Life After Brexit

[barney]

I think that the German car makers have already come to terms that they will take a hit financially but are prepared for that to protect the integrity of the single market.
Germany is a very wealthy country with huge trade surplus with every other Eu country.
They may be gambling on the wealthy U.K. car buyers being ok with paying more for their vehicles.
A 40k Merc would become 44k.
It’s not the end of the world.
The real issue may be at the lower end of the market with Fords and Peugeot etc.
Those potential buyers may not bother.

Equally important is the U.K. potential for Electric Vehicles.
They are currently mining Lithium in Cornwall and the U.K. could become the biggest battery maker in Europe with government subsidy.
That’s another reason why the Eu are making a big deal about subsidies in the future.
They claim we could have an unfair advantage.
The U.K. is miles ahead of the Eu on green issues.

[barney]

I’ve just read the Eu contingency plan for a no deal Brexit.
They propose that in the event of no agreement, fishing, aviation and haulage stay as they are until a deal is agreed.
Seems reasonable as long as they don’t think that they can charge fees for it.

[david63]

Seems reasonable as long as they don’t think that they can charge fees for it.

Would seem more reasonable if there was a time limit on it otherwise the EU will prevaricate indefinitely.

[barney]

From what I have read, the aviation and haulage would last for six months and the fishing for a year.
It’s up to us to agree or not.
I’d counter offer a year for all three.
We actually offered a three year transition for fishing anyway which they rejected.
However, it would be provisional on no fees and on the understanding that we are fully out.

[david63]

and the fishing for a year.

... or until an agreement is reached - is what the Beeb is reporting.

[barney]

and the fishing for a year.

... or until an agreement is reached - is what the Beeb is reporting.

Yep, but we would have to agree that David, and I doubt we would.
If you have time, check the Irish Times regarding any trade agreements.
They now concede that they are up the creek and the Eu have done them no favours.

[oldbluefox]

It looks like there may be strings attached as reported by the BBC website..............
"But dig deeper, and the EU olive branch is dependent on the UK accepting key terms, including agreements on the increasingly famous "level playing field" - the very subject which is proving so divisive in the seemingly deadlocked trade talks".
Much depends on what those terms are. Sounds like the devil is in the detail.

[oldbluefox]

Latest on the contingency talks..........................
"Downing Street has refused to commit to agreeing to the no deal contingency plans published by the European commission this morning. (See 10.38am.) The plans would involve the EU continuing to have access to UK waters for fishing and road freight access to the EU continuing as now, provided the UK accept fair competition rules. Asked if the UK could agree to these plans, the prime minister’s spokesman just said that the UK would be studying the proposals and that it had its own no deal contingency plans. But he stressed that the UK was committed to taking back control of its waters from next year. He said:
I think as we’ve said throughout the negotiations, once we leave the end of the transition period, we will take back control of our waters. We would never accept arrangements and access to UK fishing waters which are incompatible with our status as an independent coastal state".

It seems we are not going to string the situation out any longer than the New Year.

[towny44]

Seems reasonable as long as they don’t think that they can charge fees for it.

Would seem more reasonable if there was a time limit on it otherwise the EU will prevaricate indefinitely.

I doubt Boris will agree to that if we have no deal.

PS I should have read your post first Foxy.

[johnds]

Out of interest Gill, as someone who didn’t want Brexit, would you now concede on fishing rights, future governance and level playing field in order to secure a trade agreement ?

That does seem to be the preferred option of the labour front bench

[towny44]

Out of interest Gill, as someone who didn’t want Brexit, would you now concede on fishing rights, future governance and level playing field in order to secure a trade agreement ?

That does seem to be the preferred option of the labour front bench

If and when Keir ever gets off the fence, he will be hobbling around for months.

[Gill W]

Out of interest Gill, as someone who didn’t want Brexit, would you now concede on fishing rights, future governance and level playing field in order to secure a trade agreement ?

It's not up to me to concede on anything. My hope is just to have a decent day to day life without the generalised worry of wondering if my government is finally going to push us off the cliff in the middle of a global pandemic, and then we are all going to have to cope with the effects of this reckless action.

All I can say is, Fishing is a tiny part of GDP, so for the greater good of the whole population, concede on the fishing rights.

We want access to the EU single market, so it's up to the EU to state the terms and conditions for us to access the market. So again, for the greater good concede on future governance. and level playing field

Most people just want to live their lives - I can't believe for a moment people are regularly fretting about how feelings of sovereinty affects their daily life in practical terms.

[barney]

Thanks.
At least you are honest in your response.
As usual, I suspect that you are in the minority, but nothing wrong with that.

I would correct one thing in your statement.
We will always have access to the Eu market.
We don’t need a trade agreement for that.

[Manoverboard]

I wouldn't concede on anything, we have been doing too much of that since the talks started.
.

[Mervyn and Trish]

We may leave with no deal. But I predict we'll be back at the table negotiating mini deals within months. We both need it.

[oldbluefox]

Fishing is only a tiny part of GDP because Edward Heath gave it all away. It will be a greater part once we take back control of our fishing waters and will revive fishing communities which have been decimated.

I agree with Merv. If we leave with no deal deals will be struck pretty quickly afterwards especially since I read there is 97% agreement already. It makes sense.

[barney]

There was an interview with a fisherman in south Devon and when the interviewer said to him that fishing was only a tiny portion of the GDP, he replied, well it may be where you live in London but it’s 90% of ours in this town.

[oldbluefox]

There are parts of the country where communities have been starved and are literally dead. Where fishermen have lost their livelihoods they have moved out and their homes become second homes or holiday cottages. Up here in the Lake District whole valleys have lost their farms, livelihoods lost and again homes have gone to the holiday trade. But it's not just the homes that go. Along with the homes go the local shops, the pubs, the village halls so what the tourists come to see is no longer there and in the winter the valleys are dead.
Fishing may be only a tiny part of the GDP but it supports not only the fishermen but all those who maintain and supply the industry and the communities which rely on it who have a right to quality of life just as much as those earning mega bucks on the EU circuit.

[barney]

We know the lady who owns Davidstowe cheese and she’s upping production in anticipation of tariffs on Eu cheddar making them uncompetitive.
Her best brand is Cathedral City. I don’t know if it sells where you are, but it will soon.
She’s a regular in Mrs B’s shop and comes up from North Cornwall.
So it’s not all negative.
There will be winners.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Oh the irony. When Theresa May was trying to get a deal, even before they knew what it was Corbyn said Labour would vote against whatever deal she got. Asked today if Labour might vote against any last minute deal now Keir Starmer said any deal would be better than no deal. If that had been the attitude previously May's deal.would have passed. We'd now be out with a deal. Boris Johnson would never have become Prime Minister. So if anyone doesn't like where we are now there's the person to blame. It's not Boris. It's not Theresa. It's not the Brexiteers. It's not Farage. It's Corbyn.

[Mervyn and Trish]

We know the lady who owns Davidstowe cheese and she’s upping production in anticipation of tariffs on Eu cheddar making them uncompetitive.
Her best brand is Cathedral City. I don’t know if it sells where you are, but it will soon.
She’s a regular in Mrs B’s shop and comes up from North Cornwall.
So it’s not all negative.
There will be winners.

Funnily enough we do eat that sometimes and indeed it's good. And as we were watching the news Trish asked why we're importing Cheddar cheese now anyway. The same applies to other items. If tariffs make imports more expensive I hope other British entrepreneurs will follow that example. Well done her.

[Gill W]

Oh the irony. When Theresa May was trying to get a deal, even before they knew what it was Corbyn said Labour would vote against whatever deal she got. Asked today if Labour might vote against any last minute deal now Keir Starmer said any deal would be better than no deal. If that had been the attitude previously May's deal.would have passed. We'd now be out with a deal. Boris Johnson would never have become Prime Minister. So if anyone doesn't like where we are now there's the person to blame. It's not Boris. It's not Theresa. It's not the Brexiteers. It's not Farage. It's Corbyn.

This is not me disagreeing with you for the sake of it, and I don’t care two hoots about Corbyn.

However, if we must apportion blame surely it must be Cameron, who authorised the referendum in the first place.

If he hadn’t taken that action, I’d still be happily living my life in a country that wasn’t a complete basket case, barely thinking about the EU apart from a fuzzy feeling of belonging when I went through the EU passport channel at airports and minimal formalities on cruises at European ports.

[oldbluefox]

Such was the swell of opinion especially in the North he was forced into it by the growth of the Brexit party. He also misjudged it by believing we would vote to remain. The rest is history.

[Gill W]

There are parts of the country where communities have been starved and are literally dead. Where fishermen have lost their livelihoods they have moved out and their homes become second homes or holiday cottages. Up here in the Lake District whole valleys have lost their farms, livelihoods lost and again homes have gone to the holiday trade. But it's not just the homes that go. Along with the homes go the local shops, the pubs, the village halls so what the tourists come to see is no longer there and in the winter the valleys are dead.
Fishing may be only a tiny part of the GDP but it supports not only the fishermen but all those who maintain and supply the industry and the communities which rely on it who have a right to quality of life just as much as those earning mega bucks on the EU circuit.

Don’t the fishermen export most of their catch to the EU, because we don’t eat the types of fish that are caught in our waters?

I don’t see how putting up barriers to trade (no deal) is really going to help them.

[Gill W]

Such was the swell of opinion especially in the North he was forced into it by the growth of the Brexit party. He also misjudged it by believing we would vote to remain. The rest is history.

And to appease the euro skeptics in his own party