You talk about tariffs, but assume that something will cost £12 to make in the UK and only £10 to make in the EU. But what if it's the other way round? We already have tariffs with the world. What if we sign deals with countries that have more raw materials. What if we have no tariffs on car parts, but tariffs on completed cars? The government is now in a position to influence these things. I must admit, I don't have a lot of faith in our government, but I have a lot more faith in them than I do the EU.
You said in a previous post that the Euro has nothing to do with the UK. It doesn't directly, but the ERM failed, and yet the EU is stupid enough to try an even more rigid version . It was relatively easy to get out of the ERM, but will Italy, Greece etc ever manage to escape the Euro.
I don't see leaving the EU as a panacea to cure all ills, though it's rather ironic that I get criticised for not seeing any downsides to leaving the EU (yes there will be some), but none of the Remainers seem to see any advantages.
I'm actually one of the few (and frequently the only person) who actually tries to explain what I consider the benefits of Leaving the EU. I respect your well informed and educated posts, and in your case (and any others) I am sorry if Brexit has caused you to suffer. I still believe I have the right (along with millions of other people) to hold the view we will generally be better off outside the EU, without being told to jump under a tram, or being called uneducated, thick, an idiot, a racist, unable to understand. I really don't see why I should have to explain in detail how the UK should deal with the Irish border, tariffs etc any more than I would expect you to explain in detail as to whether or not the EU should have a trillion euro budget, exactly what they should and shouldn't spend it on, spend money on CAP, their border policy, what they should do with the Irish border , how they will cure the Euro problems etc.
Tariffs are only part of the problem, border/customs checks are now planned.
That’s time and costs both importing the parts and shipping out the completed product that currently doesn’t exist.
Our Government can indeed impose zero tariffs on the imports, but there will still be delays in the logistics and that is cost.
On exports, we have no control, so if the EU or US or anywhere else imposed tariffs on goods from the U.K., our Government can do nothing.
In the case of the EU the product owner is having a cost imposed on him to enter a market that he currently has free access too, and that will affect his profitability, so what’s his choice?
Increase prices? Absorb costs? Or move to the market zone, avoid the tariffs, customs delays, logistics problems and carry on as they do now?
That surely makes even more sense if the UK decides to have lower/zero tariffs than the EU.
In the case of the car industry this is particularly relevant as none of the car companies are British.
And even if they deny it, I can guarantee that there was an element of that thinking in McBrides Barrow closure decision.
Now you may feel that is an unfair and the EU being obstructive, but the U.K. is now a competitor, and like every other competitor, we have to accept they are going to work for their bloc. They have no reason to help us, particularly as the new EU/Japan agreement has come into force ( with the Canada Deal on its heals).
It will be the same with the US, China, India Japan etc, etc.
The Euro is irrelevant to the U.K. other than it has been a financial cash cow for the City.
No Deal or Canada Deal will destroy the current free access we have to that market, because rather than having a single European Licence, U.K. based companies will need individual licences in each country they operate in....or move their base to within the EU. Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam are all lobbying hard for the business.
Being in the EU and and having our own strong currency has been and continues to be very good for the U.K.
I have no faith in the U.K. Government to achieve anything. There is very little in the last 50+ years to suggest they can, and I don’t see that changing in the future.
Just about every major decision they have made since the Beeching Act as ended up being detrimental to the U.K.
To think that will change, when there is no evidence to the contrary is fanciful.
The EU has many problems, you correctly highlight a few, and no I do not like a lot of what happens.
Politicians and politics change all the time, particularly if strongly influenced. That will continue, we would have been better off being in that EU mix trying to influence that change.
Even if you don’t like the politics, it is still not a good enough reason to cut off free access to the largest trading bloc in the world and pretend that we have a better model. I wonder what the consensus will be when we have had a decade of this Tory Government?
You know my position on Brexit, I don’t like it and didn’t think it should happen.
It has, so it’s time to move forward, and we could do that and still minimise the economic damage but this Government seems intent on inflicting as much as possible just for political posturing.
Bottom line is, other than a few nutters, most of those 17.4 million leave voters didn’t give a damn about the future relationship, they just wanted Brexit done.
The Government could have just implemented Cameron’s ‘remain’ Deal, spun the story, got it done in a year, and avoided any significant damage to the country and Union.
Brexit done, took back control, we all move on, and the vast majority of the 17.4 million satisfied that their democratic decision had been upheld.
Instead this.
I appreciate your thoughts on my personal position. As I have said, I am fortunate. My three boys are all grown up, one has emigrated, one is planning to do so by the year end (nothing to do with Brexit) and the other is in a job that allows him to be based where he likes and travel accordingly.
I always wanted to retire to France, circumstances and opportunity (again nothing to do with Brexit) have decreed that this is earlier than anticipated, but I get to live my dream, and I am excited by that.
My business has to go, again that wasn’t planned this early, but that’s life, who knows what’s around the corner.
I have stated preparing for the move by emptying the loft. Yesterday we finally unpacked the last box from the previous move 17 years ago. So I guess we are finally ‘in’.
One of the items was a photo of my old college mates. It was a bit of an eye opener to realise half of them where dead.
Makes you think a bit.
