Britain will leave EU 'not just in name', Brexit minister says

 

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, Dominic Raab gestures during his speech outlining the government's plans for a no-deal Brexit in London, Britain. Aug 23, 2018. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo

 

BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - Britain will leave the European Union "in fact, not just in name", Brexit minister Dominic Raab will say on Monday, warning that London's "willingness to compromise is not without limits" and leaving without a deal is very much an option.

 

Prime Minister Theresa May's government has adopted a new strident tone in its dealings with the EU, angered after what some saw as an ambush in Austria last month when several of the bloc's leaders criticised some of her Brexit proposals.

 

But ministers are also keen to use the governing Conservative Party's annual conference in the central English city of Birmingham to try to win over Brexit supporters who fear May is leading Britain towards leaving the EU in name only.

 

"My approach to Brexit is pragmatic, not dogmatic. Our proposals would deliver a historic agreement that provides a roadmap out of the EU and a final deal that will be good for the whole country," Raab will say, according to excerpts of his speech.

 

"But our willingness to compromise is not without limits. We are leaving the European Union in fact, not just in name."

 

He will say the government will fight any attempt to try to keep Britain too closely in the EU's sphere or to try to split the United Kingdom by forcing the British province of Northern Ireland to adopt a different set of customs rules.

 

Just six months before Britain is due to leave the EU in the country's biggest shift in foreign and trade policy in more than 40 years, the debate over how to leave the bloc is still raging in the centre-right Conservative Party, and even in government.

 

With no agreement on the divorce and continued wrangling over Britain's future relationship with the EU, the probability of a so-called "no deal Brexit" has risen - something that Raab and other ministers said should not be feared.

 

The main opposition Labour Party accused Raab of being "in denial" over May's Chequers plan, named after her country residence where an agreement was hashed out with her ministers in July.

 

"The Chequers' proposals have been rejected by his own party and by the EU. Chequers cannot command support at Conservative Conference, let alone in Parliament or across the country," said Paul Blomfield, a Brexit spokesman for Labour.

 

But Raab said he was pursuing a deal that "delivers on the referendum, because that's our democratic duty".

 

"If we can’t obtain a deal that secures that objective ... then we will be left with no choice but to leave without a deal."

 

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Adrian Croft)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-10-01

All the tired old rhetoric over and over still no nearer to an actual solution.  You would hope the Tory Conference would show some progress but instead it is just the same old rubbish.

It's about time May grew a pair and told Brussels where to stick their EU Membership!  The EU still wants billions from the UK, so they can support the weaker members.  Well, the ungrateful bastards have a short memory; The UK has already paid, in blood and guts! 

 

The BANK IS CLOSED!

41 minutes ago, Moti24 said:

It's about time May grew a pair and told Brussels where to stick their EU Membership!  The EU still wants billions from the UK, so they can support the weaker members.  Well, the ungrateful bastards have a short memory; The UK has already paid, in blood and guts! 

 

The BANK IS CLOSED!

 I am afraid quite some British forgot the economic situation their country was in, in 1974, when they were on their knees to beg for entrace into the EU.

17 minutes ago, puipuitom said:

 I am afraid quite some British forgot the economic situation their country was in, in 1974, when they were on their knees to beg for entrace into the EU.

 

It is true that the UK was in bad economic shape in the early 70's but you have the wrong institution AND the wrong year. The UK had applied for membership to the EEC several years before that. No begging, just de Gaulle being Gaullist and Heath being treacherous! 

2 hours ago, puipuitom said:

 I am afraid quite some British forgot the economic situation their country was in, in 1974, when they were on their knees to beg for entrace into the EU.

Yes, only this time the industry that is left is currently owned by foreign companies, and not the British. The rise and fall of Great nation, sadly no more !

Next year will be interesting to see what no-deal brexit really does for UK.

 

There will not be a transition period, which means that UK starts from zero doing trade and all other international deals around the Globe. 

 

 

Sad for ordinary people, pound dropping, pensions dropping.  TM to copy paste DT good luck on your own.

"But our willingness to compromise is not without limits. We are leaving the European Union in fact, not just in name."

 

He will say the government will fight any attempt to try to keep Britain too closely in the EU's sphere or to try to split the United Kingdom by forcing the British province of Northern Ireland to adopt a different set of customs rules.

 

Nobody in the EU is trying to stop the UK leaving, or telling the UK that they should leave only in name. On the contrary, the EU keeps telling that you cannot leave and at the same time expect to be able to continue benefitting from the Customs Union and the Single Market. It is either OUT or IN. Problems with the border situation in Northern Ireland can also not be blamed on others because they are resulting directly from the decision to leave the EU. Out or in, take your pick and accept the consequenses of your choice.

like the panic over the alleged 2000 bug in widnows it will pan out smoothly next march despite all the doomsters prognostications

UK wont be the only one to leave in the coming years 

2 minutes ago, bartender100 said:

UK wont be the only one to leave in the coming years 

 

 

That, I believe, is one of the reasons the EU is trying to be seen to play “hardball “.............. if the UK makes a success of leaving, others will want to follow..

12 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

That, I believe, is one of the reasons the EU is trying to be seen to play “hardball “.............. if the UK makes a success of leaving, others will want to follow..

Why would the EU play hardball? The UK wants out, the EU does not - and cannot - stop them. There is nothing to compromise on as there isn’t something in between IN and OUT. It is the UK that decided to leave, while clearly absolutely clueless about the consequences at the time. 

 

Edited October 1, 20187 yr by damascase

9 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

That, I believe, is one of the reasons the EU is trying to be seen to play “hardball “.............. if the UK makes a success of leaving, others will want to follow..

EU has not actually played hardball, EU has just valued it core principles and followed it's own regulations - which UK kindly participated writing. 

 

It's the UK politicians and press, which have demonised EU for decades. The people of UK's ignorance what EU actually is, what it does and how it works. 

 

However it's good to hear that no other EU member will even distantly think about leaving after seeing the aftermath of no-deal Brexit where we are currently heading towards ????

 

8 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

That, I believe, is one of the reasons the EU is trying to be seen to play “hardball “.............. if the UK makes a success of leaving, others will want to follow..

Anything else would be pretty stupid. You can't run a successful membership-only club by handing out freebies to every Tom, Dick and Harry. If you want to be a member, pay the membership fee and comply with the rules. If you can't afford that, look for another club that suits you better. But stop coming back like a desperate dog begging for alms.

1 hour ago, oilinki said:

EU has not actually played hardball, EU has just valued it core principles and followed it's own regulations - which UK kindly participated writing. 

 

It's the UK politicians and press, which have demonised EU for decades. The people of UK's ignorance what EU actually is, what it does and how it works. 

 

However it's good to hear that no other EU member will even distantly think about leaving after seeing the aftermath of no-deal Brexit where we are currently heading towards ????

 

 

Where did you hear that nonsense?

41 minutes ago, nauseus said:

 

Where did you hear that nonsense?

Try this

 

5 hours ago, puipuitom said:

 I am afraid quite some British forgot the economic situation their country was in, in 1974, when they were on their knees to beg for entrace into the EU.

I was in uni in 1974. Not quite on my knees but legless a fair bit.

13 hours ago, puipuitom said:

 I am afraid quite some British forgot the economic situation their country was in, in 1974, when they were on their knees to beg for entrace into the EU.

Yes, the economy was in a decline after WW2, due to the high cost of supporting the allied forces.  I hardly think that The UK was on its knees to beg for entrance.  After over 20 years of trying to rebuild the economy, without any help from the other EU countries that it helped to liberate, joining the EU was the only course of action available.  However, once in the frying pan, the heat was turned-up, and The UK has been paying through the nose ever since.  I'm surprised that it's taken so long for BREXIT to materialise.

 

By the way, The UK joined the EU on 1st January 1973, not in 1974.  

It's always fun when people use different kind of analogies to explain difficult ideas for the public. Here is a football analogy of chequers deal. I'm not sure how well it works, but anyway..

 

He also explains, in quite simple terms, what the different deals means for UK. After all, Britain is going to brexit. Now it's only matter how UK executes the leaving.

 

 

39 minutes ago, oilinki said:

It's always fun when people use different kind of analogies to explain difficult ideas for the public. Here is a football analogy of chequers deal. I'm not sure how well it works, but anyway..

 

He also explains, in quite simple terms, what the different deals means for UK. After all, Britain is going to brexit. Now it's only matter how UK executes the leaving.

 

 

Very, very good! A clear picture. Just one comment: even with the EFTA (or EEA) solution the UK would still be outside the Customs Union, with hard borders, Customs procedures and tariff reliefs only for goods certified to be originating - according to strict criteria - in the participating countries. E.g. a product made in Britain incorporating imported components might not meet these criteria and be subject to import duties in the EU under such an Agreement.

That remains to be the difference between a Customs Union (the EU) and a Free Trade Agreement (EFTA, EU-Canada and many, many others all over the world).

10 hours ago, oilinki said:

Try this

 

 

I did some time ago. What all these people ignore (as well as the remainers on here) are the prime reasons for the leave vote.

2 hours ago, oilinki said:

It's always fun when people use different kind of analogies to explain difficult ideas for the public. Here is a football analogy of chequers deal. I'm not sure how well it works, but anyway..

 

He also explains, in quite simple terms, what the different deals means for UK. After all, Britain is going to brexit. Now it's only matter how UK executes the leaving.

 

 

 

Gets more and more speculative as it nears the end and ruins it with the idea of triple-choice referendum - how can one of those resolve anything?

 

He also has a gap between the front teeth a la Verhofstadt! Not a good sign.

Edited October 2, 20187 yr by nauseus

18 hours ago, Moti24 said:

It's about time May grew a pair and told Brussels where to stick their EU Membership!  The EU still wants billions from the UK, so they can support the weaker members.  Well, the ungrateful bastards have a short memory; The UK has already paid, in blood and guts! 

 

The BANK IS CLOSED!

More than a small fraction of which was not ‘British Blood and Guts’ and absolutely non of it your own.

Just now, Chomper Higgot said:

More than a small fraction of which was not ‘British Blood and Guts’ and absolutely non of it your own.

I agree with this to a large extent.

 

Arguments nowadays shouldn't be based on what happened in the past.  Our parents or grandparents suffered/died in WW1 and WW2, but the vast majority of us weren't even born at the time.

 

Additionally, the russians (IIRC) suffered the greatest loss in the number of deaths in WW2.

 

In short, I can see no reason to base arguments on the death and sacrifice of our parents and grandparents.

 

The way it was handled (financially) at the end of WW2 is somewhat more on-topic - but is still largely irrelevant, other than making it clear that govts. and big business are not to be trusted.....

18 hours ago, damascase said:

Why would the EU play hardball? The UK wants out, the EU does not - and cannot - stop them. There is nothing to compromise on as there isn’t something in between IN and OUT. It is the UK that decided to leave, while clearly absolutely clueless about the consequences at the time. 

 

 

Your replied to the answer with a question to that answer. Nice.

the EU villains are spouting fire and fury on tuesday at mays latest hard response ..they expect her to just roll over to their demands

7 hours ago, dick dasterdly said:

I agree with this to a large extent.

 

Arguments nowadays shouldn't be based on what happened in the past.  Our parents or grandparents suffered/died in WW1 and WW2, but the vast majority of us weren't even born at the time.

 

Additionally, the russians (IIRC) suffered the greatest loss in the number of deaths in WW2.

 

In short, I can see no reason to base arguments on the death and sacrifice of our parents and grandparents.

 

The way it was handled (financially) at the end of WW2 is somewhat more on-topic - but is still largely irrelevant, other than making it clear that govts. and big business are not to be trusted.....

Whilst I do rather agree with you both on this, It does occasionally cross my mind that perhaps their is, in some circles, some latent resentment of the UKs role in European affairs in the last century.

 

And I do get very annoyed when some opine about the United Kingdom's lack of past commitment to Europe (as a continent rather than the current political construction), given the sheer number of Commonwealth cemeteries which dot the landscape.

 

Maybe it's just me...

8 hours ago, JAG said:

Whilst I do rather agree with you both on this, It does occasionally cross my mind that perhaps their is, in some circles, some latent resentment of the UKs role in European affairs in the last century.

 

And I do get very annoyed when some opine about the United Kingdom's lack of past commitment to Europe (as a continent rather than the current political construction), given the sheer number of Commonwealth cemeteries which dot the landscape.

 

Maybe it's just me...

Most of them wanted to be run by the Germans i am starting to believe, memories are very short  

19 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

More than a small fraction of which was not ‘British Blood and Guts.....

A surprising statement, considering that well over 400,000 British military and civilian deaths were recorded, an amount that even surpasses American deaths.  If you want to compare British deaths with Russia's over 20,000,000, then yes, a smaller fraction.

 

19 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

.....and absolutely non of it your own.

A pretty safe bet, when it's now 2018.  However, I served many years in the British armed forces, as did, to my knowledge, at least 2 generations of family members before me; probably why I find your remark completely offensive.

 

Have a nice day.