POST BREXIT

After all the project fear stories of impending doom because of Brexit the International Monetary Fund reported this week that the UK would grow faster in the next few years than any other major European country. Wages are rising at twice the rate of inflation and 200,000 new jobs were created in the three months to November. The employment rate recently reached a new high of 76.3%.

Attempts by Germany and France to poach tech start ups after the Brexit vote in 2016 have had no impact at all. Quite the opposite. Recent data show that investment in UK technology start ups is stronger than ever, with investment growth last year outpacing all of Europe.

It does look unlikely at the moment that any more than a bare bones deal will be achieved by the end of the year. The EU are terrified the UK, once freed of many of the present regulatory shackles, will become even more competitive against the rest of the EU.

Meanwhile today Trump has warned the EU he will impose increased tariffs on EU goods very soon.

 

We took a risk leaving the EU because we do not know what will happen going forward, we never did know, despite all the theorising. It is going to be interesting to see how all the predictions both positive and negative actually pan out.

What we did know was what it was like being a member of the EU and what that future membership was likely to bring and the UK decided they did not like it.

Please can we not a play a game of we told you so and discuss the implications sensibly.

 

Totally agree Scully. The country requires the 'losing remainers' to now drop all negativity and fully back our government. Hopefully our negotiating team, finding itself in a stronger position, will obtain the best deal and relations possible with our European friends.
There is no point reliving past arguments, we are leaving, we must learn to embrace the new opportunities in a positive manner.

 

Tim Martin of Wetherspoons is leading the Brexit unity charge. He said "many of our customers are keen to celebrate but at the same time we want to remain friends with our European neighbours". He has backed this up with reducing the price of many drinks that originate from Europe. He also added we should "stay friends and enjoy free trade".

 

Will the pound rise next week at some point?

Might send some wedge over if the exchange rate improves....

 

The UK and the EU are due to begin talks on a free trade deal at the start of March. Information trickling out of Brussels suggests the EU will attempt to effectively maintain control of the UK by insisting the ECJ will remain as the arbiter of any disputes. The EU is also seeking something like the current access to our fisheries in return for financial services access to the EU. It is fairly obvious that these demands are politically unacceptable to the UK. Are they just opening sparring demands or a cynical attempt to scupper any potential deal at birth. The EU cannot expect to impose on the UK conditions which are not normally applied to third countries just because of the geographical closeness. Does the EU want to further damage its current precarious financial position with even lower growth prospects? I expect the unity of the remaining 27 with come under huge pressure in the coming months.

 

It's almost as if the brexiters haven't thought things completely through.

Quelle surprise.

 

There were enough previous examples of Brussels bullying member states, which is just one reason the country voted to leave such a toxic club. Barnier will find the present UK Brexit delegation much harder to deal with than the submissive remainer May and her gaggle of like minded civil servants.
Brussels is terrified of the UK's huge potential to increase the future growth gap between Britain and the sluggish EU.

 

It is a fairly right wing trading club... you get what you're given in those terms when you're not in it. It is protectionist for the club itself - that's the f*****g point!
Socially speaking though it's a bit lefty as it tends to protect the people from the more right wing policies - e.g. rubbish working conditions, poor pay, poor employment rights and so on.
You lot just don't want to pay for these things - you want to have your cake and eat it.
I know exactly what its like to be turned over by unscrupulous employers - one had to settle out of court for constructive dismissal; another refused to pay redundancy because I managed to get another job prior to working my notice. "You don't need it because you have another job to go to" in complete disregard of employment law which was written precisely to stop people like him treating people like me the way he did.

 

The UK government is going about the monumental task of leaving the EU and reforming society in a calm and businesslike fashion. In contrast across the sea, the French government is still under siege from striking workers unhappy with its policies. Today the demonstrators were mainly firefighters. They were met in Paris with riot police using teargas, water cannons and batons. President Macron's popularity has plummeted in the latest opinion poll, he is down to 30%, with 68% dissatisfied.

We have a lot to be thankful for in the UK at the moment.

French police clash with firefighters during Paris protestThe Guardian·4 hours ago

 

I would be extremely surprised if the new UK government sought to weaken workers rights in the area you have highlighted. Boris is determined to retain the working class support recently gained at the 'Brexit' election. You only have to look to France to see the so called 'enhanced' protections actually prevent employers from taking people on, hence the high unemployment rate there.

 

Today we have seen the UK government choosing to agree a deal that many right wingers in the party are horrified about. Raab says that he hopes that the Chinese might give us something back in return, but nothing certain has been agreed. The UK is passing some of the sovereignty it thought it was getting by leaving the EU onto another large trading block, simply because as a small country it doesn't have the bargaining power of a larger entity. The reaction from across the Atlantic is much as one could expect. We would like to dump some of our agricultural products on you, but it will be on our terms, and don't expect any favours.
It seems that although other systems were available from within the EU, the government has chosen the cheapest option. The same could be said about the cladding used on Grenfell Tower. Why over the past ten years has nothing been done to create our own system?

 

My youngest daughter is currently working for a couple of dreadful bosses who percolate fear down the management levels to mainly young people who are expected to work late, and weekends, without pay to try to achieve impossible goals. The best way to oppose these bullies is in the current buoyant job market. This company has lost several staff recently. My daughter has an interview with a rival company that has staff welfare well up it's priority list coupled with better pay, etc. It is also a career in which she could set up her own business in several years once sufficient experienced is gained.

In my experience treating staff well is not only morally correct but is also a no-brainer business wise.

 

Indeedy, but you'd be surprised at what people try to get away with. I too could work for myself if I chose to, certainly if I attain my Chartered Membership of the professional body I belong to. Not all of us want to be captain of the ship, let alone admiral of the fleet: a good lieutenant, that's me. I cut my cloth accordingly.

 

Not for me- that kind of stress would be life threatening and I'd be even grumpier than I already am which would be a miracle of the wrong sort. Besides Mrs Fez would have to do the books and she wouldn't want the stress just now, either. Bad enough me being scammed out of my pension...

 

Nothing matters apart from the health of your loved ones, sincerely hope Mrs is doing well.

 

Whatever your views are on Brexit today we can all celebrate the importance of democracy. The UK parliament voted overwhelmingly to give the British people the chance to decide on our membership of the European Union. The outcome of that 'once in a lifetime' referendum absolutely had to be respected. Any deviation from the result would, and did for a while, lead to a lessening of trust in our whole democratic system. Thankfully the British people showed their annoyance at the recent election to those attempting to undermine our due processes.

This is a new beginning we should all look for the positives and not do the EU's dirty work for them.

 

If you believe that splitting the UK up, creating division between people within families, and making the country a laughing stock around the world is a sign of democracy at work, then it is little wonder that many people do not want your version of it.

 

The recent election showed which version the British people preferred, a thumping Tory majority, ensuring Brexit happened.

Scotland will not leave the UK, NI might vote to leave in a few years time. Most people in the UK would happily accept NI joining the ROI if that is its wish.

All politics divide friends and families, it is up to individuals to accept democracy and be grown up about decisions that go against their personal views. The laughing stock period was anti democratic remoaners trying desperately to deny the will of the people. These misguided fools, in parliament and elsewhere, have been gloriously routed, they have failed miserably. We now have a strong government acting for all in society.

You don't have to look far across the channel to find a real laughing stock. The French government can only control its people using tear gas, water cannons and batons.