Re: Brexit discussion
 

Andrew just for once try being even a little bit balanced your so quick to have a go at the UK government but extremely rarely do you lay anything at the door of the EU who are being deliberately difficult and making this process a lot harder then it has to be. As I've said and the videos on youtube show even MEP's from other countries are criticising the EU for it's approach to these negotiations and as time goes by with the EU kicking every UK proposal into the long grass and sticking to stupid demands the more support the UK will get and the more damage will be done to the EU.

Personally after some recent information that doesn't have a website so I can't give a link came up I'm hoping the EU continues as it has so far.

Re: Brexit discussion
 

I describe it as I see it after lots of reading and careful analysis and nothing short of a Customs Union will resolve the Irish situation. No ifs, buts, or maybes. No amount of wishful thinking or speeches by the odd Dutch MEP will alter the situation. Ireland does not want a hard border due to peace concerns. If you can persuade Ireland that it's wrong or the WTO to accept a change in its rules then the situation will be resolved without a Customs Union but no one's done that so far.

Re: Brexit discussion
 

Can we just not give Northern Ireland independence?

They can then choose who they want to cuddle up with and we have one less problem to solve :D

Re: Brexit discussion
 

Not just the odd dutch mep also german, french, italian, hungarian and polish mep's pushing for a change in the EU's approach but it's good you've looked into it enough to understand just how much opposition there is to the EU's tactics. If the UK doesn't implement a hard border as we have said we won't then it's not the UK government being the problem is it we've put forward suggestions that could avoid it but the EU isn't interested. As more and more people are realising it's not because this cannot be resolved it's because senior figures in the EU want a punishment based deal to try and scare anyone else from leaving the EU in the future.

Re: Brexit discussion
 

It's great to have critical MEPs providing they're constructive and actually turn up.
It's not a punishment, it's a fact of WTO rules that require borders to be enforced. That's why Brextremists who suggest Ireland should leave the EU and enter into a customs union with the UK make more sense than people putting their head in the sand and say the EU is being difficult over Ireland.

---------- Post added at 22:59 ---------- Previous post was at 22:57 ----------

That would result in the end of the UK and the end of the Government, as it's supported by the DUP. Apart from that, it's a goer. :)

Re: Brexit discussion
 

I guess you are referred no to the debate on the guidelines for future EU/UK relations on the 13th and 14th March. The advisory resolution was passed 511 votes to 110 with 51 abstentions. I will try and get a breakdown of who vote for what a bit later but here’s the document - https://g8fip1kplyr33r3krz5b97d1-wpe...idelines-1.pdf and here’s the voting result - http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/...EN&language=EN

Ok, found it. You may need to register - http://www.votewatch.eu/en/term8-gui...te-tabs-list-4

UK MEPs voted 8 for and 38 against. For other countries, France voted 46 for and 22 against and Denmark voted 7 for and 5 against. Those were the close ones.

Re: Brexit discussion
 

A blow to anyone hoping a no-deal Brexit is a no-divorce bill Brexit!
https://www.ft.com/content/72252768-...9-4b5ddcca99b3

Re: Brexit discussion
 

Hmm so we have to pay to leave and we get no return on decades of investment and they are also unable to repay our investment in the european investment bank till 2054 yeah sounds like the EU is being reasonable not being punitive at all are they. Sooner we are fully out of this rotten mess the better and yes Andrew even a decade of lower economic performance will be worth it though i don't think it will be a decade. It is funny how remain supporters are fully backing this divorce bill but not saying a word on the UK getting any share of the numerous area's where it's been a net contributor for decades no doubt we should be greatful that we are not paying anywhere near the 100 billion we were supposedly meant to pay.

Re: Brexit discussion
 

The €100bn bill was one analysts estimate of the gross liabilities and even that analyst states it would down nearer €55-75bn net (https://fullfact.org/europe/eu-divorce-bill/)

The whole divorce bill thing is a sticky position as there is of course pressure to tell the EU to go and do one. However, if we want to set up new trade agreements, the image of walking away from one we're in at the moment without paying what we agreed in the last budget round doesn't look good.

Re: Brexit discussion
 

But again no mention of any return on the UK's decades of investment if we have paid in all that we have but have no assests to show for it then that's another good reason to get out. So far the EU is playing this as though financial aspects only apply when it's the UK paying the EU and not that the EU owes anything back. In a divorce both sides have financial responsibilities and the EU ducking out on theirs doesn't make them very trustworthy either does it.

Re: Brexit discussion
 

I really wouldn't get too worked out about every little news item that occurs on Brexit especially this kind of speculation.

Re: Brexit discussion
 

I agree completely. Andrew is scrutinising every media outlet to scrape up every last morsel of bad news he can find about Brexit.

Despite all that was said by hardened remainers, the economy did not take a nosedive when we voted to leave, Theresa May has completed Phase 1 of the negotiations and we have already had the nod that we will get a no-tariff trade deal. The rest will fall into place.

As for the border issue between Ireland and Northern Ireland, this could be resolved quite easily by the 'maximum faciltation' proposal. This means we would manage rather than eliminate customs checks. Regular exporters would be granted 'trusted trader' status which would allow them to settle their dues at regular intervals rather than every time they moved goods across the border. However, various other options are available.

It should be remembered that the EU exports more to us than we do to the EU, so ultimately it will be in their own interests to come to a sensible border solution. All this bluster is just a pantomime and I think most thinking people can see through it. I don't know why Andrew is so fixated on his belief that this showmanship is so deadly serious.

Re: Brexit discussion
 

Not worked up more curious how some people can talk about the divorce bill but never mention the other side of that coin i suspect it's because only mentioning the divorce bill with no other considerations makes it appear much more expensive for the UK to leave the EU trying to swing opinion. The government has been clear we are leaving the customs union we will be out of the freedom of movement obligation and basically at this point it's hard brexit with the likely possibility of a fair trade deal.

Re: Brexit discussion
 

The EU have already acknowledged that we can have a free trade deal with no tariffs, and this takes away a great many issues relating to the border.

Re: Brexit discussion
 

Yes but all EU member states need to ratify any agreement and given how tempremental some of them can be there are no certainties just yet.