Westministenders: Brexit Britain = Gridlock Britain ?

[BigChocFrenzy]

We keep getting told the Uk can get a deal like Canada, Turkey or other non-EU countries have, without FOM.
Those deals do not provide the same privileges as EU members:
They have quotas, restrictions and must obey EU regulations

e.g. After CETA, Ron Davidson, head of international trade for the Canadian Meat Council stated:
"We do not have what we would call commercially viable access to the European market".

The deal with Turkey abolished tariffs, but did not give free acess. This is what that means:

www.ft.com/content/b4458652-f42d-11e6-8758-6876151821a6

"On a recent Saturday at the Kapikule border crossing, about 30 minutes drive from the Turkish city of Edirne, a line of trucks 4km long stretched along the highway, inching along glacially towards the Bulgarian checkpoints.
"Today is a good day", said Ibrahim Kurtukcu, a 42-year trucker who had been waiting 14 hours.
"Last week the line was 7km long".
The record is 17km. It can take up to 30 hours to get through to the other side."

Of course, UK ports (and French ports) do not have the capacity, facilities, storage space or trained staff to handle customs processing of the vast amount of British exports & imports.

Building this additional capacity - where ? - would take several years and there are no signs that even the planning stage has started.

I was at the hairdressers earlier and one of the other clients was talking to the hairdresser about the budget

The gist was "I didn't listen. What's the point? You can't change anything!"

^ bear in mind both the people speaking are SE!!

It such a common attitude around here

Depressing and apathetic

Was it summer?

That passed me by

Bloody awful policy 😡

No, but they do do it by mistake or rather by false beliefs/ideology.

Yes, I agree it could happen by incompetence/ accident.

I think you are starting to see a process of walking back from the brink. Government not talking about Brexit because it "polls badly". That Wetherspoons idiot acknowledging that he can't run his dreadful pubs without EU citizens. Farmers giving Leadsom a hard time. The recent HoC committee report that recommended an EFTA solution.

The delusional ideology that has this country in thrall is a little like a political religion - without the coherence.

Brexit and Trumpism have much in common with religious cults.

Absolutely!

Place marking. Caught up at last!

Yes reading that link made me think it was especially appropriate that Richard Dawkins is speaking out, substitute the Brexit delusion for the God delusion.

LH You thought the hard Brexiters would never "let us" have an Associate EU citizenship....hmm

Um, how can they stop it

When the words "traitors" is banded around, it's not impossible to envisage measures restricting dual UK nationality. Making it incompatible with "EU nationality".

LH Guess which one I'd dump in that case

"Competent, sensible people "
< scans the cabinet for signs of any >

I agree there are a couple, nestling among the wingnuts - Hammond for one.
However, they seem intimidated / bashful or waiting their moment

Davies and Fox dramatically lower the average IQ of any gathering and Bojo shatters the EQ

Are "stupid" & "stubborn" qualities politicians can catch, like mumps ?

And don't forget leadsom...
(Although she is easily forgettable I concede)

< glares at Bladders >

I try very hard to forget Loathsome and I had succeeded until a certain poster ....

bigchoc

😂

Telegraph Exclusive: 'Where was UK?’ asks furious Poland as it accuses Theresa May of humiliating Warsaw in EU summit showdown

"Where was the UK in Brussels?” fumed Witold Waszczykowski, the Polish foreign minister in a message to The Telegraph hours after Europe had inflicted a humiliating 27-1 defeat on Poland by re-electing Donald Tusk as president of the European Council in defiance of Polish objections.

"The row over Mr Tusk left Theresa May facing a diplomatic dilemma, either to upset Poland and risk undermining months of effort to curry favour with Warsaw, or isolate Britain from the other 26 member states."

"As European Council president, Mr Tusk is responsible for chairing meetings of EU leaders which will be vital in setting the tone for negotiations that will be handled by Michel Barnier at the European Commission."

(Background to row:
"Mr Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, is also the political arch-enemy of Poland’s current ruling conservative Law and Justice party, led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
Mr Kaczynski has led the demands to unseat his fellow Pole, whom he accuses of using his position to undermine Poland in Brussels.
The European Commission is formally reviewing Poland for its allegedly undemocratic reforms to the judiciary and media.")

"Polish anger at Britain’s failure to support their candidate threatens to take the sheen off a year-long diplomatic charm offensive with Poland, a country that shares the UK’s views on Brussels overreach, and one that British negotiators view as a key ally in coming Brexit negotiations.

As well as the Belvedere Forum, Britain has sent troops to Poland, rolled out the red carpet for a visit by the Polish prime minister last November, and has included Poland on the itinerary of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for an official visit this coming July."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/10/exclusive-uk-asks-furious-poland-accuses-theresa-may-humiliating/

The Duke & Duchess roped in too

Oh, is that May's master plan ? She thinks the Royals will overawe the E27 ?
They are a famously horsy family, but no unicorns afaik.

Worried Telegraph:
"This unseemly EU spat with Poland could not have come at a worse time"

"Just days away from triggering Article 50 and setting in train EU negotiations that will define Britain’s place in the world for a generation, Mrs May needed all the friends and allies she can find.

Her decision to back Mr Tusk and ignore Poland’s demands to support a no-hope protest candidate strikes a sour note for UK relations with Poland – a country that British negotiators have singled out as a key ally in the coming Brexit talks.

In practice, Mrs May had no choice but to side with the 26 member states against an increasingly isolated and erratic Polish government – EU diplomats said it would be “political suicide” if Mrs May sided openly with the bad boy of Europe – but that does not mean Poland will see it that way."

Meanwhile the Independent have picked up the election expenses 'scandal'

The Conservative battle buses are one of the sources of the expenses scandal - they toured the country filled with activists who campaigned for local candidates but were allocated as a national expense . However in case anyone missed it the battle buses were a vehicle for other murky Conservative sleaze and scandal that led even to a suicide

www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/nov/27/conservative-party-chiefs-bullying-youth-wing-warsi-grant-shapps-letter

Hashi Could you post a link, please. I am too tired to find it.

Just finished The Nix by Nathan Hill, which is a novel for our time. He must have written it over the course several years, but it feels like he specifically wrote about the fake news scandal and the current crop of GOP demagogues.
www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-nix-nathan-hill-a7533916.html

elena on it for you, gimme a bit.

Just seen Milo twatface has attacked Glasgow uni nomination twatface. Apparently he's one of 12 nominees to be rector. I'm guessing Glasgow uni feel they need publicity.

Independent on battlebus

From Alex Andreou on Twitter

That's brilliant Kajia

www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2017/mar/10/the-internet-warriors-meet-the-trolls-in-their-own-homes-video?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Watch right to the end ... the last three minutes are important.

The rest is what you'd expect ...

Funny and depressing at the same time kaija