Here's an idea? Why don't we celebrate the so called Brexit exit( sensible know its gonna take years to exit, just going along with the Rhetoric)
by wasting up to £500,000 and delay the current maintenance works just so Big Ben can boing...FFS
With 3minutes less fireworks in London on New Years Eve, that cost would easily have been covered. It’s a clear choice between bangs and bongs. And Sadiq Khans permission obv.
I agree , another waste of public monies going up in smoke!
the Information Governance Officer reported the budgets for every New Year’s Eve show from 2003: 2003 £1.05m 2004 £1.2m 2005 £1.1m 2006 £1.35m 2007 £1.35m 2008 £1.7m 2009 £1.625m 2010 £1.8m 2011 £1.9m 2012 £1.95m 2013 £2m 2014 £2.2m 2015 £2m 2016 £2.1m 2017 £2.2m 2018 £2.3m
buys lots of nurses/care/whatever!
The Guardian reports that A&E consultants have led "a chorus of medical opposition" to the possibility of scrapping four-hour waiting targets in their units.
The Daily Mirror accuses the government of seeking to remove them because the current figures are embarrassing. Meanwhile, former health secretary Jeremy Hunt warns on the Independent's news site that dozens of hospitals have yet to follow a measure designed to prevent a repeat of Harold Shipman's serial killings. Only months before a deadline, many NHS trusts have have yet to to appoint medical examiners to verify the cause of death. The Daily Mail welcomes the NHS's appeal to the gambling industry to stop what the paper calls "its shameful betting bribes". NHS England's mental health director Claire Murdoch warns about the link between betting and mental illness. And finally the Sun bemoans what it calls "a frying shame". This is a survey which suggests that one in five people under the age of 30 have never had a full English breakfast.
Here's an idea? Why don't we celebrate the so called Brexit exit( sensible know its gonna take years to exit, just going along with the Rhetoric)
by wasting up to £500,000 and delay the current maintenance works just so Big Ben can boing...FFS
With 3minutes less fireworks in London on New Years Eve, that cost would easily have been covered. It’s a clear choice between bangs and bongs. And Sadiq Khans permission obv.
I agree , another waste of public monies going up in smoke!
the Information Governance Officer reported the budgets for every New Year’s Eve show from 2003: 2003 £1.05m 2004 £1.2m 2005 £1.1m 2006 £1.35m 2007 £1.35m 2008 £1.7m 2009 £1.625m 2010 £1.8m 2011 £1.9m 2012 £1.95m 2013 £2m 2014 £2.2m 2015 £2m 2016 £2.1m 2017 £2.2m 2018 £2.3m
buys lots of nurses/care/whatever!
Crowdfunding pages for Big Ben to ring on Brexit Day raise just £500 of £500,000 needed Tory MP predicts money will be raised within 48 hours, despite people having pledged only tiny fraction of amount needed
Quite clearly a case of him looking into whether a “ good old bong” was possible. The funding was tongue in cheek, but obviously lost on low end newspaper readers, who are generally a grim bunch.They are only ever happy when they form large groups to get their own way. Frequently forgetting what democracy is all about. There is a rumor that Westminster’s local Rag and Bone Man will receive a bullseye for making a watered down version of Big Ben. He’ ll be there to pick up this dilapidated old front bench,that never really served its purpose since it was manufactured. Five years of grieving?😭
Quite clearly a case of him looking into whether a “ good old bong” was possible. The funding was tongue in cheek, but obviously lost on low end newspaper readers, who are generally a grim bunch.They are only ever happy when they form large groups to get their own way. Frequently forgetting what democracy is all about. There is a rumor that Westminster’s local Rag and Bone Man will receive a bullseye for making a watered down version of Big Ben. He’ ll be there to pick up this dilapidated old front bench,that never really served its purpose since it was manufactured. Five years of grieving?😭
The benefit of spending £500,000 on Big Ben bonging is a ridiculous waste of money. It will also pi55 off half the country, when Boris is supposed to be bringing it back together. I haven't a clue what on earth Big Ben has got to do with democracy? It will be really interesting how Brexit turns out, after the gradual exposure of the Boris lies. Just this week Boris claimed that they intend to sort out the worst ever NHS waiting times, he didn't mention that they intend to do this by knocking the targets on the head. So they intend to address the problem of continually missing the targets badly, by no longer having any targets. The EU have made it clear about Irish border checks, which he lied about. They have also made it clear that a comprehensive deal cannot be negotiated by the end of the year, and that the amount of Single Market access we are able to get will depend on how closely we are aligned. The amount of tariff free, frictionless, quotaless, trade we wish to do with them will also depend on alignment. However Boris keeps saying he will get all the above, and diverge. Good luck with that Boris.
Tough on Brexit The UK is about to join the players at the table in its own right, stepping in at a time of tumult, and working out how closely it wants to sit by the EU. The EU meanwhile has other priorities on the world stage. That is one reason why Mr Hogan dismissed Boris Johnson's self-imposed end of 2020 deadline for a post-Brexit trade deal as "just not possible" describing it as "brinkmanship". More than that, he specifically indicated that if this was the approach the UK wanted to take, then only a subset of the agreed Brexit political declaration would be up for detailed discussion, and that agreement on that would be needed by 30 June.
Quite clearly a case of him looking into whether a “ good old bong” was possible. The funding was tongue in cheek, but obviously lost on low end newspaper readers, who are generally a grim bunch.They are only ever happy when they form large groups to get their own way. Frequently forgetting what democracy is all about. There is a rumor that Westminster’s local Rag and Bone Man will receive a bullseye for making a watered down version of Big Ben. He’ ll be there to pick up this dilapidated old front bench,that never really served its purpose since it was manufactured. Five years of grieving?😭
Why Brexit Stage Two may turn into a rocky ride
But half-buried in the avalanche of studied positivity were clear words of warning. "With every choice comes a consequence," said Mrs von der Leyen. By leaving the EU the UK will be rid of the "onus", as perceived by many British voters, of the freedom of movement of European workers. But by the same token, the Commission President pointed out, the UK would no longer benefit economically from the free movement of capital, goods and services in the world's largest single market. There will be no compromise on the integrity of that market, she insisted - as all EU leaders have insisted since the Brexit vote back in 2016.
Why fishing will be a tricky issue
Fishing is a political hot potato for the prime minister. "Sovereignty over our seas" became a totemic Brexit issue, although it contributes little to UK GDP. But Mr Johnson will also be aware if he refuses the EU access to UK waters after Brexit, the EU will threaten to close its market to UK fish.
What will be the price of a Johnson 'victory'?
Even the early EU concession that some kind of Free Trade Agreement can probably be reached by December - and that, in the words of President von der Leyen, the bloc "will go as far as it can go" - is a mixed blessing for the UK. The EU assumption is that, come the year's end, Prime Minister Johnson will want to demonstrate that He Did It. He took the UK out of the EU. He negotiated an FTA quicker than anyone thought possible. But will he seek that "victory" at any price? Even if the rushed result is flimsy, restrictive and involves key concessions by the UK?
The price Boris Johnson paid for getting rid of the infamous backstop in the divorce deal was high. In practical terms, when it comes to trade, it separates Northern Ireland from the rest of Great Britain. Something he, the leader of a unionist political party, said he would never do.
The implementation of that Northern Ireland agreement still has to be hammered out this year in parallel to trade talks, by the way. How many checks, how much additional paperwork will there be in trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland? What about checks between Northern Ireland and Great Britain? And even when it comes to the zero-tariffs, zero-quotas, post-Brexit trade deal the prime minister speaks about so often, the EU insists that to get it the UK must sign up to ongoing alignment with EU rules, like environmental and labour regulations.
But Mr Johnson seeks the opposite. He says he wants to leave the EU to be free of its rules, in order to ease trade deals with others, like the United States.
What about a deal on services?
Yet the prime minister will know, if he refuses alignment with the EU, and the EU slaps on punitive tariffs, that could hurt his new supporters in manufacturing communities in the north of England. The UK car industry, chemicals industry, pharmaceutical industry and others are very worried indeed. It's no surprise really that the EU has declared itself willing to do a "quick and dirty" trade deal in goods. It has a trade surplus with the UK. What is surprising is that the prime minister has barely mentioned services during the last months even though they make up 80% of the UK economy.
The EU is the UK's biggest customer for the service industry and Brussels does not intend to discuss most services before December. A scaled-down deal may or may not be finalised in 2020. A fudge may or may not be agreed between the two sides as to how to keep talking into next year. Only one thing is certain. Brexit Stage Two: The Trade Deal - much like its prequel, Brexit Stage One: The Divorce - will be very far from plain sailing.
Quite clearly a case of him looking into whether a “ good old bong” was possible. The funding was tongue in cheek, but obviously lost on low end newspaper readers, who are generally a grim bunch.They are only ever happy when they form large groups to get their own way. Frequently forgetting what democracy is all about. There is a rumor that Westminster’s local Rag and Bone Man will receive a bullseye for making a watered down version of Big Ben. He’ ll be there to pick up this dilapidated old front bench,that never really served its purpose since it was manufactured. Five years of grieving?😭
The benefit of spending £500,000 on Big Ben bonging is a ridiculous waste of money. It will also pi55 off half the country, when Boris is supposed to be bringing it back together. I haven't a clue what on earth Big Ben has got to do with democracy? It will be really interesting how Brexit turns out, after the gradual exposure of the Boris lies. Just this week Boris claimed that they intend to sort out the worst ever NHS waiting times, he didn't mention that they intend to do this by knocking the targets on the head. So they intend to address the problem of continually missing the targets badly, by no longer having any targets. The EU have made it clear about Irish border checks, which he lied about. They have also made it clear that a comprehensive deal cannot be negotiated by the end of the year, and that the amount of Single Market access we are able to get will depend on how closely we are aligned. The amount of tariff free, frictionless, quotaless, trade we wish to do with them will also depend on alignment. However Boris keeps saying he will get all the above, and diverge. Good luck with that Boris.
Problems are for solving. Without them, life would be very boring and mundane. Regarding the bonging, I don’t think it needs to be marked with any bells or whistles,or bongs. I don’t think it’s a significant enough event. As for Farage, he can do what he likes,as long as I’m not paying for it. Regarding the NHS, European hospitals have long waits, and folks on trolleys queuing up, so why is the NHS always deemed to be failing?Its always under the microscope. Doctors and nurses make up less than a third of NHS employees, so there are other areas that also need looking at. If there’s ever an epidemic, you’re be wasting your time going to hospital. There’s too many people in this country for the hospitals to cope with. Take my small village,there’s 250 homes under construction, an 80 bed care home,offices and 71 retirement homes. There could be hundreds more built on the sight in a further phase. Then there’s the delayed village Centre project,250 new homes/ flats above ground floor retail space. So that could add up to thousands more folk in just a small village, which already has long waiting lists to see a doctor. Having more doctors and nurses in my area won’t cure nowt. Having free movement of people just exacerbates the problem. I’d be up for a five year ban on unskilled workers, whilst new hospitals are built. Then see how things pan out for the black hole that is the NHS. I’m not fussed about leaving the EU, and there will be changes to come for some folk here. I’m not shaking in my boots worrying about alignment etc, they’re problems that can be overcome.They do give the big egos and media something to chew on though. And you do need ammunition to take into battle, so it’s best to keep the posturing going until it’s time to lay their hands down. Past trade surpluses and deficits won’t be a guide to the new dawn, so forget them. Don’t believe what you read in newspapers or on tv,it will pan out ok. Trust me😉
Add on. If folks do leave the U.K, there will be shortages obv.Cheap Labour, which I’ve witnessed myself, is exploitation.Buisnesses that run on cheap Labour need to sort their lives out. It’s shock and horror if we see it in other countries, but not in our own. If the owners put their prices up, so be it, the consumer is king.They can fold. Our fisheries for financial access to the Euro markets is the big issue. Finances are done online,try catching something to eat online. The EU don’t want to do a deal in a year,they can’t be arsed. They’ve got a load of mess to sort out in their own bloc.They are the ones carrying more weight and worry than our government. You shouldn’t have a personal vendetta against this government because you voted against it. That’s all history now. Next to nobody even comments on Brexit, or even sees this thread. It’s achieving nothing imo.Apart from nitpicking obv. It’s clear that people prefer poker to politics.
Quite clearly a case of him looking into whether a “ good old bong” was possible. The funding was tongue in cheek, but obviously lost on low end newspaper readers, who are generally a grim bunch.They are only ever happy when they form large groups to get their own way. Frequently forgetting what democracy is all about. There is a rumor that Westminster’s local Rag and Bone Man will receive a bullseye for making a watered down version of Big Ben. He’ ll be there to pick up this dilapidated old front bench,that never really served its purpose since it was manufactured. Five years of grieving?😭
The benefit of spending £500,000 on Big Ben bonging is a ridiculous waste of money. It will also pi55 off half the country, when Boris is supposed to be bringing it back together. I haven't a clue what on earth Big Ben has got to do with democracy? It will be really interesting how Brexit turns out, after the gradual exposure of the Boris lies. Just this week Boris claimed that they intend to sort out the worst ever NHS waiting times, he didn't mention that they intend to do this by knocking the targets on the head. So they intend to address the problem of continually missing the targets badly, by no longer having any targets. The EU have made it clear about Irish border checks, which he lied about. They have also made it clear that a comprehensive deal cannot be negotiated by the end of the year, and that the amount of Single Market access we are able to get will depend on how closely we are aligned. The amount of tariff free, frictionless, quotaless, trade we wish to do with them will also depend on alignment. However Boris keeps saying he will get all the above, and diverge. Good luck with that Boris.
Problems are for solving. Without them, life would be very boring and mundane. Regarding the bonging, I don’t think it needs to be marked with any bells or whistles,or bongs. I don’t think it’s a significant enough event. As for Farage, he can do what he likes,as long as I’m not paying for it. Regarding the NHS, European hospitals have long waits, and folks on trolleys queuing up, so why is the NHS always deemed to be failing?
You are completely missing the point.
The NHS currently has the worst waiting time figures, since they started keeping records. Boris has a solution which seems to be to just remove the targets. How could you be happy with kids on hospital floors, others on trolleys, including WW2 veterans, in their 90s, waiting in excess of 12 hours in a corridor, for a bed, and people dying while waiting 6 hours for an ambulance. I would expect someone whose family had been involved in the above, may take a different view from you.
It is completely ridiculous to suggest that because similar problems occur elsewhere in Europe, this is somehow ok.
Its always under the microscope. Doctors and nurses make up less than a third of NHS employees, so there are other areas that also need looking at.
The number of beds has been reduced by 17,000 under the Tories since 2010.
If there’s ever an epidemic, you’re be wasting your time going to hospital. There’s too many people in this country for the hospitals to cope with.
Our population is getting older. This creates more demand for the NHS. The Tories respond with less beds. Pathetic.
Take my small village,there’s 250 homes under construction, an 80 bed care home,offices and 71 retirement homes. There could be hundreds more built on the sight in a further phase. Then there’s the delayed village Centre project,250 new homes/ flats above ground floor retail space. So that could add up to thousands more folk in just a small village, which already has long waiting lists to see a doctor. Having more doctors and nurses in my area won’t cure nowt.
What would you think the answer is then?
Having free movement of people just exacerbates the problem.
A completely ridiculous thing to say. If there is an empty house why would it make a difference if someone from elsewhere in the UK moved in, or someone from the EU. Are you saying that someone from elsewhere in the UK, wouldn't need to see a doctor or use any services? I suppose you think that the Tories cutting Local Authority funding by an average of 60% had nothing to do with this.
I’d be up for a five year ban on unskilled workers, whilst new hospitals are built. Then see how things pan out for the black hole that is the NHS.
A ban would cause damage to the economy.
I’m not fussed about leaving the EU, and there will be changes to come for some folk here. I’m not shaking in my boots worrying about alignment etc, they’re problems that can be overcome. How?
They do give the big egos and media something to chew on though.
?
And you do need ammunition to take into battle, so it’s best to keep the posturing going until it’s time to lay their hands down. Past trade surpluses and deficits won’t be a guide to the new dawn, so forget them. Don’t believe what you read in newspapers or on tv,it will pan out ok. Trust me😉
Add on. If folks do leave the U.K, there will be shortages obv.Cheap Labour, which I’ve witnessed myself, is exploitation.Buisnesses that run on cheap Labour need to sort their lives out. It’s shock and horror if we see it in other countries, but not in our own.
Many racists argue that the EU nationals are taking their jobs. This is a fantasy. Many from the EU are happy to do jobs that many Brits don't want, and refuse to do. We now have a minimum wage which all businesses are legally obligated to pay. You cant have it both ways.
They cant be accused of taking the jobs that Brits just don't want.
If the owners put their prices up, so be it, the consumer is king.They can fold.
More people using foodbanks then?
Our fisheries for financial access to the Euro markets is the big issue. Finances are done online,try catching something to eat online.
Stopping them fishing in our waters will be a disaster, if they stop us selling fish in their market. People like you always seem to forget that we also fish in their waters.
The EU don’t want to do a deal in a year,they can’t be arsed. They’ve got a load of mess to sort out in their own bloc.They are the ones carrying more weight and worry than our government.
Boris is a genius. His deal says that if we need an extension, then we have to apply by the Summer. The EU/Japan deal took 4 months and 10 days to translate into 20 plus languages, and to be ratified. I don't think anyone except Boris thinks it is possible. The EU is already saying that it will be a very basic deal, which is not what Boris promised.
You shouldn’t have a personal vendetta against this government because you voted against it.
When does a political debate become a vendetta?
That’s all history now. Next to nobody even comments on Brexit, or even sees this thread.
How many readers?
It’s achieving nothing imo.Apart from nitpicking obv.
Quite clearly a case of him looking into whether a “ good old bong” was possible. The funding was tongue in cheek, but obviously lost on low end newspaper readers, who are generally a grim bunch.They are only ever happy when they form large groups to get their own way. Frequently forgetting what democracy is all about. There is a rumor that Westminster’s local Rag and Bone Man will receive a bullseye for making a watered down version of Big Ben. He’ ll be there to pick up this dilapidated old front bench,that never really served its purpose since it was manufactured. Five years of grieving?😭
The Daily Telegraph leads with what it calls the "Big Ben Brexit bongs row" - which the paper says has descended into farce. The House of Commons authorities have raised concerns about the prime minister's idea of using public donations to get the clock chiming on 31 January to mark the UK's departure from the EU.
Elsewhere, the Politico website reports that the European Parliament plans to mark Britain's departure by lowering the Union Flag and using it as an exhibit in a museum about the history of the EU.
Add on. If folks do leave the U.K, there will be shortages obv.Cheap Labour, which I’ve witnessed myself, is exploitation.Buisnesses that run on cheap Labour need to sort their lives out. It’s shock and horror if we see it in other countries, but not in our own. If the owners put their prices up, so be it, the consumer is king.They can fold. Our fisheries for financial access to the Euro markets is the big issue. Finances are done online,try catching something to eat online. The EU don’t want to do a deal in a year,they can’t be arsed. They’ve got a load of mess to sort out in their own bloc.They are the ones carrying more weight and worry than our government. You shouldn’t have a personal vendetta against this government because you voted against it. That’s all history now. Next to nobody even comments on Brexit, or even sees this thread. It’s achieving nothing imo.Apart from nitpicking obv. It’s clear that people prefer poker to politics.
You might want to actually read this?
Boris Johnson's Brexit trade deal will end frictionless trade, EU says Brussels rules out 'mutual recognition' of regulations between EU and UK ahead of talks
Boris Johnson's plan for a weak free trade agreement with the EU will create a "customs border" and end "frictionless trade" with Britain, the EU has said. An internal slide presentation drawn up by the European Commission for member states ahead of the start of talks says market opening will be "limited" under the plan and that new customs checks will be implemented on British goods.
The reality is bad news for UK industries like car manufacturers and supermarkets, which rely on moving parts and goods quickly across the channel without bureaucracy and time-consuming checks.
Crucially, the EU emphatically rules out any "mutual recognition" of regulations between the UK and EU, an idea previously toyed with in Westminster to give Britain a continued advantage of the single market despite having left it.
Brussels is also set to insist on a clause that could see the trade agreement suspended entirely – a "suspension of obligations" – if Britain to deregulate past the "level playing-field" set by Brussels.
Some right-wing cabinet ministers see Brexit as an opportunity to deregulate, either for its own sake or to secure a trade deal with Donald Trump's US.
The slides say the UK and EU would become "separate markets and distinct legal orders", meaning "an end of free movement of goods and mutual recognition" of regulations. The presentation is part of a series of January seminars being held in the EU capital and attended by member state diplomats to "prepare the ground" for future relationship negotiations and to get the bloc on the same page.
Talks are set to start between Britain and the EU in February, once Brexit has taken place. Both sides will have 11 months to negotiate a deal during the transition period while the UK follows all EU rules. Though the transition period can be extended by up to two year Mr Johnson says he will not do so and has even said he will legislate to prevent himself from doing so.
If no deal is cut by the end of the transition the UK will slide onto WTO terms and face large tariffs and quotas for trade with the EU - widely considered a devastating scenario by trade experts.
But the new internal EU slide shows that even if the UK is successful in striking a comprehensive trade agreement quickly, business will face significant disruption under the hard type of Brexit chosen by the government. The free trade agreement approach will put Britain far further from the EU's orbit than countries like Norway and Iceland, which despite being outside the EU participate in the single market. Even Turkey, which is outside the single market, has a customs union with the bloc on top of its free trade agreement – while other countries to Europe's east are striking more comprehensive association agreements with Brussels and seeking to join.
Add on. If folks do leave the U.K, there will be shortages obv.Cheap Labour, which I’ve witnessed myself, is exploitation.Buisnesses that run on cheap Labour need to sort their lives out. It’s shock and horror if we see it in other countries, but not in our own. If the owners put their prices up, so be it, the consumer is king.They can fold. Our fisheries for financial access to the Euro markets is the big issue. Finances are done online,try catching something to eat online. The EU don’t want to do a deal in a year,they can’t be arsed. They’ve got a load of mess to sort out in their own bloc.They are the ones carrying more weight and worry than our government. You shouldn’t have a personal vendetta against this government because you voted against it. That’s all history now. Next to nobody even comments on Brexit, or even sees this thread.
I went back 10 pages, but could find any evidence of you having ever started a thread. Perhaps you might want to start a thread, and then get more readers than the Brexit thread before you start criticising other peoples threads. Good luck with that.
It’s achieving nothing imo.Apart from nitpicking obv. It’s clear that people prefer poker to politics.
Comments
The Daily Mirror accuses the government of seeking to remove them because the current figures are embarrassing.
Meanwhile, former health secretary Jeremy Hunt warns on the Independent's news site that dozens of hospitals have yet to follow a measure designed to prevent a repeat of Harold Shipman's serial killings.
Only months before a deadline, many NHS trusts have have yet to to appoint medical examiners to verify the cause of death.
The Daily Mail welcomes the NHS's appeal to the gambling industry to stop what the paper calls "its shameful betting bribes".
NHS England's mental health director Claire Murdoch warns about the link between betting and mental illness.
And finally the Sun bemoans what it calls "a frying shame".
This is a survey which suggests that one in five people under the age of 30 have never had a full English breakfast.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-51129880
Chilling loves him.
Tory MP predicts money will be raised within 48 hours, despite people having pledged only tiny fraction of amount needed
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/big-ben-brexit-bong-crowdfund-donate-boris-johnson-eu-a9284536.html
The funding was tongue in cheek, but obviously lost on low end newspaper readers, who are generally a grim bunch.They are only ever happy when they form large groups to get their own way. Frequently forgetting what democracy is all about.
There is a rumor that Westminster’s local Rag and Bone Man will receive a bullseye for making a watered down version of Big Ben.
He’ ll be there to pick up this dilapidated old front bench,that never really served its purpose since it was manufactured.
Five years of grieving?😭
The benefit of spending £500,000 on Big Ben bonging is a ridiculous waste of money.
It will also pi55 off half the country, when Boris is supposed to be bringing it back together.
I haven't a clue what on earth Big Ben has got to do with democracy?
It will be really interesting how Brexit turns out, after the gradual exposure of the Boris lies.
Just this week Boris claimed that they intend to sort out the worst ever NHS waiting times, he didn't mention that they intend to do this by knocking the targets on the head.
So they intend to address the problem of continually missing the targets badly, by no longer having any targets.
The EU have made it clear about Irish border checks, which he lied about.
They have also made it clear that a comprehensive deal cannot be negotiated by the end of the year, and that the amount of Single Market access we are able to get will depend on how closely we are aligned.
The amount of tariff free, frictionless, quotaless, trade we wish to do with them will also depend on alignment.
However Boris keeps saying he will get all the above, and diverge.
Good luck with that Boris.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/boris-johnson-backs-away-from-big-ben-brexit-bong-bonanza-there-are-potential-difficulties/ar-BBZ10gV?ocid=spartanntp
Tough on Brexit
The UK is about to join the players at the table in its own right, stepping in at a time of tumult, and working out how closely it wants to sit by the EU.
The EU meanwhile has other priorities on the world stage. That is one reason why Mr Hogan dismissed Boris Johnson's self-imposed end of 2020 deadline for a post-Brexit trade deal as "just not possible" describing it as "brinkmanship".
More than that, he specifically indicated that if this was the approach the UK wanted to take, then only a subset of the agreed Brexit political declaration would be up for detailed discussion, and that agreement on that would be needed by 30 June.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51143023?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics&link_location=live-reporting-correspondent
Why Brexit Stage Two may turn into a rocky ride
But half-buried in the avalanche of studied positivity were clear words of warning. "With every choice comes a consequence," said Mrs von der Leyen.
By leaving the EU the UK will be rid of the "onus", as perceived by many British voters, of the freedom of movement of European workers. But by the same token, the Commission President pointed out, the UK would no longer benefit economically from the free movement of capital, goods and services in the world's largest single market.
There will be no compromise on the integrity of that market, she insisted - as all EU leaders have insisted since the Brexit vote back in 2016.
Why fishing will be a tricky issue
Fishing is a political hot potato for the prime minister. "Sovereignty over our seas" became a totemic Brexit issue, although it contributes little to UK GDP. But Mr Johnson will also be aware if he refuses the EU access to UK waters after Brexit, the EU will threaten to close its market to UK fish.
What will be the price of a Johnson 'victory'?
Even the early EU concession that some kind of Free Trade Agreement can probably be reached by December - and that, in the words of President von der Leyen, the bloc "will go as far as it can go" - is a mixed blessing for the UK.
The EU assumption is that, come the year's end, Prime Minister Johnson will want to demonstrate that He Did It.
He took the UK out of the EU. He negotiated an FTA quicker than anyone thought possible.
But will he seek that "victory" at any price? Even if the rushed result is flimsy, restrictive and involves key concessions by the UK?
The price Boris Johnson paid for getting rid of the infamous backstop in the divorce deal was high. In practical terms, when it comes to trade, it separates Northern Ireland from the rest of Great Britain. Something he, the leader of a unionist political party, said he would never do.
The implementation of that Northern Ireland agreement still has to be hammered out this year in parallel to trade talks, by the way. How many checks, how much additional paperwork will there be in trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland? What about checks between Northern Ireland and Great Britain?
And even when it comes to the zero-tariffs, zero-quotas, post-Brexit trade deal the prime minister speaks about so often, the EU insists that to get it the UK must sign up to ongoing alignment with EU rules, like environmental and labour regulations.
But Mr Johnson seeks the opposite. He says he wants to leave the EU to be free of its rules, in order to ease trade deals with others, like the United States.
What about a deal on services?
Yet the prime minister will know, if he refuses alignment with the EU, and the EU slaps on punitive tariffs, that could hurt his new supporters in manufacturing communities in the north of England. The UK car industry, chemicals industry, pharmaceutical industry and others are very worried indeed.
It's no surprise really that the EU has declared itself willing to do a "quick and dirty" trade deal in goods. It has a trade surplus with the UK.
What is surprising is that the prime minister has barely mentioned services during the last months even though they make up 80% of the UK economy.
The EU is the UK's biggest customer for the service industry and Brussels does not intend to discuss most services before December.
A scaled-down deal may or may not be finalised in 2020.
A fudge may or may not be agreed between the two sides as to how to keep talking into next year.
Only one thing is certain. Brexit Stage Two: The Trade Deal - much like its prequel, Brexit Stage One: The Divorce - will be very far from plain sailing.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-51039175
Regarding the bonging, I don’t think it needs to be marked with any bells or whistles,or bongs.
I don’t think it’s a significant enough event.
As for Farage, he can do what he likes,as long as I’m not paying for it.
Regarding the NHS, European hospitals have long waits, and folks on trolleys queuing up, so why is the NHS always deemed to be failing?Its always under the microscope.
Doctors and nurses make up less than a third of NHS employees, so there are other areas that also need looking at.
If there’s ever an epidemic, you’re be wasting your time going to hospital.
There’s too many people in this country for the hospitals to cope with.
Take my small village,there’s 250 homes under construction, an 80 bed care home,offices and 71 retirement homes. There could be hundreds more built on the sight in a further phase.
Then there’s the delayed village Centre project,250 new homes/ flats above ground floor retail space. So that could add up to thousands more folk in just a small village, which already has long waiting lists to see a doctor.
Having more doctors and nurses in my area won’t cure nowt.
Having free movement of people just exacerbates the problem.
I’d be up for a five year ban on unskilled workers, whilst new hospitals are built.
Then see how things pan out for the black hole that is the NHS.
I’m not fussed about leaving the EU, and there will be changes to come for some folk here.
I’m not shaking in my boots worrying about alignment etc, they’re problems that can be overcome.They do give the big egos and media something to chew on though.
And you do need ammunition to take into battle, so it’s best to keep the posturing going until it’s time to lay their hands down.
Past trade surpluses and deficits won’t be a guide to the new dawn, so forget them.
Don’t believe what you read in newspapers or on tv,it will pan out ok. Trust me😉
If folks do leave the U.K, there will be shortages obv.Cheap Labour, which I’ve witnessed myself, is exploitation.Buisnesses that run on cheap Labour need to sort their lives out.
It’s shock and horror if we see it in other countries, but not in our own.
If the owners put their prices up, so be it, the consumer is king.They can fold.
Our fisheries for financial access to the Euro markets is the big issue.
Finances are done online,try catching something to eat online.
The EU don’t want to do a deal in a year,they can’t be arsed. They’ve got a load of mess to sort out in their own bloc.They are the ones carrying more weight and worry than our government.
You shouldn’t have a personal vendetta against this government because you voted against it.
That’s all history now.
Next to nobody even comments on Brexit, or even sees this thread.
It’s achieving nothing imo.Apart from nitpicking obv.
It’s clear that people prefer poker to politics.
The House of Commons authorities have raised concerns about the prime minister's idea of using public donations to get the clock chiming on 31 January to mark the UK's departure from the EU.
Elsewhere, the Politico website reports that the European Parliament plans to mark Britain's departure by lowering the Union Flag and using it as an exhibit in a museum about the history of the EU.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-51144299
Boris Johnson's Brexit trade deal will end frictionless trade, EU says
Brussels rules out 'mutual recognition' of regulations between EU and UK ahead of talks
Boris Johnson's plan for a weak free trade agreement with the EU will create a "customs border" and end "frictionless trade" with Britain, the EU has said.
An internal slide presentation drawn up by the European Commission for member states ahead of the start of talks says market opening will be "limited" under the plan and that new customs checks will be implemented on British goods.
The reality is bad news for UK industries like car manufacturers and supermarkets, which rely on moving parts and goods quickly across the channel without bureaucracy and time-consuming checks.
Crucially, the EU emphatically rules out any "mutual recognition" of regulations between the UK and EU, an idea previously toyed with in Westminster to give Britain a continued advantage of the single market despite having left it.
Brussels is also set to insist on a clause that could see the trade agreement suspended entirely – a "suspension of obligations" – if Britain to deregulate past the "level playing-field" set by Brussels.
Some right-wing cabinet ministers see Brexit as an opportunity to deregulate, either for its own sake or to secure a trade deal with Donald Trump's US.
The slides say the UK and EU would become "separate markets and distinct legal orders", meaning "an end of free movement of goods and mutual recognition" of regulations.
The presentation is part of a series of January seminars being held in the EU capital and attended by member state diplomats to "prepare the ground" for future relationship negotiations and to get the bloc on the same page.
Talks are set to start between Britain and the EU in February, once Brexit has taken place. Both sides will have 11 months to negotiate a deal during the transition period while the UK follows all EU rules.
Though the transition period can be extended by up to two year Mr Johnson says he will not do so and has even said he will legislate to prevent himself from doing so.
If no deal is cut by the end of the transition the UK will slide onto WTO terms and face large tariffs and quotas for trade with the EU - widely considered a devastating scenario by trade experts.
But the new internal EU slide shows that even if the UK is successful in striking a comprehensive trade agreement quickly, business will face significant disruption under the hard type of Brexit chosen by the government.
The free trade agreement approach will put Britain far further from the EU's orbit than countries like Norway and Iceland, which despite being outside the EU participate in the single market. Even Turkey, which is outside the single market, has a customs union with the bloc on top of its free trade agreement – while other countries to Europe's east are striking more comprehensive association agreements with Brussels and seeking to join.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-brexit-trade-deal-eu-leave-talks-a9282206.html