What have we gained by Brexit/leaving the EU?

[Elephant4]

In simple terms.

I've read so much about what we've lost.

Please no sarcastic comments. I just want to know what we've gained - probably best if those who think Brexit is a positive thing post.

It's too early to say.

Nope, sorry, can’t think of a single positive.

It stopped free movement from the EU. However, that was fairly pointless given the unskilled migration from the rest of the world, granted much of it through the back door and loop holes. It would have been better to stop that sort of migration than EU as nearly all EU migrants came here to work and work hard

"In the meantime, I see no tsunami of shit, or even a small dump - yet. "
Obviously you aren't having to do your shopping in NI.

According to the Times today, British motorists will be harder to fine for traffic and speeding offences in the EU, because they won't be able to check the DVLA database.

Glad you posted about NI bellinisurge. A few days ago Gove was wittering that we said there would be problems. Last Autumn Johnson flatly denied that there would be problems between NI and GB. One of them is lying.

British motorists will be harder to fine for traffic and speeding offences in the EU, because they won't be able to check the DVLA database.

As has been the case with many EU drivers in the UK for years and years I believe. Could be wrong on that though?

According to the Times today, British motorists will be harder to fine for traffic and speeding offences in the EU, because they won't be able to check the DVLA database.

A bonus for law breakers at least. Is that what we should be celebrating?

I was initially going to vote Leave but once i looked into the various arguments of both sides, i was always struck that Leave always used words/phrases like "Believe, hope, in time, feel..." and yes Faith!

well that's just honesty speaking. Unlike most Remainers we don't claim to be able to see into the future and predict things as fact, nor do we seek to represent forecasts as fact.

Quite sure you are wrong on that. Certainly as far as France goes - when at least two people I know have been caught 'speeding' i.e. slightly drifting over a speed limit, not bombing down a motorway at 120 mph.

@jasjas1973

When its the EU....You said sort out your human rights and your environmental policies first and then we'll talk about a trade deal. It looks like they have just turned a blind eye for the big bucks

When its the UK... its lets trade...and ignore your destruction of the amazon, we need the big bucks.

Double standards.

The key difference - which has already been pointed out to you - is that China, unlike Brazil, Saudi, Fiji, Nigeria or any other corrupt and oppressive regime we trade with, are not systematically hostile to the rest of the world - to make money. Put simpy - they do not pose anywhere near the same threat. Nor have any of them launched germ warfare on the rest on the globe and lied about it.

The EU, [which is essentially Germany writ large] after sanctimoniously lecturing Britain over alleged "lower working, environmental and human rights standards" which it claims would make us "an international pariah", then goes and signs a huge investment deal with the industrial scale human rights abusing, slave labour intent CCP, whilst asked nothing new of it in return. No preconditions relating to the abuse of the Uighurs, or even of Hong Kong. All in order to prop up the German car industry. Who are once again on the verge of achieving their historical preferred method: using concentration-camp labour.

Britain nor any other country in the world today, regardless of who it trades with, constantly preens about its supposed superior morality, respect for the rule of law, and veneration of human rights and the environment the way the EU itself does. Every other speech and announcement is a sermon on how "European values" will save the world. Meanwhile, VW and co cheat emissions testing, Germany burns brown coal and screws over its neighbours by doing gas deals on the sly with Russia.

The streams of hypocrisy from Brussels and Berlin are unending, and nauseating.

You do realise that if we were to return to the promised land of Brussels, then we too would be a part of that and even deeper in the pocket of this vile, expansionist CCP? Do you care?

its just a pity we didn't use our influence and input to change it from within

Unfortunately the old canard about influencing the EU "from within" is useless. We had been losing influence in the EU for many years before we left.

From 2014:

"a worrying, impending cliff-edge for British influence because many of the highest-ranking British officials are near retirement age and there is no "pipeline" of junior colleagues ready to replace them.
The proportion of permanent British officials in the Commission is also decreasing rapidly – from 9.6 per cent in 2004 to 4.5 per cent, compared to a UK population share of approximately 12 per cent"

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/11015329/Britain-risks-sharp-decline-in-influence-in-Brussels.html

Ever since it's been open again it's been remarkably free moving given that we could always have expected some inevitable slowing due to extra border checks and teething problems.

So how then do you explain the companies no longer shipping to the EU due to delays at the border?

Perigrina I've had the same in France, they changed the speed limit from 90 to 80 a while ago but my satnav didn't pick it up and the signage was slow to be rolled out, which was common knowledge to the French but not to tourists, so I got two fines in one holiday for doing between around 85-88 in an 80.

I may be wrong but I'm sure I remember reading that there was an issue with EU truckers mainly from the more eastern countries not being pursued for things like speeding fines and not paying Dartford tunnel tolls etc., due to the cost and difficulty or following them up. Also not having their tachometers and work hours monitored in the UK, therefore breaking the rules on safe driving hours and making it extremely difficult for UK truckers to compete on price because of it.

That was years ago though, things may have changed since. Certainly back in the 90's and noughties the ability to track things digitally was not what it is now.

2014: By which time the Tories were hell bent on taking us out of the EU, so weren't interested in promoting policies which were sound and could have benefitted all.

But quit moaning about the EU - WE HAVE LEFT. Let's see you list the benefits.

OK people can get away with speeding in France now.
UK fishing industry could collapse - so good in terms of fish conservation.

Ochon there are no particular problems with physical border crossings for freight right now. If an individual company chooses not to ship at the moment it may be because they are not yet up to speed on the new requirements and regulations with regard to customs duties etc., and it has created issues or a backlog for them that they want to get a handle on.

Some may decide that any additional costs to either them or the customer may make it untenable to continue shipping to the EU, as is often the case with shipping things here from the US. I don't think the problems are specifically to do with the movement of freight. If they were don't you think we'd all know about it by now? The Guardian would be creaming their pants over it and doing a little happy dance, for a start.

@Jaypreen - We have reclaimed some of our fishing waters, in contrast to the SNP's wish to give them all away to Brussels.

Which isn't much use when UK fishermen can't get their fish to market due to the length of time it takes to deal with the brexit red tape. Read some newsstories about Scottish fisheries. There are plenty of them about at the moment.

And it's a benefit for a trading nation to have re-introduced customs duties? One of the things that many Brexiters said that they didn't mind about the EU - it was OK when it was just about trade, they said.

Has anyone shared the idiot eel bloke yet? I visit businesses for work (H&S) loads of them have moved out of the UK to the EU because of Brexit, even Leave.eu has moved to Ireland.

@FuriousWithTheNHS - there are no particular problems with physical border crossings for freight right now. If an individual company chooses not to ship at the moment it may be because they are not yet up to speed on the new requirements and regulations with regard to customs duties etc., and it has created issues or a backlog for them that they want to get a handle on.

I was not 100% clear in my post. The post I quoted did refer to physical issues. I was pointing out that border issues aren't only limited to physical issues. There are massive issues regarding rules of origin that mean companies don't know whether, or which, tariffs apply. Very little produced by UK companies is entirely British so figuring out how the rules of origin apply is a nightmare. Therefore companies are not shipping to the EU due to border delays.

So I suppose Brexit has been good for eels and fish.

Yes agreed. In an ideal world we would have had the deal sorted long before the deadline instead of leaving the nuts and bolts of it to be deciphered by businesses at the 11th hour. But that's what happens with a blinking contest.

And Covid didn't help either. It delayed negotiations getting wrapped up.

And it's a benefit for a trading nation to have re-introduced customs duties?

Michael Gove said it's a benefit. He said all the extra paperwork (after saying before there would be none) will make business 'match fit' to export to other markets. If extra paperwork is so good it rather begs the question 'why not introduce paperwork for all sales including domestic '?

@FuriousWithTheNHS

Yes agreed. In an ideal world we would have had the deal sorted long before the deadline instead of leaving the nuts and bolts of it to be deciphered by businesses at the 11th hour. But that's what happens with a blinking contest.

There was a deal agreed with T.May 2 years ago, Johnson tore it up & got a worse one, he then changed aspects of this new deal too, hardly surprising it went to the wire.

However, i think we will spend the next few years seeking a closer relationship with the EU, especially on non tariff trade barriers and security.
Probably ending up with a deal far closer to Norway than Canada.