'more Charm, Less Cheap Rhetoric'

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headlines/39108539

Decent speech from Major, not that anyone will listen of course. In fact the worst of the Usual Suspects have already started bitching ::::

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headlines/39111241

[whiskeryron]

if as I suspect these wonderful people have been elected by the very people they are now calling THICK should they not somehow now be brought to task to face their THICKO electors ?

[ichkeria]

Award yourself best answer mikey.
You were dead right

[jno]

he's suggesting Britain might strike better deals with the EU by being polite rather than by treating with disdain the people they're negotiating with.

I would have thought that was fairly obvious; but it appears that many Brexiters' stance is "We demand favourable treatment from you little dictators". Yes, that should work...

[andy-hughes]

jno - I see no indication that Britain is going to be anything less that cordial in negotiating its trade agreements.

As I have opined many times, we have goods and services to sell, and buy, so does Europe - that is how trade works. Nothing is gained by an opening position of hostility which is why it is not on the agenda.

[jno]

andy -

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jan/18/boris-johnson-world-war-two-punishment-beatings-brexit-francois-hollande

[mikey4444]

I have just back from Bristol. I see the Usual Suspects are attacking Major and I, and a few removed posts !

Same old, same old !

All these Old Tories being dissed by the very people that voted for them !

[New Judge]

“…but it appears that many Brexiters' stance is "We demand favourable treatment from you little dictators".”

You can include me out of that, jno. I want no favourable treatment for the UK from the EU. I want no treatment at all from it other than the treatment they afford to any other “normal” (i.e. non-EU) nation. I want no part of their “Single Market” (which is not all it’s cracked up to be), no part of its “Customs Union” (aka protectionist racket), no part of its free movement principles (which is causing untold grief across the continent), no influence over UK affairs by its Court of Justice. I don’t care what “deal” is cobbled together for out departure or whether no deal at all is agreed. Reverting to normality cannot possibly be worse than being a member of a corrupt, declining, moribund, putrid anti-democratic organisation that the EU has become.

Mr Major needs to keep his own counsel. His signing of the Maastricht Treaty, which fundamentally altered this country’s relationship with the EU, was the beginning of the path to the country voting for Brexit. He and successive administrations have presided over the gradual decline in sovereignty that the UK Parliament once held supremely over UK affairs. It amuses me that those now clamouring for Parliament to be sovereign and have the final say over the exit deal include in their number people like Mr Major who thought nothing of signing away Parliament’s sovereignty, salami-style, over the past 40 years. They would be wiser to keep their heads down.

[Old_Geezer]

If the EU knew what was good for them then they'd realise trade agreements are supposed to be a win/win arrangement. Favourable treatment doesn't extend beyond that. But it may prove that the EU are so vengeful that unless they are able to dictate to others, others don't get offered reasonable terms. That is my guess anyway but we'll see what the negotiations come up with.