Blame the fellow with his trotters up.
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So you reckon staying put is absolutely unavailable under any circumstance?Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
See I wonder if the socio-psychological, never mind economic strain, of dragging this out for another three years is possible. There'll either be a breaking point or collective atrophy and ennui will become so deep-seated it'll last well into the future.Comment
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I don’t see staying in as an available option under the current timetable. It seems more likely to me (though still less than 50 percent) under a scenario where that timetable is lengthened by three or more years.Comment
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Yeah, but if they don't settle the backstop first, there isn't going to be any transition period of any length. I can't see any circumstances under which they can agree to that.Comment
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They can extend the deadline for sorting out the backstop before they start extending the deadlines for everything else. Push everything back a few months, a few years...Comment
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Originally posted by Diable Rouge View Post
EU offers UK longer transition period
By Hendrik Kafsack, Brussels
In light of the difficult Brexit negotiations, the EU Commission has changed its hard position and offered an extension of the transitional period. This would allow Britain to stay in the EU's single market and customs union for longer than previously envisaged.
In the Brexit negotiations, the European Commission has offered the British government the option of remaining in the single internal market and customs union for longer than previously planned. This has emerged from an internal document of the German government about the negotiations which has been seen by the FAZ.
"The Commission has tried to accommodate the UK as far as possible, for example by proposing an extension of the transitional period", said the report on the Brexit talks, which broke down for now on Sunday evening. The transitional period allows the British to temporarily remain in the customs union and single market after leaving the EU on 29 March 2019. This should give both sides time to clarify their future relationship and negotiate a comprehensive free trade agreement. So far the EU has insisted that the transitional phase must be over by the end of 2020.
In view of the difficult Brexit negotiations, the Commission has now changed its position. An extension of the transitional period would also give both sides more time to find a solution to the problem of Ireland, the major obstacle to reaching an agreement. After Brexit and the end of the transitional period, without an agreement on a comprehensive free trade agreement, border controls between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland would be necessary. However, that is considered a threat to the fragile peace on the island. The EU therefore insists that as long as there is no other solution, Northern Ireland must remain in the single market and customs union. This is unacceptable to the British side because border controls between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK would be necessary. According to the internal paper, the British therefore wanted the UK to also remain in the customs union as a backstop - permanently.
This would at least mean that no customs checks would be necessary between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. The proposal is surprising in that Prime Minister Theresa May insisted to the British Parliament on Monday that the UK should not be "permanently trapped" in a customs union with the EU, because it would then not be able to conclude its own trade agreements with other countries. However, the Commission was not prepared to grant the British a permanent membership of this type in a customs union with the EU. The Commission was willing to offer the British such a customs union for duration of negotiations on the future relationship, but not to assure it as part of the withdrawal agreement, said the internal document.Comment
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Cheers, AB.
Meanwhile, John Humphrys appear to have been driven mentally unhinged as a result of Brexit:
http://twitter.com/lisaocarroll/status/1052510392214278144
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How silly. We shouldn't build a wall under Northern Ireland. We should enclose it in a dome.Comment
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The Aussies want to take you to the cleaners, it would seem:
https://threader.app/thread/1052458691629338626Comment
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Does Humphrys have actual neurological issues, or was my impression of him during his time on Today with Redhead incorrect?Comment
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They started moving the EU related functions of their Embassy in London to Dublin over a year ago. Their foreign minister said that Dublin would be their main point of contact with the EU.Comment
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A software company called Scisys is moving from the UK to Dublin.Comment
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There we go. I expect everyone to agree to an extension of the transitional period, with no actual changes in the material relationships of anything at all except that the UK loses voting rights and commissioners.Originally posted by Alderman Barnes View Post
As the transitional period extends, my feeling is that the "backstop" will be that the transitional period will continue extending, and will extend until the Irish border issue is resolved. The Irish border issue is, of course, basically unsolvable without Britain staying in the Single Market. So we'll end up with a semi-permanent, nominally temporary, de-facto Norway situation, but with the theoretical carrot of leaving "properly" still available to the Hard Brexiters, if only they can work out how have their Schrodinger's Border.Comment
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Discussing this with a close friend of nearly sixty-years the other day. "I wish the EU would just tell us to fuck off, it's what we deserve." I can't say I disagree with him.Comment
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No, the Irish Backstop has to be agreed before there is any transitional period. The weird thing about the Backstop is that the UK political class just sees this as something on a similar level to future trade deals. The Backstop has to be sorted out first, because it is an obligation that they have under an international treaty they have with an EU country. They don't get any say in it really. They had their say when they signed the good friday agreement, and they had their say when they voted for Brexit. The backstop is the result of how these two things interact.Originally posted by San Bernardhinault View Post
That ultimately means that if they don't agree to the Backstop, then things get very serious, very quickly.Comment
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But can't the backstop be "continued extension of the transitional period until it's resolved"?Comment
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How can he stop people adding amendments to the bill? This is absolute nonsense.Raab says Commons vote on final Brexit vote should be yes/no, with no amendments allowedComment
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Forget that- the Guardian got it wrong.Comment
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No - as TAB says, it's an integral condition for the completion of the Withdrawal Agreement.Originally posted by San Bernardhinault View PostComment
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For anyone playing Brexit Bingo, here's your Full House:
http://twitter.com/spectator/status/1052546673711435776
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You have to remember that no-one in the EU actually trusts anyone else, because they're all heads of State, and they know how it works. That's why it's about getting everyone to agree to rules, and forcing them to stick to them. But the UK govt has always been seen as completely untrustworthy and now Degenerate, on a par with say Italy. No-one trusts the UK govt on anything.Originally posted by San Bernardhinault View PostComment
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Next thing you know they'll be installing absentee landlords in the UK.Originally posted by Diable Rouge View PostComment
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particularly noteworthy is the complete lack of interest in where the actual Border is.Originally posted by Diable Rouge View PostComment
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