Brexit

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

RE: Brexit

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Bob in Spain wrote:
Stircrazy wrote:
Bob in Spain wrote:
People had lots of reasons for voting for Brexit, but this has to be one of the bizarre ones LOL

https://twitter.com/mikegalsworthy/status/1673331207063457795
Sorry, Bob. Not on Twitter (& refuse to sign up), so I can't read that.
Because the flag has yellow stars in a circle on a blue background, which is the same as the American flag (the stars bit) from 200 years ago.
Quote: "Do you think it is a coincidence that the European Flag is a copy of the American Flag as it was during the civil war".
Apparently that is a reflection of EU ideology.

Thanks, Bob. Pathetic!

Elegant Point · Satellite level

Stircrazy wrote:
Elegant Point wrote:
Stircrazy wrote:
Here's a novel approach now being adopted by the Germans, of all people.

Not that surprising given the declining birth rate in Germany?

https://www.iamexpat.de/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/birth-rates-have-suddenly-decreased-germany%E2%80%8B
My attempt at irony clearly fell flat...

one of the issues with SM, your intent is not always clear to others?? I tend to be quite literal, so maybe needed a winking smiley biggrin

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

So, for several years now, the government has been inisiting that UK firms drop the CE safety mark and move over to the UK equivalent, as part of GB's new freedom to make and follow our own rules.

Apart from the fact that (a) the new safety mark was no reall different from the EU one, (b) it was costing a fortune for businesses to comply with all the admin to move over, and (c) all exports to the EU still needed the CE mark so it was just another added layer, and so had the opposite effect of cutting red-tape, as it was adding more.

Finally, after at least two extensions of the implementation date, the new UK CE mark has now been abandonned (or, technically, it has been made optional and the EU one has been retained, which is - effectively - the same thing as abandoning it)

Business is very pleased, despite one small firm saying, for instance, that they'd spent over £100k trying to comply with the new UK one.

So now, we're back where we were in 2016, with a whole heap of wasted tax-payers' money by government in trying to set this thing up, and of wasted private money by companies in trying to get ready for something that was never going to help and had serious problems

And, maybe more importantly, we're not even back where we were in 2016 because now we are all bound by an EU safety mark into which we have no vote, no input, no nothing.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

victoria
@vicsrogers
Did we get all of Europes rain in the brexit agreement or something? #britishsummer #weather

Hidden away in the small print of the agreement - we get all the cr&&py weather for the next 10 years!

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Implementation on checks for food being imported by the UK from the EU have been put back AGAIN because of fears that the extra red tape will fuel food inflation. The decision was taken by those who sold Brexit on the basis that it would lead to CHEAPER food.

www.ft.com/content/d0673acb-eb87-4548-b90f-009be5ab14c3

(Behind a firewall)

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/aug/03/uk-brexit-checks-fresh-food-eu-delayed-fifth-time-reports

(Free to read)

-- Edited by Bob in Spain on Thursday 3rd of August 2023 10:10:23 AM

legaleagle · Improver

Quite enjoyable reading the initial thread, considering how much has changed in 7 years. Makes me miss Ratty...

Julia Carrot · All-time great

Coup Droit wrote:
So, for several years now, the government has been inisiting that UK firms drop the CE safety mark and move over to the UK equivalent, as part of GB's new freedom to make and follow our own rules.

Apart from the fact that (a) the new safety mark was no reall different from the EU one, (b) it was costing a fortune for businesses to comply with all the admin to move over, and (c) all exports to the EU still needed the CE mark so it was just another added layer, and so had the opposite effect of cutting red-tape, as it was adding more.

Finally, after at least two extensions of the implementation date, the new UK CE mark has now been abandonned (or, technically, it has been made optional and the EU one has been retained, which is - effectively - the same thing as abandoning it)

Business is very pleased, despite one small firm saying, for instance, that they'd spent over £100k trying to comply with the new UK one.

So now, we're back where we were in 2016, with a whole heap of wasted tax-payers' money by government in trying to set this thing up, and of wasted private money by companies in trying to get ready for something that was never going to help and had serious problems

And, maybe more importantly, we're not even back where we were in 2016 because now we are all bound by an EU safety mark into which we have no vote, no input, no nothing.

Well said. Exactly that.

-- Edited by Julia Carrot on Thursday 3rd of August 2023 08:36:02 PM

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

The Brexit betrayal takes another turn today as Lord Frost, who negotiated the Northern Ireland Protocol, admits publicly in the House of Lords that he and Johnson always intended for the protocol to collapse and fail - something the would force if necessary by GB's divergence from the EU.

Talk about negotiating in bad faith. Let's agree to something and sign off on it, and then make it collapse.

From the text of his speech:

"We always hoped that, ultimately, divergence by GB would produce the collapse of the protocol arrangements, whether consensually through a vote, through a further negotiation, or otherwise ... ".

So much for 'oven ready'.

-- Edited by Bob in Spain on Tuesday 12th of September 2023 10:21:21 AM

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

At least brexit will potentially open up new markets for us if we play our cards right

www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66786611

Sunak has asked the civil service to develop negotiations as soon as possible

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

JonH comes home wrote:
At least brexit will potentially open up new markets for us if we play our cards right

www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66786611

Sunak has asked the civil service to develop negotiations as soon as possible

biggrin biggrin

Brilliant.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

I can't bring myself to vote Labour at the next general election & can no longer bring myself to vote Conservative (I plan to spoil my ballot paper by scrawling "none of the above" across the bottom, since it's not physically possible to abstain), but I'm curious to see just how Starmer would pull this off!

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

A glimmer of hope for any British politician strong enough to take the plunge & with the conviction & power to do so?

christ · Futures qualifying

I don't know who the IEA are, but they are on the internet, so it must be true, no?

iea.org.uk/media/brexit-leaves-uk-trade-unscathed-finds-new-iea-report/

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

christ wrote:
I don't know who the IEA are, but they are on the internet, so it must be true, no?

iea.org.uk/media/brexit-leaves-uk-trade-unscathed-finds-new-iea-report/

Been a lot of discussion about this online today. Quite simply, they have massaged the figures by letting pre-brexit numbers to be adjusted for inflation and post Brexit numbers have NOT been adjusted for inflation - giving a false impression/comparison.

https://twitter.com/jdportes/status/1721430008408019154

A lot of explaining in this thread from a Professor of Economics and Kings College London.

Oh, and while we are on the subject of Brexit, have people seen the report today that the NHS is suffering a severe shortage of drugs - because of Brexit.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/23904231.brexit-red-tape-blamed-severe-shortage-nhs-drug-supplies/