kuro68k wrote: » The British government is going to take it right to the cliff edge and hope that someone else compromises. Of course they have their excuses already lined up if no-one does, only real question is who they will blame.
Spook_ie wrote: » But don't we actually run an overall balance of trade deficit with the UK.
Folkstonian wrote: » More waffle from you. Really, just utter garbage. You once again ably demonstrate that know nothing of day to day life in Britain. You project bizarre, twisted fantasies of a Britain you hope exists, which bear little likeness to reality. Society is, categorically, not on the verge of ‘breaking down’. I am back home very frequently and despite all the fireworks on rolling news and social media, life goes on much as it ever did before Brexit became a thing. People go to Waitrose, queue at the post office, moan about the weather, have a pint after work on a Friday, and go to the football on a Saturday. Just as they have always done and as they will continue to do. It’s easy to be trapped into thinking that chaos and ruin are imminent and a dystopian future is inevitable, because you don’t actually have any frame of reference other than dramatic newspaper articles that would allow you to know what you are talking about ‘No go areas’ have been proven categorically to be a myth peddled by the far right, with the police denying their existence and demonstrating that they are a fabrication (unlike in some areas of France, Belgium and Sweden) The ‘horrifying stabbing/acid attack epidemic’ sounds like something out of a right wing publication as well. There is a lot of gang related violent crime, too much, but in general for the average person London remains exceptionally safe. The spike in acid throwing incidents has also gone back the other way. You won’t have to wear a set of goggles if you are planning on visiting sometime soon. Peter Hitchens is widely known to be an absolute fool. You are in a very small group of people who take his seriously, and an even smaller group if your understanding of british society comes almost exclusively from a near 2 decade old rambling interview of his. See his bizarre and contemptible rants about police officers (and the public reaction to him) recently for a good idea of the nonsense he writes and how the people react to him nowadays. And just one more (although someone with more time could take a red pen do you drivel and go on for hours), as an ‘exporter and purveyor of culture’ Britain hasn’t decided to go quietly into the night just yet. In fact in 2018 it topped the ‘Soft Power 30’ list of countries, moving upwards and ahead of France which drops into second place. In their own words, when assessing a country’s soft power they look at ‘trade, capital, people, culture, education, and information’. They clearly contend that Britain is dealing with globalisation pretty well and hasn’t lost all influence and respect as you so claim. Maybe you will google it and read up on how and why the contributors came to their conclusions, and maybe let us know why they are so different from your own. Of course Britain has problems, inequality of wealth and opportunities is a serious issue. Austerity has gone too far and for too long. The current batch of politicians are a shadow of some of their predecessors. Violent crime is rising (although is significantly off its highest points from this century alone). No easy fixes and no quick ones either, for sure. But on the whole, things are fine. Well done for an awful post, drenched in hyperbole and hopeless ignorance. Such garbage on this thread in recent weeks has really made me quite introspective about my own sense of identity as a European. Something I’d previously held quite dearly and certainly never questioned. I still see that through an economic lense, Brexit is a terrible and harmful endeavour. But such is the tripe I see here routinely, maybe the fissures between Britain and Europe on a social level really do run too deep to be repaired, and maybe just getting on with it is the right thing to do.
Peregrinus wrote: » Yes, but precisely because corporation tax is a competence of the Member States and not the Union, as regards corporation tax they can do quite a lot.
Enzokk wrote: » Peregrinus said it better than I did. I don't understand your question though, why would we stop a trade deal that is in our interests? We are not a threat to the UK in trading terms as both countries have thrived under the EU so we would only be harming ourselves if we are trying to frustrate the trade talks. Brexit still hasn't happened yet, if you are going to say that no-go areas are a myth in the UK that is being used by people, surely you understand that the same is possible in the EU? Funny that the far right would use this myth for the UK but the same myth is true in the EU. Strange that.
Enzokk wrote: » Peregrinus said it better than I did. I don't understand your question though, why would we stop a trade deal that is in our interests?.
Spook_ie wrote: » Yeah but that's about the limit of it, match or beat the corporation tax, each move counterable by Ireland and no one's going to move from Ireland without years of planning.
Folkstonian wrote: » But such is the tripe I see here routinely, maybe the fissures between Britain and Europe on a social level really do run too deep to be repaired, and maybe just the ‘getting on with it’ is the right thing to do for both sides.
RobMc59 wrote: » The problem that might emerge for the EU from a hard Brexit is that after a period of uncertainty and taking a major hit a resurgent UK regroups
Kermit.de.frog wrote: » So, we are in to a period of brinkmanship.
10000maniacs wrote: » she had a very bad meeting with the Brexiteers today and its no deal.
Zubeneschamali wrote: » No Deal is not possible in practice. Planes grounded, ports blocked, fuel rationing, queues for food, hospitals closed. The Government wouldn't last a month.
Zubeneschamali wrote: » We have been in that period since last December, with both sides preparing to bring the house down if they don't get their way. The ERG and Tory Remainers, that is. The EU is still watching bemusedly, waiting for the UK to come up with an actual negotiating position.
RobMc59 wrote: » I believe that ultimately the EU would prefer to have a modicum of control over the UK rather than no control and that is why i believe the EU is as desperate for a deal as the UK-both are playing a bizarre game of poker trying to see who will blink first.Potentially in a worst case scenario this could bring the EU down if the UK kicks on from this.
Cosmo Kramer wrote: » Tony Connolly reporting that there is little chance or sign of any breakthrough this week. Looks like the can is going to be kicked yet another month down the road.
listermint wrote: » You keep saying this as if a totally independent UK will be some power house to be battled with. There is nothing to back this up in reality. The EU does not want control over the UK it's a democracy of member states. Your posts in this vein have a team of tabloidy them and us out if the redtops
RobMc59 wrote: » . . . The main tory brexiteers are capitalists and could`nt care less about the rest of us.They truly believe that the UK can kick on from this and make them/the UK a lot of money but their kind of a prosperous UK is`nt a good place where zero hour contracts are acceptable amongst other victorian type things they`ve introduced . . .
FrancieBrady wrote: » The UK had control - with it's opt-outs and vetoes that no one else had secured they had more than a 'modicum' of control. They also had what a lot of others had, including Ireland and that was 'influence'. They had the weight to influence policy. The had so much of both that they could be seen as fettering the EU, and there is the possibility that the EU will enter a new era post Brexit, unfettered by a main member, with vested interests and it's own currency in it's midst.
Peregrinus wrote: » This is a distinct possibility, and Ireland could find itself on a bit of a roller coaster ride to more, and faster-paced, EU integration than we have previously experienced.
10000maniacs wrote: » May in her speech tonight wants control over laws, borders, money and the ability to strike trade deals with countries outside the EU. She wants to honour what the British people voted for. In other words she had a very bad meeting with the Brexiteers today and its no deal. Sad day for the Nationalists (and some Unionists) in Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement. That's probably it folks.
Strazdas wrote: » Only a bit more integrated though. A "United States of Europe" is a Brexiteer fantasy - I don't think they ever even pause to consider how absurd that sounds......what countries would want to vote themselves out of existence to become part of a superstate? Even if one or two governments wanted it, their public would never agree.
Peregrinus wrote: » Seriously, this is no big deal for the EU, one way or the other. The EU naturally thinks that the EU is a good idea, and they naturally think that leaving the EU will be bad for the UK. But if that manifests itself in the UK becoming a nation where the 1% gorge themselves and practice depraved orgies in the palaces of the mighty while everyone else forages for roadkill to feed their children, or manifests itself in some other way, it's all one to the EU. They are concerned about the welfare of the UK only in so far as it impacts on the welfare of the EU and its member states. They wouldn't have a problem with the UK moving to US-style labour practices. After all, on the global level the EU competes quite successfully with the US which, duh, has US-style labour practices. What they would have a problem with is the UK seeking privileged access for its producers to the EU's own internal market, while operating policies either of the right (labour deregulation, running down of social protection) or of the left (massive state aid) which aren't available to EU producers. If you want the benefits of teh single market, you accept the standards of the single market; that's a very important point, as far as the EU is concerned. But it would be wrong to think that the EU wants to "control" the UK so that it can impose SM-type standards on the UK. This is purely a reaction to the UK's negotiating stance. The desire to see SM standards in operation in the UK arises because, and only because, the UK is seeking close economic integration with the EU. They want an all-UK customs union, for example. Well, they can have it, if they accept SM standards. If the demand for an all-UK customs union goes away, so does any desire to see the UK apply SM standards.
RobMc59 wrote: » As none of us have a crystal ball how all this pans out is anyone's guess-your casual dismissal of the UK as about to sink without trace is probably unlikely to happen and this whole debacle could eventually be the death knell of the EU-just to reiterate I voted remain and my opinion has stayed the same-I do wonder though,not all the brexiteers are tory self serving toffs and I wonder why they think brexit is a good thing?
Mc Love wrote: » What are the chances, the EU will drag this out as long as possible, allowing the UK to hang with their own noose?
