Political relations between UK-EU

[Fred_Quimby]

The situation between GB and NI is more delicate and I think it suits both parties to keep punting this into the long grass. For Dublin/EU it’s a long game. The threat of possible full protocol implementation will drive a restructuring of NI trade toward RoI/EU and away from GB. Better playing it softly than picking a fight over sausages which the UK Govt would love.

Very true. ROI are just playing the waiting game. Ultimately the NI protocol will kick in leading to an increase in trade between NI and ROI and ultimately, I believe, the reunification. May not happen for quite a few years but I believe it will happen.

 

[west didsblue]

Hi Mate, patchy in my experience. You see supermarket pictures of empty shelves but i havent experienced that. What I have noticed are three things in terms of provisions 1) the brand choice is more limited 2) stuff that used to come from EU now comes from far flung lands (chile for my pink lady apples) which obviously has environmental implications 3) sporadic shortages of fresh veg and fruits. Its difficult to say the cause. I suspect from what I read its mainly brexit related rather than covid but cant be certain of that. Anecdotally I have friends that have been effected more directly through labour shortages that are certainly Brexit related. The overwhelming feeling though which is personal is an overwhelming feeling of depression that is still a hangover from the actual deed. I saw that Hilary Mantel our esteemed author saying the other day that she was so ashamed of Britain she would be moving to Ireland and taking up Irish citizenship. She is not alone in feeling that.

Agree with that in general. Supermarkets are making the best of it by filling gaps in shelves with stuff they can get plenty of, which disguises the fact there's definitely less choice. Getting certain building work done is problematic. I've had problems with contractors not being able to get hold of some building supplies, and are having to go to great lengths in getting hold of stuff that was easy before. Generally speaking, for most people it's a bit shit but not really affecting day to day life too much, but when the postponed import checks are eventually brought in it's not going to help. In terms of the labour market, the only bright spot is that people at the bottom end of the income spectrum are seeing better pay due to labour shortages in many sectors, but this will become unsustainable when the increased costs result in noticeably higher prices. That combined with less choice makes it all a bit shit and unlikely to improve.
Bottom line is that it's a bit shit and incrementally getting worse but not at a rate that most people are noticing too much.
For those boasting that it's not a catastrophe, most sensible people never predicted a catastrophe but the fact it's not yet a total catastrophe is hardly vindication or justification like many think it is.
At present the impact on public finances is entwined with the Covid impact, but sooner or later it will become clear that our public sector borrowing and increased taxes will be baked in for the long haul when everyone else's is getting back to normal.

 

[BobKowalski]

Literally my original point on this thread before the Didsbury massive kicked off was the argument leave should have made, if they were being honest was… the economy and trade will be negatively impacted and it will be a struggle, but we think it’s worth it for power to be returned to London from Brussels.

The trouble is, leave, remain and those of us who kept quiet in 2016, didn’t have a scooby do what was going on or even how to argue their own corner.

That’s why you had leave saying the bull shit that it’ll be absolutely brilliant and remain saying it’ll be worse than it actually has been. It was a shouting match.

Agreed. Even worse is we haven’t transferred power from Brussels to London. The TCA and WA are deals that give the EU power over our own internal borders and the ability to impose restrictions on our exports. An ability that we are currently powerless to reciprocate.

It has also seen an explosion in red tape and increased admin costs for UK companies which only the largest can afford. SME’s are more adversely affected.

Brexiteers assumed that the EU would not impose third country conditions on the UK and that the bigger countries, Germany, would vote it down and give the UK what they wanted. It was a huge miscalculation and failure of our political class.

 

[west didsblue]

Literally my original point on this thread before the Didsbury massive kicked off was the argument leave should have made, if they were being honest was… the economy and trade will be negatively impacted and it will be a struggle, but we think it’s worth it for power to be returned to London from Brussels.

The trouble is, leave, remain and those of us who kept quiet in 2016, didn’t have a scooby do what was going on or even how to argue their own corner.

That’s why you had leave saying the bull shit that it’ll be absolutely brilliant and remain saying it’ll be worse than it actually has been. It was a shouting match.

I'm really not interested in engaging in conversation with you any more so stop tagging me and trolling. You've spent most of the thread since you've joined being insulting about other posters and when you get a bit back you act like a victim. RAWK is that way ---->

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

Hi Mate, patchy in my experience. You see supermarket pictures of empty shelves but i havent experienced that. What I have noticed are three things in terms of provisions 1) the brand choice is more limited 2) stuff that used to come from EU now comes from far flung lands (chile for my pink lady apples) which obviously has environmental implications 3) sporadic shortages of fresh veg and fruits. Its difficult to say the cause. I suspect from what I read its mainly brexit related rather than covid but cant be certain of that. Anecdotally I have friends that have been effected more directly through labour shortages that are certainly Brexit related. The overwhelming feeling though which is personal is an overwhelming feeling of depression that is still a hangover from the actual deed. I saw that Hilary Mantel our esteemed author saying the other day that she was so ashamed of Britain she would be moving to Ireland and taking up Irish citizenship. She is not alone in feeling that.

I know I posted earlier in the year, but it was and is noticeable from Dublin port that there is a lot more freight heading south when it passes the Kish Bank.
Same with the number of ships queuing to the south to enter the port.


Ireland seems to have bypassed a lot of the freight issues by going directly to the continent rather than through Britain. An added bonus to HGV drivers is they sleep on the journey and can legally hit the road as soon as they reach Europe.

 

[Octavian]

I'm really not interested in engaging in conversation with you any more so stop tagging me and trolling. You've spent most of the thread since you've joined being insulting about other posters and when you get a bit back you act like a victim. RAWK is that way ---

You call me a troll and say I’ve been insulting but before I’d even said an ill word to you, you said I was odd and someone else’s account?

Not to mention your pal calling me stupid before he even knew which way I voted.

You’re not a serious individual, you can’t be.

 

[Saddleworth2]

Interesting.
So would it be safe to say, that even amongst the remain vote that one of the consequences of Brexit (or how it is being managed), is a more divided Britain?

It is looking likely that your government are going to look for a further extension, that surely is not a sustainable policy into the future.

What is the opinion in here (open to all) of where this is likely to leave the UK in another 5 years?

Broken up.

 

[west didsblue]

I know I posted earlier in the year, but it was and is noticeable from Dublin port that there is a lot more freight heading south when it passes the Kish Bank.
Same with the number of ships queuing to the south to enter the port.


Ireland seems to have bypassed a lot of the freight issues by going directly to the continent rather than through Britain. An added bonus to HGV drivers is they sleep on the journey and can legally hit the road as soon as they reach Europe.

Funnily enough the former lorry driver who used to post on here in favour of Brexit was insistent that it was crucial for Ireland that the UK was used as a land bridge and when it was suggested that many logistics operators would simply sail goods straight past the UK he wouldn't have it. The EU and Ireland went ahead and invested in port infrastructure and in the UK those in power and their supporters just sat around and said it would never happen.

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

There won’t be a UK in 5 years.

The kingdom of England with Wales as a principality is most likely. Scotland and NI will go and Ireland will reunify.

The thing is I think Scotland may come back with its tail between its legs as EU membership doesn’t happen overnight and Scotland’s economy could really suffer.

Who knows though, that’s just a hunch.

God help us if you’re right.
I still think 5 years for NI/Ireland reunification is too soon, although I do think it is the most logical solution to the island and should never have been allowed happen in the first place.
However, Brexit has opened old wounds and shown that there is a ton of work to be done before coming up with a two strand solution that satisfies both of the major communities.

 

[west didsblue]

You call me a troll and say I’ve been insulting but before I’d even said an ill word to you, you said I was odd and someone else’s account?

Not to mention your pal calling me stupid before he even knew which way I voted.

You’re not a serious individual, you can’t be.

You mean you weren't including me when called most of the posters on this thread a bunch of tossers?
You've been slagging people off on here left right and centre.
And nobody actually called you stupid. You were accused of making a stupid argument which is hardly the same thing. As I said, I'm not interested in having a discussion with someone who is so fucking sensitive that they take offence at people making robust points.