel freely and live and work in any EU country (if you wanted to, which most don't). We could go to these countries anyway even before we joined the EU, hardly a benefit. .

Anyone wanting to understand the EU, why it exists and what it tries to do, and succeeds in doing needs only to understand few words - "Corporate Statism alternatively known as State Corporatism." That is why international corporations' lobbyist's offices occupy all the buildings for several blocks surrounding the EU HQ in Brussels!

UK citizens TAXED so heavilily -n UK is the 2nd BIGGEST PAYER of "£10 - #£"12 BILLION PER YEAR . Isn;t our £350 BILLION ca from 1974 - 2019 PAID TO THE EU not already enough A BURDEN OF tax removing our PENSIONS NOT ENOUGH for EU - but EU WANTS ANOTHER £50 to £63 BILLION exit RANSOM Fee !

The hand-over of our defence as part of the May government’s negotiations effectively create EU control over our defence and our defence forces in the widest sense as it includes intelligence and security. During the negotiations, the May's government sought to lock Britain into various EU structures created in order to establish control of Europe’s defence by the EU Commission - these include the European Defence Fund, the European Defence Agency and the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) mechanism. Joining all these structures would tie our defence and defence industries to the EU’s rules and policies for defence, and indeed foreign policy and would do so by legal, binding, treaty. Thus under EU law - the ruling jurisdiction - we would be structurally, politically, diplomatically and financially tied in to and subordinated to the defence architecture of an unaccountable body, the EU Commission. And be in no doubt, attachment to any part of the EU’s defence integration scheme subordinates the country, by EU law, to the whole of the EU’s global strategy. Unless, post-Brexit, we could explicitly annul these measures, then in simple terms, our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines; our ships and aircraft; our land forces and our intelligence architecture could all be directed and controlled - put in harm’s way indeed - by a body which could not be brought to account for its actions

NO DEal = £0 = £ZERO exit RANSOM Fee = => nearer removal of VAT TO 0% OR lowered VAT ! We PAY SO MUCH TAX because EU charges Uk £10 - £12 BILLION PER YEAR !" No wonder , our pensions have effectively gone for the younger generation..

I'm nice and sleepy from this

Hey Merryn, looking good with your hair this way. Insightfull interview again, don't agree with everything though.

Aged like fine milk......

It's such a laugh to hear posh British commentators getting it all so totally wrong. Essential listening in 'Hubris 101'.

"Brexit is good for small businesses". Indeed it is, i tha's so far been great for small businesses in the EU, taking over business from small businesses in the UK that are cut off from the EU market. Wow, that aged badly!!

I liked hearing an actual Briton point of view on this very insightfull. However it is quite ironic to hear an Anglo-Saxon speaking about financial crisis which they are likely to create/cause again and an undemocratic empire.

this guy has an annoying tick. He sniffs constantly. Is that everytime he"s wrong ?

I’m still trying to find a Brexiteer who can tell me one good thing that’s happened 4months beyond the end of the transition. Love the irony of him thinking the EU had cronyism...not a patch on the Conservative government of BJ

has breathing become an artform? or has he turned to the dark side?