Quote:
Originally Posted by Mick
Yeah but to be fair jfman, you at the time said there would be no brexit, it wouldn't happen.
We are on different teams, but can you imagine being told that what you thought you your side had won, to be told, well actually you haven't won. If we are smug about it now and I don't doubt that's how it appears to your side, we've fought a bloody lengthy battle to get here.
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I made that prediction in good faith, that essentially I believed “the Establishment” wouldn’t allow it, as it had vested economic interests and would undo the error of its ways. I’m sure you’d agree they tried pretty hard.
I also said if it did happen it’d have to “win” either a second referendum or a General Election - which it did in the December 2019 General Election. I also, correctly, pointed out that some of the “Brexit Days” wouldn’t happen and an extension inevitable - that was just observable reality from how unprepared we were to do so.
While I did vote to remain I don’t see it as “my side”. I’ve posted before about how Brexit in theory could work and present opportunities but the complexities around it would in some instances take years to unwind. More challenging if the plan is to not have a comprehensive free trade deal with the EU.
Viewing everything through the prism of Brexit undermines holding the Government to account at a time when it hasn’t been more important to get the decisions right. The ticking clock since triggering Article 50 has clearly undermined UK efforts in the process so far, with each negotiated withdrawal agreement arguably worse than the one that preceded it. The end of the extension period is another entirely arbitrary deadline.
---------- Post added at 12:37 ---------- Previous post was at 12:29 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carth
No doubt about that, but would it make it harder or easier to strike a deal with struggling countries?
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I’m sure it’d vary from country to country, but I can’t imagine any country credibly believes that we’ve had a long term coherent plan that involves being on WTO terms with most of the world on 1 January 2021. I think that leaves us in a weaker position than we could be in 18 months.
I’m not sure we’ve held a firm position for 18 months since the referendum between changes in Governments and General Elections.