Brexit
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Lex-Man
- Member
- Joined in 2008
- Contact:
Kanbei wrote:Squinty wrote:https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/feb/09/northern-ireland-will-stay-in-single-market-after-brexit-eu-says
Norn Iron
Won't the DUP refuse this offer on the grounds it will lead to a hard boarder between the Britian and NI.
Amusement under late capitalism is the prolongation of work.
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Moggy
- "Special"
- Joined in 2008
- AKA: Moggy
lex-man wrote:Kanbei wrote:Squinty wrote:https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/feb/09/northern-ireland-will-stay-in-single-market-after-brexit-eu-says
Norn Iron
Won't the DUP refuse this offer on the grounds it will lead to a hard boarder between the Britian and NI.
Probably and I can’t see the hard right of the Tory party being too pleased either. Then Scotland will want an exception to be made for them as well….
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Garth
- Emeritus
- Joined in 2008
- Location: Norn Iron
lex-man wrote:Kanbei wrote:Squinty wrote:https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/feb/09/northern-ireland-will-stay-in-single-market-after-brexit-eu-says
Norn Iron
Won't the DUP refuse this offer on the grounds it will lead to a hard boarder between the Britian and NI.
Yeah, if Northern Ireland ends up staying in the customs union and single market, the government's agreement with the DUP would mean the whole of the UK would have to stay too (or align in some way if the EU agrees to it) to avoid an internal border between NI and Britain. If the government goes back on that agreement, the DUP may stop propping up the government. The DUP doesn't even want to be in the customs union and single market either.
But, the government has also said the entire UK is leaving the single market and customs union, to be free to make our own trade deals after leaving the EU, rather than staying in the single market and customs union and just taking what the EU gives us while having no say over it (we may as well stay in the EU at that point, as we'd essentially just be giving up the control we currently have as a full EU member).
But we can't stay in the EU as it's against "teh will of the people!" (or the 52% of people who actually voted) and the Tory Brexiteers wouldn't stand for it either, likely bringing down the government if they tried to go against the referendum.
So, the government is looking at some continually undefined bespoke deal in the hope that the EU will agree to having some kind of trading alignment with us to give us access to their market and keep the banking passport while simultaneously permitting us to not follow the normal rules of the market, so we can also be free to make our own trade deals and not have things like freedom of movement, the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice etc (because immigration and 'sovereignty' were the big motivators for the Brexit vote in the first place).
But why would the EU agree to that, essentially giving us everything we want, weakening the foundations of the EU, when they are collectively the larger market and don't need us as much as we need them, plus making their other trading parters return to the table demanding the same deal (as they already said they would)?
Basically there's no realistic way to keep everyone perfectly happy, and the government appears to be drawing things out as long as possible, hoping for a miracle and trying not to anger any faction (government Remainers, Brexiteers and the DUP) so much that they cripple the government, while the EU still doesn't know what exactly it is that we want and are preparing for a no deal situation, falling back to the default agreement of NI being aligned with or staying in the single market and customs union to avoid a hard border and avoid breaching the Good Friday Agreement international treaty.
Around and around we go!
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Garth
- Emeritus
- Joined in 2008
- Location: Norn Iron
