Brexit Thread 2

[Moggy]

twitter.com/observeruk/status/1028355371138785280

Interesting (and great positioning with the Johnson photo!).

[Cuttooth]

twitter.com/NCPoliticsUK/status/1028389590787411969

It's pretty obvious that a majority of Labour MPs, members, and now voters would rather remain in the EU. There's surely an inevitability to the Labour leadership reversing course in supporting Brexit.

[Squinty]

You would think that, I'm betting he'll just dig his heels in.

[BID0]

You would think that, I'm betting he'll just dig his heels in.

I don’t know. About a month or so ago Momentum members were petitioning in favour of remain and Corbyn is one of the few politicians who do actually listen to supporters over others.

It’s surely too late now though. When do MPs get back from holiday? September? That only leaves a month to sort a deal out or whatever we end up doing

[KK]

A no-deal Brexit would be worse for the EU than for Britain, a secret report drawn up by the bloc reveals according to The Times.

European Commission chiefs have been drawing up contingency plans in the event Britain crashes out of the bloc with no deal.

Those in the EU are becoming increasingly worried red tape in Brussels will slow down the ability of EU countries to quickly respond to the challenges.

The plans, drawn up by the EU's top civil servant Martin Selmayr, would see the bloc step in to keep trade open and planes in the air.

But the EU may not be able to get all the clearance needed to act swiftly, the report finds.

Officials fear that decisions would need to be green lit by member states and the EU Parliament, with key decisions bogged down in legal challenges as many steps would have to be in line with EU treaties, otherwise they could be challenged in the European Court of Justice causing further delays.

While the EU Parliament is due to break up just three weeks after Brexit, at the end of next March, for fresh elections to the bloc and will not meet again until July.

Officials are alarmed that this may leave a political vacuum in Brussels just as swift action will be needed to cope with a no deal scenario.

And they believe this could chip away at the unity of the bloc, and that member states with strong trade links with the UK will step in and call for a softer approach to Britain.

A senior EU source has told The Times: 'It will be very difficult to co-operate. In most areas where we will need to act there will be national vetoes in play. All countries will be able to block.

Experts believe that as a single government the UK will have the ability to respond more effectively because it can take decisive action quickly.

If Britain were to leave the EU with no deal, the two sides will need to decide how to police the borders, and collect and pay customs tariffs.

Vicky Ford, former chairwoman of the European parliament's internal market committee, said: 'In terms of getting decisions made quickly you need more notice than you do in the British parliament,'

'The fear is that the new parliament is going to be much more fragmented and difficult to manage.'

And she said that EU elections next spring could see a more right-wing and populist parliament elected.

'Everyone I speak to in member states wants a deal before March and if that is not possible then an extension to Article 50 to give us time to reach a deal.' 

[DML]

Even if that were true (it isn't), you can't claim a victory by going 'but we're not as bad off as them!'

We're still worse off!

[Moggy]

Even if that were true (it isn't), you can't claim a victory by going 'but we're not as bad off as them!'

We're still worse off!

This. I highly doubt that’s true and it doesn’t matter if the EU are totally strawberry floated if we are also totally strawberry floated.

[Lagamorph]

Even if the initial hit were worse for the EU than for the UK, the EU is in a much better position to handle the fallout in the medium to long term.

[That]

I don't think the memo is saying "The EU will be worse off", I think that's pretty misleading headlinesmanship from The Times.

I think what the memo is actually saying is that the EU will be slower to respond to and mitigate the bit of damage that does occur.

It will be much worse for us but we will in theory be able to mitigate some of the problems unilaterally. Obviously the EU will take a bit of a knock, it won't be disastrous but it will take it a long time to sort that knock out because of the nature of EU democracy.

I would still rather live in a dented EU than a UK that's fallen apart completely then been hurriedly duct-taped back together.

[KK]

Companies are suffering from staff shortages because of a fall in EU nationals coming to the UK, according to new research.

Two in five employers (40%) said they have found it more difficult to fill vacancies during the last 12 months due to a combination of fewer and less suitable applicants.

The number of applicants per vacancy has fallen since last summer across all levels of skilled jobs, a survey of 2,000 employers by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the professional body for HR staff, and recruitment firm Adecco found.

The institute said the shortages had forced more than half of organisations to raise starting salaries to recruit staff - and increase wages to retain existing employees.

The report said that, according to the latest official data, the number of EU-born workers in the UK increased by 7,000 between the first three months of 2017 and the same quarter this year.

This compares with 148,000 during the same period in 2016 to 2017.

The report said the 95% drop had exacerbated existing skills and labour pressures on firms, creating a "supply shock".

The average number of people applying for a low-skilled vacancy has fallen from 24 to 20 in the last year, and from 19 to 15 for medium-skilled jobs.

Gerwyn Davies, of the CIPD, said the trend adds to recruitment challenges especially felt by sectors that rely on non-UK labour to fill roles.

"With skills and labour shortages set to worsen further against the backdrop of rising talk of a 'no deal' outcome with the EU, the need for the government to issue consistent, categorical assurances about the status of current and future EU citizens, whatever the outcome of the negotiations, is more important now than ever," he said.

Alex Fleming, from Adecco, added: "With Brexit looming we're seeing a talent shortage and a more competitive marketplace.

"In this candidate-short landscape the pressure is on employers to not only offer an attractive salary, but also additional benefits.

"In today's environment employment benefits such as healthcare, a strong pension, flexible working and a collaborative and empowering work culture give employers a strong competitive advantage in attracting the best talent."

A government spokesman said: "EU citizens make a huge contribution to our economy and we have been clear from the beginning of this process that we want these citizens and their families in the UK to be able to stay.

"After we leave the EU, the UK will continue to be the open country it has always been. We will have in place an immigration system that delivers control over who comes to the UK, but that welcomes the brightest and best who want to work hard and contribute."

[Knoyleo]

Where are all those Brits who were itching for work but being pipped to it by EU migrants, then?

[Moggy]

An actual MP tweeted this.

twitter.com/andreajenkyns/status/1028656394696896512

[DML]

'The liberal elite' = 48% (and very possibly) more of the country.

What a strawberry floating idiot.

[Moggy]

twitter.com/dailymirror/status/1028939809866358784

[Frank]

The institute said the shortages had forced more than half of organisations to raise starting salaries to recruit staff - and increase wages to retain existing employees.

oh no!

At least there's *some* good news hiding in these brexit stories...

[Squinty]

An actual MP tweeted this.

twitter.com/andreajenkyns/status/1028656394696896512

She IS the elite

[Garth]

She's the illiberal elite. Or the idiot elite. Or both!

[Tomous]

twitter.com/dailymirror/status/1028939809866358784

This feels like it should be a Daily Mash satirical headline

[Knoyleo]

twitter.com/dailymirror/status/1028939809866358784

The genuine news story buried in that article, is that a woman with impaired mobility was given a hotel without the accessibility she needed, and even then put on a high floor, and Thomas Cook's response was to offer her a £75 voucher.

Of course she's a strawberry floating idiot for complaining that the Spanish should holiday elsewhere, but the story is one thing, and the headline another. Classic tabloid bollocks, throwing an idiot under the bus.

[Lex-Man]

twitter.com/dailymirror/status/1028939809866358784

This feels like it should be a Daily Mash satirical headline

Freda Jackson, 81, said that Spanish people should go somewhere else for their holidays and she cried at the end of her two-week trip.

Spanish people shouldn't go on holiday in Spain!!!