Whatever our political persuasions and opinions regarding to ‘Brexit or not to Brexit’ …

The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 (c. 1) – an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that makes legal provision for ratifying the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and implementing it into the domestic law of the United Kingdom …

has today been signed by EU leaders, ie the deal formally ending Britain’s membership of the European Union. It is now law. Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, heads of the European Commission and Council, put their signatures on the withdrawal agreement after it was approved by the UK parliament this week. This evening, Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed it too, meaning the UK will be leaving the EU on 31 January

Maybe today we need more people with the spirit of the ancient Welsh saying (C12/13) ‘a fo ben bid bont’ – a mantra I was nourished on from an early age, by my father I love the alliteration. It means ‘The one who would lead must be a bridge’.

In the Welsh folk-law classic The Mabinogion, the story is told of a giant king called Bendigeidfran. His troops, whom he had led over to Ireland on a mission to rescue his sister Branwen, were unable to cross a broad river to pursue the enemy. Bendigeidfran lay across it, making himself into a human bridge for his men to march over

The saying can only be taken so far. A bloody battle ensued. Bran lost! But the saying lives on in the Welsh psyche – an integral part of the British psyche – and the ‘twenties’ will need even ‘enemies’ and people who really hate and dislike each other (and make no mistake, ‘Westminster’ 2020 is still a microcosm of them all) to find common ground in order to build some new bridges for the good of us all.