ON the Brexit front, it seems public opinion is becoming even more detached from economic reality. And, given the ultra-bizarre state of affairs since we went down the rabbit hole with last June’s vote to leave the European Union, the growing gulf between what many people believe and the actuality of the situation is worrying indeed.

This increasing dislocation was underlined on Monday, with the publication of two key surveys.

An Ipsos MORI poll showed 58 per cent of captains of UK industry have already seen the business situation of their company impacted negatively by the Brexit vote. This is more than five times the 11 per cent seeing a positive effect. That speaks volumes.

And this is even before Prime Minister Theresa May actually leads us further into the economic danger zone by triggering Article 50 to start the formal two-year process for negotiating the UK’s exit from the EU.

However, it very much appears Mrs May is not listening as the economic reality is spelled out, or that she simply does not want to hear.

Captains of industry cited movement of, and access to, skilled labour as the most important thing for the UK to obtain during its Brexit negotiations. About 54 per cent of business leaders cited this as a crucial issue.

Meanwhile, 86 per cent flagged ease of recruitment of EU staff as crucial to success in a post-Brexit UK.

Continued access to skilled labour from other EU countries is cited frequently by Scottish businesses, when you speak to them, as absolutely vital. And the Ipsos MORI poll’s decisive findings on this point provide irrefutable confirmation of this widely-held view. The business leaders surveyed also emphasised the need to secure free trade or single market access. This was cited as important by 47 per cent of respondents.

Yet Mrs May seems strident indeed as she takes a path focused on control of immigration at the expense of free single market access.

On both of these counts, her direction seems at odds with the wishes of the business community. And it is surely not much of a jump at all to conclude, especially given captains of industry have already seen economic damage from the Brexit vote, that the path she is pursuing will cause further harm to businesses and the already-struggling UK economy.

Two-thirds of captains of industry feel, on a 12-month view, that the business situation of their company will be worse than it would have been without the Brexit vote. Only 13 per cent believe it will be more positive.

Mrs May often seems these days to be at pains to pander to popular opinion on the Brexit front. And, lamentably, many people seem to be lapping up her seemingly aggressive stance towards our long-suffering fellow members of the EU.

This brings us to the other Brexit-related poll published on Monday.

ORB found majority support among people in the UK for the May Government’s approach to leaving the EU - for the first time since the pollster’s series of surveys on this topic began in November. ORB’s poll showed 53 per cent approval for the Westminster Government’s preparations for Brexit.

This was quite a turnaround from the corresponding poll last month, when only 38 per cent approved and 62 per cent did not. What has changed in between times is Mrs May’s seemingly unambiguous declaration that the UK will be leaving the single market, and her crystal clear signal that controlling immigration is the real priority for the Westminster Government.

However, while this grandstanding on immigration might be going down well with some of the UK electorate, it seems to be increasing the dismay of many voters in Scotland. Their annoyance with Mrs May’s approach is entirely understandable. After all, the vote in Scotland was very firmly in favour of remaining in the EU, and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has since highlighted her determination to keep Scotland in the single market.

An exclusive BMG survey for The Herald revealed this week that 49 per cent of the Scottish electorate now support independence, with 51 per cent backing the Union, when the “don’t knows” are removed. A BMG survey for The Herald last month showed 45.5 per cent in favour of independence, with 54.5 per cent backing the Union.

The hard Brexit approach being adopted by Mrs May must surely also increase the level of dismay among businesses over Brexit.

Businesses had been critical of a lack of clarity from Mrs May and her ministers over the Government’s Brexit plans. Some clarity has been provided around the UK Government’s approach in terms of its clear signal that free access to the single market is not a priority, and its determination to clamp down on immigration.

In many ways, in terms of business confidence, what we have now from the UK Government is actually worse than the previous lack of information.

At least before, from a confidence perspective, there was some hope that a sensible approach might be adopted. And, while we might have some clarity on the UK Government’s approach, that does not mean it makes any sense.

In terms of the grand Brexit plan, we still have nothing more than a huge amount of hot air about securing trade deals with countries outside Europe, with US President Donald Trump touted as the main hope on this front.

And, as anyone with knowledge of trade deals knows, they take many years and sometimes decades to conclude.

Given most captains of industry are already feeling an adverse effect from the Brexit vote, before the actual exit process starts in earnest, it remains impossible to escape the notion that there is plenty of woe ahead for businesses, the broader economy, and the population at large, Remainers and Brexiters alike.