However we want to cut the referendum cake.

The past few days in parliament have shown that despite both leavers and remained wanting politicians 'to get on with it,' we seem to a just as far away from leaving the EU as we were more than three years ago.

We have to accept the outcome of the referendum, no matter how close the outcome. Not accepting the vote creates a dangerous precedent. We know that some of the 'leave' messages might have been manipulative just as we know that our media has been fanning the flames of racism for many years, conveniently blaming immigration for many of the results of government policies from both sides of the house.

However we want to cut the referendum cake, we have to accept that the leave campaign was run much more effectively and remain. I remember, as part of the local Chamber of Commerce being bombarded by convincing 'leave' messages whist the remain campaign failed to deliver a coherent message. We can hardly blame those wanting us to leave the EU because they understood and used technologies and memes convincingly.

When it comes to a no-deal Brexit, I cannot remember any negotiation I have had as a businessman where one of us threatened to walk away. No deal is a negotiating position completely undermined by how our political system works.

We have been let down by a range of Brexit ministers more interested in their own profile than coming up with a negotiated solution. Leaving the EU has become about career politics rather than economic reality: with Germany in recession, saved for a long time because of the impact of the Euro on their export prices, means that the huge market opportunity the EU once was is no longer true. Being part of the EU meant we could not look for trading opportunities elsewhere.

We must never forget that EU countries need UK markets more than vice versa. So do you think that French brie exporters are going to agree to a 40% tariff on.exports to the UK? For how long?

It would be naive to expect the media to explain rather than stir up mud in the same way I can't expect career politicians to understand the needs of West Midlands business export market opportunities.

It all makes sense if we cut out the partisan bickering and the self-serving aggrandizing. It is the responsibility of business people to use their common sense to help the region take advantage of the opportunities that free access to a global market provides.