I think we'll see the real Iron Chancellor Merkel once Brexit comes. They'll be no pleasant deals done with her on trade, she'll properly **** us over.
...and start a trade war, Tooting? How's she going to explain that to the CEO's of Mercedes, VW, BMW, Audi, Neff, Miele, Bosch, Siemens etc when they come knocking to complain, when we set up import visas in retaliation?
The current report from the Office of National Statistics shows that the UK is increasingly becoming less reliant on Europe for trade. In March, less than half of exports of goods made in the UK went to the EU. This is the 19th month in a row that the UK has sold more to the rest of the world, than to the EU.
At the same time, UK imports from the EU hit a record £19.4 bn. This results in an £8.1 bn trade deficit with the EU - the largest ever. Germany and France sell much more to us than we sell to them. So rather than **** us over royally, it's most likely there'll be a reciprocal free trade agreement, such as the US currently has. I accept the EU won't give us access to the single market on a gold plated deal
pour decourager les autres, but we don't need it.
In essence, in the event of Brexit, EU officials will reluctantly recognise that we were never going to enter the single currency, and have found unacceptable the prospect of being in a club where the rules will be made by the 26 Euro countries (as they will be). They won't want a trade war with an ally, particularly one that is the fifth biggest economy in the world, which employs many of their compatriots (London is the fifth biggest French city) and one that they will need to rely upon for sharing security information and military muscle. So they will do what the EU do best. Meet with the new UK government and agree a fudge acceptable to all.
