tomacht8

The talks with Australia will be part of the EU's agenda for open and fair trade. They lined up to conclude negotiations with Japan last year and Mexico this spring, as well as the entry into force of the EU-Canada trade agreement last September. The future agreement with Australia will further expand the EU's engagement in the Asia-Pacific region. The negotiations with the Mercosur states Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay are also in the final phase.

The EU appears to be interested in trade agreements.
Wonder why that does not work with the UK.

Could it be that it is in the nature of Things, that bargaining takes 5-7 years to complete?
A Brexit with the crowbar does not work.
The more the clock ticks down, the more it reminds of a chicken pile running around headless.

Even for a hard Brexit the UK is not equipped at all. Then the UK would have to start immediately to train 5000 and more border and customs officials in an urgent procedure. 

It makes sense to agree on a transitional period in which all problems, questions, personnel and technology can be solved realistically.

 

Against the background of the trade conflict between China and the US, the annual EU-China summit began in Beijing three hours ago. Tensions over the trade dispute with US President Donald Trump make China and the EU more closely aligned.

Trump's worldwide policy of insult brings other nations closer together as a counter-movement.
The foes creates Trump himself.

After Trump labelled the EU a "foe," Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, responded on Twitter, using one of Trump's favourite stock phrases.

"America and the EU are best friends," Tusk wrote. "Whoever says we are foes is spreading fake news."

Foe is obviously 1 word out of the 300 words Trump can speak in total.

2 minutes ago, oilinki said:

While I do agree that we need to be able to find how to live in peace and prosper, I do think that in this particular case it's Russia, which needs to send the impulse of co-operation.

 

It was Russia, who did wrong and therefore it's the responsibility of Russia to say "Sorry, I messed up". 

 

After that our relationship can become much better. But admitting wrongdoing requires a lot of balls. That's what I want to see from Russia, having big balls while doing something good for the world peace. 

I am sure that will come from Russia.
The problem with Ukraine and the Crimea is solvable.

The prospect of russia working closely with the EU is certainly economically attractive.

Since the orange clown can spread as much hot wind as he wants,
Putin is certainly not stupid.

1 minute ago, oilinki said:

I remember Brezhnev and Andropov. The years when Soviet Union was in turmoil. 

 

While I realistically think that Crimea is in fact part of Russia, admitting it publicly is saying "Hey Russia, it's ok for you to occupy your neighbouring countries". That's a message which no European country wishes to send.

 

How to get out of this gridlock? Perhaps Russia could give Crimea autonomy for 5 years and the people in Crimea could vote after that time wether they wish to be part of Ukraine or Russia.. or if they wish to stay as independent country.

 

Most likely the result would be that Crimea would become part of Russia, but at least we could unlock this mess.

 

Then there are, the far more important things, like Russias involvement to dissolve EU and western co-operation. Perhaps we could find solution by including Russia as our friend to our table. Not yet the trusted partner, but a friend who might become one. We already buy a lot of natural resources from Russia.

 

Anyway, we need to find real and stabile solutions to the problems we have in European arena. 

True.
The advantages are apparent.
Russia has the largest natural resources in the world.
Russia has 17,098,242 km² area
Canada has 9,984,670 km² area
United States has 9,826,675 km² area.
China has 9,596,961 km² area,
Brazil has 8,514,877 km² area.

Russia and Europe certainly have the opportunity here to help their people work together. '

The impulse must now come from Europe.
Trump can indeed be the media-effective pre turner in the coming days.
After that, the government leaders with good Expertise can meet and make good agreements.
The world does not need Trump in this region.

Well, you have to admit that Trump helps Putin very much.
The common goal of weakening Europe helps the two great world powers.

Trump probably makes a lot of money on the stock market over straw men who know his twitters before.

Puttin is not that stupid.
And that is exactly the lever that Trump does not consider in his greed for money.
If Europe and Russia merged without tension, it would be good for the entire population in Russia and Europe.

The horror scenario for the weapons-producing industry in the USA.

2 minutes ago, nontabury said:

As I’ve mention already on similar threads, many of the east Europeans work until the hit the tax band,presently £11,850 and then return to their own country, many bring their children to this country, claiming child benefits and child tax credits, while enrolling their children in British schools, where the teachers have to put extra effort in teaching these children at the expense of British children.

These are just a couple of points that I could quickly come to mind,but there are many,many more.

Sure, the people from the poorer EU countries work too. And their wages are not that exorbitant.
The cheapest, renewable resource in this world is human Labor.
Taxing this resource high, makes no sense.
The task of the government is to make this cheap raw material more valuable through education.
Here, a mechanism can be introduced that predicts the cost of education in the future.
I would also like to see more than 100,000 Filipino and Thailand nurses working in the health care system as we import 100,000 unmarried Moroccan, Algerian or Tunisian young men into our social System.

23 minutes ago, nontabury said:

As someone who has returned to live in the U.K after 20 yrs in Thailand, I can tell you that the working conditions for those at the lower end of the ladder, have certainly not improved. What with the contracts that most of this group of people are abliged to agree to, and the influx of mass immigration from Eastern Europe. It’s no wander there is an ever increasing gap between those at the top and those at the bottom. But why should you be concerned, that’s not what selfish people do. 

 

There is a glaring difference between the top and the bottom.
At the Gemini coefficient, the UK performs poorly in a European comparison.
It is not the EU's fault how the income is distributed within the UK.

The argument that Polish immigrants are pushing wages is nonsense.
The Poles, too, have to pay their rents, taxes and food prices, which are quite high in the UK because of the high taxes for ordinary earners.
Would welcome if initially the dissatisfied (Brexit) forces would clear their own stable first, if you are looking up from a lower income position.

1 hour ago, Tug said:

I don’t envy him trump has caused so much damage

trump has hurt the pride of an entire nation. analogously as if he wanted to hold out the cockroaches with a wall. Mexicans will not forget that so soon.

The UK should think again. At the moment, massive movements within the EU are to be seen to solve the question of economic refugees from Africa and the Near East. Italy, Austria, Bavaria, Hungary, Poland, Greece want clear external borders. If the Uk would actively support within the EU, it would be good.
The French are still a bit unclear, but all the Algerians, Moroccans and Tunisians immigration is too much for many French people. For the majority of Europeans, it is clear that they can not import the poverty and abundance of all of Africa without jeopardizing social networks and culture. Bringing all the blame on the EU does not help. The large numbers of immigrants are not only the EU citizens but mainly from former colonial countries. Looking at the statistics of the past 10 years, these are mainly migrants into the UK from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Jamaica.
The only Brexit argument I can support is that the EU is a slow and cumbersome bunch.
The only way in the global Competition over resources and wealth, to survive as an European, is a strong and united EU.
Strong external borders of the EU, and peaceful rapprochement and cooperation with Russia should pave the way for the next decade. Cooperation with the US currently brings nothing. Resigned from the Paris Climate Agreement, quitting Iran and an orange clown who deducts his show without foundation. 

14 minutes ago, oilinki said:

This I fully agree. USA is nuts with military spending as somehow military has become their 'father', who keeps them safe. At least that seems to be narrative we get.

 

Europe is by far more pacifistic entity these days. We want to live in peace and don't want wars.

 

Currently there is only one military threat to Europe and it's Russia. Not the average Russians, who also want to live their lives in peace, but the labile political powers, who still uses wars and foreign threats to gain popularity (quite like USA does as well). 

 

In Europe UK and France have moderate amount of nuclear weapons. Russia has so many, that it could bring the world to the end, simply by nuking itself.. and so does the USA.

 

Russia was our friend for two decades. Both sides benefitted greatly from this co-operation and everybody wanted it to last. Then came the wars in Crimea, Syria, etc. Putin wanted to show his power mostly to internal matters. He wasn't so popular anymore. These acts of aggressions got everyone worried in Europe and that's the reason European countries have to increase their military funding, even if they know that money wasted on military is money away from things that benefit the people, education, healthcare, science etc.

 

So how can we start over? How can Europe and Russia start trusting each other again?

There is a lot of truth in it.
Europe must be able to cooperate with Russia.
In the past, Europe has supported far too much the adventurers of the United States.
I think with the orange clown the desire of many EU countries has passed away to support them further.
Many may still remember Gorbachev or Lech Wałęsa.
If Europe could confidently resolve the conflicts with Russia, who would need the weapons of the United States? The normal citizens, no matter from Europe, or those from Russia are not in the mood for war.
Whether this is going on with Putin is unclear. But overall, more danger is currently coming to Europe from the US than from Russia.

1 hour ago, Small Joke said:

It's not the worst drug ever.  That would be alcohol, with tobacco a close second. Most meth users grow out of it,  unlike alcohol.  You likely pass dozens of 'tweaking' meth users on the street, and would not even know of it, unlike alcohol. 

Ever heard of death by meth overdose?  It's possible,  but improbable. Unlike alcohol.

Sure chronic user can lose the plot,  but the damage they do is minute,  compared to drunk brawlers and drunk drivers. 

And it is now EVERYWHERE. 

 

In some western nations they measure its rising consumption in the city waste water systems.

 

And yet the world is not falling apart,  except in the Philippines, aparrently. 

 

Try some drug science, instead of the lame myths the media feed us. 

Yaba means translated crazy drug.
Alcohol and cigarettes are certainly more important as a mass drug in absolute terms. But intense Yaba usage makes the addicts extremely aggressive and also Zombie like behavior is observable. Anxiety, Paranoia and total cognitive brain failure are observable.
 

Both unable to drive a Vehicle on public roads.
Both 100% unsuitable in public passenger Transport.
Hopefully this bad apples will be sorted out and forced to look for another job that has nothing to do with public transport.

neither the UK nor the EU are interested in a destructive separation. The Brexit, whatever that means concretely, is not without huge damages until 29.3.2019, realizable. As is the shirt closer than the pants for all players. There will be a transitional period of several years.

5 minutes ago, Rigby40 said:

And here folks we have another reason why people voted for him. Everyone you disagree with is literally Hitler and everyone who has a different opinion than me is a Nazi.

People like you are why I'm no longer liberal. Thanks mate, love ya ❤️

but now you are interpreting too much. it is about the retoric and media technique that trump applies.

you have now applied the nazi parallel.

right?

2 hours ago, Rigby40 said:

Not the point. The point is that he has you wrapped around his fingers by using your anger against you. Amazing.

you're right. he uses the same techniques as goebbels back in the 3rd Reich. no reason for me to clap my hands in joy.

However, there is the serious disadvantage that trump on the world stage is no longer taken seriously. His propaganda lies and half-truths are easy to unmask.

but blessed are his voters, the spiritually poor.

1 hour ago, riclag said:

You should be more concerned from the former eastern block comrade leader of Germany

If I have the choice between a mother Teresa type and a Goebbels type, the latter makes me more afraid.

Trump's behavior in Brussels is another disturbing signal that he is "more loyal to President Putin than to our NATO allies." In tone more restrained, but in the matter was similar to the criticism of Republican Senator Bob Corker. He is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: "Trump's rhetoric harms us, it's like slapping our friends on the nose, and then we're shaking hands with people who work hard against us, like Russia and Putin."