The contents of the soon-to-be-released Brexit Impact studies may supply more detail on the extent of Brexit’s repercussions and give us specifics that we haven’t had up to now.

There is, however, the suspicion that they will simply confirm that the Government is confused about, and unprepared for, where it is taking the UK.

There is also the possibility that our fears, most recently expressed in Gina Miller’s article in the Guardian, will be realised by the Government’s releasing summaries/redactions which tell us far less than the whole story, or even next door to nothing.

However, the options covered in the Brexit impact statements will tell us a lot about the Govt’s intentions and whether it can be trusted – you might have noticed that.

Will it be just deal or no deal? Will it also cover staying in with the status quo?

This information will help to confirm whether Theresa May is attempting to force a particular outcome regardless, and how far the Govt is prepared to go in this endeavour.

These papers have been requested and demanded for months and the Govt has consistently turned down anybody and everybody. This is doubly worrying.

First, the Govt is hiding potentially vital information that our MPs will need when approving, or otherwise, a final deal.

Second, Brexit is already rumoured to be the worst idea since powdered water, so how bad do these Impact assessments have to be for them to give Brexit an even worse name?

It is unknown at this point if and when any of these papers were produced, have some been produced, have any of them? Are there more to come? It would be hard for the Govt to release what it doesn’t have.

Is it merely dissembling or actually secretive, bearing in mind that this Govt has made a habit of secrecy.

Beyond the objectionable nature of such secrecy in a democracy, let us look at the implications of the Impact assessments.

If they give a positive view of Brexit, does anyone have any doubt that they would have been released or leaked already? If on the other hand they give an unfavourable view of Brexit, what right does the Govt have to withhold the truth from us (surely “the people” deserve better than that)?

If Brexit is turning into even more of a disaster, our MPs need the information in order to fulfil their oath and make an informed decision on our behalf. Equally, if we are to go ahead, we have a right to know how bad the damage is going to be so we can communicate with our MPs on that basis.

So finally, the Govt has no basis for keeping the studies secret, nor even for redacting them, not in a democracy.

The only logical conclusion is that this is an attempt to subvert Parliamentary democracy and lie (by omission) to the public.

Whatever the content of the Brexit Impact studies, we and our MPs have a right to know in order to exercise parliamentary democracy and self-determination, and in that I think they will prove useful.

But do not expect that they will throw much light on where the government is taking our country, they will say more about what sort of government this is and the state of chaos and confusion in Whitehall.

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Published by Grahame Pigney on behalf of The People’s Challenge Ltd.