Re: Time for Ireland to Grow Up?
Originally Posted by
Zaphod
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The simple "fact" is that it is all speculation and there are no facts involved.
You're ignoring the obvious: there aren't any queues.
Are there?
So if leaving the EU causes queues it is very obviously the EU causing them since we do not have queues from the over-half of all our international trade that comes from outside the EU, do we?
Where are the queues at Portsmouth which is the UK's 2nd-largest container port, with goods from around the world?
Where are the queues at Liverpool?
At Hull & Immingham?
Now ask yourself why there are no queues, and then ask why there should then be queues from EU-sourced trade?
The most-simple response therefore qould be that if sourcing goods from the EU becomes a problem, don't source from the EU.
Source from elsewhere in the world.
There are ways.
In days before the EEC we sourced fresh fruit & veg from Israel for example; if we could do that in those days you can't seriously suggest that doing so these days isn't possible - and North Africa for example is far closer.
I'm sure there are countries who would LOVE to bid for business.
Betcha any money that the majors like Sainsbury's, Tesco etc. have looked into it in preparation.
Absolutely.
I have no idea why some people seem to think that we are reliant on imports from EU countries.
I don't particularly look at food packaging in the supermarket (except for avoiding anything French, of course), and so I have no doubt been eating some EU products. Many, as far as I know, don't even state the country of origin: meat, fish, milk, etc.
The point is that I believe you are right. Supermarkets and other importers will continue to source food from all over the world at competitive prices, even from the EU - if they can compete.
Cars? Well, as I have said, we'd like to buy another VW Golf as we think it's an excellent car. If the price is right, and I suspect that the company won't give up on the UK market without a fight and, hopefully, will attempt to cover the increase in prices due to tariffs.
If not, well there are other options from non-EU countries.
I'd certainly never buy a French car. That isn't purely because I dislike the French; to be honest, any French cars I have seen all seem to be rather strange in one way or another.