why Brexit now???

[Figmentofmyimagination]

As the chancellor has said today, we are in huge trouble thanks to this pandemic - worst downturn in 300 years. Surely now is the time to revisit Brexit, especially as there is no longer any requirement to honour manifesto commitments?

Brexit is to cost 4% of national income each year long term, even with a deal, or at least 6% without a deal.

Can we not at least agree to stay in the single market?

Why are we still doing this?

Will our children forgive us?

Boris is too scared of a few headlines to not allow a free-for-all at Christmas, never mind Brexit.

When it all goes wrong, the pandemic will be to blame. Will of the people, democracy and all that.

Yep it's fucked. Couldn't have timed it worse.

Our kids have been instructed to educate themselves in a career they can move overseas with. That's all we can do.

Yes. It seems likely that medium to long term Brexit will cost more than Covid.

@TheGreatWave

When it all goes wrong, the pandemic will be to blame. Will of the people, democracy and all that.

'Remainers denying the will of the people' will become 'lockdowners destroyed the economy'.

Actually, now is a brilliant time (for those who actually think it's a good idea at all that is)because when the country's in a giant mess in years to come. The pandemic and its after effects will muddy the waters and nobody will be able to say for sure that Brexit was the real cause of the mess.

I don’t believe people will blame the pandemic on long-term damage caused by Brexit.

Remember how everyone quite quickly collectively ‘forgot’ the Spanish flu after WW1.

I don’t think Brexit will be forgiven. I think the fact that they are pressing forward even in a pandemic looks insanely ideological and will kill the conservatives for the next generation.

Sorry - I meant to say ‘I don’t think people will blame the pandemic FOR long term damage caused by Brexit’!

Brexit has already happened, dear.

Brexit Day was 31st January 2020. The UK left the European Union on that day.

All Brexit ill effects will be conveniently blamed on the pandemic. Handy.

Sadly, we've already left the EU and Johnson declined the opportunity to extend the transition period. Everything that follows will be blamed on those awkward Europeans not giving us a fair deal.

Because we're world-beating < > insert the latest buzzword from Liar in Chief Johnson and pals. Remember this from 1000 years ago, what larks were to be had cos we GOT BREXIT DUN and basically JEREMY CORBYN.This the season to be jolly fearful...

Yes, the legal deadline for extending the transition period was June 30 this year. And yy BJ will be able to blame the disruption caused by Brexit on the pandemic. I agree it's insane, not only not to extend, but to leave in the first place. But what's done is done. Let's hope the logistics disruption caused by Brexit doesn't interfere with the delivery and distribution of essential drugs and vaccines.

But we could still opt to stay in the single market - that would be the sane choice.

No, the choice to stay in the single market is long gone sadly. It's been the UK policy to be outside the single market for about two years now. The UK has also said it will be outside the UK's customs union, which implies tariffs on trade to and from the EU. And the current negotiations, among other things, are to see if we can meet an agreement with the EU to remove those tariffs, so we can have tarrif-free access to the EU market. That's the essence of what the UK has asked for although there are a lot of other things that come with it, such as state aid, the border with Ireland, fisheries etc.

Sorry that should say 'outside the EU's customs union'

In other words, a free trade agreement (that is being negotiated now) would not put us back in the single market, or in the customs union. It would provide a valuable benefit of tariff-free access, but only for UK origin goods. And this will be a whole new concept for many, many UK traders . It's vastly complicated and involves more complex paperwork on top of standard customs documents. Bear in mind that when we were in the EU , there were no customs documents to deal with at all.

HMRC has apparently recruited 5,000 new customs officials to deal with all the new paperwork, but one of the main uk road haulage assocs has calculated they would need 50,000 new customs officers to deal with the paperwork in reasonable time. So January is going to be interesting!

David Cameron is to blame for it all, not the pandemic not even Boris but David bloody Cameron.

@onedayinthefuture

David Cameron is to blame for it all, not the pandemic not even Boris but David bloody Cameron.

While this is true, Boris Johnson wasn't exactly backwards in coming forwards to push it through. For his own political gain at the time.

Trying to take comfort here that, although he can blame it on the eu, the pandemic, people who voted remain, people who voted leave, the cat's mother, he's been elected to put it through and then deal with it for the next for years.

Yes David Cameron very much responsible and the right wing trouble-makers in his party who he was trying to appease by calling a referendum in the first place. And he was complacent and arrogant and failed to run a decent Remain campaign and failed to comprehend the economic deprivation certain sections of society were suffering outside of London. But Boris adding his name to the Leave campaign had huge influence and a massive effect I think. Will he stay around long enough in the NY to sort out the mess or will he give way to odious Gove?

It was a perfect storm. One of the other unhelpful things was Corbyn and his friends not really being clearly remain (if at all) when his party wanted to clearly campaign for remain.

Because when the economy tanks even more than it's going to already, they can just blame the virus.

twitter.com/Coldwar_Steve/status/1329124567206539266/photo/1

In think this is quite a good time for Brexit actually as everything is fucking awful already. We may as well hit rock bottom and then hope to god we can kick upwards from there.

I’m hopeful that we get a deal with a long implementation period, as this will be an extension of transition but Boris gets to call it something else. Disruption at the ports resulting in fresh food shortages isn’t something that they can blame on the pandemic, as we haven’t had issues up until now. Lots of customs experts, freight forwarders etc are saying there will be shortages of everything that we import from the EU with or without a deal. The country isn’t ready for Brexit, and the full effects of leaving must be delayed whilst we deal with the pandemic (or indefinitely as it’s a stupid idea).