Westminstenders: Break Up or Make Up?

[RedToothBrush]

The next week or so appears to be yet another crunch point (not that any of these crunch points have actually resolved anything so far).

The EU is set to outline the plan for Ireland. Which everyone thought had already been outlined and agreed already. And it had been admitted was legally binding.

Except apparently we don't want to do that, and we are now crying about how the EU want to break up Britain (nothing to do with England wanting to leave the EU and Scotland and NI wanting to stay in it of course).

Jeremy Corbyn has now apparently decided that the customs union is a good idea. David Davis and Liam Fox have responded by saying that this would stop us making our own trade deals. Yes this has obviously stopped Turkey, and why aren't we doing as much trade with China etc as Germany anyway? A vote in the HoC looms before Easter. Will Tory rebels support.

Will Jeremy Corbyn bow to pressure over the single market too? The customs union alone does not stop the border issue in Ireland. Nor does it stop ridiculous queues at Dover. I'm not sure Corbyn is one for listening though. He's got a whiff of power and democracy and reality is just a hindrance to utopia.

As for the Great Repeal Bill. Word has it, its not going too clever in the HoL. The conservatives had something of a show of strength with an unusual number turning up for the debate. But few on the backbenches were willing to speak in favour of...

It all feels like we are making no progress at all. We are still bleating on about cherry picked deals as if this is a negotiation. Its not.

Apparently we'll follow ECJ but interpret it into UK law. Can't see any problems with that whatsoever, it isn't like case law develops and deepens on a case by case analysis or anything is it.

Does that mean that we comply with ECJ legislation to 31st March 2019 and then not, even if it means that widget exports become incompatible with EU law and are not accepted? or that we try and read ECJ judgments and apply them but can't get our own rulings ?(Unworkable). IT IS ALL SUCH BOLLOCKS.

Look beyond precedents and find a new balance.

UNICORNS AND CAKE

And we have to keep State Aid rules. The only glimmer of light as far as I'm concerned in the whole sorry affair was that we could bin the State Aid and Public Procurement rules. AAAARGH.

I believe it is achievable as it is in the EU's interests as well as ours.

George Eton @ georgeeaton
Theresa May right to say there is no support for low regulation, free market Brexit.

Thats Johnson's preferred option. The Singapore model.

Small mercies.

19 months after the referendum, 11 months after A50 was triggered, 7 months before the details need to be agreed to allow time for the E27 to get it through their legislatures and this crap waffle dross unicorn shit is the best she can come up with??????

So how long before Barnier, Tusk or Verhoefstad come out with a speech saying her speech was rubbish and unworkable and we're all still very much at square one? (I would say back to square one, but then that implies that at some point we did actually manage to move forward.)

We're not even talking heads of terms yet. We're not even talking anything other than unicorns and cake. How is this going to be a treaty in less than a year's time?

@hugorifkind
So far, she's doing a really good job of explaining why leaving the EU is a really bad idea.

Why are we still on 'visions' btw? We should be long past that.

And the reason we can't cherry pick is more to do with time constraints than anything else.

Steve peers tweets are interesting:

Steve Peers @ stevepeers
False statement by the PM about Norway model meaning automatic application of EU law "in its entirety" #roadtobrexit
May rejects the "hard border would be their fault" canard. Good. #roadtobrexit
"Access to markets will be less than it is now". It took a while to get there but this is honest. Don't remember the Leave campaign admitting that though #roadtobrexit
PM is correct to point out that the Commission is not fully consistent on its "no cherry picking" line - on fishing for instance #roadtobrexit
PM accepting some "level playing field" rules in future trade deals - significant but covering what besides competition? #roadtobrexit
UK has "exceptionally high standards of data protection" - not according to the courts #roadtobrexit
PM hints at some arrangement on migration with the EU post-Brexit - could be significant #roadtobrexit
PM correct to say that there are detailed variations within the EU's free trade deals #roadtobrexit
"Substantially similar standards" with EU - correct to say often linked to international standards - lots of detail to work out here #roadtobrexit
Was PM suggesting no ECJ involvement in aviation with non-EU countries? If so, not true - European common aviation treaty requires it #roadtobrexit

Oh goody - the border issue in Ireland will be solved by technology that hasn't been invented yet

We want to be back in the EMA and probably Euratom now too.

Perhaps she should tear up the Art 50 notification and have another go.

"We don't want the EU to discriminate against UK service providers"

Tough. The UK will be a third country.

This list of 5 principles sounds very like being in the EU.

Labour mobility for the rich bankers. Not for fruitpickers or NHS staff.

Did I hear that right- 'we are not looking for passporting'?

Has anyone told the city that?

You did. It's intrinsic to the single market so tis a no go apparently

"it would be unrealistic for us to implement new EU legislation automatically and in its entirety" Tweet from CCHQ. Is that the sop for JRM - that the EU tax legislation won't apply to him or any other tory MP /donor.

Brexiters adopt the sonic screwdriver strategy in the FT:

"On Tuesday, the foreign secretary explained that technology would resolve the seemingly intractable problem of maintaining a frictionless land border with Ireland, just as it allowed Londoners to drive from Islington to Camden without having to stop to pay the congestion charge.

The literal minded were quick to pounce on Mr Johnson’s argument, pointing out that Islington and Camden are both part of the same country and that free movement of people is permitted between the two boroughs. There is also no history of armed liberation movements stalking the streets of Hampstead.

But this was to miss Mr Johnson’s point. He was not equating the two borders, he was equating the two technologies. Of course a licence plate camera cannot carry out a customs inspection today, but that is just a matter of upgrading the technology.

“What technology?”, you may ask. Well, new technology. Retinal scans, heart monitors, smartphones, tachographs, the internet of things, sonic screwdrivers and flux capacitors. We just need to show a bit of great British ingenuity. You don’t need to understand the technology, you just have to believe and a technological solution will materialise that picks locks, kills Daleks and creates frictionless borders. (There are, of course, technologies that will solve a lot of border problems, they just won’t be in place by next March, and will fall short of the sonic screwdriver multi-tool solution.)"

"Bold and creative" is the new "deep and special"

This is such bullshit, as is no surprise.

Change is not to be feared as long as we face it with a clear sighted determination to act in the common good. FUCK OFF.

You know how it sometimes seems that Boris is trying to get himself sacked? Do you think TM is trying to trigger a no - confidence vote in herself? I can't imagine many tories of any stripe will be pleased with the decision to lose financial passporting and so in effect just get rid of the city. I bet even JRM wanted the banks to have whatever they wanted.

I've been saying FUCK OFF a lot during this speech, Painintheear

And CODSWALLOP. And CRAP.

More from steve peers:

PM has swallowed a textbook on customs law. But this sort of detail is unavoidable #roadtobrexit
"Access to markets will be different" in services. Don't remember the Leave campaign saying that either #roadtobrexit
Good points on case for professional mobility and recognition of qualifications - another nod to migration issues #roadtobrexit
Inevitably an argument for financial services - interesting the PM discusses broadcasting in more detail too
waves to Murdoch #roadtobrexit
PM wants ambitious continuation of cooperation in cross border civil litigation. More on that here - t.co/3UElgRGpOE
#roadtobrexit

Questions:

LK - "what you describe as hard facts could also be described as compromises which seemed obvious many months ago - do you accept these are necessary?

You want a pick n mix, which has been rejected. What can you say to EU to change their minds?"

TM - Its the right deal for the EU. Mutual interest and mutual benefits will be enough to sway. Waffle waffle waffle. RIght brexit deal for britain = right brexit deal for eu