Please can someone tell me the upsides of Brexit

[CleopatrasMum]

Apparently Dominic Raab has said there are many upsides of Brexit. The article in the Guardian that I read this in gave no details of what Raab (presumably) went on to say those upsides were.

Please can someone explain them to me?

Link to article here for what it's worth:

Raab says Brexit will bring 'huge series of upsides' for UK trade

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/06/raab-says-brexit-will-bring-huge-series-of-upsides-for-uk-trade?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

[TheElementsSong]

any update on what 'pulling together' looks like or 'taking our cuntry back' from australia, of course?

Always some version of “Just BeLeave” maybe with some extra words like “opportunities” and some qualifiers like “loyalties.”

[lovelookslikethis]

A new start for the country could be very invigorating.
I like the idea that we are not part of some superstate, and we can vote in and out our leaders.
EU is an ageing institution not especially fit for purpose in today's world. I remember the old saying change or die, someone needs to translate that to them. For projects to survive they need to evolve, and the only thing evolving out of the EU is more read tape, federalist ambitions and expenses.

[MeganBacon]

The gain for the payers is a weak(er) currency. Economists have estimated the gains made by Germany due to having the Euro and not the DM and it is a HUGE number.
Very good point made up thread which largely answers why Germany pays in without too much complaint. They are in the Euro and have an offsetting benefit in that their strong economy is not reflected in the level of the Euro.

That said, Germany "lends" via uncleared Target balances which are not part of the usual debt metrics so does bear additional risks which were probably not anticipated in the original design.

[soniamumsnet]

Hi folks,

Can we have a bit of peace and love, please?
Personal attacks are not on. Thanks.

[Peregrina]

and we can vote in and out our leaders.

Would you like to explain when the UK voted Boris Johnson's unelected henchman Cummings? Because I for sure don't know.

As far as electing PM's go - Thatcher was already the Party leader when the Tories won in 1979 and Major in 2002. Ditto with Blair in 1997. So people knew who they would get as PM.

Brown and May were on shaky ground but their parties still had a majority when they became party leaders and thus PM. Borish Johnson was quick to condemn Brown for being unelected, but Brown's majority was made up of his own party, not a C & S arrangement with a party that no one in Great Britain can vote for and half of NI won't vote for.

[bellinisurge]

I loved voting for the House of Lords and for our head of state .... no ... hang on a minute...

[Peregrina]

OK Major too would be on shaky ground but he won his mandate in 2002.

However much Johnson would like us to slavishly copy America, we don't yet have a Presidential system.

[probstimeforanewname]

we can vote in and out our leaders


Hmmmm. If you are a Tory party member, maybe.

[BertrandRussell]

“and we can vote in and out our leaders. ”

You’ll love doing that- it’s great! I’ve been doing it for years!

[Peregrina]

It took me nearly 30 years of voting to get the candidate I wanted elected!

[Iggly]

I loved voting for the House of Lords and for our head of state

The queen is not able to actually run the country.

As for the House of Lords, they act as a check and balance on the House of Commons. They don’t run the country and the House of Commons can ignore what they say (it rarely happens but it can).

My problem with the House of Lords is that peers are too easily nominated. But in principle I like the idea of the Lords because they tend to be people with actual non political experience and aren’t concerned with winning votes.

[Iggly]

It took me nearly 30 years of voting to get the candidate I wanted elected

Democracy isn’t about the choice of an individual but that of a collective.

[BertrandRussell]

It took me nearly 30 years of voting to get the candidate I wanted elected!”
Well, I don’t think I have ever voted for anyone who got in! But that’s not the point....

[bellinisurge]

@Iggly other countries with a bicameral system like ours vote for both chambers directly. And vote for their head of state.
And the Queen actually has some power.

[Iggly]

I don’t want to vote for both chambers though. Simply because as soon as you introduce politics in (although I accept you do get lords associated with parties), that becomes their primary focus.

The queen has some powers but doesn’t run the country.

If I had my way we wouldn’t have a queen though.

[BertrandRussell]

It’s interesting how people who have an issue with the European Parliament, which they can vote for, often have no issue with the House of Lords, which they can’t.

[bellinisurge]

Of course you should vote for both houses . " I can't be arsed" is not acceptable.

[OhLookHeKickedTheBall]

Ooohhh ooohhh I do know one. Just one. We can wipe vat on sanitary products slightly faster than if we remained in the EU if you're happy to ignore the other side that vat on other products won't have a 20% upper limit anymore

[Moanranger]

I have been mulling this over today. There is too much focus on the immediate effect of crashing out. This MAY not be the Armageddon that has been predicted. So if it is not horrible on 1 Nov, Brexiteers will be saying “I told you so”
That misses the point.
Crashing out will cause ( and already has caused) the weakening of the pound. It will continue to weaken or perhaps stabilise at a lower level. The UK is heavily dependent on imports. Even ignoring tariff issues ( which could make imports more expensive on their own) a weak pound buys fewer goods. This will drive the costs of goods up. That, my friends, is inflation. That means a vicious upward pressure on prices for all goods and service and wages.
At the same time, the economy will be slowing due to increased trade barriers. We could eventually (say 5 years) get trade agreements in place, but until that happens, the economy will stagnate, inflation will go up, and we will all feel a lot poorer.
The combination of both a weak economy and a weak pound will markedly increase business failures, as well as personal bankruptcies.
We may eventually recover from this 5-10 years) but part of that recovery will include going cap in hand to E.U. to agree a trade deal.
Also, the United Kingdom will be toast (Wales, England & Scotland will be separate countries) and Ireland will probably be re-United.
I would like a Brexiteer to explain why the above is a good thing?

[Voila212]

Ohlook Ireland doesn't charge any vat on sanitary products.

[bellinisurge]

We use reusable sanitary products. No VAT.

[OhLookHeKickedTheBall]

voila so even that was a lie? But that was the only upside I knew of!

[Moanranger]

Re red tape: I deal with UK regs that arise as the result of EU directives on a daily basis.
Believe you me, the UK is a master of turning directives into the most arcane mass of regulations. It is the zuKs civil service & lawyers, who gold-plate directives, and the blame the E.U. for the red tape!
A totally bogus argument.
I actually am not a fan of directives, and their promulgation is anti-democratic at the E.U. level, but the red tape miasma? That’s down to us.

[jasjas1973]

We agreed some sort of partnership agreement with Mexico only yesterday

The UK currently has a very comprehensive FTA with Mexico, Raabs replacement is nothing like as good... doesn't even cover tariffs, whether it will in future will be up to extensive negotiation.

Where as....

The European Union and Mexico today reached a new agreement on trade, part of a broader, modernised EU-Mexico Global Agreement. Practically all trade in goods between the EU and Mexico will now be duty-free, including in the agricultural sector. ... The agreement also lays down progressive rules on sustainable development

trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=1830

Most if not all the agreements so far reached are just good intentions, no more.

[bellinisurge]

"but the red tape miasma? That’s down to us."
Totally agree. Suspect it's more a fear of litigation.