The Post-Brexit Thread

[Discordant Resonance]

Unless Starmer proposed joining either EFTA or the EEA at least, it's unlikely Brussels would be inclined to enter another decade of talks.

[Moonlight Shadow]

I am a bit amused by this as all the talks between the EU and Switzerland in the last 5 years have been about moving away from the patchwork of deals in place. That said, it would be interesting to have the UK pushing for the same.

[Lang Spoon]

Unless Starmer proposed joining either EFTA or the EEA at least, it's unlikely Brussels would be inclined to enter another decade of talks.

The Brits would never be allowed to join EFTA, too big: the other members would rightly fear it dominating and generally fucking about. Indy Scotland maybe, U.K. naw.

[Belhaven]

That's true, Britain are just too big and too irrational and way too much of a political problem for EFTA wanting it to join.

[Snake Plissken]

Stealing a comment from elsewhere, because either the brainworms are strong or it's now completely acceptable to lie to the public.

https://twitter.com/guardian/status/1597505251518648324

image.png.2b905be1104a10b32f460884935e54f5.png

[E10 Rifle]

It's funny, because when people on the left complained a few years back that supposed ultra-Remainers in the Labour party were simply using Brexit as a stick to beat Corbyn with rather than an expression of sincerely held pro-EU political belief, they were accused of being 'conspiraloons'. And now, well, whaddya know …

[ooh aah]

And now they'll still say the same thing because these people are impervious to self awareness or hypocrisy.

[Amor de Cosmos]

The Brits would never be allowed to join EFTA, too big: the other members would rightly fear it dominating and generally fucking about. Indy Scotland maybe, U.K. naw.

The UK was a member of EFTA back in the day, but it was seven nations then, not just four. Still...

[San Bernardhinault]

Back then the UK might not have been considered such a completely unreliable partner (to European nations), they might not have expected the UK to throw its disproportionate weight around, they might not have had experience of the UK repeatedly reneging on treaty obligations and so on. Pre-EEC Britain was already at least partially committed to the idea of European cooperation. Now everyone knows that as soon as the next Tory government gets in it would all go to shit. And that's assuming that a Starmer government wouldn't already always be pandering to the dumbest, most racist elements in a comically misplaced attempt to triangulate between very-right-wing and further-right-wing

[Toby Gymshorts]

This country is fucked and unfortunately we're going to take another three nations with us when we sink.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Back then the UK might not have been considered such a completely unreliable partner (to European nations),

Possibly. I was in my early to mid-teens when it was a discussion topic, so my impressions aren't that coherent. I recall EFTA was chosen by the government, because there was a lot of antipathy about joining an organisation dominated by France. And it was considered unlikely that de Gaulle would endorse Britain's entry into the EU in any case. Joining EFTA seem both obvious and a formality.

[ursus arctos]

[Discordant Resonance]

A row between An Post and the UK Post Office over the implementation of an EU digital packaging code (with Royal Mail in turn receiving blame from the UKPO) has led to numerous online purchases being returned to British retailers.

[George C.]

Also an excuse to double postage/purchase costs under certain circumstances, dependent on destination address.

[Lang Spoon]

What? It's due to the usual failure from some part of the U.K. infrastructure, whether private or govt.

[George C.]

Yeap, agreed!

[Discordant Resonance]

https://twitter.com/AlexTaylorNews/status/1608021649387040773

[Antepli Ejderha]

https://twitter.com/AlexTaylorNews/status/1613071678426304512?s=20&t=HZ7scxOETdtfrZthTFg2Nw

[Antepli Ejderha]

https://twitter.com/guyverhofstadt/status/1613893724458680321?t=o7BnmgOk-_ZMAuFu-LVg3g&s=19

That's a very positive tweet I feel.

[Sporting]

This, though, assumes that Britain would be allowed back with open arms. It's one thing placating a baby who throws its toys out of a pram, quite another accommodating a supposedly mature country which tossed trase deals and other protocols over the White Cliffs of Dover, and which even when it was a member had various special opt-outs.

[ad hoc]

Not sure if this is the best place to put this (and I also don;t know if the source is worth paying attention to - it;s connected to medium.com in some way, but beyond that I'm not really sure), Post-Brexit Britain’s Collapse Is So Extreme, It’s Genuinely Unprecedented

[Ginger Yellow]

I saw that linked somewhere the other day, and it struck me as overblown. Not to say the state of the UK isn't shit, but the piece is repetitive to the point of tedium and it also makes some rather tendentious comparisons. In particular the GDP stuff - comparing a contraction in GDP relative to expectations to absolute falls in GDP is just weird, and why would you in good faith point at the global financial crisis and say, ooh the world only contracted 5%, 10% is bigger! Lots of countries had much larger falls in GDP during the GFC and the Eurozone crisis so it's extremely disingenuous. There's a throwaway line sort of acknowledging that but it's belied by the entirety of the rest of the piece, which is all about how "unprecedented" and "off the charts" the present UK situation is.

[Sean of the Shed]

I stopped reading once he started making comparison to 9/11.

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/sharonodea/status/1617898865935659008?s=61&t=JimnKdSLz_meXgzKCqLoMA

[ad hoc]

This is sort of post-Brexit, though really it is just an epic fuck up, from the home office dating back before Brexit. But this seemed the best place to put it

https://twitter.com/ColinYeo1/status/1618536800762630144