Brexit

[C8RKH]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38565192

How things change. And how quickly too. The longer this goes on the longer I think we just walk away and start to negotiate our own trade deals.

Why waste up to 2 years trying to negotiate with an intransigent and thankless EU when we can use that time to focus on US, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Africa and our Commonwealth partners. We have strong historic links with all these places and we can build successful trade that equally benefits both parties.

The EU we can still trade with and the government can provide support re exporters and tariffs under WTO rules.

[Andyww]

I am taking great satisfaction from the headline in the Guardian today which says that Corbyn has said we will be better off outside the EU. 

I am wondering what the people I know on Facebook who have turned Brexit into a political issue and saying that those "vile Tories" are dragging us out of the EU against the countries interests are thinking this morning? 

[C8RKH]

Thats an easy one to answer @Andyww@Andyww. Nothing. They won't be thinking about anything. 'Cos let's face it they haven't really given it any thought so far have they? They've just resorted to moaning, whinging, complainibg, bitching and accusing all Brexit supporters of being illiterate, racist bigots.

 

[100th_Idiot]

Corbyn was always anti EU as could be seen by the poor job he did for remain which was a poor job even by his standards of poor jobs.

Anyway. Historically he has been against the EU. Listening to him on R4 this morning he seemed to be saying no to free movement but wants to remain in the single market. 

I have no idea why people think it is a good idea to set out their position as an impossible one. Does nothing for their credibility.

[C8RKH]

I honestly do not know why we believe we need to stay in the single market. The main benefit I see is the market makes it easier from a customs and paperwork point of view.

We can argue the toss re the economic benefits as you need to factor in what it currently costs us, and would cost us, in EU fees to stay in. Those fees could be used to subsidise our exporters and support some importers. Couple that with the freedom to negotiate to trade anywhere with anyone...

I don't doubt for one minute it will be easy. BUT, the best things are never free really anyway.

I'm a confirmed Brexit support, but I'm not anti immigration  I just want some control. For instance we've just gone to hell and back to sponsor an Ozzie to come here to work. She has a job. She wants to live AND work here. But by jove it was tough. So why should we on the other side just have an open border and let EU wastrels just stroll in and demand this and that? Some of them have no intention to work here, just to live off those who do work here.

No. Open borders and free movement is too high a price for a trading arrangement that I also need to pay to be a member of.

Bye bye EU. Hello nations of the world.

[Chillidoggy]

Apropos the discussion earlier in the thread, I hear the Ecuadorian embassy puts people up full-board for free for as long as they like, so let's not have any more talk about them being poor value for money, eh?

[Andyww]

Teresa Mays performance today was much better than I expected.

The best way of approaching this is to make a strong statement of intent and then, if the EU so wish THEY can come to US with alternative proposals which, if they suit US we can consider. 

Thats what May seems to have done and its absolutely the right approach. 

 

[Steve V8]

I agree Andy, I was sceptical of her appointment at first, but what a breath of fresh air she's proving to be. At last, we seem to have a leader who has a bit of backbone, who's prepared to step up to the plate and make a difference. 

[Steve V8]

I was unfortunate enough to have to listen to Tim nice but dim Clegg on radio 2 this morning, telling of how 95% of those who voted to leave, would have voted the other way if they had realised they would have to leave the single market ................. What a knob !! 

 

[Barrykearley]

Cleggs a prize winning twat.

mrs may is doing a great job now - she's kept her powder dry and trumps recent comments have really helped

[Steve V8]

I reckon she might be a bit kinky too.....bonus

[pete]

1 hour ago, Steve V8 said:

I was unfortunate enough to have to listen to Tim nice but dim Clegg on radio 2 this morning, telling of how 95% of those who voted to leave, would have voted the other way if they had realised they would have to leave the single market ................. What a knob !! 

 

his successor is no better

[Andyww]

One of my Facebook remainer "friends" yesterday predicted that Mays speech today would cause the pound to drop through the floor. It rose 2 cents!

[silverfrost]

Has the pound risen,  everything i see on the net news wise keeps saying the pound has taken a battering due to Mays speech as she declared it was a full proper exit from the EU   or is this just the usual sour taste of remain folks spreading worry and end of the world predictions ?  

[C8RKH]

Pound actually rose against the dollar to close at 1.23 almost 2 cents up.

Bigger news is that OPEC has said no need for further oil production cuts and current throttling will be over by July. 

British exports doing well.

Nicola still stampng her feet and whinging.

Farron and Lib Dems totally irrelevant.

Countries declaring their intent for trade deals.

The future is uncertain, but then if we ever thought it was any different we were deluded.

The world continues to spin on its axes and life as we know it goes on.

[Chillidoggy]

9 hours ago, Steve V8 said:

I reckon she might be a bit kinky too.....bonus

 

That'll be those leather trousers, and a bit of masochistic wishful thinking on your part, then.

[C8RKH]

I'm not sure if the times are really a changing. But the tune has, and so have the words...

 

Mr Juncker said he would work to ensure Brexit talks are carried out "according to the rules and they yield good results".

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, whose country currently has presidency of the EU, warned: "We want a fair deal for the United Kingdom

The Czech Republic's Secretary of State for EU Affairs, Tomas Prouza, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was important that a Brexit deal "makes sense for both sides".

 

Where's all that EU huffing, puffing and chest pumping gone now. Bravo May. Good balanced speech that took the wind out of many sails....

[PaulCP]

1 hour ago, C8RKH said:

Where's all that EU huffing, puffing and chest pumping gone now. Bravo May. Good balanced speech that took the wind out of many sails....

They've no doubt been brought in to line by Merkel who realises that May's stance is not good for German business. Hence Merkel's call to German business leaders that "politics and business must come together for the common good"

Junker, Hollande and the other few loudmouths are just trying to protect their own positions by giving the impression that they have a real voice in what might happen, they don't, they are just puppets in a ridiculous show, hence their quick reaction in defending Trump's view that "the EU is just a vehicle for Germany"

As for Queen elect Nicola, once the EU lose the significant cash contribution from the UK, does she really think the rest of the EU will want to hastily acquire another country with a suspect economy which will be a net revenue drain on what is left.

[silverfrost]

One member of the EU that has been very quiet of late on these things lately is Poland,  I am sure they are very worried about the loss of child tax credits and work and benefits for most of the Polish workers that come to the UK, as surely as most will be classed as  unskilled workers under the possible visa scheme and will not be able to keep coming to work in the UK ?   The polish pm was very loud about things during the brexit votes but now he seems to of gone to ground ?

[Chillidoggy]

15 hours ago, PaulCP said:

As for Queen elect Nicola, once the EU lose the significant cash contribution from the UK, does she really think the rest of the EU will want to hastily acquire another country with a suspect economy which will be a net revenue drain on what is left.

 

It never stopped them before!

[silverfrost]

2 hours ago, ian29gte said:

 

It never stopped them before!

Romania is a good example, but at least they have a McDonalds now 

[Chillidoggy]

That horse is taking a chance.

[pete]

didn`t see the bbc reporting this today  http://www.standard.co.uk/business/martin-experts-wrong-on-eu-for-30-years-a3443471.html

[C8RKH]

You know, I listened to this tonight for the first time in years. Stick with it for the first 5 minutes and listen to the words. Truly relevant to what we need right now in these Brexit times.

Wit. Charm. Inspiration. Pride and above all aspiration.

Not such the old bag people make out!

http://audio.theguardian.tv/sys-audio/Guardian/audio/2007/04/27/thatcher_final.mp3

[Andyww]

People forget what a total mess the country was in before Thatcher. It was falling apart and nobody could really see an and to the problems.

There was an industrial relations war with unions and management pitted against each other. There was no innovation, very little was being produced and what was produced was crap. I may have mentioned this before here but growing up in the West Midlands I had friends who went to work in factories straight out of school and half the time they were on strike and the other half they joked about deliberately making reject products to "teach the bosses a lesson". Getting a phone installed required a huge deposit and a wait of up to 3 months. If you wanted a phone with buttons that was an extra monthly payment.

Under Thatcher, industrial output grew. It did not decline as many think. Yes she played a part in mine closures (but Scargill was mostly to blame, as Neil Kinnock has admitted in recent years) but if you speak to any miner who was involved whether they would have wished the mines to stay open and their sons become miners not one will say yes.

Her mistake was the poll tax. It was an attempt to introduce a "fair" local tax but she didnt understand that tax is inherently unfair and that cant really be addressed without causing huge social unrest.