Governments first Brexit position paper fails to answer key questions

[sasguru]

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2017/0...key-questions/

So the negotiations are well underway and there doesn't seem to be any clear position adopted by HM government.
"A Customs Union is not like Schrodinger’s cat. Either you’re in it, or you’re not."

Essentially this position paper says "we want to leave the Customs union but , erm, can we just pretend we're in it, so it makes no difference".



There was a point when this country was renowned for its pragmatism and the quality of its diplomats and leaders.
This is just highly embarrassing.

[northernladyuk]

LSE BREXIT – UK government’s customs position paper fails to answer key questions

So the negotiations are well underway and there doesn't seem to be any clear position adopted by HM government.
"A Customs Union is not like Schrodinger’s cat. Either you’re in it, or you’re not."

Essentially this position paper says "we want to leave the Customs union but , erm, can we just pretend we're in it, so it makes no difference".



There was a point when this country was renowned for its pragmatism and the quality of its diplomats and leaders.
This is just highly embarrassing.

You wait - the row of the summer is coming: David Davis's predicted 'row of the summer' over the Brexit negotiations timetable didn't exactly last long - Independent.ie

Remember the UK has the whip hand and the EU must dance to the UK tune if the Germans want to carry on selling their so-called luxury cars.

[malvolio]

Leaving the mandatory EU Customs Controls and allowing both sides to trade freely to the benefit of both sides is not a pragmatic solution? Really?

It's a negotiation, for God's sake, not the Ten Commandments. There is room for movement on both sides. Perhaps you should start railing at the EU side who seem determined to sit there pretending to be De Gaulle rather than trying to find an acceptable middle ground themselves.

[sasguru]

David Davies does a good line in genial bonhomie which masks the fact that he's essentially, by more than one account, a lazy mediocrity.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...-a7845911.html
http://www.express.co.uk/news/politi...n-twitter-lazy

[The_Equalizer]

Leaving the mandatory EU Customs Controls and allowing both sides to trade freely to the benefit of both sides is not a pragmatic solution? Really?

It's a negotiation, for God's sake, not the Ten Commandments. There is room for movement on both sides. Perhaps you should start railing at the EU side who seem determined to sit there pretending to be De Gaulle rather than trying to find an acceptable middle ground themselves.

I'm rather enjoying the posturing over the NI/RoI thing. So long as it's not the UK been seen to force a hard border the EU will be on a very sticky wicket.

[northernladyuk]

I'm rather enjoying the posturing over the NI/RoI thing. So long as it's not the UK been seen to force a hard border the EU will be on a very sticky wicket.

The UK can request to stay in the Customs Union. Job done.

[The_Equalizer]

The UK can request to stay in the Customs Union. Job done.

Or Ireland can bail. Job done.

[northernladyuk]

Or Ireland can bail. Job done.

There is a status quo which works well for the border. The UK wants to leave the EU so is impacting on that status quo. If the UK wants to manage the impact it can stay in the Customs Union. Otherwise, it's clear the UK is responsible for the impact on the border. A lot of border crossings to manage...

[BlasterBates]

It is OK Farage has seen through this. Davis is just sticking the Tories together with a bit of Sellotape, whilst understanding that in the end the UK is heading into a red-white and blue EEA agreement.

Listening to arch Brexiteer Iain Dale on LBC he has been pushing US-Australia free trade deal that apparently only took 10 months. Well firstly it took 3-4 years before it actually came into effect as it went through its tortured path through Congress. Secondly the increase in trade was all one way as Australia signed up to preferential treatment for the US. US exports went up, Australia's exports to the US went down. They also "blew up" their pharmaceutical sector, US companies profits are now protected in Australia. Apparently the Australians thought they'd protected their pharmaceutical sector, but the details got hammered out in 2006 after the trade deal went onto effect and the Australians found they'd been sold a pup.

The US under Donald Trump is going to take the UK to the cleaners, it may even hamper UK trade with the EU as they will be arm-locked into importing chlorinated chickens and all the other over priced garbage from the US.

[The_Equalizer]

There is a status quo which works well for the border. The UK wants to leave the EU so is impacting on that status quo. If the UK wants to manage the impact it can stay in the Customs Union. Otherwise, it's clear the UK is responsible for the impact on the border. A lot of border crossings to manage...

Bit like saying the wife has just left me so it's her problem.