What do you not like about the withdrawal agreement?

[Phuquocdreams]

Is it really that bad? Just curious as to what people’s main problem with it is.

AwdBovril
Your summary is correct, except that the WA is a 'smooth' departure.
585 pages of 'topics' that need to be discussed and new legislation prepared for, a herculean task but given a strong stable UK government that knows where it is going, perfectly feasible.
The major problem being that the UK does not have a strong stable government with a clear focus (putting it mildly) so in the interim, being in a 'transitional' phase, having signed up for it is 'safest'.
In some respects the 'money' side of it is becoming irrelevant as so much is being wasted now, several times the 'membership fee' that the UK was paying is good value for the 99% of the UK who can get on with life while the UK government sorts itself out.

EU based industry that has already been frightened off will go anyway, whatever is decided unless the UK gov can come up with monumental 'bribes' NOW to stop them leaving. (not going to happen).
Given the global changes to the economies, remain/revoke would be the SENSIBLE thing to do, as the reason why the UK was 5th or whichever placement in GDP is based on it being IN the EU and trading with zero tariffs with a third of the planet, the ones with the majority of the money.

Phuquocdreams That the EU are forcing Ireland to be used as a backstop

{Nat6999 Sun 24-Mar-19 12:46:50

Phuquocdreams That the EU are forcing Ireland to be used as a backstop}

The EU are not forcing Ireland to do anything.
The backstop is only necessary because the UK government are untrustworthy and cabinet members have even said that once the WA is signed they would renege on it. this makes the backstop even more vital. The UK government are not capable of acting in good faith and with Mrs May's 'declarations of intent' being cancelled regularly there is no way the EU will let things go without full legal protection.

Hi Tess

The backstop is there for Ireland not the EU. It's been pushed by Ireland and has been supported by the EU.

IMO one of the reasons for the visceral (but not very logical) hate of the backstop is that it's put Ireland in the driving seat, able to impose conditions on the UK against its will with the support of the other 26 EU nations.

Nat6999, you clearly have no idea what you’re talking about, or what the backstop is, or who benefits the most from it. There’s only one party risking the peace process and it ain’t the EU.

The WA is not really leaving the EU. It's not leaving at all.

It's a very inferior version of remain.

Leavers, would you swap your in perfect working order, full service history, reliable car, for a cut and shut, no service history, heap of junk?

Because that's what you're doing by backing the WA or any version of brexit tbh.

The WA is not really leaving the EU. It's not leaving at all.

This is rubbish. First the WA is not the future relationship - it's compatible with anything from Norway to Canada (+ backstop). Anyone who wants to argue that Canada is in the EU is welcome to do so, but they will look totally ignorant.

I wrote to my MP for a summary of it, (amazed the press have done so little to analyse it) he's a conservative who I think initially voted remain (I think, although he may be leave) but is now pro leave no deal. He wrote back an explanation as to why the deal was so unfavourable, he's biased obviously, but it certainly convinced me (I'm not Tory btw) I can copy and paste if you'd like.

(I'm completely remain also by the way and don't want to leave at all)

{The WA is not really leaving the EU. It's not leaving at all.}
Not true, it is envisaged and written as a plan for the UK to leave the EU entirely over a projected 2 year period, there is a lot to sort out. IF the UK signs up to it although it is essentially a leave document, there is the possibility of retaining elements as long as the 4 pillars of the EU are not compromised. It will never, as it stands be as beneficial as remaining, but if the UK had a substantiated change of heart the EU have said unofficially that swerving back in properly (remain) on existing terms would be possible, from the WA.

We already have the best deal with the EU. Why should we abandon that deal just to keep a lot of very rich disaster capitalists happy, most of whom don't even live here?

I agree that the WA is better than no deal, primarily because it forces the backstop on our slippery Government and they can't wriggle out of it. But I don't actually want a WA. I want to stay in the EU.

If TM and her Government won't Revoke, I want a People's Vote that includes the option to Stay, as nearly 5 million and counting have been demanding this week.

292,316 people voted for the DUP in 2017. Nearly 5 million voted for Revoke this week.
Estimates put Farage's Leave march at 200 on a good day; it's estimated that the numbers at the People's Vote March were between 1 and 2 million.

How come the very slim majority of the referendum is so sacrosanct, yet the overwhelming majorities seen this week can be ignored?

@Tanith

Hear hear.