Today Theresa May will head for Buckingham Palace to become the UK’s new Prime Minister.
I have to say that the choice of a Remainer and her selection on the grounds of party unity is not particularly to my liking.
That feeling is shared by many Conservative Party members, a fact that is proven by significant numbers of them joining UKIP in the past twenty-four hours.
So the real question is what happens next and will the views of seventeen and a half million people count?
The good news is that Mrs May has said Brexit means Brexit. Indeed I am confident that we will get back our parliamentary and judicial sovereignty.
It is important that Article 50 is triggered shortly after the summer recess. I don’t think Mr Juncker will be spending much time in his office during the month of August.
Whilst there are problems with Article 50 it is the statement of intent that is important.
My real worry is not whether we regain control of our laws but on what terms we separate.
Already I hear the weasel word “access” to the single market being used. This establishment line is that to have full access to the single market (corporate cartel) we have to have the free movement of people.
My MEP colleague and UKIP Trade Spokesman William Dartmouth points out that last year the EU bought 1.4 trillion euros worth of goods from countries with whom there is no pre-condition of free movement whatsoever.
I will be watching closely to make sure this government is not blackmailed by Brussels. It is time for strong leadership and real vision for our country.
Unmentioned since the referendum is the key issue of our territorial waters and the fish stocks that swim within them.
I tried my best to make this a referendum issue by helping to organise the flotilla of boats that came up the Thames.
I will never forget Sir Bob Geldof flicking V signs and worse from his gin palace boat stuffed full of establishment millionaires.
It is going to take real courage to take back what is rightfully ours. In fisheries terms we want to be like Norway, Iceland and the Faroes. We want our own exclusive 200-mile zone.
Already in Brussels there is blind panic. Meetings have taken place over the last two days. And other governments will fight hard to keep catching as many of our fish as they possibly can.
We have a battle on our hands. A positive suggestion that I would like to make is that the roles of agriculture and fisheries should be decoupled. Though I’ve never been a supporter of big government, the reclamation of our fisheries which done correctly would be worth several billion pounds a year, should be a cabinet position with its own department.
As the 2020 general election approaches the ultimate Brexit test will be to see if our harbours are active with newly commissioned vessels and people coming back into what was a great industry before we were conned into joining the common market.
If those harbours are quiet and the industry still depressed, the wishes of voters on June 23rd will have been betrayed. If that is the case just watch UKIP in the 2020 general election.
Nigel Farage is the outgoing leader of the UK Independence Party
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