Crosswords5 mins ago
No Deal .
This is what to expect in the U/K if Boris's comes out with No deal.
Massive disruption of freight at Border.
Shortage of medical supplies.
Super market food shopping more expensive.
Big hole in Britains gdp.
Set back to international crime fighting.
Northern ireland stuck in the middle.
................. And Boris looks like he's going for it.......
Massive disruption of freight at Border.
Shortage of medical supplies.
Super market food shopping more expensive.
Big hole in Britains gdp.
Set back to international crime fighting.
Northern ireland stuck in the middle.
................. And Boris looks like he's going for it.......
Answers
As all the Brexiteers will tell you – come 1 January 2021 there will be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover, just you wait and see. In reality there will be a large number of HGV’s parked-up at either side of the channel (some possibly containing supplies of a vaccine that needs to be kept at minus 70⁰C).
20:17 Tue 08th Dec 2020
As all the Brexiteers will tell you – come 1 January 2021 there will be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover, just you wait and see.
In reality there will be a large number of HGV’s parked-up at either side of the channel (some possibly containing supplies of a vaccine that needs to be kept at minus 70⁰C).
In reality there will be a large number of HGV’s parked-up at either side of the channel (some possibly containing supplies of a vaccine that needs to be kept at minus 70⁰C).
//Since we buy more from the EU than they buy from us they’re going to be rather alarmed by your news, Hymie.//
Indeed. The EU enjoys an £80bn trade surplus with the UK. That means that £80bn worth more of their stuff will be languishing in Calais and other places than our stuff languishing in Dover and the like.
The EU knows this. That's why they have spent the last four and a half years firstly trying to persuade us not to leave at all and then moving on with threats to make it so difficult and inconvenient that we'll say "Well just cross our name off the list of members then. We'll still abide by all the requirements you make of us." Both those strategies have failed and they now realise the folly they have constructed. But they cannot lose face by negotiating a proper trade deal in good faith as they would with any other third country, hence all these shenanigans.
These negotiations are not about a trade deal. They are certainly not about constructing a deal that is in the UK's interests. They are about the EU trying to maintain as much influence over the UK's affairs as it can. They want a "level playing field" because they are concerned that, freed from some of their ridiculous constraints, UK businesses will thrive and steal their trade. The electorate did not vote to leave to maintain a "level playing field". That is why the PM should simply say that enough is enough so that we can all move on. He could do that over the phone without troubling the RAF to fly him from Northolt to Brussels and back. But then he'd miss out on the agreeable dinner he's been promised.
Indeed. The EU enjoys an £80bn trade surplus with the UK. That means that £80bn worth more of their stuff will be languishing in Calais and other places than our stuff languishing in Dover and the like.
The EU knows this. That's why they have spent the last four and a half years firstly trying to persuade us not to leave at all and then moving on with threats to make it so difficult and inconvenient that we'll say "Well just cross our name off the list of members then. We'll still abide by all the requirements you make of us." Both those strategies have failed and they now realise the folly they have constructed. But they cannot lose face by negotiating a proper trade deal in good faith as they would with any other third country, hence all these shenanigans.
These negotiations are not about a trade deal. They are certainly not about constructing a deal that is in the UK's interests. They are about the EU trying to maintain as much influence over the UK's affairs as it can. They want a "level playing field" because they are concerned that, freed from some of their ridiculous constraints, UK businesses will thrive and steal their trade. The electorate did not vote to leave to maintain a "level playing field". That is why the PM should simply say that enough is enough so that we can all move on. He could do that over the phone without troubling the RAF to fly him from Northolt to Brussels and back. But then he'd miss out on the agreeable dinner he's been promised.
"Which of the “ridiculous constraints” are you looking forward to being free from?"
Usually followed by the inevitable tumbleweed response - whilst they busily google some vague polemic about the men old EU.
According to breaking news just now, it looks like Boris Johnson is about to deliver his promise to his hedge fund chums who shorted the pound.
Usually followed by the inevitable tumbleweed response - whilst they busily google some vague polemic about the men old EU.
According to breaking news just now, it looks like Boris Johnson is about to deliver his promise to his hedge fund chums who shorted the pound.
//Which of the “ridiculous constraints” are you looking forward to being free from?"//
How long have you got? Among the most important, the constraint that says we cannot strike trading arrangements with countries on the terms that best suit us. I'd like to see the freedom to set our own standards on environmental matters and labour legislation. The ability to support businesses which the UK government chooses which will be in the UK's best interests without having to get permission from the EU. The ability to change the way end user purchase tax is levied. The ability to take whatever fish we wish to from UK waters. The ability to choose who settles here and who does not. The ability to support the UK agriculture industry in a way that suits us, unbound by the CAP. In short, the ability to run the UK in the manner the UK government thinks is in the best interests of the UK without having to take account of the needs and requirements of 27 other very disparate nations. (and, no, I haven't Googled any of this. This is what I can think of immediately). Their "level playing field" involves the UK remaining in regulatory compliance with the EU.
We're out of the EU now. It has been obvious for four years that we can either be in or we can be out. The EU wants to retain political control of many aspects of the UK's trade and economy and it will not agree a trade deal with the UK unless it can do so. It wouldn't (and indeed couldn't) try that on with any other nation and they should not expect to try it on with the UK. It has been apparent for the last year that they had no intention of negotiating a trade agreement in good faith. As an aside in my view that perfectly justifies the government aiming to strike out parts of the Withdrawal Agreement. That agreement was predicated on negotiating a free trade deal in good faith.
The EU wants to maintain the integrity of their protectionist racket (which they call their "Single Market"). They were never going to relinquish that for the UK and this government has been foolish in the extreme to ever think that they would.
How long have you got? Among the most important, the constraint that says we cannot strike trading arrangements with countries on the terms that best suit us. I'd like to see the freedom to set our own standards on environmental matters and labour legislation. The ability to support businesses which the UK government chooses which will be in the UK's best interests without having to get permission from the EU. The ability to change the way end user purchase tax is levied. The ability to take whatever fish we wish to from UK waters. The ability to choose who settles here and who does not. The ability to support the UK agriculture industry in a way that suits us, unbound by the CAP. In short, the ability to run the UK in the manner the UK government thinks is in the best interests of the UK without having to take account of the needs and requirements of 27 other very disparate nations. (and, no, I haven't Googled any of this. This is what I can think of immediately). Their "level playing field" involves the UK remaining in regulatory compliance with the EU.
We're out of the EU now. It has been obvious for four years that we can either be in or we can be out. The EU wants to retain political control of many aspects of the UK's trade and economy and it will not agree a trade deal with the UK unless it can do so. It wouldn't (and indeed couldn't) try that on with any other nation and they should not expect to try it on with the UK. It has been apparent for the last year that they had no intention of negotiating a trade agreement in good faith. As an aside in my view that perfectly justifies the government aiming to strike out parts of the Withdrawal Agreement. That agreement was predicated on negotiating a free trade deal in good faith.
The EU wants to maintain the integrity of their protectionist racket (which they call their "Single Market"). They were never going to relinquish that for the UK and this government has been foolish in the extreme to ever think that they would.
In what way is Brexit going to help UK agriculture? USA want us to ditch all our food standards and strip away protection for UK farmers and they're the only country big enough to replace our lost trade from Eu. If we want to trade with the big boys then we have to submit to their terms. It's how the world works now I'm afraid and Britain was doing quite well out of that game until Brexit came along.
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National Farmers Union seems to think UK agriculture will be devastated by leaving without a deal - more expensive and less competitive exports, loss of labour force etc. They don't seem excited to be leaving without a deal at all. At least they will be "free" from the tyranny of CAP though. What a joke!
National Farmers Union seems to think UK agriculture will be devastated by leaving without a deal - more expensive and less competitive exports, loss of labour force etc. They don't seem excited to be leaving without a deal at all. At least they will be "free" from the tyranny of CAP though. What a joke!
//National Farmers Union seems to think UK agriculture will be devastated by leaving without a deal//
Well they would, wouldn’t they? Their members have been drawing vast sums of money from the EU via its Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for four decades. Those funds have been provided principally by the taxpayers of Germany, the UK, France, Italy and the Netherlands (with a small number of “also rans” chipping in a few quid). The CAP was supposed to be reformed in return for the UK forfeiting some of what was quaintly termed its “rebate” (which, correctly described, is allowing us to keep some of our own money). The rebate was reduced, the CAP remained largely as it was.
But all this is by the way. The “free trade negotiations” were nothing of the sort. They were an extortionate last ditch attempt by the EU to maintain political control of the UK’s trade and fiscal policy as much as it could in order to protect its members from what it terms “unfair competition”. No other trade deal in the world – including those which the EU has managed to secure - makes provision for any of the participants to have a say over such policies of their trading partners.
If you prefer to be governed by a cabal of unelected foreigners then the EU is the place for you. Fortunately, so it finally seems, if you want to enjoy such governance you will have to seek citizenship of one of the remaining 27 members.
Well they would, wouldn’t they? Their members have been drawing vast sums of money from the EU via its Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for four decades. Those funds have been provided principally by the taxpayers of Germany, the UK, France, Italy and the Netherlands (with a small number of “also rans” chipping in a few quid). The CAP was supposed to be reformed in return for the UK forfeiting some of what was quaintly termed its “rebate” (which, correctly described, is allowing us to keep some of our own money). The rebate was reduced, the CAP remained largely as it was.
But all this is by the way. The “free trade negotiations” were nothing of the sort. They were an extortionate last ditch attempt by the EU to maintain political control of the UK’s trade and fiscal policy as much as it could in order to protect its members from what it terms “unfair competition”. No other trade deal in the world – including those which the EU has managed to secure - makes provision for any of the participants to have a say over such policies of their trading partners.
If you prefer to be governed by a cabal of unelected foreigners then the EU is the place for you. Fortunately, so it finally seems, if you want to enjoy such governance you will have to seek citizenship of one of the remaining 27 members.
All trade between countries has political costs especially if it involves powerful countries. The USA frequently browbeats its trade partners into adopting policies that are advantageous to it - look at what they expect from the UK it clearly involves changing our laws - and China does so far more aggressively. To think that these costs do not exist because they are not always officially written into the agreement is naive in the extreme. The EU is not an outlier.
