UK & EU Agree Post-Brexit Trade Deal

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Barnier & co have nothing to do with Coronavirus. Therefore I see no reason why negotiations cannot continue and see no reason for extension.

You can’t negotiate if your negotiators are sick. Don’t be obtuse.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by Chris

You can’t negotiate if your negotiators are sick. Don’t be obtuse.

Are the negotiators sick? Me obtuse?

[jfman]

Originally Posted by RichardCoulter

But Johnson obtained his majority by "getting brexit done". He won't want to, but he will have to extend the transitional period out of necessity.

And it has been. Whether we reach an agreement by December this year or next is completely incidental. Any agreement to extend would be entirely in our control, and in our own interest.

I don't think six months ago anyone would have foresaw current events. We don't know where we will be in six months. Even the most ardent anti-Tory would have to accept it's a reasonable step.

Neither us, or the EU, are interested in these discussions right now. Bigger fish to fry

[RichardCoulter]

Originally Posted by jfman

And it has been. Whether we reach an agreement by December this year or next is completely incidental. Any agreement to extend would be entirely in our control, and in our own interest.

I don't think six months ago anyone would have foresaw current events. We don't know where we will be in six months. Even the most ardent anti-Tory would have to accept it's a reasonable step.

Neither us, or the EU, are interested in these discussions right now. Bigger fish to fry

Totally agree.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by Chris

You can’t negotiate if your negotiators are sick. Don’t be obtuse.

Dammit! Barnier's got Coronavirus (BBC TV news).

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Dammit! Barnier's got Coronavirus (BBC TV news).

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politi...us-eu-21718603


I assume they have more than one negotiator.

[jfman]

The Guardian reporting "huge swathes" of our Civil Servants have been moved to the Coronavirus response.

I am surprised anyone here still cares about Brexit at the moment.

Also for all the economic debates we had I don't think anyone had 'nah, a global pandemic will tank the economy worse than 2008' on the cards.

---------- Post added at 22:52 ---------- Previous post was at 22:49 ----------

As for an extension, again who cares right now?, but the political environment after this crisis passes will be so different that I think the Government will have no resistance either way on the matter. If they want it people will shrug their shoulders and understand why, if they don't people will still largely not care because it's not as if we're going to be worried about a FTSE drop is it?

[Sephiroth]

I care about Brexit. I want it to stay on track, which now seems unlikely.
At the same time, I care about Coronavirus. Surely we can do both?

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Damien

I am surprised anyone here still cares about Brexit at the moment.

Also for all the economic debates we had I don't think anyone had 'nah, a global pandemic will tank the economy worse than 2008' on the cards.

---------- Post added at 22:52 ---------- Previous post was at 22:49 ----------

As for an extension, again who cares right now?, but the political environment after this crisis passes will be so different that I think the Government will have no resistance either way on the matter. If they want it people will shrug their shoulders and understand why, if they don't people will still largely not care because it's not as if we're going to be worried about a FTSE drop is it?

No sane person cares, Damien. It's more a case of survival. I doubt all but a handful are concerned or enthused by a possible extension.

[denphone]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

No sane person cares, Damien. It's more a case of survival. I doubt all but a handful are concerned or enthused by a possible extension.

Its totally unimportant given the grave crisis we are in.

Originally Posted by denphone

Its totally unimportant given the grave crisis we are in.

Untrue.

Our departure from the EU has occurred and the termination of the transition period is set in law. The default is to end that period with no deal. It may be of distant secondary importance right now, but it is still extremely important for this country to determine what its permanent relationship with the EU will look like, and one way or another that will require government and parliamentary time well before the end of the year. Given the government’s political deadline for visible progress by June, some decisions will have to be taken fairly soon.

[jfman]

As the last Parliament showed though that can be very little time at all when the circumstances require it.

The President of the EC has came out this morning and said they are open to an extension but the UK would have to implement state subsidy rules. I’m not sure she’s paying attention to the economic crisis unfolding. Massive state intervention in every major economy is going to be required to keep the whole system afloat.

Completely tone deaf.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by jfman

As the last Parliament showed though that can be very little time at all when the circumstances require it.

The President of the EC has came out this morning and said they are open to an extension but the UK would have to implement state subsidy rules. I’m not sure she’s paying attention to the economic crisis unfolding. Massive state intervention in every major economy is going to be required to keep the whole system afloat.

Completely tone deaf.

At last!

Originally Posted by Chris

You can’t negotiate if your negotiators are sick. Don’t be obtuse.

On that note...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...virus-symptoms

The coronavirus has struck at the heart of the post-Brexit trade talks between Britain and the European Union, with both sides’ top negotiators now in isolation.

David Frost, the U.K.’s chief negotiator, is isolating himself after showing symptoms of the virus, according to a British official. Earlier on Thursday, Michel Barnier, Frost’s EU counterpart, announced on Twitter that he had tested positive for the disease. The two men had not had contact since the first round of talks in Brussels two weeks ago.

The news is likely to crush any hopes that the negotiations over the two sides’ future trade relationship can make any substantial progress while the global pandemic continues. This week’s round of talks, scheduled for London, had already been put on hold.