Re: Crunch week???

The EU has trade deals fully implemented, or partially in place, with 88 countries, including canada, australia and new zealand. Many of these agreements are with small economies, but the point is that due to leaving the EU, now the U.K. will lose all the preferential access it’s enjoyed as a member of the EU.

The U.K. must negotiate agreements with these 88 countries simply to maintain its current trade relationship. In the past four years the UK has closed trade deals with how many?

Re: Crunch week???

Hi

Solasch.

Please do not misunderstand the depth of feeling here in the UK.

I am no Zenophobe or Little Englander.

I would have much rather have stayed in the EU.

I voted leave, very reluctantly, but there was no other choice

When you get people like me voting leave there is something seriously wrong with the EU.

It is not our problem that we are leaving, it is an EU Problem.

We are not here to be ruled by France and Germany, end of.

Re: Crunch week???

The EU has no FTA's that are ratified or completed outside the single market. The EU has been complete failure in negotiations with any other country outside of it.

The EU trade surplus with the UK is a big problem - our suppliers (the 27) will come off a lot worse that us if we can buy the things we need from elsewhere on better terms or grow them ourselves. If the EU want to make imports from the UK more expensive for the people in the EU then so be it - it makes no difference to us in the same way it makes no difference to the USA, India, China, Brazil etc or any other country where the CET is applied and WTO rules.

Your already down 15% UK exports in Q1 2020 and thats before the COVID-19 lockdowns. The UK position looks more and more now to leave without any trade deal with the EU, which suits us just fine because we will not be tied into any of the EU schemes that prevents the UK from trading with the rest of the world on our own terms. So far in 4 years, Barnier has not even discussed trade, all he has done is weapons the Irish border and try and trap the UK in the EU - failing miserably as his track record shows. Now, desperate to get an extension and being refused time and time again, he has about 6 weeks, (two of those of actual negotiations) to come to an agreement with us on our future trading relationship. When he crawls back to Brussels with nothing, 27 countries will ask some serious questions about the competence of the EU Elite to actually do anything, as their economies collapse over lack of bailout money from COVID-19, lack of 2020-2027 budget and to top it all off, their biggest single market outside the EU, their second biggest market outside the EU, just said no and walked away, taking with it their territorial waters, annual contributions and all the other benefits (such as security, intelligence etc etc) they get from the UK.

Don't kid yourself that the EU is something we want to be part of, Solasch. Like Barnier you still don't understand why we left and what it means.

We have signed trade agreements already with about 20 countries, including South Korea and Switzerland, we are in continuing negotiations with around 15 others (including Japan and Singapore) and MRA's in place with USA, Australia and New Zealand.

But you knew that right ?

Re: Crunch week???

The EU is not less clear in its message. Mr Barnier has been clear that the EU will never agree a trade deal with Britain unless access to UK fishing waters and the level playing field arrangements are settled to the bloc’s satisfaction.
The UK is seeking agreements with the EU on aviation, electricity and gas trading, as well as on nuclear energy co-operation (the french are way ahead on the brits on this). And dragging their heels on subjects the EU thinks important. It’s clear the UK wants to show progress by june on aviation and energy and then say there is no need for an extension, and that a deal can be done on these points. And then leaving the other points dangling in the air indefinitely. Do they really think barnier will fall for that strategy?

Re: Crunch week???

Bread, you have been proven wrong on these rantings so many times by itsme, swimfeeders, banchory, reality1 etc etc and myself. I won't bother to repeat those arguments. You can look them up yourself for all I care.

Re: Crunch week???

Stop lying.

By the way, how are the EU trade negotiations going with the USA ? Going well are they ?

Re: Crunch week???

Originally it was half of the brits who felt that way. From the covid lock down you can gather how long the general public is able to stay on the same track for any length of time. After 4 years of brexit discussions most brits either still didn't understand what it was about, or simply didn't care any longer.
Luckily for boris, any negative economic effects of brexit can be explained away by covid crisis. Most brits will never realise what they lost by brexit and blame the chinese for any economic downturn.

Re: Crunch week???

Hi

You are so, so wrong, but telling you that is a waste of time.

Wait and see what happens.

Re: Crunch week???

Boy, is you behind the times. These talks were declared obsolete by the EU in 2019, after in 2016 they stocked on things like chlorinated chickens and hormone pumped up beef.
Why do you think trump wants access to the UK market?

Re: Crunch week???

Access to UK fishing waters? OK, fine, but WE decide on an annual basis and current scientific data how many tons of fish can be caught by which countries in OUR WATERS. In other words, NO MORE DUTCH SUPER-TRAWLERS, for example, emptying our fishing grounds.

Level playing field? Now you really are having a laugh. How can you expect us to sign up to something that even the EU27 can't play nicely at because Germany is pulling all the strings?