Quote Originally Posted by KerrAvon View Post
Yes, the political agreement refers to working towards a free trade arrangement, but the devil is in the detail and we will find that every EU country has its own ambitions about what should be included in one. As I mentioned earlier, fishing is going to be a particularly hot topic – we’ve got the fish and they want them.

I see no reason why the EU would want a change of negotiating team. They have gone through months of hard negotiations to get to the draft withdrawal arrangement. They don’t want Rees-Mogg, Davis and Johnson on the other side of the table ripping it up. If your reference to a GE refers to a fantasy in which Labour win power, I don’t see why the EU would welcome that. They don’t wear Momentum issued, rose tinted spectacles and can see that Labour is as split as the Tories with the Starmer/McDonnell fault line being particularly likely to break out into open hostilities at some point.

As an aside, I detect that you are something of a Remainer (you’d have to be to favour a Norway type deal). Do you truly feel that Labour would deliver a close relationship with the EU when it is run by Eurosceptics? In light of the desire by some posters to pin the blame for Brexit solely on the Tories, I checked the voting records for the Referendum Bill to confirm my memory that Labour supported it, but also noticed that Corbyn and McDonell were amongst 18 Labour MPs who defied the Labour whip to support a failed attempt to secure a EU exit referendum in 2011. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that they are siding with Rees-Mogg and Johnson to get a hard Brexit?
I voted remain but I think it was mainly out of fear of what the likes of Mogg, Davis et al on the further right of your party would do to employment and environmental rights and standards if free of the EU.

My ideal situation would be a leave on soft brexit Norway-ish terms with the EU, protecting the single market and cu as far as possible to protect the economy but with a labour government under the direction of the last manifesto so that we can improve our rights and protections further than possible under eu legislation. Obviously the ability to negotiate these under our own laws would depend hugely on what compromise we could reach if that ever became a possibility. But that's the ideal!

Next option would be to Remain so we retain eu protections on rights and environments from the nut jobs on the exteme of your party. This would restrict their ability to further erode workers/social/environmental rights as they would so like if they really overthrow May and get their No Deal.

Final option is the May deal but hope that Big Lad's paranoia turns out true and tat the evil eu keep us locked in the customs union and single market until we're all dead.

So, no, I'm not remain, no. Bit more complicated than that.