I’ll have a read if you have a link. Switzerland recently voted overwhelmingly to maintain freedom of movement. Obviously I favour wealth over some utterly nonsensical intangible sovereignty anyway but I genuinely think it’s dangerous to cede more power to this lot in charge now. They’re quite openly attacking any brake on their power. We have a Home Secretary, albeit one completely unfit for the role and only there to appeal to the very thickest in society, openly supporting the death penalty.
Just as well they (Swiss) voted overwhelmingly... funny you never mentioned that the EU withdrew some of their market access and access to research programs because they decided to have a referendum? mmm nice lot of people you keep sticking up for over your own elected? As for priti, how times have changed? If I had criticised her it would have been called something else, yet it seems to be open season on her? This Brexit is a ‘hard Brexit’. It will pass the vote on Wednesday but it will say more about Labour/SNP than a few Tory droids?
It’s not like they have a real choice when up against a party with an 80 seat majority. Starmer should’ve just given them a free vote rather than be allowed to be dragged down by this in future. Patel is criticised because she’s a ****ing useless and dangerous person whose past conduct makes her totally unfit for her role. If she wasn’t right of Goebbels she wouldn’t be there. If anyone thinks she’s appropriate to be representing us in one of the highest offices in the land then frankly they’re a ****. Again, on Switzerland, link me. In the past they’ve had certain access removed in retaliation to restricting something the other way. Good luck to us should we ever need to use the new arbitration panels with the EU.
I've read up on it. I don't claim to know all of it, but the headline points where there was most disagreement seem to have been compromised on both sides. Anyway, I'm moving on, pleased that we're leaving. All the old arguments will continue on here, but I suggest everyone embraces our new sovereign independence (put that in for Watford).
It's all irrelevant now either way. Time will tell whether this deal is a good deal or not. One thing for sure, it's better than no deal. We now need to put our full attention on to scrutinizing the covid response as the shambles seems to just keep rolling on and on.
UK warns of 'bumpy' post-Brexit transition despite deal 11 HOURS AGO • SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS First came the Brexit trade deal. Now comes the red tape and the institutional nitty gritty. Four days after sealing a free trade agreement with the European Union, the British government warned businesses today to get ready for disruptions and “bumpy moments” when the new rules take effect on Thursday night. But officials are warning of “bumpy moments” ahead for UK businesses and travellers. Source: 1 NEWS Firms are scrambling to digest the details and implications of the 1,240-page deal sealed by the EU and the UK on Christmas Eve, just a week before the year-end deadline. Ambassadors from the 27 EU nations, meanwhile, gave their unanimous approval to the deal overnight. “Green light,” said German spokesman Sebastian Fischer, whose country currently holds the EU presidency. The approval had been expected, since all EU leaders have warmly welcomed the deal, which is designed to put post-Brexit relations between the bloc and former member Britain on reliable footing. The agreement has not, however, eliminated the mistrust that festered between Britain and its neighbors during months of fractious negotiations The French presidency said in a statement that France would remain “from the very first day very vigilant” about the implementation of the deal, especially to protect French companies and fisheries “in case the UK disregards its commitments.” The agreement needs approval from Britain's Parliament, which is scheduled to vote on it Wednesday, and from the EU’s legislature, which is not expected to take up the deal for weeks. The leaders of the European Parliament’s political groups said they would not seek full approval until March because of the specific and far-reaching implications of the agreement. The overwhelming expectation is that EU lawmakers will approve the deal. The UK left the EU almost a year ago, but remained within the bloc's economic embrace during a transition period that ends at midnight Brussels time -- 11pm. in London -- on December 31. The agreement, hammered out after more than nine months of tense negotiations, will ensure Britain and the 27-nation bloc can continue to trade in goods without tariffs or quotas. That should help protect the 660 billion pounds in annual trade between the two sides, and the hundreds of thousands of jobs that rely on it. But the end to Britain’s membership in the EU’s vast single market and customs union will still bring inconvenience and new expense for both individuals and businesses — from the need for tourists to have travel insurance to the millions of new customs declarations that firms will have to fill out. “I’m sure there will be bumpy moments but we are there in order to try to do everything we can to smooth the path,” Michael Gove, the British Cabinet minister in charge of Brexit preparations, told the BBC. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative government argues that any short-term disruption from Brexit will be worth it, because the UK will now be free to set its own rules and strike new trade deals around the world. Yet an ominous preview of what could happen if UK-EU trade faces heavy restrictions came this month when France briefly closed its border with Britain because of a highly transmissible new variant of the coronavirus sweeping through London and southern England. Thousands of trucks were stuck in traffic jams or parked at a disused airfield near the English Channel port of Dover for days and supermarkets warned that some goods, including fresh produce would soon run short. Even after France relented and agreed to let in truckers who tested negative for the virus, the backlog of 15,000 drivers who now needed tests took days to clear. Despite the deal, uncertainty hangs over huge chunks of the relationship between Britain and the EU. The agreement covers trade in goods, but leaves the UK’s huge financial services sector in limbo, still uncertain how easily it can do business with the bloc after Jan. 1. The British territory of Gibraltar, which sees thousands of workers cross over daily from Spain, is also in limbo since it was not included in the deal. “This is not a final done deal in many respects,” said Jill Rutter of the UK in a Changing Europe think tank, noting that big decisions in many areas are yet to come. And the deal has angered one sector that the U.K. government vowed to protect: fishing. The economically minor but hugely symbolic issue of fishing rights was a sticking point in negotiations, with maritime EU nations seeking to retain access to UK waters, and Britain insisting it must control its seas. Under the deal, the EU will give up a quarter of the quota it catches in U.K. waters, far less than the 80% Britain initially demanded. The system will be phased in over 5 1/2 years, after which the quotas will be reassessed. “I am angry, disappointed and betrayed,” said Andrew Locker, chairman of Britain’s National Federation of Fishermen’s Organizations. “Boris Johnson promised us the rights to all the fish that swim in our exclusive economic zone and we have got a fraction of that.”
Good morning Col. Hope this weather isn’t ruining your allotment. Congratulations on your part in winning WWIII. Try fitting any of that on the side of a bus though.
UK, Turkey to sign free trade deal on Tuesday Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said a free trade deal with London would be signed on Tuesday. please log in to view this image The UK-Turkey trading relationship was worth $25.25bn in 2019, and the UK said its trade deal with Ankara would be the fifth-biggest the trade ministry has negotiated after agreements with Japan, Canada, Switzerland and Norway [File: Kerem Uzel/Bloomberg] 28 Dec 2020 Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday a free trade deal with London would be signed on Tuesday and completed after Thursday when the United Kingdom formally leaves the European Union. The UK trade ministry said on Sunday the two nations will sign a deal that replicates the existing trading terms. It is the first deal to be announced since British Prime Minister Boris Johnson secured a new trade agreement with the European Union last week. KEEP READING After months of negotiations, UK, EU secure Brexit trade dealWorld reacts to UK-EU post-Brexit trade dealUK and EU have struck an historic trade deal. But what is in it?Brexit deal: What happens next and what will change on January 1? The trading relationship between London and Ankara was worth 18.6 billion pounds ($25.25bn) in 2019, and the UK said it was the fifth-biggest trade deal its trade ministry had negotiated after agreements with Japan, Canada, Switzerland and Norway. The UK has now signed trade agreements with 62 countries ahead of the end of the Brexit transition period on January 1, when it leaves the EU’s trading arrangements. It clinched its narrow trade deal with the EU, its biggest trading partner, after extensive negotiations.
I'm also moving on. I'm not pleased that we are leaving but that's done and dusted now. Sovereignty means very little to me, its up there with democracy, another word that is just well... a word. We all do need to move on though. We cant change anything (even if we wanted to). I can understand the SNP position and respect that. I understand labour backing it as it's the only option available. The Warbuton debate will be more interesting now.
You call anyone who doesn't share your world view a thick **** and presume to know all about people you've never even met. Carry on crying about Brexit and this so called extreme right wing government. You're like a ****ing broken record with nothing new or remotely relevant to say. Cue more abusive, childish comments. What a tool!
That’s a bit abusive and childish, mate. There are other posters on here with clearly a wildly different world view to me who I respect for putting their points across articulately and I’ve said as much. Maybe I occasionally mock you because you’re a ridiculous and hysterical old man on a range of topics across football and current affairs.
As far as financial services go, there needs to be a memorandum of understanding between the UK and EU on equivalence, which will ease the way professionals on both sides do business. Post Jan 1 for example, a UK accountant can't sign off an audit in France any more which can make the audit of a French subsidiary less persuasive. Those sort of issues need to be ironed out. But the fact is, the financial services sector in the UK works for the global market, and is strong on equities and bonds, and insurance (Lloyds of London). Many international contracts provide for English Law to apply and disputes settled in the English jurisdiction, so law firms will continue to thrive. The worldwide accountancy firms are run from London and New York. The financial sector has grown organically over centuries, and while the EU may try and reserves as much of European demand for its own banks and professional firms as it can, it just won't be able to replicate the global reach of London. So there's work to be done on financial services, but the initiative is very much with the UK. We have a talented chancellor in Rishi Sunak (and one with important Indian connections) and how he sees the London market projecting itself going forward will be hugely important.
Oh, you've read up on it. Why didn't I think of doing that? Go ahead and move on then, but don't expect those that see their lives and prosperity being diminished just so that you can and your like can rejoice in your mythical sovereignty to move on also. They will hold you to blame.
China and EU 'on verge' of major investment deal 29 December 2020 Business Share this with Email Share this with Facebook Share this with Twitter Share this with Whatsapp Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES please log in to view this image The EU and China are close to reaching a long-awaited business investment deal, according to media reports. The pact, expected to be finalised this week, will give EU firms better access to the Chinese market and improve competition conditions. Talks on the investment deal began in 2014 but have been stuck for years over a number of issues. But rising trade tensions between the US and China may have helped change the Chinese position, officials said. The deal comes hot on the heels of the UK's post-Brexit trade agreement with the EU which was announced on 24 December. UK set for 'bumpy' period as new EU rules come in Chinese economy 'to overtake US by 2028' US blacklists companies with possible military ties According to multiple reports, the deal would open up China's manufacturing sector to EU companies, as well as construction, advertising, air transport and telecoms. One of the sticking points was China's demands for access to the EU's energy market given sensitivities over national security. The deal is expected to give Beijing access to a small part of the European renewable energy sector on a reciprocal basis. The pact is also designed to remove barriers to investment in China such as joint-venture requirements and caps on foreign ownership in certain industries. Once the expected deal is reached, it needs to be ratified by the European parliament, a process that may not begin until the second half of 2021. please log in to view this image Video captionHow US and China's break-up could affect the world Hard labour On Monday, the European Commission reported progress on the talks with Beijing, including the core issue of workers' rights in China. This is a contentious issue given reports that China uses Uighur Muslims detained in large numbers in the Xinjiang province as forced labour. Beijing denies these claims. Under the agreement, China is being asked to pledge to subscribe to the International Labour Organisation's rules on forced labour.An EU-China agreement is expected to cause frictions with the incoming administration of US president-elect Joe Biden.Earlier this month the EU published a transatlantic strategy in which it urged the US to work with it to meet the "strategic challenge" posed by China. China and the US have been locked in a trade war since 2018 and the Trump administration has targeted a number of Chinese tech companies as threats to national security.EU-China relations themselves have been strained this year, over China's imposition of a new security law in Hong Kong and accusations it spread disinformation about the coronavirus.
