UK's Brexit Details Released

tay

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Blackleaf

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EU: "What are your demands?"

UK: "Complete separation from your corrupt, undemocratic organisation, with no freedom of movement, no payments into your coffers and all UK laws to be made by elected Britons in Britain and not unelected foreigners in Brussels (and Strasbourg for part of the year, at great cost to the taxpayer, for no other reason but to suit the egos of the French)."
 

Curious Cdn

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Who are you going to sell things to (assuming that you're going to start making things that people want to buy) The Americans? They're about to slap big tariffs on imports. Your pound is too high to make your goods affordable to most of the world. Those nasty Europeans are your customers and you need them very badly.
 

Blackleaf

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Who are you going to sell things to (assuming that you're going to start making things that people want to buy)

The people who Britain already sells to as the world's ninth-largest exporter.

The Americans? They're about to slap big tariffs on imports.

The United Kingdom exports more to America than to any other country - 14.5% of total UK exports.

Your pound is too high to make your goods affordable to most of the world.

The high pound has BOOSTED UK exports.

Those nasty Europeans are your customers and you need them very badly.

The EU needs Britain more than Britain needs the EU.
 

Curious Cdn

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The people who Britain already sells to as the world's ninth-largest exporter.
Take away the armaments, booze and dodgy cars and there isn't much left.

The United Kingdom exports more to America than to any other country - 14.5% of total UK exports.

The two way trade between Canada and the US dwarfs any other such trade on the planet. Anyway, the more that you trade with the US, the more vulnerable you are. Trump is quite bonkers.

The high pound has BOOSTED UK exports.

You really haven't a clue, do you? Why and how could that happen?



The EU needs Britain more than Britain needs the EU.


Time will tell.
 

Blackleaf

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Take away the armaments, booze and dodgy cars and there isn't much left.

UK's top 10 exports:


  1. Machines, engines, pumps: US$63.9 billion (13.9% of total exports)
  2. Gems, precious metals: $53 billion (11.5%)
  3. Vehicles: $50.7 billion (11%)
  4. Pharmaceuticals: $36 billion (7.8%)
  5. Oil: $33.2 billion (7.2%)
  6. Electronic equipment: $29 billion (6.3%)
  7. Aircraft, spacecraft: $18.9 billion (4.1%)
  8. Medical, technical equipment: $18.4 billion (4%)
  9. Organic chemicals: $14 billion (3%)
  10. Plastics: $11.8 billion (2.6%)
Here are UK export companies ranking among the largest international trade players for the United Kingdom:


  • BP (oil, gas)
  • Rio Tinto Group (diversified metals, mining)
  • GlaxoSmithKline (pharmaceuticals)
  • British American Tobacco (tobacco)
  • AstraZeneca (pharmaceuticals)
  • SABMiller (beverages)

The two way trade between Canada and the US dwarfs any other such trade on the planet.
So what?

Anyway, the more that you trade with the US, the more vulnerable you are. Trump is quite bonkers.
Well that doesn't bode well for Canada then.

You really haven't a clue, do you? Why and how could that happen?
Not the high pound. The low pound. The fall in the pound in the latter half of 2016 was a big boost to British exports.

Time will tell.
It's already told. It's a known fact that the EU needs Britain more than Britain needs the EU.
 

Andem

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Larnaka
Who are you going to sell things to

There's this weird idea some people have, that in order to buy and sell products and services, a country is required to be in a political union between buyers' and sellers' nations. But only if it's on the European peninsula. I just can't fathom that so many people are this gullible.

Here's an idea for the clueless: Check the label on your phone (under the battery/on the back) and check whether it is made in a country that Canada's in a political union with. Hint: It most certainly is not.

It's just amazing how obtuse these arguments are.
 

Blackleaf

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There's this weird idea some people have, that in order to buy and sell products and services, a country is required to be in a political union between buyers' and sellers' nations. But only if it's on the European peninsula. I just can't fathom that so many people are this gullible.

Here's an idea for the clueless: Check the label on your phone (under the battery/on the back) and check whether it is made in a country that Canada's in a political union with. Hint: It most certainly is not.

It's just amazing how obtuse these arguments are.

You're right. The United States is, by far, Canada's largest trading partner (in both exports and imports) - I think Canada trades more with the US than it does with all the other countries in the world put together - yet Canada isn't in political union with the United States.
 

Curious Cdn

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There's this weird idea some people have, that in order to buy and sell products and services, a country is required to be in a political union between buyers' and sellers' nations. But only if it's on the European peninsula. I just can't fathom that so many people are this gullible.

Here's an idea for the clueless: Check the label on your phone (under the battery/on the back) and check whether it is made in a country that Canada's in a political union with. Hint: It most certainly is not.

It's just amazing how obtuse these arguments are.

The Europeans will slap tariffs on British goods so that they don't take jobs away from Europeans.

My phones, until quite recent years, were made in Canada.
 

Andem

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The Europeans will slap tariffs on British goods so that they don't take jobs away from Europeans.

Which tabloid did you learn that from? I'm genuinely curious to know where your expertise in international trade comes from.

I hope you're aware that Brits are Europeans so I don't reckon they can slap tariffs on to themselves... which brings me back to "where do your get your info from?"

My phones, until quite recent years, were made in Canada.

Yeah I don't believe that. I doubt you do either, UNLESS: "My phone" is referring to a Nortel-built payphone down the road.

But please answer this: Is your phone made in another country that Canada is currently in a political union with?

A yes or no answer will either prove or disprove my point.
 

Curious Cdn

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Which tabloid did you learn that from? I'm genuinely curious to know where your expertise in international trade comes from.

I hope you're aware that Brits are Europeans so I don't reckon they can slap tariffs on to themselves... which brings me back to "where do your get your info from?"



Yeah I don't believe that. I doubt you do either, UNLESS: "My phone" is referring to a Nortel-built payphone down the road.

But please answer this: Is your phone made in another country that Canada is currently in a political union with?

A yes or no answer will either prove or disprove my point.

I was referring to the Nortel built phones in our house ... or, perhaps,the BlackBerry precursor to the I- phone. I could care less what you believe, actually.
 

Andem

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I was referring to the Nortel built phones in our house ... or, perhaps,the BlackBerry precursor to the I- phone. I could care less what you believe, actually.

Well it's good to see that you care a bit, unless you really mean "I couldn't care less."

Since you implied that Britain would be unable to sell their products to other Europeans because they're leaving a political union called the EU, I'd implore you to check to see where your cell phone was produced.

Unless Canada is in a political union with China or Vietnam, I'd like to know where the idea came from, that bilateral trade is only possible inside of a supranational state.

If you feel a cell phone is somehow unfair, what about picking any article of clothing or.. maybe the very device you're viewing this Web site with? Were any of these items produced in a country or territory that Canada is in political union with?
 
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Blackleaf

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The Europeans will slap tariffs on British goods so that they don't take jobs away from Europeans.

My phones, until quite recent years, were made in Canada.

The principle of non-discrimination means that WTO members must not treat any member less advantageously than any other: grant one country preferential treatment, and the same must be done for everyone else.

There are exceptions for regional free trade areas and customs unions like the EU, but the principle implies that, outside of these, the tariff that applies to the ‘most-favoured nation’ (MFN) must similarly apply to all.

In practice, this should prevent the EU introducing tariffs on the UK which would discriminate against us or punish us, or the UK introducing similar tariffs on the EU.

https://fullfact.org/europe/uk-leaving-eu-trade/

UK will agree tariff-free trade deal with EU, minister claims

The European Union will agree a tariff-free trade deal with the UK – and it will not run into the same difficulties faced by the troubled Canadian pact, a cabinet minister has insisted.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the amount of trade done between the UK and EU puts it in a different category to the Canadian deal, which has been blocked by the Belgian regional parliament in Wallonia.

The prominent Brexit-backer played down the prospect of the Walloons forming a similar obstacle to the UK's negotiations with the EU because of the amount of produce their farmers sell to Britain.

UK will agree tariff-free trade deal with EU, minister claims | The Independent

Theresa May: Government not muddled over Brexit

BBC News
8 January 2017


The Prime Minister on Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday this morning

Prime Minister Theresa May has said the government's thinking on Brexit "isn't muddled at all".

Her comments on Sky News come after the UK's former ambassador to the EU, Sir Ivan Rogers, criticised ministers' approach to negotiations.

Mrs May said the government's priority was to get the "best possible deal" and that she would set out more detail on her aims "in the coming weeks".

Brexit talks with the EU are expected to begin as early as April.

Mrs May said it was not possible for the UK to hold on to "bits" of membership after leaving the EU.

There has been much debate in recent weeks about the nature of Brexit, and whether controls on the movement of EU citizens will mean the UK leaves the European single market and customs union.

The government has also come under pressure to reveal more of its plan.

Sir Ivan stepped down from his ambassador role on Tuesday, criticising "muddled thinking" among ministers. He has been replaced by Brexiteer Sir Tim Barrow.

Mrs May told Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "Anybody who looks at this question of free movement and trade as a sort of zero-sum game is approaching it in the wrong way.

"I'm ambitious for what we can get for the UK in terms of our relationship with the European Union because I also think that's going to be good for the European Union.

"Our thinking on this isn't muddled at all."

Theresa May: Government not muddled over Brexit - BBC News
 

tay

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Farage 'hanging around Brussels acting like a juvenile delinquent' - Hogan

EU Commissioner Phil Hogan has warned that "Brexit is a mess and getting messier" as the threat of Britain leaving the Single Market intensified.

Meanwhile, Mr Hogan has roundly rejected claims by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage that Ireland may follow Britain's example and leave the EU.

Mr Hogan launched a scathing attack on the Ukip MEP, calling him a "juvenile delinquent hanging around corners in Brussels telling others what to do about the EU".

The commissioner said that although Mr Farage was a leading light in the Brexit campaign, he now had no clue what Britain's next move should be. Mr Hogan also insisted Ireland "has deep and long-standing links with mainland Europe".

Farage 'hanging around Brussels acting like a juvenile delinquent' - Hogan - Independent.ie
 

tay

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tay

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A turbocharged version of the TTIP could be heading Britain’s way after Theresa May’s Brexit white paper. That’s the upsetting irony for those (and there were a few) who voted to leave the European Union to escape nasty trade deals that involve secret courts to resolve corporate disputes.

These are the courts that some of the world’s biggest companies have used when they want to overturn local laws that jeopardise their profits. Tobacco company Philip Morris was a keen exponent. Its legal suits in Australia, Uruguay and others against plain cigarette packaging caused an outcry and cost the respective governments millions of pounds in legal fees, even though it failed.

It is a racing certainty that secret courts will be part of any trade deal with the US because even the Obama administration insisted on them. The infamous Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) schemes are part of virtually every existing trade deal and US corporations remain committed to the need for a legal process hidden from view.

Donald Trump’s new secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, won millions of dollars for ExxonMobil in secret arbitration deals when he was boss of the sprawling energy firm. Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, has already told Congress that he wants to present other countries with a “take it or leave it” trade model that includes stronger “enforcement mechanisms”, which very plausibly sounds like a more extreme version of the current secret courts system

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/feb/04/voting-brexit-hasnt-saved-secretive-trade-deals
 

Blackleaf

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A turbocharged version of the TTIP could be heading Britain’s way after Theresa May’s Brexit white paper. That’s the upsetting irony for those (and there were a few) who voted to leave the European Union to escape nasty trade deals that involve secret courts to resolve corporate disputes.

These are the courts that some of the world’s biggest companies have used when they want to overturn local laws that jeopardise their profits. Tobacco company Philip Morris was a keen exponent. Its legal suits in Australia, Uruguay and others against plain cigarette packaging caused an outcry and cost the respective governments millions of pounds in legal fees, even though it failed.

It is a racing certainty that secret courts will be part of any trade deal with the US because even the Obama administration insisted on them. The infamous Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) schemes are part of virtually every existing trade deal and US corporations remain committed to the need for a legal process hidden from view.

Donald Trump’s new secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, won millions of dollars for ExxonMobil in secret arbitration deals when he was boss of the sprawling energy firm. Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, has already told Congress that he wants to present other countries with a “take it or leave it” trade model that includes stronger “enforcement mechanisms”, which very plausibly sounds like a more extreme version of the current secret courts system

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/feb/04/voting-brexit-hasnt-saved-secretive-trade-deals

richmanchester 10m ago

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Why would it be expected to?
Wasn't the whole point of Brexit that we could negotiate our own secretive trade deals, rather than doing so collectively?
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pinkhorse1 22m ago
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Let's see how it goes and in 41 years we can have another referendum. If the EU still exists then of course.
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Coops73 1h ago
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An rather pointless article. Britain will indeed have to fight its own corner in trade negotiations after leaving the EU. Deals might be better, or worse. Most likely we'll have some of both. The EU has not had a great deal of success in securing trade deals because of the contrary arguments by different nations; a post-Brexit UK will at least not have that problem.
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AnOldBoy 2h ago
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What a load of gloomy nonsense! That is what happens if you take people like Mr Nick Dearden and loony organisations like "Global Justice Now" seriously. Mr Inham should try to adopt the cheerful outlook of his late uncle, John.
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Ubermensch1 6h ago
3 4
Yet more ridiculous scare-mongering based on contrived scenarios of what 'might' happen rather than anything that actually has happened.

And the absurdest thing of all about it, which people seem to have all too readily forgotten, is that it was the EU that was negotiating TTIP with all those big bad American companies. It wasn't that long ago that I was getting 38-Degrees petitions condemning the EU for its acquiescence in it all.

Strange how, now we have Brexit...all of a sudden a bunch of trade deals that were initialised under the provision of the EU are suddenly the fault of Brexiters.
 

tay

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Buried in a 19,800 word Spectator essay written by former online editor and Vote Leave director Dominic Cummings is an admission:

The Brexit referendum was won by lying to the public.

The piece, found here, is well worth reading but also falls victim to classic mansplaining of a complex issue with many words wasted on prose that most politicians would be proud of, working around the subject rather than delving in to the heart of it.

Of course, that’s for a very good reason, because at the heart of the vote to leave the European Union is an entanglement of lies and propagandist sensationalism that even the most brave souls wouldn’t dare admit to.

And so to the damning paragraph that outs the Leave Campaign for what it was:

Vote Leave director admits they won because they lied to the public - The London Economic
 

Blackleaf

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Oct 9, 2004
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Buried in a 19,800 word Spectator essay written by former online editor and Vote Leave director Dominic Cummings is an admission:

The Brexit referendum was won by lying to the public.

The piece, found here, is well worth reading but also falls victim to classic mansplaining of a complex issue with many words wasted on prose that most politicians would be proud of, working around the subject rather than delving in to the heart of it.

Of course, that’s for a very good reason, because at the heart of the vote to leave the European Union is an entanglement of lies and propagandist sensationalism that even the most brave souls wouldn’t dare admit to.

And so to the damning paragraph that outs the Leave Campaign for what it was:

Vote Leave director admits they won because they lied to the public - The London Economic

1) Politicians lying to the public is normal in elections.

2) The BIGGEST lies during the referendum campaign were told by Remain, whose whoppers included:

* Britain's economy would be devastated;
* World War III will break out should we vote for our sovereignty and independence;
* An Emergency Budget would have to be enacted by the end of 2016 should we vote to Leave;
* There would be a huge clamour amongst the Scottish people to break away from the United Kingdom should they vote Remain and the UK as a whole vote Leave.

So I think the sore, bitter, defeated Remoaners can stop bleating about "sensationalism" and "lies" coming from the victorious Leavers.

We are all due an apology from the Remain camp.