Sorry rA meant to put lol after post. Just imagine Frau Merkel, Juncker et al in discussions lasting hours, days, weeks with Forrest Gump!! Priceless!!
Sorry rA meant to put lol after post. Just imagine Frau Merkel, Juncker et al in discussions lasting hours, days, weeks with Forrest Gump!! Priceless!!
You make it sound like a hard brexit means all trade with the EU'will stop. As I've said before, the devaluation of the pound means that even with a small tarif, our goods will be cheaper than last year. Whereas the German cars will cost much more than last year. So, you say the Germans are suddenly going to find new markets for the 20% of their cars they sell to us. At the moment then, how many countries are they not selling to, because they're selling to us?
A hard brexit will be a body blow to many EU industries, which in their rush to punish us, their negotiators don't seem to care about. It's this attitude which makes me more certain that we're making the right choice, in the long run.
Its an interesting thing that the 27 (appeared to be) totally as one last week regarding the start of the Brexit negotiations. I think this mock unity is their biggest weakness, and I hope the UK side eat away at that unity - divide and conquer if you like. If it was my negotiating team, I'd be making a hit list of negotiating areas where the differences within the 27 are the greatest. Its a dog eat dog world.
I don't see any contradictions R. I'm stating a fact and suggesting tactics 'our' well-heeled besuited negotiators could adopt against 'their' well-heeled besuited negotiators. Have you never done any negotiating? Good negotiators are a different breed. In fact wanting the very best outcome for UK is a very Christian (if somewhat idealist) aspiration, a better deal will (should!) result in greater prosperity right through the social scale
Occasional Tory? If voting Conservative (or for that matter, any party) in a non-bigoted, well-researched way is what you mean, well 'guilty guv'. I will be voting Conservative this time not because they have any great social conscience but because Labour are a shambles, and Swale told me off for voting Libdem last time. Compare any Conservative minister with the Labour equiv and there's just no comparison, although I have been impressed with John McDonnell and Keir Starmer's performances in the past few weeks
Have I done any negotiating? Have to admit to very little.
'Occasional Tory' actually meant what it said...I'm sure you've said in the past that there had been occasions when you'd voted Tory although you're not an 'habitual' one.
Can't believe you're not voting LibDem because Swale told you off last time...but my point really was...'it's a dog eat dog world' is probably one of the least Christian sentiments going. For what it's worth I respect your musings and your 'faith' but I do think there is a contradiction.
I didn't say that all trade would stop, just that actually the EU has more options and thats an undeniable fact to think that the Eu countries are not prepared to suffer some short term economic pain in order to preserve the EU is wishful thinking but as I said that is not the big issue, which you do not even address!
How lsoing 20% or less in trade is going to be a body blow to Eu industries is puzzling - goods sourced from the Uk can be sourced from elsewhere and the Eu can just as easily replace trade with the UK as Brexiteers claim the Uk can replace trade with the Eu with trade elsewhere, actually its easier and quicker for the Eu as they already have trade agreements in place, the UK has to negotiate those!
Only the right wing anti EU media are claiming that the EU negotiators wish to "punish" us! Stands to reason that if your a member of a club from which one gets benefits, you cannot reasonably get those benefits if you leave that club, this is a simple principle, otherwise the purpose of the club becomes meaningless and thats all thats being said - there are ways of keeping some benefits but there are conditions attached to those - whilst I marvel at the optimism of those who think that we can do that on ur own terms, in reality that isn't going to be the case - now it may be that a Hard Brexit delivers benefits that as yet aren't clear, what is clear are the negatives of a hard Brexit.
As for it being the right choice in the long term, how long is the long term and other than a "feeling" what actual evidence is there for this proposition?
The Swale thing was a joke, based on him having a Benny at me for voting LibDem in 2015. Re Dog Eat Dog I think you're interpreting my opinion, specific to the negotiations, as a personal mantra, which it isn't - I wish we were all living in the middle of a Blue Mink song believe me
Just as a matter of interest:
If, after a week, the negotiators came back and announced 'we have a deal. No free movement of people, no rule from Brussels, no tarrifs either way on goods and services, UK can do trade deals elsewhere, and all that for a weekly fee from UK to EU of £100m', would you vote for it?