British Prime Minister Teresa May is taking Britain out of the European Union (EU) as per the recent plebiscite — Brexit. So after 40 years with EU Members of Parliament (MP), paying dues, free trade, no borders — a working single market Britons believe they can do better than on their own without ceding their freedom to a foreign State.

The British pay £50 million a week to Brussels, and when one is not satisfied with the Government he takes matters to the EU Court which rules in the interest of the EU, and the British State gets a bloody nose.

The recent case of the terrorist teaching Imam is classic. A British court ordered him deported to his birthplace, but the EU court ruled he must stay in Britain.

Sovereignty is always important. They also seek control of their borders to avoid droves of migrants coming to suck welfare lollipops — stress schools, hospitals, transportation, housing, security. Freedom is more important to the British than export metrics.

A quartet, including senior Tory backbencher MP John Redwood, gave a simple exit strategy. First, Parliament revokes the 1972 Act by which Britain joined the EU, then immediately passes the content of that Act into British law for continuity, then gradually amends areas repugnant to the people. So, responsibility to British citizens is intact, EU MPs are paid as usual, and exporters cushioned. A quick exit, smooth (costly?) transition, then shape the laws to fit what Britain needs. It’s worth it.

The priority is EU market access to not upset producers. To continue in the single market is best, but most-favoured nation status works for USA and China. A hard Brexit to exclude the UK — a neighbour with a land border — benefits no one and may violate World Trade Organization rules and incentivise smuggling.

Seven members fund the EU and sell to 500,000; the other 21 get subsidy. But the UK also has chips to bargain with, for example, to expel or retain the two million resident EU citizens? Germany has a positive trade balance of some €90 billion with the UK, and it is the largest market for German cars. Will manufacturers give these up for politics?

So Britain will be sovereign — EU law repealed, British law will prevail, border control returns to the UK. EU citizens may apply for visas as citizens of Jamaica, Canada, USA, and droves of refugees cannot merely be sent to the UK by Brussels. Trade is crucial, so it’s good tactics to bring the Commonwealth of Nations (a market of 2.2 billion people to the EU’s 500,000) centre stage, and Secretary General Baroness Scotland may oblige.

All 53 nations speak English; Brits are the technology, military, finance giant in the Queen’s club, and we must be assertive to serve niches while the UK builds its new global footprint. Britain may soon focus foreign aid, so don’t be shocked if it replaces China in Commonwealth countries by 2025. Selah.

So what about us?

When you are at the bottom any change is opportunity. We have a new EU and an independent UK on which to work our magic. Who is our high commissioner in the UK? This is our chief tactician; so must have business skills and UK know-how to manage a charm offensive. Caricom will front for us with the EU, but we need special envoys to tackle Brexit issues as we can help with trade, labour market deficits, negotiations, the Commonwealth.

John Redwood loves Jamaica, knows we can add value, create jobs and growth as Britain builds itself — we need a friend. UK farmers insist they need EU labour. I am no farm work fan, but we can replace farm workers from Romania, Albania; construction labour from Poland; housekeepers, maids from Spain, France; hospice and care workers from Portugal as to them the poverty wage of GB£16,000 is good. The British do not take these jobs as the pay is close to the dole and they cannot collect both. At say J$170 to GB£1 our workers can survive. Cabinet must promptly negotiate a labour market protocol for a small tranche of say 50,000 of these jobs. HEART/NTA will go into overdrive; Jamaica Foundation For Lifelong Learning must rethink its boutique portfolio, and bring 30,000 plus students under the High School Diploma Equivalency as mastery of English speech is the USP for us vis a vis EU citizens who speak none — can’t touch dis!

Our two main universities need a big uplift in doctors, nurses, etc to service such a protocol. They would rotate in the British system on a structured basis so we do not lose them until we build capacity for export. Can Cabinet use ex UK PM David Cameron’s £600-million grant and the “prison money” for this? UK Development Secretary Priti Patel, MP, gave £1 billion to Afghanistan for education; PM Andrew Holness should invite her here and sell this project. Negotiations have been handled for decades by the EU and some say the UK are not as sharp as before, while we have lived by our wits for decades. So, can Cabinet engage Richard Bernal and Gail Mathurin to assist the UK Brexit office with the EU and Commonwealth negotiations?

We should take risks. We have skills sets in education to market to large Commonwealth countries in Africa and Asia — we know how to empower girls and women! We have expertise in entertainment, spectacle, tourism, sport, the arts — we are the zeitgeist of the black and brown universe. Since 60 per cent of the Commonwealth is under age 30,we have a massive market to exploit. We are also masters at innovative finance tactics and extraordinary communicators after decades of tightening belts. We have skill sets to sell to the Commonwealth’s 2.2 billion. Go for it! Stay conscious.

RIP, Elizabeth Ramesar

Elizabeth died recently — without permission, as she might say. I returned to Jamaica by invitation of Edwin Allen to embed a planning function in the Ministry of Education and “Betty” — petite, with raving Trini accent —was my guide. A group of young Turks — Keith Lowe, Margaret Bowie, Neville Ying, Ouida Hylton, others — were intent on revolutionising education under the sardonic eyes of Permanent Secretary Freddy Shaw and CEO Ross Murray… “What are you young people up to now?”

Her passion was media, and on my recent return to the island she was at the Jamaica Observer managing a process to produce quality material to help students. We reminisced on “The Homework Channel” for kids, which we started years ago to syndicate to cable providers. Betty loved her friends, avoided photo ops, and had strong views — “Betty, daughter of Dr Caroline Ramesar of Trinidad and Jamaica, smoke that!” Hers was a massive unsung contribution to education media. We miss her. Travel well, good friend!

Franklin Johnston, D Phil (Oxon), is a strategist and project manager. Send comments to the Observer or tofranklinjohnstontoo@gmail.com.