WE have learned several hard lessons from last week’s referendum. Above all we have learned that millions of people have a deep anger about the situation they find themselves in, about politicians, about the EU and about what they see as the problems of immigration. This lesson has to be learned and followed by action to address the problems, especially of the areas of Britain that have been left behind in the decades of policies that left everything to the market.

But we have also learned that a large majority of young voters wanted to remain in the EU. They too are angry now, feeling let down, once again, by an older generation that grew up with freedom of movement and opportunity and with free higher education. They are the generation who have longest to live with the outcome, most to lose from Britain cutting itself off from Europe. They are understandably distraught at what has been done to them, seemingly with no thought of their futures.

We have also learned that the economic warnings that the Brexit campaign pooh-poohed were all too accurate. The pound has plunged in value, even against the despised Euro, and this must mean higher prices in the shops and the poorest will be hit hardest. Britain has had its credit rating downgraded, in one case to negative. This will simply mean that the money the Treasury has to borrow regularly, in large amounts, will cost more. Other countries have had to cope with this at great cost. In our case the money has to come from somewhere and it is most likely to bring a mix of higher taxes and more spending cuts.

Over 20 per cent of company directors are considering moving operations out of the UK, and a quarter are putting a freeze on recruitment, according to the Institute of Directors survey. What does it mean for Wiltshire jobs?

And then we learn now that the Brexit leaders didn’t mean it when they said £350m a week could go to the NHS. It wasn’t £350m after all, there are other demands on any money there is and anyway the promise was a mistake. And Brexit doesn’t after all mean a huge reduction in immigration.

So we were, as former Chippenham MP Richard Needham said on the radio the other day, ‘sold a pup’. Some would be less polite.

Older readers, of my generation, will recall the films of the tragi-comic duo, Hardy and Laurel. If you do, I leave you to think of today’s comparisons with the chubby Laurel and the thin blonde Hardy. But in any case, many will remember the punch line in their chapter of accidents – “Another fine mess you have got us into”.

One of the most startling lessons is that the Brexit leadership doesn’t have a plan for what they want in the exit negotiations. They want more time to work one out! Stay in the single market or not? They just don’t know. How to repeal all the EU regulations we have signed up to? They just don’t know? How can they be trusted to take over the running of the country? Meantime the Labour Party is imploding and the Prime Minister is on borrowed time.

So we stagger off into the unknown, an angry and divided country, with more economic problems, threats and broken promises. Have we got our country back, or damaged it in ways we couldn’t have imagined? There is an urgent need now to reflect deeply on ways forward to respond, rescue and reunify.

CHRIS CASWILL, Independent Wiltshire councillor, Chippenham Monkton