SHOULD I be crying into my beer?

There’s so much worrying and wailing that Britain might not be able to negotiate an advantageous trade deal with the EU once we’ve left. Well, let me reassure you that my beer remains undiluted by any tears.

The good news is that Britain has flung open the shutters and put the open for business sign back in the window. For decades Europhiles have tried to persuade us that the EU is a wonderful free trade area and that we would be out in the cold if ever we left it. This is a lie – and it is still a lie no matter how many times it is repeated. The EU is an introverted, protectionist customs union which imposes prohibitive tariffs on any member state that makes free trade deals with non-EU countries. Cheer up!

Once we’re out, the world is our oyster.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said last week: “The mood music that I hear is very much that this will mean more opportunity for countries like China that are outside the EU to do business with Britain. As Britain leaves the EU and is not bound by the rules of the EU, it will be easier to do deals with Britain in the future.”

The EU bloc has been trying for years to establish a trade agreement with the US.

Their efforts have repeatedly failed because of opposition from powerful sectional interests in Germany and Austria. Instead a bilateral agreement between the UK and the US will now be much easier to achieve.

The US Senate finance committee chairman, Orrin Hatch, says so himself: “We’re interested in having free trade with anybody.”

And Kevin Brady, House ways and means committee chairman, said last Friday: “We should now begin to discuss a modern, new trade agreement with the UK that not only continues but expands the level of trade between our two nations.”

Even more encouragingly, the man who has been appointed to oversee Britain’s commercial interests abroad, Liam Fox, Secretary of State for International Trade, says: “Now the UK can become a beacon of open trade around the world.” And Mr Fox’s department has just confirmed that there are ten nations – including China, India, Japan, Australia and Canada – which have already declared their willingness to enter trade talks with Britain.

It was bad enough having to listen to the continuous programme of lies and threats put out by those on the Remain side while the referendum campaign was in full swing.

But it’s a bit much that they should continue to try to frighten us with this Project Fear weeks after the vote was taken. The peeved and sulking Remainers moan that Britain will find it difficult to get a trade deal with the EU.

That is ridiculous.

Under the trade deal we already have with the EU, we have always bought from them more than they have bought from us. Can anyone in his right mind imagine that all those German manufacturers of high quality cars and washing machines will refuse to sell them to us once we’re out? Of course not. There would be riots in the factories.

Italy and Greece are flat broke and so they will be most keen to keep sending us their tomatoes and olive oil.

Out of the EU, we see that the whole world is rapidly becoming a more open and welcoming place.