The Brexit issue is now calming down. After periods of near panic and almost hysterical pessimism, led by those determined to see the negotiations fail, and a handful of myopic columnists, the whole matter is beginning to fall into perspective, and the way forward into a simple and more manageable pattern.

Briefly there are two subject areas to be addressed — the immediate and the more medium term.

The three immediate issues are how to settle the status permanently of the millions of European Union citizens living and working in Britain (and the rather fewer million Brits living on the continent), how to cope with the problem of an Ireland divided between the Republic in the south (in the EU) and Ulster in the north (part of the United Kingdom shortly to be outside the EU), and how much Britain will need to pay, and probably go on paying, for various commitments made in the past, as well as for various on-going services from the EU "club" that the British will go on wishing to purchase.