OT. The futures Bright, the Futures Brexit!!!

[MadAmster]

So, the latest wheeze is putting NI back into de facto membership of the single market/customs union. Sunak is trumpeting it as brilliant. IOt puts NI, he says, in a unique and advantageous position compared to every other nation in the world. Namely, borderless trade with both the UK and the EU. Didn't they have that pre-Brexit?

Didn't the rest of the UK have seamless trade with each other and with the EU pre Brexit?

If what NI is now getting, is so damned brilliant, why deny England, Scotland and Wales the same? I'll tell you why. It's because the 1% don't want to be taxed on the billions they have salted away in tax havens.

What should they have done? IMO leave the EU but remain in the customs union/single market. That wouldn't have screwed the economy.

There is a parallel with VAR here. Not much wrong with the idea but the implementation is awful.

It is also my opinion that the UK will return to, at least CU/SM, inside the next decade.

PS - sorry for getting back on topic and adding a football "parallel"

One last point, this so called Windsor agreement beaks the Articles of Union and tears down a huge part of the wall preventing Scotland having a referendum. I think the planned referendum will go ahead and there's little, short of sending the troops in, and I wouldn't put that beyond them, they can do to stop it.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Can't argue with any of that logic MA, a Norway would have been the best form of exit

[Andy_Faber]

There is a parallel with VAR here. Not much wrong with the idea but the implementation is awful.

It is also my opinion that the UK will return to, at least CU/SM, inside the next decade.

PS - sorry for getting back on topic and adding a football "parallel"

Continuing the parallel, shoulda gone for Hawkeye

[MadAmster]

Continuing the parallel, shoulda gone for Hawkeye

Back off topic, Hawkeye would work well for checking if a ball has gone out of play/over the line as it monitors lines. How would it work with "was it a foul?" or "was he offside" when there are no lines?

[swaledale]

Can't argue with any of that logic MA, a Norway would have been the best form of exit

It would and was available, May in fact was heading that way, when the hardcore Brexit loonies in the ERG and ironically the DUP (Nooooo!) forced her hand. Then instead of adult negotiations with the EU we had Johnson acting like a child, threatening and insulting the EU and also insulting business with his infamous **** business remark. Its coming back to haunt the Tories.

Now though we have NI already experiencing stronger growth, that will be a benchmark against the UK economy, showing what the rest of the UK is missing. Mind you if it results in less tax payers money subsidising a UK colony I'm all for it.

[Andy_Faber]

Back off topic, Hawkeye would work well for checking if a ball has gone out of play/over the line as it monitors lines. How would it work with "was it a foul?" or "was he offside" when there are no lines?

Sorry I was being too obtuse, Hawkeye = the Norway option

[Geoff Parkstone]

I thought Hawkeye was the Korean option, or at very least Iowan

[Trickytreesreds]

Can't argue with any of that logic MA, a Norway would have been the best form of exit

But the problem there, that old chestnut of immigration.
It seems Norway wasn't the desired go destination where free movement was concerned.

At the beginning of 2021, there were 800,094 immigrants living in Norway, of whom approximately 240,000 had a refugee background.

We have 6 million from the EU alone who applied for settled status.

[Geoff Parkstone]

But the problem there, that old chestnut of immigration.
It seems Norway wasn't the desired go destination where free movement was concerned.

At the beginning of 2021, there were 800,094 immigrants living in Norway, of whom approximately 240,000 had a refugee background.

We have 6 million from the EU alone who applied for settled status.

So Norway have 800,000 out of a 5 million population. We have 6 million out of 67 million population. So pro rata they have more immigrants. Was that your point?

[Trickytreesreds]

So Norway have 800,000 out of a 5 million population. We have 6 million out of 67 million population. So pro rata they have more immigrants. Was that your point?

Nope
UK population density 270/km2
Norway population density 8.69 /Km 2

free movement didn't suddenly overwhelm the country.
Less social clash= less aggrevation. I didn't include any external/asylum numbers in the UK 6 million either.

[Geoff Parkstone]

You may need to review that statement in light of inhabitable area. Have you been to Spitzbergen etc al?

[Trickytreesreds]

You may need to review that statement in light of inhabitable area. Have you been to Spitzbergen etc al?

Yes GP i understand that. The same applies to a lot of the UK as well.
Norway in no way has cities as dense as ours.

Oslo 1,356 / km²

London 5596 / km2

[MadAmster]

I thought Hawkeye was the Korean option, or at very least Iowan

No GP, it's the Scottish option.... Hawkeye the noo

[swaledale]

Nope
UK population density 270/km2
Norway population density 8.69 /Km 2

free movement didn't suddenly overwhelm the country.
Less social clash= less aggrevation. I didn't include any external/asylum numbers in the UK 6 million either.

On the other hand of course they did have a far right mass shooting, so your analogy is a little flawed. The UK wasn't overwhelmed with free movement, I mean you quoted east Anglia, which I know very well having lived and worked there before and post Brexit and in reality not one place is "A replica of Warsaw", not least because there are a number of Portuguese, Lithuanian etc. in the mix! Oh and rather than 6 million, the number of EU citizens post Brexit is closer to 5 million, but hey why bother with facts and reality when one can parrot the hyperbole dished out by right wing commnetators?

[MadAmster]

On the other hand of course they did have a far right mass shooting, so your analogy is a little flawed. The UK wasn't overwhelmed with free movement, I mean you quoted east Anglia, which I know very well having lived and worked there before and post Brexit and in reality not one place is "A replica of Warsaw", not least because there are a number of Portuguese, Lithuanian etc. in the mix! Oh and rather than 6 million, the number of EU citizens post Brexit is closer to 5 million, but hey why bother with facts and reality when one can parrot the hyperbole dished out by right wing commnetators?

Much simpler than having to come with joined up thoughts......