Cable Forum - UK & EU Agree Post-Brexit Trade Deal

He refused to say whether the UK still planned to walk away from the talks if it had not made good progress towards a deal in June. Asked about this, he said he did not want to pre-empt the government’s response.

Of course he’d not want to wilfully mislead Parliament. :)

Chris

27-04-2020 16:05

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfman (Post 36032906)

Gove up at the Brexit committee today.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/li...asing-lockdown

Of course he’d not want to wilfully mislead Parliament. :)

Of course not.

I'm sure they'd still like to stick to the timetable. The high-heid-yins of our present administration are all true believers, which is why so many people voted for them. So when the near-inevitable extension comes, there's no need to start fulminating as we (rightly, IMO) did so on the day Teresa May stood up and told parliament it was not possible for us to leave the EU on 29 March last year.

Gove can't mislead parliament and he knows full well there is a very substantial risk that the civil service's reduced capacity due to coronavirus will mean that when 'substantial progress' hasn't been made by June, there's not a snowball's chance in hell that he can reasonably blame that on EU intransigence.

Sephiroth

27-04-2020 16:17

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris (Post 36032907)

beg to disagree on your odds.

Robert Frost and his team are at work. The big issues are the subject of publicly stated (last week) EU intransigence.

Chris

27-04-2020 16:34

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth (Post 36032908)

beg to disagree on your odds.

Robert Frost and his team are at work. The big issues are the subject of publicly stated (last week) EU intransigence.

Oh, I know the EU is being intransigent - don't get me wrong. I just don't think they can plausibly be apportioned enough of the blame come June for HMG to walk away.

Sephiroth

27-04-2020 17:33

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris (Post 36032910)

Oh, I know the EU is being intransigent - don't get me wrong. I just don't think they can plausibly be apportioned enough of the blame come June for HMG to walk away.

It is important, though, for the UK Guvmin to keep up the pressure. One side or the other can always back down at the right moment.

Hugh	27-04-2020 17:35

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth (Post 36032919)

It is important, though, for the UK Guvmin to keep up the pressure. One side or the other can always back down at the right moment.

So true.

1andrew1

27-04-2020 19:09

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth (Post 36032908)

beg to disagree on your odds.

Robert Frost and his team are at work. The big issues are the subject of publicly stated (last week) EU intransigence.

Robert Frost and his team may be at work, though Wikipedia says the US poet died in 1963. :D Boris Johnson is putting his money on David Frost. ;)

Hugh	27-04-2020 19:33

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1andrew1 (Post 36032954)

Robert Frost and his team may be at work, though Wikipedia says the US poet died in 1963. :D Boris Johnson is putting his money on David Frost. ;)

Quite apposite...

Quote:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

Also one for our current COVID-19 situation

Quote:

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.

OLD BOY

27-04-2020 19:50

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth (Post 36032919)

It is important, though, for the UK Guvmin to keep up the pressure. One side or the other can always back down at the right moment.

If there's any backing down to be done, it needs to be by the EU. They are not treating us as an independent nation and we cannot give in to that.

I doubt that the government could survive capitulating to the EU in this way. Better to have a 'no deal'. US, here we come!

Hugh	27-04-2020 20:01

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLD BOY (Post 36032710)

Oh, I have been paying attention, jfman - have you? I've already made the point that there is a separate team dealing with the EU and they are not also involved in the health emergency.

I have never said that fish is not part of trade, I said our fishing rights are not for the trade agreement.

As for the bit that I've emboldened in your post, I think you are pretty safe in saying that as I cannot think of a third alternative! However, the most likely position will be that the Withdrawal Agreement will end on the due date.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a9486261.html

Quote:

Mr Gove also revealed to the committee that a “significant number” of officials working on Brexit have been moved onto tackling the coronavirus outbreak.

Initially saying “just shy of 100” civil servants being sent to work on Covid-19, the senior minister later corrected the figure to 47 Whitehall officials being moved.

But he insisted that the timetable was not in doubt, adding: “Taskforce Europe and the Transition Taskforce [the teams working on Brexit] have had some of their top people redeployed to Covid-19 but at the same time, the teams have had all the help they need from departmental specialists in areas like fisheries and trade to ensure that their work can continue.”

OLD BOY

28-04-2020 13:34

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hugh (Post 36032983)

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a9486261.html

Yes, I picked that up after making my last comment on this, which was based on the government's previous statement.

However, given the distinct lack of constructive action and the prevarication on the EU side, I guess it doesn't make sense to have all those talented people twiddling their thumbs!

Sephiroth

28-04-2020 13:51

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU

The matters in dispute are high level topics that don't need experts at this stage. Until we get past the EU red lines, very little can be achieved apart from some BAU stuff like cross-channel ferries, Eurostar, flights, etc.

Hugh	28-04-2020 15:47

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLD BOY (Post 36033107)

Yes, I picked that up after making my last comment on this, which was based on the government's previous statement.

However, given the distinct lack of constructive action and the prevarication on the EU side, I guess it doesn't make sense to have all those talented people twiddling their thumbs!

Are you the Govemeister’s SpAd? :D

OLD BOY

28-04-2020 18:33

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hugh (Post 36033134)

Are you the Govemeister’s SpAd? :D

It's just common sense. I claim no credit.

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