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shadowen On March 22, 2024




Bunyip Bend, Australia
#721New Post! May 12, 2020 @ 12:52:09
The EU currently find themselves in a rather difficult position. On the one hand you have countries like Italy, Greece, Portugal and Spain insisting that national debts (resulting from covid-19 measures) should be viewed as collective debts. In other words, if say Italy is 'loaned' money by the EU to help it deal with covid-19, and the economic mess it is creating, then Italy shouldn't be responsible for repaying this loan. Instead ALL countries in the EU should jointly assume said debt and help repay it. The Italians are saying that if national loans arent seen as joint debts then what's the benefit of being in the EU. On the other hand countries like Germany and the Netherlands are saying that their taxpayers shouldn't have to pay back money borrowed by foreign governments.

It's difficult to see how the EU are going to keep both sides happy. If they come down on the side of countries like Italy then Germany will be angry but you can be pretty confident that they won't leave the EU. On the other hand the Netherlands just might. If however the EU come down on the side of the 'frugal four' then Italy (the EU's third largest economy) might just decide to leave the union. Interesting times ahead.
shadowen On March 22, 2024




Bunyip Bend, Australia
#722New Post! May 12, 2020 @ 12:55:33
Meanwhile, the same people who were claiming that BJ either never had Covid-19, or if he did have it then it was only a very mild case, are now claiming that the governments plans to slowly ease restrictions is all about deliberately engineering a second wave of infection. They claim that this second wave is timed to hit in late June in order to move the focus away from Brexit at such a crucial time.
shadowen On March 22, 2024




Bunyip Bend, Australia
#723New Post! May 12, 2020 @ 13:39:14
Just a quick aside for Bob


shadowen On March 22, 2024




Bunyip Bend, Australia
#724New Post! May 13, 2020 @ 17:30:41
So the EU are threatening to take Germany to the ECJ for questioning the authority of the ECJ!!!
shadowen On March 22, 2024




Bunyip Bend, Australia
#725New Post! May 13, 2020 @ 17:34:17
Meanwhile, constitutional courts in Denmark and the Czech Republic have handed down the same basic judgements as the GCC re disputing the EU's assertion that ALL decisions made by the ECJ take precedence over rulings by national courts.
shadowen On March 22, 2024




Bunyip Bend, Australia
#726New Post! May 18, 2020 @ 07:17:17
So the same people who opposed the Referendum result are demanding an extension to the TP. What a surprise. They are doing so whilst using the same arguments they trotted out re why the WA negotiating period had to be endlessly extended.

The reality is though that the economic challenges presented by Covid-19 make it more important than ever that the UK stick to the December deadline. Just on Covid-19 and it is absurd to think that governments are incapable of dealing with Covid-19 and negotiating a FTA at the same time.

Extending the transition period isn't going to change anything re striking a FTA. The EU will simply maintain their extraordinary demands that seek to tie the UK to the bloc as a vassal state. All the while they will claim how it's not their fault no agreement has been struck and they won't consider any changes until the last possible moment. Meanwhile though the UK taxpayer will be forced to pay potentially hundreds of millions of pounds to Brussels to help secure the Eurozone and to help pay off the national debts of other countries. Furthermore, extending the TP will mean that it would be almost impossible for the UK to implement new trade deals. On top of this the UK will not have any flexibility re how it responds to the economic challenges presented by Covid-19.

There is no doubt that some in the EU want to punish the UK for daring to leave the bloc. Others meanwhile are determined to make the UK's future as difficult as possible so that other countries like Italy aren't tempted to leave also.

The UK and the EU are already aligned on trade and many other related fields. If the EU genuinely wanted a FTA then there is plenty of time for one to be agreed without extending. The EU however have made it very clear that they want the UK to be forever tied to the EU and that this is their price for a FTA. It is a price they have not asked of any other country and it is a price I couldnt imagine any other country agreeing to.

The EU were always going to act as they have. We always knew they would ensure that no real progress could be made before the end of June so that they could say that they are trying to negotiate with the UK in order to reach a FTA but that the TP is simply too short and so a (2 year) extension is required. Pretty much what they did with the WA. They know that extending the transition period will mean many more millions of pounds coming into their coffers from the UK and they probably think that extending will also increase domestic pressure on the UK government to bend over and give the EU what they want. In short I can see many reasons why the EU want to extend the TP and so it's little wonder that those who opposed Brexit also want the TP extended. For the UK though I can't see how extending will be of any benefit whilst I can see many areas where doing so would be against the nations best interests.

The UK government have said that if the FTA negotiations have shown little signs of progress by the end of June then they will walk away and concentrate on preparing for a WTO exit. I would like to see the government be true to it's word but somehow I don't think they will be. At the very least they need to do what they promised the people in the lead up to last years GE and that is to leave with or without deal at the end of the year.
shadowen On March 22, 2024




Bunyip Bend, Australia
#727New Post! May 19, 2020 @ 14:40:10
There are murmurings from Brussels that Barnier may ask countries like France, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands to drop their hard line on fisheries. Maybe the penny is finally dropping that this is not the same negotiating team they were dealing with under TM.
shadowen On March 22, 2024




Bunyip Bend, Australia
#728New Post! May 19, 2020 @ 14:41:00
Meanwhile the stand off btw the GCC and the EU continues. Will be very interesting to see how this all plays out.
shadowen On March 22, 2024




Bunyip Bend, Australia
#729New Post! May 19, 2020 @ 14:51:01
And of course tensions btw the Frugal Four and the Friends of Cohesion remain very strong. Esp btw Italy and Germany. As mentioned previously, the Italians (and others) want the EU (through the ECB) to treat their national debt as a shared EU debt. This would be done through the issuing of 'Coronabonds'. Countries like Austria, The Netherlands and Denmark are opposed to such a move and instead favour loans...
shadowen On March 22, 2024




Bunyip Bend, Australia
#730New Post! May 19, 2020 @ 14:52:17
Whilst trade talks btw the UK and the EU are predictably going nowhere there does seem to be progress in the early stages of trade talks btw the UK and the US.
shadowen On March 22, 2024




Bunyip Bend, Australia
#731New Post! May 21, 2020 @ 14:59:02
They need to do a tv series on the current FTA negotiations btw the UK and the EU. I would call it "A touch of Frost"
shadowen On March 22, 2024




Bunyip Bend, Australia
#732New Post! May 22, 2020 @ 13:50:26
I reckon LCPL Jones should be on the UK FTA negotiating team. I can picture him turning to Frost and saying "They don't like it up em!"
Ratty On November 08, 2021




So Cal, California
#733New Post! May 25, 2020 @ 02:21:14
Isn't nationalism behind a lot of the Brexit deal? I'm a bit ignorant I will admit.
chaski On about 17 hours ago
Stalker





Tree at Floydgirrl's Window,
#734New Post! May 25, 2020 @ 03:58:48
@Ratty Said

I'm a bit ignorant I will admit.



Ratty On November 08, 2021




So Cal, California
#735New Post! May 25, 2020 @ 20:38:02
I work with a guy and he's mexican. He's was all upset about it.

I'm like why the hell do you give a s***? What the brits do doesn't have any kind of day to day impact on my life.

Not sure why the guy was in a tizzy about.
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