Why would you say every country in the world? the eu itself only has trade agreements with 50 countries
I'm not missing your point at all,I'm using the BBC's website to illustrate the trading position of both the UK and the EU with the rest of the world. Even the BBC admits that trading agreements will be easy in many cases because countries want to trade with a large economy such as the UK,and WTO can be used as a starting point for any that are not easy. If the UK wishes to trade with another country which actually requires a trade deal and can not use WTO,there is nothing to stop both parties replicating the agreement that already exists between the EU and the other country: a stroke of a pen and a single declaration from either side would do it. As is absolutely normal for those who voted remain,you make no mention of the EU exports that flood into this country leaving us with a monumental trade imbalance,nor the thousands of EU imposed tariffs that UK/EU consumers have to pay because Brussels wishes to protect it's domestic industries at the expense of its poorest inhabitants. Trade deals are not the be-all and end-all of Brexit anyway.Everything has to be considered,from the payment of welfare to people and children that have never lived here,to the extra pressure on our public services and housing by the 3 million EU citizens now residing in the UK,the (now publicly admitted by May to be the reasonably accurate figure of £350 million a week sent to the EU),the regaining of parliamentary sovereignty,(illegally passed to the EC by Heath),plus not forgetting leaving the dreadful CFP and CAP,both of which have cost this country dearly. The ramifications of Brexit have to be viewed in the round: the only real disagreement is between those who consider the advantages outweigh the disadvantages,and those who think the opposite.
Because it's the opposite of zero trade deals. Not every country in the world is a member of the WTO so I'll acknowledge that WTO won't allow you to trade with everyone. My point is for a trading nation WTO is a backstop not the place you want to be.
Would it not be the case though that the proposition would be a mixture of wto & free trade deals depending on who we were dealing with and how they fit in with us? I saw no one say we would limit ourselves just to wto or limit ourselves to free trade agreements?
Sorry you are, I pointed out no country in the world trades only on WTO rules and you showed a list of countries all of which are in some form trade deal with another country. Then you wish to get back into the referendum debate, which would appear to be a pointless activity at this moment in time. Unless you think another referendum is on the cards? If leavers are beginning to think that then maybe there is some hope - yes I'm kidding. The position we are now is to either accept the terms of the withdrawal agreement which allows for a transition from our current trading position but comes with some horrific conditions which I think will lead to the break up of the UK starting with NI. Or to crash out and start from a position with only WTO terms. No matter how quickly you think we may able to agree trade deals I doubt it will be fast enough to alleviate the economic damage and ultimately I think this route will also lead to the break up of the UK, probably starting with Scotland but also including NI. Neither option looks good to me.
Thought i'd join the insomniacs. I must say I'm blowing hot then cold on this deal RE practicalities of compromise v genuine divorce. My latest position is that to have no end point for the back stop and not to be able to withdraw unilaterally is just putting up the white flag. Mindbogglingly bad. Also, I thought i heard a reporter say that with this deal the UK cannot agree any trade deals with any 3rd party countries that agrees tariffs that are less than the EU charge. Where's the freedom / divorce from the EU with this deal? TB
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday Toady Gove was being asked to join forces with May to save the day. This morning Gove is leading group of five Ministers to change the agreement against Mays wishes. Now is Toad so clever as to be able to trick his way through without anyone (except us) noticing, or is May such a desperate twat that she is grabbing at any straw to stay in office? Or are we watching a kids pantomime? On a slightly different note, did anyone fall for the "Poor me, I had to eat baked beans and drink whisky yesterday as I am so hurt" bollocks from our PM. WTF...
I listened to the PM describing the draft agreement. It was almost like she was begging parliament to vote it down. At the end of the interim arrangement, the UK has the choice to extend it. Effectively, this is Remain but without any veto rights in Brussels. This is a win for the EU. The alternative is for the UK to engage the backstop. Politically, this is a government-breaker. There is no UK government brave enough and foolish enough to substantially separate NI from the rest of the UK&NI. Effectively, the UK must extend the interim arrangement. Remain minus the veto. The only way out from there is a negotiated Exit from the EU on terms agreeable to the EU. Anyone see a problem with this? This is win-win for the EU, the only way they come out less ahead is if the backstop is engaged, which will lead to problems both imaginable and unimaginable for the UK&NI. If you cannot see the problem with the draft agreement, it is because you do not understand the issues, or you do understand them but want to Remain on any terms whatsoever.
A Simple Question Does anybody back Theresas deal and think its a good deal (apart from the EU and politicians) ? Lord Hesseltine a remainer who collects the best part of a million pounds a year in EU subsidies quote " the deal is dead in the water" DUP will not support it SNP will not support it Brexiteers in the Tories will not support it Labour will not support it Exactly who is supporting this deal ? On a positive note Theresa May has united the entire country over Brexit in that nobody wants her deal
Just in case anyone else fancies some light reading, or something for the coffee table. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/draft_withdrawal_agreement_0.pdf
The document isn't written in English. I'm having to go with what TM told MPs and what MPs told TM in Parliament. They speak English there (for now).
Yep, the EU have a knack when it comes to drafting legislation. Fortunately I can speed read, years of practice. Unfortunately they omitted to put a table of contents in this one, which would help. The March draft of this draft did have a table of contents, albeit on the very last few pages, made life easier.
They tried to kick one off but they couldn't get the legal language right ... so it was deprecated (fizzled out).
