to agree with the positive Brexit plan below?!

[MenMust]

Having watched a documentary recently about the making of the London Olympics 2012 Opening Ceremony, I was reminded of the sheer skill, innovation and creativity possessed by this nation. This left no doubt in my mind that the UK is completely capable of making a huge success outside the EU.
The first thing the people of the UK need to do is to focus on positive outcomes and opportunities created by the historic decision to leave the EU. Everyone, including those who voted to remain, need to put aside all negativity and differences and anger. Whether you voted to exit or not, it is now going to happen and so all thoughts of doom and disaster are wasted energy and need to be put aside. Pessimism is a self-fulfilling prophesy and if you concentrate on what you think are the negative consequences of Brexit, you will drag the UK down.
Of course there is a risk to exiting the EU. However, there was always a risk to staying in the EU as it is a changing entity. A vote to remain was not a vote for the status quo. The UK will face challenges as it has always done and there will be those who lose out because of Brexit but there will also be those who gain. The EU however also faces an uncertain future. The Euro is in trouble and requires fiscal and budgetary union for any chance of survival. The EU’s economic performance has been poor and its share of world GDP is set to fall. It has failed to keep up with 21st Century globalisation and emerging markets. Further integration is not popular. The EU needs to change radically if it is to survive.
Now the UK has a new PM, Theresa May in place as well as a new Cabinet, the Government needs to appoint the best advisors and negotiators in the land who can help secure the UK the best deal with the EU. The Government should take its time to work out what the best outcome is for the UK before declaring article 50. The UK is in a good position to secure a favourable deal with the EU. We are the biggest importer within the EU and in fact import more from the EU than the USA. It is in the EU’s interest to work with us rather than against us.
The Government needs to ensure that our fishing industry regains rights of fishing areas that it has lost previously under the EU Common Fisheries Policy. EU laws that have had the effect of closing down fishing businesses and communities need to be reviewed.
It is important to remember that, although we have voted to leave the EU, we are still friends with our European neighbours and will continue to maintain a close relationship with them and support them in whatever way we can.
We should now open up to the rest of the world.
Our Government should secure and enhance friendships and relationships with other countries. They need to look at trading partnerships and free trade agreements (FTAs) with all countries we wish to trade with. Australia has already announced it wishes to look at trade deals with the UK. China and India are set to be the future trading powers so we need to start discussions with them. We could possibly forge a link with NAFTA (North American free trade bloc). We should look at our relationship with the Commonwealth and foster trade and agreements with our Commonwealth partners. The EU is the only trading bloc in the world that requires such stringent conditions on its members and this has stifled competition and productivity over a number of years rather than promoting it. We are the sixth largest economy in the world and so other countries will want to do business with us.
Our Government should ease its focus on achieving a balanced budget by 2020. Reducing our debt is still important but should now be done over a longer period and the Government should spend more money on capital projects to help counteract the slowing of growth. It should also look at reducing the tax burden further.
Our police and legal system should stamp down and eradicate racism and racist attacks on our fellow migrants as this is not acceptable. The UK is still a society that welcomes people of all ethnicities, cultures, religions and countries. Racism was not what Brexit was about.
The Government needs to ensure that all project funding commitments by the EU shall be stuck to until we have left the EU. Also, it should ensure that UK organisations and individuals are not discriminated by the EU leading up to our exit.
Once we leave the EU, the Government should commit to funding existing projects previously funded by the EU for at least another three years until it has a department or system in place to make decisions about continuing or ending project funding.
The amount that the UK paid towards the EU budget should be used for capital investment projects within the UK and also for improving and supporting the NHS. The capital projects to improve our infrastructure such as roads will help boost aggregate demand in the UK and help counteract any negative effects on GDP of leaving the EU. The Government should spend money to improve areas of our country that have been neglected or just need fixing.
UK exports will be cheaper due to the reduced value of Sterling. This is an opportunity to promote and increase what we sell to the rest of the world. We must take advantage of this.
UK imports will be more expensive due to the reduced value of Sterling and possible import tariffs. The Government could provide tax breaks to ease the burden on companies that import.
We should focus on buying British goods and supporting our businesses.
We have many of the greatest universities in the world and the Government should invest more via research grants to help boost our universities success even more.
The City of London has great financial institutions and London is one of the world’s top financial centres. It is renowned for its flexibility, resourcefulness, connections, highly skilled workforce, experience. The City with the support of the Government should ensure that it does everything so that it remains one of, if not the most attractive centre for finance in the world.
Finally, we, the UK need to stop underestimating what our country can achieve. Our history has shown what we can do. We still do and will continue to do. We were the pioneers of the industrial revolution. We invented the train, the telephone, the computer, the internet for example. We discovered penicillin, DNA, the laws of gravity. We have Shakepeare, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, The Beatles, Florence Nightingale, just to name a few! Football, rugby, cricket all came from our country. Our reach and influence is global. We are not a great empire anymore and we have no desire to be but our systems of politics, law, finance are duplicated around the world. So let’s not underestimate ourselves. I have great confidence in our younger generation to continue what previous generations have done. They are bright, intelligent, skilled, energetic, creative. They and older generations have the ability to make a success of our exit from the EU. We all just need to believe in ourselves and remain calm and confident.
We have been in the EU for 43 years, not really a long time in the scheme of things.
So let’s not be afraid and let us take this challenge on and show what we can do!

I'm a remainder and not one of the prolific posters but one of those reasons is that I have nothing to add. The remain posters may be getting boring but they are unlikely to change their views just out improve your reading experience.

I originally thought that EEA membership was ultimately going to be a given. I might have been able to grudgingly go along with something song the lines of the Norway model, even though it would be idiotic but what is being suggested from the cabinet meeting, no way. I'll be marching on Saturday.

Peregrina, May was also pretty explicit about the single market being a priority during her leadership campaign.

uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/idUKKCN0ZR1VK

Surferjet, I would love to say that I felt more positively about Brexit since the vote, and have been searching for any information which would indicate that a good outcome is likely. Unfortunately, the more I read, the clearer it becomes that we are on a tragically self-destructive path.

My reading Kaija is that this wasn't a commitment to the single market, but this was the "We will demand our cake and eat it option".

"I want to be clear that as we conduct our negotiations, it must be a priority to allow British companies to trade with the single market in goods and services, but also to regain more control of the numbers of people who come here from Europe," she said this month.

surfer - instead of asking for fresh opinions from remainers, how about you give us your opinion?
What do you think of May's assertion that restricting immigration will be at the heart of the Brexit deal?
What do you think about this statement: "We will only have limited access to the single market and have to content ourselves with a free trade agreement, which would not cover many of our key services sectors including financial services."
Does the possible loss of one of biggest service sectors concern you at all?

I'm actually not sure why the fisheries comment in particular struck me as being straight from the Ministry of Disinformation, given the OP's call to authorities such as Shakespeare and the organisers of the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic games.

Anyway, if the OP comes back I would find it profitable to discuss how we make these things happen, and what we are prepared to give up to get them.

I don't know, Just different views/opinions? I know 99% of MN have this board hidden so it's obviously not going to be busy, but it would be nice to have a bit more variety.

There are only three groups of people still reading this forum: those with very strong fixed views in and out, and those with a significant interest in the public policy, legal and economic ramifications. Everyone else is bored shitless of talk about brexit.

So expecting a variety of views is not realistic. But there is still stuff to learn: I found the views of the Irish posters on the NI thread fascinating for example.

tiggy my own view is that net EU immigration is set to fall significantly in the next couple of years, so in the fullness of time the government may be able to claim victory on immigration without actually doing anything. This will leave the door open to a softer brexit, or perhaps the long grass.

Why will it fall?

• immigration falls and emigration rises in a recession (this will also be true for non EU immigration of course)
• the collapse in sterling has made working in the UK less attractive for those sending money back home
• educated EU migrants in particular will be considering their options and may choose not to stay somewhere they are not welcome

"We will only have limited access to the single market and have to content ourselves with a free trade agreement, which would not cover many of our key services sectors including financial services."

It should be said that that quote came from Charles Grant head of the Centre for European Reform rather than directly from the government, but that's reality of what we are looking at. As services make up 80% of our exports we are slightly fucked.

Theresa May seems to be following the school of thought suggested by many leavers, the one where we will get everything we want from the EU and have to make no concessions.

However there may be a bit of politicking going on here cause she says: "This must mean controls on the numbers of people who come to Britain from Europe but also a positive outcome for those who wish to trade goods and services.”

So its OK to come here if your trading goods and services? Or does that mean British people trading goods and services? Or does the word control mean limitations?

If we take it on face value I'm not very confident about the future for many industries.

Serously, Nissan want to start production of the new QashQai in 2020, if we don't have a firm explanation of what is going to happen to the car industry they will move this to Spain, Banks will move, trade will fall.

Positive noises may be happening now, whilst the pound is low and we're still in the EU, they won't be as good in the future.

I've no doubt some leavers will come along soon, smallfox, with some well-thought out solutions to these issues.

Or not.

Well inspired by surfer, I ventured onto the Telegraph website this morning, looking for some encouraging news, and I was heartened to read this, following yesterday's cabinet meeting:

"A Downing Street spokesman said: "Ministers agreed that we should be seizing the opportunity of Brexit to confirm the UK's place as one of the great trading nations in the world, fostering entrepreneurialism and setting out a long-term vision for the country.

They also agreed on the vital need to increase productivity, and the importance of doing more to foster economic growth and industrial development in regions up and down the country".

I don't know about anyone else, but I find that very reassuring. The OP obviously has her (or his) finger on the pulse. Her OP could almost be a poorly written first draft of the press release.

^
See. This is what we need.

Well done to every person who voted leave & has faith & pride in the UK.

Ignore all the doom & gloom, it's b***ks.
🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

*"Ministers agreed that we should be seizing the opportunity of Brexit to confirm the UK's place as one of the great trading nations in the world, fostering entrepreneurialism and setting out a long-term vision for the country.

They also agreed on the vital need to increase productivity, and the importance of doing more to foster economic growth and industrial development in regions up and down the country"*

Because of course it's the EU that's been stopping us doing all this for the last 40-odd years,. Not globalisation in the world economy, laissez-faire attitudes and lack of regulation on the part of UK governments, mad gambling on the part of banks, and short-termism, profit-seeking and out-sourcing on the part of businesses.

But never fear, the whole sorry mess can be put right with a long-term vision.

Bold fail ^

I do wonder whether Brexit is going to be used as the "shock" that will allow a Conservative government for the next 10 years to be able to implement more Friedman style economic policies. Eg: " We have to privatise this because of the economic costs of Brexit, its what YOU voted for."

Unicorns for all.

Well, one philosophy which many extreme thoroughgoing left- and right-wingers agree on is "creative destruction".

Brexit could well be the trigger for exactly that. There are, I gather, quite a few of the above who are looking forward to it and the opportunities they are sure it will afford them.

Not sure how many ordinary people are going to like a) the process of destruction and b) what gets built afterwards.

"A Downing Street spokesman said: "Ministers agreed that we should be seizing the opportunity of Brexit to confirm the UK's place as one of the great trading nations in the world, fostering entrepreneurialism and setting out a long-term vision for the country.

They also agreed on the vital need to increase productivity, and the importance of doing more to foster economic growth and industrial development in regions up and down the country".

Now I'm really feeling negative. The cabinet meets for a day and all they can come up with are two sentences of PR lite shite. It's just words, but how is the UK government going to achieve those laudable hopes?

I would feel really positive if each paragraph had an additional sentence, 'We plan to achieve this by, (examples are not meant to be specific)

Minister A will enter into discussion with Company X to offer them tax advantages if they moved their business here.

Minister B will meet with Company Y to determine how keeping their manufacturing plants in this country for our mutual benefit.

Minister C will discuss with Country Z how to combine our financial strengths to our mutual benefit.

In other words what any half decent company would do, here's the project, here's how we're going to achieve our goals.

OP “The first thing the people of the UK need to do ...” no, the first thing the politicians should do is ... come up with an action plan.

Although of course the advantages of offering Company X a tax deal if it moves its business here rather depends on the nature of the jobs created.

Take Amazon. It already arranges its affairs so that it pays very little tax, but then relies on the UK Exchequer to top up the wages of its poorly-paid staff with tax credits and housing benefit, and to build and maintain the roads which it uses to deliver its goods.

I don't know that anyone has been able to calculate the figures for Amazon, but it's theoretically possible for the UK to actually be out of pocket as a result of a firm setting up here.

The only advantage being that the workers get some wages which enable them to access top-ups, and the unemployment figures look better.

The UK is definitely out of pocket for Amazon being here.

www.independent.co.uk/money/tax/revealed-amazon-earns-more-through-government-grants-than-it-pays-in-tax-8617919.html

There is more than just the cases cited, when you consider the business enviroment and the things that are tax payer provided that they need to trade, roads just as one example, its a joke.

When you then put on top the VAT it avoids paying, the WTCs needed for its workers, they're in massive tax deficit.

"All they can come up with are two sentences of PR lite shite. It's just words."

Indeed it is. No wonder the Telegraph removed their comments function if they are going to continue uncritically publishing this vacuous rubbish.

It is actually quite frightening. To quote Orwell (brief pretentiousness alert!), "modern writing at its worst .. consists in gumming together long strips of words which have already been set in order by someone else, and making the results presentable by sheer humbug". Yes indeed.

This meaningless rubbish is not only nostalgic drivel - it is dangerous nostalgic drivel, because it uses reassuring platitudes to suck people in and make them feel better, treating them like children without presenting anything concrete, while at the same time leaving those of us who have our more cynical hats on, and who are looking for some sort of concrete plan, even more concerned than we might have been.

It's ok figment, the Leave voters will pop up waving their flags saying we just need a little faith.

What was that about treating them like children? I wonder why that's a tact that's been taken............

I seriously worry for Surfer if two sentences of unmitigated waffle can cause her to feel uplifted. But then it does explain why she swallowed the Leave campaign hook, line, and sinker...

As a gifted gentleman told told me yesterday, Brexit is not just some bad hangover, its a hangover coupled with the fact that you drove the car drunk, crashed it, and killed a family. There aint no way to paint a pretty picture. It is actually as bad as it seems.

*"Ministers agreed that we should be seizing the opportunity of Brexit to confirm the UK's place as one of the great trading nations in the world, fostering entrepreneurialism and setting out a long-term vision for the country.

They also agreed on the vital need to increase productivity, and the importance of doing more to foster economic growth and industrial development in regions up and down the country".

I don't know about anyone else, but I find that very reassuring*

Really?

That's funny.

Julius Caesar managed to get his point across in 3 words.

He was kinda successful.