I do know one thing SH. There is no intelligent businessman on this planet who would take the risk of alienating their best customers in the hope of replacing them. You have levelled the charge of 'protectionism' at the EU. Look at the facts SH. The EU. is the least protectionist trading block on this planet. Look at the history of the USA. In the 80s they closed their market to the Japanese car industry (Japan were, at that time, the foremost exporters in the World). They are threatening similar action against China now - Trump would never import anything which placed American workers in direct competition with those in other countries. Look then at China. The Chinese are interested in 'free market economics' only as a way of helping their exports - everything they import, they copy within about 10 years and then sell back to us. These are your future partners ? There must be some kind of correlation between profession and voting on Brexit - there is with everything else, so I suggest you look for it, because it is out there somewhere. Personally it does not interest me - I think that we have a wide spread of professional experiences on here, but, whatever mine are, they do not make my arguments right or wrong, and so I do not use them.
I found out last night my retired headmaster cousin, with a second house in France, is a firm Brexiteer. I'm sure there are also many entrepreneurs that favour remain. It probably needs YouGov to do a poll on professions.
The label of the EU as protectionist has recently been used by Australian senior negotiators trying to get a free trade deal with the EU. The views of so many countries and areas with self interest have to be taken into account which is why it takes so long to do trade deal with the EU. In modern times the EU can certainly be described as protectionist.
I was in business, working to earn a living for my shareholders, fellow directors and workforce. I used to import raw materials, fabricate them, and export them as finished goods. To obtain the work I had to make deals with both the supplier and the buyer. Once my finished goods were ready for export it would take on average four weeks to get them crated up and all the paperwork done, and another week or two while they sat in the docks waiting for customs clearance. So six weeks tied up and no money coming in. This of course all vanishes with the EU. Today you can see that companies much larger than mine like Airbus are saying that this type of model is unworkable for them. Supply chains make it vital that materials move freely and quickly, and technically advanced companies have the same need to move personal around at very short notice. My experience says that any deal outside what we have will be worse, and this is purely on the business level.
Yet they made pains to point out that it was an advisory referendum only - until, that is, the result surprised them. I still don't see why they rushed into accepting it with indecent haste - unless it was simply to curry favour with traditional Labour voters, with one eye firmly on maintaining power beyond 2020.
Yet you think we can wrap up a trade deal in less than 2 years? Do you have any idea how much it will cripple businesses that rely on exports if we default to WTO tariffs? We'll suffer massive job losses. Also, prices are slowly starting to rise due to inflation. Brexiters were promised floods of cash if we left the EU, just wait until they start to realise they're going to gain sweet FA from it. A few of them are commited xenophobes but all the people that just voted because the Daily Mail told them to will start to think twice... The price of lager is increasing (only rubbish ones so far but still), and food prices are starting to rise. Let's have another opinion poll in a year or so once quite a few people have defaulted on their mortgages, cost of living has increased 10%-15% and people are losing their jobs. The right-wing press can only spin it for so long... I'm just waiting for them to blame it all on Remainers, they're running out of scapegoats PS: You never answered why it was ok to give tax cuts to the rich, costing us money, because you claim it gives the economy a boost, yet you abhor giving money to the EU which has been boosting our economy for the last 40 odd years?
Do you think anyone ever thought the referendum was only advisory. Do you know whether the Scottish referendum ever stated that it was binding or advisory?
Perhaps the thinking is "the trickle down effect really doesn't work after all - let's try the upwards gush"?
Interesting i am sure it will never be cut and dried.. .I predict certain populations predominately voted different ways Many small businesses have tended for example to do most of their business in the EU or Many big companies have tended to trade in dollars etc etc I feel for the small business that relies on one or two export areas.... likely to suffer considerably.
wow..... most genuine post I have seen from you SH I just fear for the ordinary working person who budgets from a weekly or monthly wage and lives from month to month.... a hike in fuel costs or 10-15% holiday charges really hits them. It will take years for them to experience any benefits as we can be sure wages will be held down..... Sure in the bigger picture this may be a 5 year dip.... but that is major for most employees
Well I did - that was made quite clear as far as I'm concerned. The Scottish Parliament actually had no powers to authorise a binding independence referendum as the constitution is a reserved matter. The only way it could proceed as anything other than advisory, was with Westminster's approval/authority - which was why the Edinburgh Agreement was signed. It allowed for the temporary transfer of legal authority. Going back to a previous point - the Tories showed their true colours by breaking their pledges in that document too.
Cologne, James Dyson and Antony Bamford (JCB) are two of the UK's most successful entrepreneurs and exporters. Both are avid Brexiteers and insist the UK is better off outside of the single (internal) market. Are these two of the businessmen you referred to this morning as not intelligent?
You certainly managed to pick out a couple of rotten apples here SH. Both of whom have a bone to pick with the EU. Dyson because he lost his case against the EU. energy labelling laws in the ECJ. Bamford was fined 22 million pounds by the EU. for antitrust breaches - these laws referring to cartels and monopolies that would damage the interests of society. Hitherto the EU. has been protecting us against predatory criminals like these two.
You have just highlighted the protectionist anti business attitude of the EU. The sooner the UK is free of any control from this failing group, the better. No wonder unemployment is so high and growing.
You do realise we have been in the EU for years? You've been praising the UK economy for months, how did we manage with the shackles of the EU? Why were wages slowly rising and unemployment slowly falling? Still waiting on the answers to my questions btw No soundbites please.
No, I am highlighting that both of them had a bone to pick with the EU. because they had both been, in some way legally punished by it. You cannot be serious in suggesting the laws restricting cartels and monopolies are a bad thing - they are there to protect competition. Monopoly is no creator of either wealth or jobs.
They are both pragmatic businessmen that earn millions for the UK. They both work in sectors where it is not possible for monopolies. No wonder most inward investment into the EU is concentrated solely in the UK. Companies will not set up in countries with an anti-business agenda.
We have a business friendly government with control over our bank interest rates. Inward investors choose the UK as they prefer our flexible labour market. That is not to say financial improvements cannot be further gained once bi-lateral trade deals are available around the world. Do not be surprised that my views are fairly similar to the current government
The man tipped to be the new US ambassador to the EU, Ted Malloch, has remarked that the Euro could collapse in the next 18 months. He also said Britain could agree a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal with America in as little as 90 days. He added any attempt by the EU to block Britain beginning negotiations with the US would be "absurd" and like a husband "trying to stop his wife having an affair" Regardless whether he is correct or not in his predictions, his controversial comments are remarkable if he does get the proposed job. I dread to think what the EU officials think?
