Re: Britain outside the EU
 

The EU shows it true colours by enforcing its rules for third country imports into the single market? People didn't want regulatory alignment with EU rules so this is what we get.

It's the price of that sweet, sweet sovereignty

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

Is Vaccinegate destined to supercede WWII in Brexit discussions? :D

There's no plans to get an extension to the rules of fish to mainland Europe. That's done and dusted. A work-around might be to land the fish in continental ports but this is no good unless you're near to the Continent.

It's the island of Ireland trade situation that Michael Gove is now hoping for an extension on.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

If the EU were treating us differently from other third countries, then I think we would have reason to complain but if not, what's the issue? If the EU showing their 'true colours' in applying their rules, that certainly not be a surprise, the EU is a rules based organisation Not everyone seems to think that, they think we are being punished by the EU.

I think there has been a degree of not recognising what the SM and CU gave us and that has only become clear now we are not part of it. It's the non-tariff barriers that are causing the pain. I'm not sure what the answer is - do we concentrate on customers with lower non-tariff barriers/standards going forward?

The whole article 16 thing was a mess, I agree. Trade heads got involved without consulting on the political ramifications. Happily it was nipped in the bud before it was enacted. I have read a good explainer as to why it happened by Tony Connelly, an Irish journalist and it was due to the fudge that is the Irish agreement and I kind of get it but the response, in Tony Connellys word himself 'was a horrendously disproportionate solution, sledgehammer meet nut etc, and we've seen the fall out'

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

The whole point of any deal is to avoid everything that is required by everybody else that is not part of any deal. Either we have some sort of a deal with the EU, or we're to be treated as anybody else. Which is it?

Any difficulties and complications are at the behest of the EU, especially Ireland strangely enough.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

Agreed. At the moment we're seeing people struggling to rationalise the logical consequences of what leaving the EU actually means. Some may have read in their newspapers that EU membership generates lots of red tape. So as EU countries are now treating us correctly as a third country, how can they rationalise such behaviour. Perhaps as the EU perhaps being difficult or perhaps even punishing us?

People have grown used to the lack of bureacuracy that being in the single market and customs union provided. They don't realise it was one of the benefits of EU membership and not something a country automatically enjoys.

I think technology has its part to play but the extra costs and delays generated are damaging. There's also the competitiveness factor. If you're based in France, you can grow outside your home country quite easily just by expanding your existing infrastructure. If in the UK, once you want to export to Europe, things go up a notch and you might be looking for EU warehousing. The long-term consequence could see smaller UK companies being picked off by European ones as the UK companies have decided against that bigger leap.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

Always looking for the positives eh, Andrew.;)

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

Reality doesn’t care about anyone’s politics...

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

Always. Which is why I was the first to post the positive news story about Nissan.
But sometimes negative. Like when I posted the damning - against the EU - La Republica interview with the head of AstraZenecca.
But we need to acknowledge that for a lot of smaller businesses trying to trade with the EU at the moment can be tough. That's due to our third country status. No amount of back-slapping over vaccine procurement changes this.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

Well said...:clap::clap:

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

What is the EUs behaviour on Article 16? At worst, they seem to have threatened to trigger it but didn't. How is this any different to what Boris has previously done and continues to do?

I think there is some confusion in the general media over what actually happened. Even if you don't subscribe to the explanation that it was a draft paper that was never enacted, triggering Article 16 requires them to notify the joint committee immediately and a week long period of consultation to be initiated.

We are not in a week long period of consultation and as far as I know, the joint committee were never informed so it was never triggered.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

Discussion of what technically did or did not happen is at best red herring, and at worse a rather craven exercise in apologetics. If you want to understand the EU’s intent, and its likely consequences, simply look first at the reaction of the Irish government, whose interests the EU is supposed to have at heart, then add to it the reactions of the British government and every political party in Northern Ireland, unionist and republican alike.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

The regulation was actually issued. How could it be a draft paper when it was due to start to be enforced the next day? Because it didn't start until the 30th, they had the chance to stop it from being enforced. Still leaves the matter of having to inform the Joint Committee, and the one month's notice required.