France threatens to veto further Brexit extension

[jamesbrown]

Good thread here on what the French really think.

Mujtaba Rahman on Twitter: "French position is much more nuanced than this. Short thread, based on chats. Back to Paris tomorrow - will update if wildly different (doubtful) 1/… https://t.co/OReUUC6Vxi"

[AtW]

The French think Boris is a cheap fraud, quelle surprise!

[original PM]

Can't see the EU offering another extension myself. It's like that roommate always making excuses for a sub, get paid at the end of the month etc. All that happens is they sit on their arse all day watching daytime TV.

It's like a bandaid, rip it off fast. Besides the EU has its own issues that need money rather than burning it on Brexit sheet.

Yes that is a very astute point.

So do you think the best option is

a) Make life as difficult as possible for the UK to leave the EU thus as you say burning money on the brexit sheet

or

b) Get brexit over with - get the trade deals sorted - you know the ones which will help those EU countries and then move forward in a positive manner.

So given the two clear options why do you think the EU continues to pursue a and not b?

Is it

a) because they are stupid?
b) because they are clever?
c) because they clearly could not give a fook about any single citzen of the UK and their sole interest is the continuation of the EU and the benefits that brings about for them and especially the need to ensure the UK is as unsuccessful as possible after Brexit to discourage anyone else to leave?

Answers on a postcard..

[Whorty]

Yes that is a very astute point.

So do you think the best option is

a) Make life as difficult as possible for the UK to leave the EU thus as you say burning money on the brexit sheet

or

b) Get brexit over with - get the trade deals sorted - you know the ones which will help those EU countries and then move forward in a positive manner.

So given the two clear options why do you think the EU continues to pursue a and not b?

Is it

a) because they are stupid?
b) because they are clever?
c) because they clearly could not give a fook about any single citzen of the UK and their sole interest is the continuation of the EU and the benefits that brings about for them and especially the need to ensure the UK is as unsuccessful as possible after Brexit to discourage anyone else to leave?

Answers on a postcard..

We're leaving the EU. Our UK overlords and media are attacking the EU at every opportunity. Why do you think the EU will care about us any more than they care for say residents of the USA, or China, or Argentina or any other country that is not part of the EU. This is your problem oPM, you want out of the EU but you want all the benefits of being inside the EU.

You really don't get it do you?

[original PM]

We're leaving the EU. Our UK overlords and media are attacking the EU at every opportunity. Why do you think the EU will care about us any more than they care for say residents of the USA, or China, or Argentina or any other country that is not part of the EU. This is your problem oPM, you want out of the EU but you want all the benefits of being inside the EU.

You really don't get it do you?

Yes i made a mistake in my post it should have said

They clearly could not give a fook about any single citizen of the EU not the UK - I would not expect them to give a damn about the UK citizens.

It is not that I want the same deal - I want the best deal for all involved - and for many people who export to the UK from the EU area a poor trade deal hurts them as much as the UK.

[sasguru]

for many people who export to the UK from the EU area a poor trade deal hurts them much less than it will the UK.

FTFY. That's the thing you Brexiters don't get, probably because to a man and woman you're so poor at maffs.

I think there's a fundamental misunderstanding in the UK of the continental countries' position.
Forget the EU, the average man on the street wants the UK out.
The EU's only agreeing to extensions because it doesn't want to appear the bad guy.
Basically the feeling in Brussels (by using that term, I mean the EU) has evolved over the last 3 years to the idea that the UK is more of a problem than its worth.

Most EU apparatchiks have accepted that hard Brexit is on the cards.
You lot should get on with it now.

Oh and BTW, you idiots don't seem to understand that hard Brexit is just the start.
After that, the negotiations about the future relationship really start. Hard Brexit will more likely mean that negotiation starts from a point of weakness.
And given the evidence of the ineptness of the UK performance up to now, the EU will be rubbing theur hands with glee.

[sasguru]

It's just as fun to watch the CUK expat remoanerati having an existential meltdown over Brexit. So I guess Brexit is a win-win afterall.

Some of us "expat remoanerati" sincerely wish for a no deal Brexit as it will make us even better off than we are already

[BrilloPad]

Some of us "expat remoanerati" sincerely wish for a no deal Brexit as it will make us even better off than we are already

Have you left the UK? Or is Guildford abroad?

[original PM]

FTFY. That's the thing you Brexiters don't get, probably because to a man and woman you're so poor at maffs.

I think there's a fundamental misunderstanding in the UK of the continental countries' position.
Forget the EU, the average man on the street wants the UK out.
The EU's only agreeing to extensions because it doesn't want to appear the bad guy.
Basically the feeling in Brussels (by using that term, I mean the EU) has evolved over the last 3 years to the idea that the UK is more of a problem than its worth.

Most EU apparatchiks have accepted that hard Brexit is on the cards.
You lot should get on with it now.

Oh and BTW, you idiots don't seem to understand that hard Brexit is just the start.
After that, the negotiations about the future relationship really start. Hard Brexit will more likely mean that negotiation starts from a point of weakness.
And given the evidence of the ineptness of the UK performance up to now, the EU will be rubbing theur hands with glee.

Cannot argue with that bit - the fact the UK has not shown a united front to the EU has made us incredibly weak from a negotiating perspective.

However if the trade deals we get from the EU mean that it is better to switch to suppliers outside the EU then that does not benefit the EU at all.

It's like anything - take tourism in the EU - if they make it difficult for UK people to go on holiday it will negatively impact economies - not saying that tourism from the UK is a large part of EU countries income - it is still a part of it and any slip in income just makes it more difficult for the people of those countries - because there is nothing to fill the gap - it is not like the UK people are stopping other people holidaying in EU countries.

I mean lets say you sell sledges from the EU - after Brexit (if it ever happens) that 10% of your sales which went to the UK are under threat - especially if we can get chlorinated sledges for cheaper from the USA. So in that instance we still get sledges and you lose 10% of your sales.

In order to maintain your profits then you need to put your pries up so the rest of the EU countries end up paying more for their sledges.

[sasguru]

Have you left the UK? Or is Guildford abroad?

A long time ago. I'll be back when the the UK is the US's de facto 51st state though.
Far from Brexit leading to "independence", that's the most likely outcome.
The rich are going to get richer and the poor much poorer.