So the UK is finished says Theresa Mayhem

[woody2]

the uk's level of trade with the eu* hasn't changed since 1973.....

how much cash has been handed over.....

*what is now the eu

[La Colombe]

3 minutes ago, TheTeapot said:

Rules. 

Go on then, name one. 

[P.K.]

I think this sums up the current situation rather accurately:

"So May has strung together a fragile domestic political compromise only by confecting a solution that no one thinks the EU will accept. And even in the unlikely event that the EU were to sign on the dotted line, there is no disguising that while it may be better than dropping out with no deal, the Chequers agreement would be a terrible outcome for Britain.

It is a sop to the Eurosceptic ideologues on the right of the Tory party who harbour a pathetic nostalgia for a 19th-century manifestation of national sovereignty, back when Britannia ruled the waves. But that ideal of national sovereignty is long gone in a globalised, interdependent world buffeted by forces such as climate change and global tax avoidance that simply don’t respect national borders.

Acting alone, a country the size of Britain will always be a rule-taker, dwarfed by the world’s giant economies and big global trading blocs. But through its membership of the EU, Britain has punched well above its weight, playing a key role in shaping regulations that have led the way in establishing global standards, and which big multinationals based in countries from the US to China have had to follow. Now we are about to give up our say in shaping the rules of the world’s most successful trading bloc in exchange for becoming a rule-taker in whatever scrappy free trade deal we can negotiate.

A free trade deal with a country like the US would undoubtedly come at a price: a race to the bottom on product standards, paving the way for chlorinated chicken and GM foods to flood the UK market. And even that is only a possibility if we sacrifice single-market access to the EU by dropping alignment with EU product standards. All the while, Brexit continues to absorb all available political bandwidth, while the big challenges facing the country – how we care for our ageing population; what we do about the large number of low-paid, low-skill jobs in the economy – linger unanswered.

So this is how the Chequers agreement should be viewed: not as some act of political mastermindery, but as a partial capitulation to a small band of ideologues who have never been able to articulate a convincing account of why leaving the EU would be good for Britain’s sovereignty in the 21st century. May should indeed do all in her power to get the best possible deal from the EU. But she should offer it up to the voters for approval and, for once, adopt an honest approach e.g. "Here’s the best we could get. If you do still really want to leave the EU there’s no way to do this that won’t seriously damage Britain’s interests."

[La Colombe]

You should really credit your sources.

[P.K.]

The four core priciples of the EU are free cross-border movement of goods, services, capital and labour and they have made clear that there will be no cherry-picking.

So I suspect Davis knows the 27 will not accept the latest fudge and he also thinks the Looney Tunes have given all the ground they are prepared to.

Exit stage left....

Edited July 9, 2018 by P.K.

[P.K.]

2 minutes ago, La Colombe said:

You should really credit your sources.

Well, thats certainly blown the lid off my big secret that I read The Grauniad and it's sister paper The Observer.

Damn and double damn!

[woody2]

23 minutes ago, P.K. said:

I think this sums up the current situation rather accurately:

"So May has strung together a fragile domestic political compromise only by confecting a solution that no one thinks the EU will accept. And even in the unlikely event that the EU were to sign on the dotted line, there is no disguising that while it may be better than dropping out with no deal, the Chequers agreement would be a terrible outcome for Britain.

It is a sop to the Eurosceptic ideologues on the right of the Tory party who harbour a pathetic nostalgia for a 19th-century manifestation of national sovereignty, back when Britannia ruled the waves. But that ideal of national sovereignty is long gone in a globalised, interdependent world buffeted by forces such as climate change and global tax avoidance that simply don’t respect national borders.

Acting alone, a country the size of Britain will always be a rule-taker, dwarfed by the world’s giant economies and big global trading blocs. But through its membership of the EU, Britain has punched well above its weight, playing a key role in shaping regulations that have led the way in establishing global standards, and which big multinationals based in countries from the US to China have had to follow. Now we are about to give up our say in shaping the rules of the world’s most successful trading bloc in exchange for becoming a rule-taker in whatever scrappy free trade deal we can negotiate.

A free trade deal with a country like the US would undoubtedly come at a price: a race to the bottom on product standards, paving the way for chlorinated chicken and GM foods to flood the UK market. And even that is only a possibility if we sacrifice single-market access to the EU by dropping alignment with EU product standards. All the while, Brexit continues to absorb all available political bandwidth, while the big challenges facing the country – how we care for our ageing population; what we do about the large number of low-paid, low-skill jobs in the economy – linger unanswered.

So this is how the Chequers agreement should be viewed: not as some act of political mastermindery, but as a partial capitulation to a small band of ideologues who have never been able to articulate a convincing account of why leaving the EU would be good for Britain’s sovereignty in the 21st century. May should indeed do all in her power to get the best possible deal from the EU. But she should offer it up to the voters for approval and, for once, adopt an honest approach e.g. "Here’s the best we could get. If you do still really want to leave the EU there’s no way to do this that won’t seriously damage Britain’s interests."

what a load of tosh......

[the stinking enigma]

It's like the kid that threatened to leave home then shit themselves when reality bit. Mrs may would be well advised to keep her head down for a while and go tidy her bedroom.

Edited July 9, 2018 by the stinking enigma

[woolley]

1 hour ago, La Colombe said:

You should really credit your sources.

It's OK. We take it as "read".

[Lxxx]

1 hour ago, P.K. said:

Well, thats certainly blown the lid off my big secret that I read The Grauniad and it's sister paper The Observer.

Damn and double damn!

Try broadening your reading material, you may find it stimulating.

[Freggyragh]

13 hours ago, woody2 said:

the uk only schedules have been around for years.....

they are listed on https://www.wto.org/

nothing to do with exit.....

The U.K. schedules are indivisible from the EU schedules you moron. 

[woody2]

bojo has just woke up.....

[woody2]

and quit.......

[P.K.]

1 hour ago, Lxxx said:

Try broadening your reading material, you may find it stimulating.

What do you suggest, "Fifty Shades of Grey" or similar?

[Declan]

10 minutes ago, woody2 said:

bojo has just woke up.....

 

Leadership challenge soon?