Westministenders: The Beginning of Negotiations

[RedToothBrush]

Transition has a few hours left.

Then negotiations start and trade stops.

Far from being over, there are huge numbers of issues that lay unresolved.

And businesses both now in the UK and EU will cease to trade with each other just because the red tape is such a pain.

So whilst people will celebrate and think things are 'done' that just shows how much people are paying attention.

It will be interesting to see people gradually realising what has been lost...

Although...
www.theguardian.com/education/2020/mar/08/quitting-eu-erasmus-scheme-would-blow-a-hole-in-uk-economy

Irish HE is going to be the focus of much attention and I guess Scottish universities might be in a better position to negotiate reciprocal fee waivers, as theirs are lower.

British students who wish to avail of erasamus can always go to a NI university as the Irish government will pay for them to do erasamus regardless of nationality.

I think the plan is they will temporarily register in an Irish university and do erasamus under the auspices of the Irish university.

but our arrangements mean the UK exchequer more or less loses out on the deal,” Johnson said

but meanwhile, money for cronies is no object.

The first few days of full Brexit have been a massive headache for U.K. passport holders resident in the EU. Now people prevented from returning home to Sweden:

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/uk-sweden-covid-travel-brexit-b1782031.html?fbclid=IwAR22ibd0X1aJdjND0P4vDHrxiYAKGGFYTGVq7w7IkNmTu81Eza-oNIQRKfI

Note that if this was the other way round (ie Swedish citizens resident in the U.K. prevented from returning home) the citizens concerned would have recourse via the commission that is being set up to protect the 3million's rights. Brits in Europe have absolutely no recourse: their own govt not interested, no MPs or formal representatives anywhere.

@Mistigri

The first few days of full Brexit have been a massive headache for U.K. passport holders resident in the EU. Now people prevented from returning home to Sweden:

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/uk-sweden-covid-travel-brexit-b1782031.html?fbclid=IwAR22ibd0X1aJdjND0P4vDHrxiYAKGGFYTGVq7w7IkNmTu81Eza-oNIQRKfI

Note that if this was the other way round (ie Swedish citizens resident in the U.K. prevented from returning home) the citizens concerned would have recourse via the commission that is being set up to protect the 3million's rights. Brits in Europe have absolutely no recourse: their own govt not interested, no MPs or formal representatives anywhere.

The article doesn't mention that there is now a British Consular presence at the airports to deal with this.

Which airports though? Just the one in Sweden or at each main EU country airport?

@Peregrina

Which airports though? Just the one in Sweden or at each main EU country airport?

The British Embassy in Sweden have deployed people at Gothenburg and Stockholm. No idea about other countries, the article is about Brits arriving in Sweden, which is where I am so I only get updates from the embassy here.

It's good to hear that at least one consulate is taking their responsibility seriously, but it doesn't help if they are only stationed at one or two major airports and it certainly doesn't help the people who haven't been able to board their planes (or who were sent back on the same plane, as happened to some of the people on the flight in that Independent article).

Note that these hiccups are definitely the responsibility of EU member states, although the very late deal surely didn't help, and nor did the British government's complete disregard for the situation of the British in Europe throughout the whole Brexit process.

This is incidentally one of the main reasons why I'm now convinced that all citizens should have a vote for life, if possible voting for specific MPs representing the rights of overseas citizens (as exists in France for eg).

I agree Mistigri - why not? Look after your citizens always, unless they actively choose to renounce the citizenship. But most definitely keep it for people abroad who are still UK taxpayers.

@bellinisurge

What a fucking scam compared to what we have lost. Which even non-EU countries are a part of.

So much fucking winning, eh?

Farming subsidies are going to be cut, but they will be replaced by subsidies for bio-diversity and landscape/environmental management, which will end up being more generous for upland/marginal farmers. It won't simply be £x per acre, which benefits mainly agri-businesses with thousands of acres, but will be paid for maintaining AND IMPROVING habitats.

Won't we all be so shocked when we eventually find out that the new UK subsidies wins as much for British farmers as the new dePfeffel please please can someone start an online petition to change it's name to this scheme wins for UK students wanting to study abroad.

I don't think it needs a petition - we just call it the dePfeffel scheme. It's like the Farage's Garage's - that's not their official name, but absolutely everyone knows what they are.

I recall back in 2010, we spoke to our Sixth Formers about studying for a degree abroad for cost reasons. Had a big presentation about English language courses in European countries and even he commute times to Western Europe (from the SE) compared to some of the more far flung Welsh and Scottish universities.

I will certainly encourage my children to look at it, especially once I've sorted their Irish passports.

What's your bets for Johnson's address this evening? Waffle and lies, anyone?

Can we have a sweepstake for how long he takes to say, "Alas" ?

I bagsie 30 seconds

You called it @prettybird

'Good Evening. Alas....
piffle wiffle not my fault piffle wiffle, alas alack et cetera'

I think he'll say All Tier 4 tonight and not close Schools until Weds/Thurs

Just had a text from friend in old village (Scottish Borders) who said: 'how long till Big Bad Boris follows 'oor Nicola then?' Not long, said I.

It’s important to get an extra day of pupils mixing in before you close the schools. Some might have been on INSET today.

The first alas was quite a long way into last week’s. I’ll go with 5 minutes.

I’ll put my money on 53 seconds please!

We’re not due back until Wednesday, so if they close the schools from Thursday I think we’ll give that one day a miss! School is generally sensible, so they probably wouldn’t open for one day anyway.

Looks like I lost my bet.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55530721

Some specialist online retailers in various EU countries have said they will no longer deliver to UK addresses because of tax changes due to Brexit.

(contd)

quite illuminating reading the knuckle dragging comments ... as if we've been hiding all the bike manufacturers in the UK these past 47 years.

No one - no one in the universe - is going to start a fresh manufacturing company in the UK supplying only the UK.

However, I know what I would be smuggling on my next trip across the channel. If I couldn't get someone in Spain or Italy to post me what I wanted ...

I'll settle for an "Avaunt"

...

Brexit bonus for ... Paris!

Business on London hubs for euro-denominated share trading, including Cboe Europe, Turquoise and Aquis Exchange, shifted to their new EU venueses_ set up late last year to cater for the end of the Brexit transition. The volume amounted to a sixth of all business on exchanges in Europe on Monday.^

Aquis saying on Bloomberg that it lost 99.6% of its euro trade overnight ...

www.ft.com/content/a434b756-afe0-454d-9d70-ef2d42ea8d55

Can we rename these threads
told you so ?

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

It’s important to get an extra day of pupils mixing in before you close the schools. Some might have been on INSET today.

The first alas was quite a long way into last week’s. I’ll go with 5 minutes.

Hes got to go on about how amazing our wonderful nhs world beating vaccination programme and dedicated key workers are before launching into Alas...

I suspect he will avoid praising teachers by names.

Writing has been on the wall for a while. NHS in complete meltdown by end of next week never mind 21 days.

I love the story about how the hooha about pallettes is now a reality...

@ListeningQuietly

Can we rename these threads told you so ?

I get enough shit already for that!

But its bloody temping.