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Old 24-02-2018, 13:10   #2160
Bircho
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Join Date: Oct 2013
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Re: Brexit discussion

Quote:
Originally Posted by OLD BOY View Post
You are confusing the customs agreement solution with that of remaining in the customs union.

You do appear to have bought the EU's aggressive stance. It's just a negotiating tactic.

We are leaving the EU with a trade and services deal, Andrew, enshrined in an overall agreed position on customs arrangement.
If only it was that simple. All 27 EU Governments have to agree to the deal. It only takes one to veto and we are stuck out. 40+% of our trade will never, ever be replaced with trade deals with Argentina, the Cayman Islands or wherever you are wanting to strike deals with.

You don't shut out your biggest customer - it's simple business and economics. Our business is currently trying to work on its five year forecasts - we cannot get past next year at the moment. We are seeing businesses refusing to commit to anything past the next year. Yesterday, I had the unpleasant task of making 9 people redundant as a result. I have another 10 to follow next week. That is is just me - I have colleague who are telling me similar situations. These are high quality, highly paid jobs. So yeah, they may be able to find jobs picking fruit or whatever but it is not quite the same.

So if you were one of those 27 Governments and someone came to you and said we would like frictionless trade on motor vehicles because its suits us both - if you are in the Czech Republic where all your cars are made either there or in Germany would you say yeah lets go for that. But we get through that so we move on to dairy products and we say we don't want to trade in that because we want to protect our own fathers - the French Government says well sorry - you can't have the cars then.

And so it goes on and on and on.

I think some people really need to wake up and take the caffine smelling test. The EU have been consistent - you can't have your cake and eat it. We do need them more than they need us - and no matter how much you convince yourself otherwise by saying it over and over again - when you look at the cold bare facts, when you look at people being put out of work because of the uncertainly, when you look at what is happening away from the rhetoric and bull that comes out of those who will benefit from watering down of regulation, employment rights and everything else, then you realise this is real and real people's lifes are being affected.
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