Brexit

Return_of_the_STAR wrote:It’s a bit pointless trying to hold the government the £350m thing as it wasnt them that were behind it. It doesnt matter if it was part of a campaign that some ministers were involved in.

Denster wrote:

Lagamorph wrote:

Tafdolphin wrote:I see the sharks have smelled the blood then. Not that the NHS is a shark at all, but they must really think the government is super weak to be making such bold demands.

I think they're just drawing attention to what a ridiculous lie it was.

twitter.com/joncstone/status/928290345514885121

Squinty wrote:I don't want to give the government too much credit, but they are playing a blinder with this Priti Patel stuff. No one cares about Brexit reports phasing out of existence anymore.

EU sources close to the negotiations have told me they believe the UK has only two weeks left to make progress on the Brexit divorce issues.

Otherwise, I've been told, EU leaders are extremely unlikely to vote at their December summit to widen talks to include trade and transition deals - as the UK so dearly wants.

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And why are there only two weeks left for the UK to move on the money, according to the EU?

Because that is when the 27 EU capitals start discussing the draft conclusions to the leaders' summit which takes place mid-December. They need those two weeks to more or less agree a position.

"And there's no way they'll agree to talk trade or transition with the UK in December, if the money issue hasn't been put to bed beforehand. Forget it," a high-level contact told me.

"Then the Brexit situation becomes dramatic."

Because if the December summit comes and goes, the earliest talks of a future EU-UK relationship could start would be at the next EU leaders summit in March 2018.

Far too late for businesses on both sides of the Channel which are desperate for some clarity.

March 2018 would also be one year after the UK triggered Article 50 - the formal process to leave the EU.

And it's six months from the time the EU wants to formally close Brexit negotiations in order to be able to vote on any agreement reached.

"All I know," a source close to the negotiations told me, "is that I don't know the UK as I thought I did."

"Are they so clouded by sex scandals and losing ministers in Westminster that they don't see: Brexit time is running out?

"They want a deal. Fine. Then now's the time to rip off the Band Aid. To admit to the UK public and the Conservative Party: 'We want to leave and it's time to pay'."

The EU wants a deal, too. Very much so. But the mantra "No deal is better than a bad deal" also rings true this side of the Channel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41923765

Hyperion wrote:There's very little waste in council departments, they're chronically underfunded

Moggy wrote:

Hyperion wrote:There's very little waste in council departments, they're chronically underfunded

That’s not what the Sun and Mail headlines say though so you must be lying.

Meep wrote:Not only is there not going to be any extra money to give to NHS, as we weren't sending that amount of money the first place and things like farming subsidies have already been pledged to continue by the government, the NHS is now going to have a serious recruitment crisis due to the drop in the currency exchange and the future uncertainties.

Fortunately I recently took out a health plan that will bump me up the waiting list if I need the opinion of a consultant quickly. It was that or potentially risk some worrying development go untreated for too long. With the current rising demand for services and the future pressures on staff and no sign of anything like the investment the service needs, it's only a matter of time before we start seeing people die on the waiting lists in significant numbers. I work in a hospital so I'm basing this prediction on a few conversations I've had and word of mouth.

twitter.com/faisalislam/status/928689412346695680

Theresa May has warned she will not "tolerate" any attempt to block Brexit, after setting out the specific hour the UK will leave the EU.

She said that "11pm GMT on 29 March 2019" is "there in black and white" in an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41936428

Hyperion wrote:There's very little waste in council departments, they're chronically underfunded

Moggy wrote:

Theresa May has warned she will not "tolerate" any attempt to block Brexit, after setting out the specific hour the UK will leave the EU.

She said that "11pm GMT on 29 March 2019" is "there in black and white" in an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41936428

She will not tolerate it! She is strong! Crush the saboteurs!

So Theresa, what can we do that will make us look like we know what we're doing without actually doing anything at all of substance?

The EU is demanding Britain accept that Northern Ireland may need to remain inside the European customs union and single market after Brexit in order to avoid “a hard border on the island of Ireland”.

The explicit mention of an “all-island” approach by Dublin and Brussels directly contradicts the UK position and will infuriate the Democratic Unionist party, on whose votes Theresa May’s government depends for a parliamentary majority at Westminster.

The European Commission on Wednesday circulated an update on negotiations, seen by the Financial Times, which concludes that the avoidance of “regulatory divergence” on the island of Ireland is “essential” to protect the peace process.

“It consequently seems essential for the UK to commit to ensuring that a hard border on the island of Ireland is avoided, including by ensuring no emergence of regulatory divergence from those rules of the internal market and the customs union,” the paper states.

The commission adds that the regulatory arrangements “are (or may be in the future) necessary for meaningful North-South co-operation, the all-island economy and the protection of the Good Friday Agreement”.