O/T Brexit revisited: Is Boris pushing his luck?

[Slimchance]

That's not really how international agreements work.

Britain has built up a 300+ year global reputation for honouring its commitments. If we sign a contract, we honour it. That's always been the British way. It means countries trust us and are more willing to do business with us.

To give an example of what this looks like, as recently as 2015 the British government (with our taxes) was still paying off an 1834 debt to those who had to be compensated for giving up their slave ownership nearly 200 years prior - paying long afterwards to whoever inherited that obligation. It's ugly, but that's what integrity with regard to honouring your commitments looks like.

By throwing our 'weight' around like this and tearing up international agreements, Johnson doesn't really "stand up for Britain" - it un-does 300+ years of hard built reputation of being a country the world can do business with.

Once we fail to honour our signed obligations, it can't really be undone. It will be another 300+ years to get to the trusted position we are at now. We'll stop being a prestigious, elite country, its part of what differentiates us from countries like North Korea, or Zimbabwe or Libya.

This means that countries we want to do deals with might have good reason to not trust us, and so might insist on harsher terms, or just avoid certain types of agreement all together.

If you think destroying our hard earned reputation for some political point scoring and saber rattling is worth it, I think it is a sad indictment of how this country has fallen and the things we really should be proud of as a nation being casually discarded.

Side note, all countries are ran completely differently, I see no reason why just because say Japan signed up that will be magically replicated across completely different political systems and motivations.

If I recall Germany did a lot of agreemnt breaking a few years ago, but they seem to be able to make agreements and treaties without to much both

[rolymiller]

If I recall Germany did a lot of agreemnt breaking a few years ago, but they seem to be able to make agreements and treaties without to much both

I'm afraid I have no faith in Boris at all. I can see him completely cocking this up. He will still be singing Britannia rules the waves though as it slips into the Atlantic.

The chickens will come home to roost soon as I have always said. You voted in a dead duck in the last election be prepared for the sh it hitting the fan...

[millertop]

Go on Boris

[Shark27]

Massive news about Brexit after Covid has got a bit calmer. Back to Keunssberg and co and stop Brexit shouty guy!

Missed this.

[John2]

If I recall Germany did a lot of agreemnt breaking a few years ago, but they seem to be able to make agreements and treaties without to much both

Which agreement was that?

[millersrus]

How about this biased right wing rag report for starters

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a8198271.html

While we’re on the evidence to back up claims, have you managed to sort out some to back up your BLM claims.

[John2]

How about this biased right wing rag report for starters

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a8198271.html

While we’re on the evidence to back up claims, have you managed to sort out some to back up your BLM claims.

I think you're confusing failing to meet certain targets or obligations with outright tearing up an international agreement, very different things with how they play out in the international political arena. We do it all the time, the article points out we have illegal levels of air pollution. There are procedures in law to handle these breaches.

What claims have I made about "BLM" that need backing up? You appear to be the one making claims about the stated goals of a grassroots group with no official spokespeople.

[millersrus]

As usual you over exaggerate and miss represent the actual situation. No international agreement are torn up.

A new piece of legislation is to be introduced, The Internal Markets bill would give the government the power to modify provisions relating to the Northern Ireland Protocol governing trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
Gives power to do something and doing it are very different things as you like to phrase.

[millersrus]

We'll stop being a prestigious, elite country, its part of what differentiates us from countries like North Korea, or Zimbabwe or Libya.


If you think destroying our hard earned reputation for some political point scoring and saber rattling is worth it, I think it is a sad indictment of how this country has fallen and the things we really should be proud of as a nation being casually discarded.
.

You really are quite-something
Mostly you and your groups time is spent trying to do exactly that , denigrate, rubbish and destroy the reputation of your own country and it’s past. So sad.

Have you no shame ( rhetorical question )

[WanChaiMiller]

Is it right that the future of our country should be dictated to by so few?

Bernard Jenkin, chair of the European Research Group of hard-Brexit Tory MPs, writing in the Diplomat Magazine said Brexit would not be done until the UK government had asserted its own interpretation of the withdrawal agreement and, 'if needs be, it could be repudiated'.

In the article he said it was his group who killed off Theresa May’s WA deal (really! we were told it was Labour what done it) and only voted in favour of Johnson’s because they had been assured the government would ditch the agreement if no trade deal was reached with the European Union. Seems like Johnson might have played both sides - we can see where he's heading with this Bill.

"We only have a WA because eurosceptic Conservatives, such as myself, voted for it to help the nation out of a paralysing political crisis. To his credit, the Prime Minister had ameliorated Mrs May’s agreement.

“We made clear, however, that this agreement was barely ‘tolerable’ and only voted for it against assurances given by government: that it was just a starting point for negotiations; that it would be superseded by a full FTA; and, if needs be, could be repudiated. Indeed, the Withdrawal Agreement Act makes clear that “the Parliament of the United Kingdom is sovereign” and so can repeal any “directly applicable or directly effective EU law.”

“If we don’t reach a deal with the EU, Brexit is not done until the UK government succeeds in its determination to assert its own interpretation of the withdrawal agreement,”

“If the EU is unwilling to do a deal with us, there are two options. The first is to enact domestic legislation that will largely nullify the direct effect and direct applicability of EU law. We have the mandate and majority to do this.

“Second, if the EU insists on an unreasonable interpretation of the withdrawal agreement, the UK must stand ready to repudiate it. I hope it is not necessary, but if it is the only way to achieve UK prosperity and the kind of sovereign independence which is the democratic right of any nation recognised under the UN charter, then so be it. And most other nations would respect us for that.”