the EU & the UK

[MyNameIsTerry]

Barnier's deputy has said their proposal, which is not a Customs Union, means checks don't have to be made at the border. That's good since it allows the traffic to flow.

Hang on though, we've spent 2 years being told if you are not in a Customs Union you have no choice but to institute a hard border as this is international law.

So, are the EU wrong? Have all the media, and the Labour party, been mistaken or have been lying? Are the EU deciding to break international law?

If people don't have to be stopped outside of a Customs Union we don't have half the issues we thought over NI.

I did also chuckle when she said all that is needed is to keep the Single Market secure and the (Barnier said) doesn't do much trade with Belfast inferring the UK side can have a weak border simply due to current trading trends

[mezzaninedoor]

We are now getting to the hard end of the Brexit negotiations.
Can these MP's please just get on with the f£$king job in hand and get us a deal.
Its alleged that a No Deal scenario is going to cost quadruple the jobs that a deal will cost but a Deal will still cost.

Im just fed up with the cowards like Boris Johnson who are just trying to shaft Teresa May all the while and have their cake and eat it. There has to be a workable compromise, though Im aware a lot of the No Dealers want that because basically they can make a fortune out of a No Deal !!!!

[MyNameIsTerry]

We are now getting to the hard end of the Brexit negotiations.
Can these MP's please just get on with the f£$king job in hand and get us a deal.
Its alleged that a No Deal scenario is going to cost quadruple the jobs that a deal will cost but a Deal will still cost.

Im just fed up with the cowards like Boris Johnson who are just trying to shaft Teresa May all the while and have their cake and eat it. There has to be a workable compromise, though Im aware a lot of the No Dealers want that because basically they can make a fortune out of a No Deal !!!!

The likes of Boris have only ever cared about their own careers. They don't care about Brexit, or likely any other cause, just getting the jobs they want. Mogg, Gove, [insert name of politician here], etc.

The same in the Labour party. There is an anti Semitism problem but it's any opportunity for Corbyn's opposition and has totally distracted Labour from doing the job of the opposition.

Whether you voted Leave or Remain, the fat cats are making a fortune out of it. Lets remember the banks are the ultimate fat cats and they love the EU. Voting Leave might have been about socialism for the left wing voters but I doubt many people were expecting anything other than trading one bunch of opportunists for another.

If I was on the other side I would have been laughing all the way watching our parties fighting with each other over the crumbs. It's a dream for a negotiator. I might be frustrating not hearing what we want all the time but ultimately they know that's because they are talking to a divided country and that works a lot more in their favour than if we were 80% ERG-like.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I caught a bit of a BBC technology programme a couple of nights ago and there was an interesting section about the Estonian-Russian border and how they crack down on imports without border staff/checks.

Found it here:

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/201..._137222780.htm

I wonder if we would do something like this? It may help some of our ports?

NI could use it perhaps? But there is the question as to whether sticking even a man with a dog at one tiny checkpoint on that island will give republican terrorists a reason to exist more openly again? And then follow the unionist terrorists. It will be a long time before the violence ends in NI the way things still are now.

[mezzaninedoor]

@Terry

you are right, we have to be very careful with any physical solution on the NI/Irish border, even if its just electronic cameras you can almost guarantee that its a focus for action and those cameras would get blown up.

Alignment with EU on Trade appears the sensible option for me, in some manner especially as on the mainland 90% of the supply chains are predicated on current EU tarriffs and frictionless trade with the EU

I appreciate that means that for an element of Brexit we need to align with EU rules, certainly initially but we must protect British jobs and manufacturing. For Financial Services it does feel that we should be able to diverge further so I sort of get some of what Chequers plan was trying to do but it is half arsed as plans go

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yeah Tony I don't think I would want to volunteer to work that border!

Alignment with trade is sensible. The reality is that we do it with any country we trade with and they do with us so it's not really an issue. I think the issue is the locking in of UK standards when all we should be doing is honouring export standards to the EU. It's none of the EU's business what our standards are for other countries but I guess as a competitor they will try to curb out abilities to compete. If EU standards were lower than countries we trade with they would have to conform to higher standards to export to those countries. It surely already happens? The US has bans on certain antibiotics we feed our cattle per EU standards and we don't allow their chlorinated meat in either.

There is the issue of locking us out of trade deals too and it sounds like another name for Customs Union really.

The EU isn't a powerhouse for financial services once we are gone. That's our ace in the hole as well as our burden I guess. That's the price of flogging off all your other industries and losing all the other eggs in the basket. We are good on media too. much more so than the other EU countries I understand.

I think we need to be more self sufficient with manufacturing but it's costly. Our economy is too skewed towards finance. The pottery industry died around here and was replaced with cheap warehousing and call centres. All unskilled labour. We used to joke when I was younger about how getting a degree meant leaving the Potteries unless you wanted to sit on the next phone to someone who never went into FE in the same call centre.

I'm not sure what can be done about NI. It is going to be interesting in future decades because many over there want a united Ireland and to be honest I would bet a lot of Brits would vote for NI to leave too for a variety of reasons. The DUP might find themselves lacking in support on the mainland.

Labour are supposed to be voting down Chequers anyway. Jezza is avoiding all the issues as usual and trying to distract with pushing for a GE. I find party voting via whipping to be undemocratic,, they may as well just not turn up and let the leader do it for them for all the use it is. MP's should be voting how they want to and the constituents and the local party will hold them to account.

[Noivous]

The likes of Boris have only ever cared about their own careers. They don't care about Brexit, or likely any other cause, just getting the jobs they want. Mogg, Gove, [insert name of politician here], etc.

The same in the Labour party. There is an anti Semitism problem but it's any opportunity for Corbyn's opposition and has totally distracted Labour from doing the job of the opposition.

Whether you voted Leave or Remain, the fat cats are making a fortune out of it. Lets remember the banks are the ultimate fat cats and they love the EU. Voting Leave might have been about socialism for the left wing voters but I doubt many people were expecting anything other than trading one bunch of opportunists for another.

If I was on the other side I would have been laughing all the way watching our parties fighting with each other over the crumbs. It's a dream for a negotiator. I might be frustrating not hearing what we want all the time but ultimately they know that's because they are talking to a divided country and that works a lot more in their favour than if we were 80% ERG-like.

Hey Terry! I saw a Jiffy John (portable loo) pump truck the other day and there was a sign on the back of it that read: "Warning! This Truck Filled With Political Promises."

Ain't it the truth.

N.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hey Terry! I saw a Jiffy John (portable loo) pump truck the other day and there was a sign on the back of it that read: "Warning! This Truck Filled With Political Promises."

Ain't it the truth.

N.

Hey N! Sounds like a guy with his finger on the pulse of politics!

They should market a range of compost for the garden. Imagine the prize winners!!!

[mezzaninedoor]

Hey Terry! I saw a Jiffy John (portable loo) pump truck the other day and there was a sign on the back of it that read: "Warning! This Truck Filled With Political Promises."

Ain't it the truth.

N.

@Noivous
Spot on.
The polished turds of Manifesto promises.

[Noivous]

Trump putting a US Military base in Poland? Not a bad idea. The Poles like it.

https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2...s-military-ti/