The Brexit thread

[demographic]

As part of Europe the UK had a lot of free trade agreements with Europe and even with other countries outside Europe. Because it was part of a large group of countries we got better deals.
We're now out of that, its not a matter of Europe introducing harsh tariffs or extra rules.
Its just that the UK voted to leave and those are the deals for pretty small countries outside of Europe.
To suggest otherwise is either disingenuous or possibly a bit stupid.

We have just walked away from out largest trading partner and are scrabbling about for deals with the likes of Australia who bring in pretty much fuckall.

We also made a huge deal about the agreement with Japan despite it being a slightly worse deal than the one we had with them when we were part of the EU.
Well done folks, name a few Brexit plusses?
Apart from nebulous shite like "Sovereignty" though eh?

[JackyJoll]

In the summer months a lot of Germany moves nearer the Med.

In an Audi 100.

[Treadeager]

A week is along time in politics......

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/ ... an-courts/

Michel Barnier demands return of France's 'sovereignty' from European courts
Former EU negotiator accused of hypocrisy by Brexiteers after attack on European Court of Justice

By
James Crisp,
EUROPE EDITOR
9 September 2021 • 5:25pm
Mr Barnier is running to be president of France but struggles with a low public profile after years working in Brussels.
Mr Barnier is running to be president of France but struggles with a low public profile. CREDIT: AFP
Michel Barnier said that France had to regain the sovereignty it has lost to European courts on Thursday and called for a referendum on a ban on non-EU immigration.

The former Brexit negotiator and EU commissioner was accused of hypocrisy because his comments appeared to contradict many of the positions he took when he was helming talks with the UK.

During the Brexit negotiations, Mr Barnier, who is running to be French president for the centre-Right Republicains party, called for the European Court of Justice to continue to hold sway in the UK and insisted it remained the sole and supreme arbiter of EU law.

He also secured British commitments that the UK would remain part of the European Court of Human Rights, which is not an EU institution, in return for cooperation on extradition after Brexit.

Mr Barnier said at a rally, "We must regain our legal sovereignty so that we are no longer subject to the rulings of the European Court of Justice or the European Court of Human Rights.”

"We will propose a referendum in September on the issue of immigration," he said, referring to his earlier call for a halt on non-EU immigration into France for five years.

Freedom of movement, which is open to EU nationals in the bloc, would continue under his proposal, which would stop all non-EU residency permit requests for three to five years except asylum seekers and students.

Mr Barnier later tweeted a clarification saying that France should not break entirely free of the European courts but only have a "constitutional shield" on matters to do with non-EU immigration.

“This is ironic in the extreme. Barnier preaching the merits of national sovereignty to curb the over-powerful EU and European Court of Human Rights,” tweeted Simon Clarke, the Tory MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.


Nigel Farage, the former Brexit Party leader, told the Telegraph Mr Barnier was the “biggest hypocrite ever born” for co-opting eurosceptic arguments after working for the EU for so long.

Mr Barnier also took aim at the Franco-German relationship at the heart of EU policy making. He said that the relationship was unbalanced by a dominant Berlin and France needed to reassert itself.

Ursula von der Leyen, the woman chosen ahead of Mr Barnier to be European Commission president, is German.

Mr Barnier stands little chance of being elected ahead of either the pro-EU incumbent Emmanuel Macron or the eurosceptic, anti-migrant National Rally’s Marine Le Pen in the presidential election next year.

After many years working for the European Commission in Brussels, his profile is not as high as his rivals and his Republicans have not recovered from their mauling at the last presidential elections.

Since announcing he would run for the presidency, Mr Barnier has made a pitch for votes from people who feel disenfranchised by globalisation.

[slowsider]

Politicians eh?

The most shocking thing in that article is that anyone is interested in what Nigel thinks.

[David]

In the summer months a lot of Germany moves nearer the Med.

In an Audi 100.

Better Audis than panzers.

[Felix]

Welcome to TRC Lite

[irie]

A week is along time in politics......

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/ ... an-courts/

Michel Barnier demands return of France's 'sovereignty' from European courts

Even more amusing given the fact that Michel Barnier failed to persuade the French (the most euro sceptic of all European nations) to vote for the adoption of the EU Constitution and as so many failed politicians do, ended up in Brussels.

https://www.dw.com/en/france-votes-down ... /a-1599282

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said the vote was a "real disappointment," but added that other EU countries should go ahead with their own votes regardless.

And the EU Constitution morphed into the Lisbon Treaty over which the UK was promised a referendum* which never materialised.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_ ... referendum

A referendum was expected to take place in the United Kingdom in 2006 to decide whether the country should ratify the proposed Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. However, following the rejection of the Constitution by similar referendums in France in May 2005 and the Netherlands in June 2005, the UK vote was postponed indefinitely. The question was thought to have been settled when the constitution was superseded by the Treaty of Lisbon, which Parliament ratified in 2008 without holding a referendum.

Which essentially culminated in the 2016 Brexit vote.

* https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/ ... .politics6

Tony Blair confirmed the biggest u-turn of his premiership today, conceding a referendum on the EU constitution and declaring defiantly: "Let the battle be joined."

In a statement to a packed Commons chamber, the prime minister said he would "let the people have the final say" on the proposed constitution.

[Potter]

Personally, 2 weeks in the UK was enough for me. I don't hate it, far from it, but it really is hard to say what puts it much above others, other than it's "mine". Still quite a lot of miserable cvnts living there...

I don't hate the UK at all, in fact my frustration is that it's the place I want to retire to and the rise of the moaning class and a succession of fashionable pandering governments have resulted in what you see today.

Underneath, fortunately, there still seems to be a majority that simply want to get on in life and will put the effort in to succeed without pointing fingers and blaming someone else. I'm hoping that at some point soon these people inherit the earth.

[Asian Boss]

I'm glad all that Project Fear bollocks has been proven to be just that - bollocks.

Shortages of medical supplies, a border in the Irish Sea, escalation of trouble in Northern Ireland, produce rotting in the fields, food shortages - what a load of conchie, leftish, made up bollocks.

And Brexit has delivered on all the good things it promised. All that free money for the NHS. The sending back of the buggers. Blue passports. More fish. Free gold for the northern poor.

Taking back control! Invoke the war and Churchill!

[demographic]

I'm glad all that Project Fear bollocks has been proven to be just that - bollocks.

Shortages of medical supplies, a border in the Irish Sea, escalation of trouble in Northern Ireland, produce rotting in the fields, food shortages - what a load of conchie, leftish, made up bollocks.

And Brexit has delivered on all the good things it promised. All that free money for the NHS. The sending back of the buggers. Blue passports. More fish. Free gold for the northern poor.

Taking back control! Invoke the war and Churchill!

Border in the Irish sea? For truckers the borders in Kent, thats a serious loss of area.

[Docca]

“ My little business has existed since 1927. Before Xmas, I posted five or six parcels a week to EU customers. Vintage radio valves, available few places else. Been doing it for 50 years. Since new year 2020 I've sent one parcel to Italy and one to France. I'm now looking at shutting my nearly 100 year old business, because I can't justify the rent for the workshop anymore.

All my EU customers have gone, because they now have to pay VAT at varying rates for their countries that makes my products completely uncompetitive. Plus postage to the EU has gone through the roof.

And I have to fill in stupid customs forms and argue with Royal Mail and the Post Office.

So, well done Brexit shites, you are just about to ruin another long standing UK business. And who on earth is going to compensate my workshop landlord when I shut my 94 year old business for the last time, purely because the idiot current leaders of this country ignore our closest and most valuable and safest trading partners?

I don't care that I'm packing up after 50 years, but tell you what, I do feel really, really sorry for all you young people who have lost what people like me fought for since the 1970s. You have all lost so much and the only answer is to get back into the EU where this country bloody well belongs!

We fought a few really horrid wars to prove that. I know. I grew up in the bomb sites of 60s Britain. It wasn't very nice.

Jules, Helmore and Hunt, Estd. 1927”

Some of you will mock that this is from Facebook, but it’s still a real person and it’s still sad and it was still avoidable.

I’m still waiting for one single benefit to materialise from getting Brexit over the line that puts us better off than we were before.

[MrLongbeard]

How odd that a retailer that hasn't posted on Facebook for 3 years and not posted on Twitter for 5 years is potentially going under because of the loss of 1 order per day, oh and their website sucks balls.

OK so maybe Brexit did screw them over, but they don't seem to be trying to help themselves either, or maybe they've changed their mind as they've removed the post from their page.

[MrLongbeard]

I’m still waiting for one single benefit to materialise from getting Brexit over the line that puts us better off than we were before.

Not enough hours in the day for me, it's made us as busy as busy things, we're naming our own prices and still having to turn down work, I am looking forward to pay review and bonus time next year.

[Potter]

Political Facebook fake tales of woe, circulated by Karen, Sharon and Docca
No doubt as we speak he's queuing at a foodbank, selling his war medals just to put the heating on and writing an open letter to the government.

Are you ok hun? Call me. Hugz.

[irie]

@Docca's rant

Posted at 10.33pm

Edited for CS

[demographic]

[Count Steer]

Posted at 10.33pm

What was?

[wheelnut]

Not enough hours in the day for me, it's made us as busy as busy things, we're naming our own prices and still having to turn down work, I am looking forward to pay review and bonus time next year.

It does seem to have worked that way. Anecdotal, but a small snapshot of the SMEs that are my customers show that some are really making hay while some are dead on their feet. The stability across the various sectors seems to have gone/been readjusted.

The pandemic along with pent up demand has turned everything on its head as well so as yet it’s difficult to isolate brexit effects from pandemic effects.

[Tricky]

“ My little business has existed since 1927. Before Xmas, I posted five or six parcels a week to EU customers. Vintage radio valves, available few places else. Been doing it for 50 years. Since new year 2020 I've sent one parcel to Italy and one to France. I'm now looking at shutting my nearly 100 year old business, because I can't justify the rent for the workshop anymore.

All my EU customers have gone, because they now have to pay VAT at varying rates for their countries that makes my products completely uncompetitive. Plus postage to the EU has gone through the roof.

And I have to fill in stupid customs forms and argue with Royal Mail and the Post Office.

So, well done Brexit shites, you are just about to ruin another long standing UK business. And who on earth is going to compensate my workshop landlord when I shut my 94 year old business for the last time, purely because the idiot current leaders of this country ignore our closest and most valuable and safest trading partners?

I don't care that I'm packing up after 50 years, but tell you what, I do feel really, really sorry for all you young people who have lost what people like me fought for since the 1970s. You have all lost so much and the only answer is to get back into the EU where this country bloody well belongs!

We fought a few really horrid wars to prove that. I know. I grew up in the bomb sites of 60s Britain. It wasn't very nice.

Jules, Helmore and Hunt, Estd. 1927”

Some of you will mock that this is from Facebook, but it’s still a real person and it’s still sad and it was still avoidable.

I’m still waiting for one single benefit to materialise from getting Brexit over the line that puts us better off than we were before.

[irie]

Posted at 10.33pm

What was?

Edited for you.