[Merged]Brexit stuff

[Paddy]

The other side of that is sourcing decisions. Marks & Spencer lost a massive competitive advantage when they chose to source clothes from abroad rather than from within the UK. There was no point shopping there any more than going to Littlewoods or BHS. They also lost a lucrative export market where lots of people I knew used to send M&S clothes as gifts to ex-pats.

I remember arabs buying at M&S and cutting the labels off because it was a jewish owned store.
There was a very interest program on R4 some time ago not just about M&S but also others. Although manufacturing of clothes went offshore and were cheaper, the retail price stayed the same but the companies made more profit however, it is only a short term gain because the USP was lost

[SueEllen]

The other side of that is sourcing decisions. Marks & Spencer lost a massive competitive advantage when they chose to source clothes from abroad rather than from within the UK. There was no point shopping there any more than going to Littlewoods or BHS. They also lost a lucrative export market where lots of people I knew used to send M&S clothes as gifts to ex-pats.

BHS doesn't exist anymore and Littlewoods is just a catalogue. So maybe M&S have done something right.

[LondonManc]

BHS doesn't exist anymore and Littlewoods is just a catalogue. So maybe M&S have done something right.

Maybe but they have struggled to do so for years. What's killed them is Matalan and Primark for me.

[jamesbrown]

If there is any deal outside the Customs Union that has to be decided very early on, because the UK government has to get it's skates on to get independent WTO membership and a load of FTA's in place when they leave. The idea the government will wait until 6 months before it exits and then announce it will be leaving the Customs Union is ludicrous. 2 years is a very very tight timeframe.

There are two negotiating stances for the government:

1) They're leaving the Customs Union and they want to hammer out a free trade deal like Canada.

2) They're staying in the Customs Union and then it's a trade off between some control on immigration, paying into a budget and
access to different bits of the market.

If the UK government doesn't announce it will be exiting the Customs Union when it enters the negotiations then it aint going to happen.

...and the most likely outcome:

Freedom of movement for skilled workers with a job offer, a huge wadge of cash into their budgets, and some restrictions on unskilled workers.

Will I be disappointed if they go for Hard Brexit in March ? not really I don't live in the UK

I know you don't live in the UK (something that's remarkably consistent among those on CUK that are most heavily invested in continuity Bremain ). Either way, you're invested.

I agree that leaving the CU is one of the early decisions, along with the Single Market (SM), at least notionally. Mathematically, there are four possible outcomes:

1. SM+CU (continuity Bremain)
2. SM only ("soft", e.g. EEA)
3. CU only ("hard", e.g. Turkey)
4. Neither ("hardest", with degrees of hardness from FTA to WTO)

Remaining within the CU and SM is politically unpalatable. Leaving the CU is necessary for bilateral free trade (i.e. without the external tariff). Leaving the SM is necessary for substantive control over EU migration. In terms of the likelihood of the various options, I essentially agree with the analysis here. In other words, there are two options worth entertaining, one being inside the CU and the SM (continuity Bremain) and one being outside of both. It's pretty clear where May is heading (the FTA implementation of option 4, above), even if she holds some hope of a bespoke deal with sector-by-sector access to the SM. I really can't see bespoke access happening in practice.

[BlasterBates]

I know you don't live in the UK (something that's remarkably consistent among those on CUK that are most heavily invested in continuity Bremain ). Either way, you're invested.

I agree that leaving the CU is one of the early decisions, along with the Single Market (SM), at least notionally. Mathematically, there are four possible outcomes:

1. SM+CU (continuity Bremain)
2. SM only ("soft", e.g. EEA)
3. CU only ("hard", e.g. Turkey)
4. Neither ("hardest", with degrees of hardness from FTA to WTO)

Remaining within the CU and SM is politically unpalatable. Leaving the CU is necessary for bilateral free trade (i.e. without the external tariff). Leaving the SM is necessary for substantive control over EU migration. In terms of the likelihood of the various options, I essentially agree with the analysis here. In other words, there are two options worth entertaining, one being inside the CU and the SM (continuity Bremain) and one being outside of both. It's pretty clear where May is heading (the FTA implementation of option 4, above), even if she holds some hope of a bespoke deal with sector-by-sector access to the SM. I really can't see bespoke access happening in practice.

Philip Hammond is Customs Union, Liam Fox is outside the Customs Union. The battle is on, but Philip Hammond is the more senior of the two. You may also notice that David Davis has retreated from his position of being outside the CU, he's turned woolly on that, and Theresa May keeps backing Hammond when the chips are down. According to a minister inside the cabinet the money is on Philip Hammond getting his way, he's already made it clear he's ready to walk and May can't afford that, the pound will get an absolute thrashing and that would be bad.

[scooterscot]

Am beginning to get the impression Wrexiters are a bunch of disgruntled Ex M&S shoppers.

[scooterscot]

BHS doesn't exist anymore and Littlewoods is just a catalogue. So maybe M&S have done something right.

C&A still exists here in Munich!

[darmstadt]

C&A still exists here in Munich!

M&S didn't last too long in Germany, they put a bundle into the shops but the clothes were seen as too old fashioned although the food section worked reasonably fine. Virgin records also went titsup here...

[DodgyAgent]

C&A still exists here in Munich!

I understand that the labels have your name on them and it doesn't matter which way round your are wearing them either

[shaunbhoy]

M&S didn't last too long in Germany, they put a bundle into the shops but the clothes were seen as too old fashioned

For the German market? Bwahahahahaha!!

Virgin records also went titsup here...

Not enough Oompah music in their back catalogues I suppose.