Sadly Barbados is not a Brexit free zone - however there is a united view about our misfortune and muddle.

It is a view that is totally understandable.

Barbados was, and is a proud member of the Commonwealth.

The United Kingdom is still highly regarded and respected as the mother country.

Despite years of slavery and British colonial rule, goodwill towards us still exists but not in the abundance it once did.

The view expressed consistently here is that we are getting, quite simply what we deserve.

Our crime was to put the Commonwealth aside and throw our lot in with the European Union.

Some go as far as to say the Commonwealth was betrayed, and it is a view with which I have some sympathy, none of which exists here for a nation that selfishly betrayed them.

“You have made your bed and it is one of nails – now lie on it,” sums up the local view.

With this harsh view however there is hope, and anyway there is usually a twinkle in the eye of those who firmly express it.

There is always a follow up. “We Bajan’s will come to your aid”, expressing the view that trade agreements will be no problem.

All the islands will be anxious to deal with ‘the Mother Country’.

In some cases this is said more in hope than expectancy.

Not all economies in the Caribbean are sound and increased trade will benefit them all.

Rum is the first product to be mentioned but bananas and sugar are not far behind.

Veterans like myself can remember Fyffes lorry’s carrying bananas from Avonmouth chugging through the Cotswolds.

A Marlborough friend remembers the Tate and Lyle lorry’s pausing there on their way from the West Country port to London.

To see this happening again would be wonderful.

Happily Brexit is not a dominant subject in the chill out capital of the world, because after all they have ‘Trumpton’ on their doorstep.