General Chat

I think we have to remember that there is no precedent for this and whatever happens this time will set precedent for any other nation to leave the EU, as they surely will.

That is a huge responsibility in itself.

The mad antics of the UK are a sure precedent that no other nation will care to follow. It will all end in pain and anger.

May seems to imagine that the phase 2 will be trade talks. Nothing could be further from the truth as Barnier said on Wednesday.

May wanted to get right on with trade talks after the New Year. Au contraire says Barnier. There will be none of that until the UK becomes a "third country" i.e. has actually left the EU March 2019. May has been forced already to accept no talks before March - that is because the EU wants the UK to get its ducks in a row which is far from the case right now.

Whoops. No trade talks would instantly tip the UK over the famous cliff. Whcih brings us back to what the EU have as the phase 2 agenda.

Item 1 is all the good intentions and undertakings from phase 1 which need to be set in cold hard legal stone. No more recourse to Schrodinger's Cat. There is no trust from Brussels. Just doing this could bring the substantive talks to an end.

item 2 is that in order to avoid "the cliff" the UK will need a "transition agreement" (not, as May would put it, an "implementation agreement" ). Brussels sees the T.A. as continuing every dot and comma of EU law for 2 years, possibly more. As well as every dot and comma any new EU law would have to be adopted even though the UK would no longer have any voting rights.

Item 3 "trade talks" is not on the agenda though if everything else goes swimingly well the political dimensions of trade talks may be discussed.

Truly a ship of fools.

While everybody talks about Brexit & nothing other than Brexit Everything is being left & people are suffering badly. Things like disabled people are being stopped all money's that they have, leaving them with no money to pay any bills let
alone the Rent etc. People are being made homeless or committing suicide. Yes this is going on. Others may lose the job they have then lose the home they have etc. The fact we have food banks says much more then I ever can. While all this goes on some think it's ok because the only thing that matters is Brexit. The thing is we might not have the people for Brexit to care about, or maybe that's what they hope for. I don't know.

Shows how damaging a referendum can be. They'll want another to get back in.

I'm beginning to understand the phrase: 'I'm in two minds'.