NI Protocol: 'Final talks' due between Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen

[Hi from France]

5 minutes ago, placeholder said:

If you are a French person, I'm not surprised that you are pleased with the Euro.  France gets the benefits and disregards the rules

France routinely has a budget deficit more than the 3% allowed by the EU Euro treaties.

How France gets away with breaking EU rules on its budget deficit every year.

"The European Commission then writes to the French finance minister to express its concern and ask for corrections. The finance minister replies by apologizing profusely, swearing that he or she agrees wholeheartedly with Brussels, but that this year - this year only - France will have to break the rules because of some exceptional circumstances, whatever they are. Then it’s on to the next year, for a routine repeat."

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-france-gets-away-with-breaking-eu-rules-on-its-budget-deficit-every-year-2019-10-25

*Cough*

[RayC]

47 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

If something confirms, it must be believed. 

 

It goes without saying.

It would be so much easier if you stated clearly what point you are trying to make. 

 

I'm no good at cryptic puzzles and I couldn't stand that 'KungFu' TV series.

Edited March 3, 2023 by RayC
<deleted> gets deleted????

[candide]

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

If you look at the precise definition of federalism you can see it is already happening. The states mentioned below are the EU member states. You can argue whether this is a good or a bad thing, but you can't deny it is happening.

 

The source you did not link provides a more extensive definition and examples of federal states.

"federalism, Political system that binds a group of states into a larger, noncentralized, superior state while allowing them to maintain their own political identities. Certain characteristics and principles are common to all successful federal systems: a written constitution or basic law stipulating the distribution of powers; diffusion of power among the constituent elements, which are substantially self-sustaining; and territorial divisions to ensure neutrality and equality in the representation of various groups and interests. Changes require the consent of those affected. Successful federal systems also have a sense of common nationality and direct lines of communication between the citizens and all the governments that serve them. Examples of modern federal systems include the U.S., Brazil, Germany, and Nigeria."

https://www.britannica.com/summary/federalism

 

Practically, a federal state such as the ones mentioned above is characterised by a central government with executive powers. There is currently no project to change the current European institutions towards a federal type of government, in particular of the type you evoked (United States of Europe, by reference to the USA, it seems).

 

 

 

[RayC]

7 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

I find it difficult to believe you cannot decipher your own posts.

 

Maybe you need to take a break.

Maybe you should take your own advice given that you seem to be incapable of expressing yourself clearly.

[3NUMBAS]

On 2/27/2023 at 5:32 AM, placeholder said:

It seems unlikely that the EU will agree to eliminating the role of the European Court of Justice in adjudicating disagreements. I think Sunak has made that a sine qua non.

they will   just walk then

 

[Hi from France]

23 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

You should provide links, not only screenshots. Unless you are trying to hide the source because it's from some anti British Europhilesrus website like The Guardian.

Automotive News specialized automotive press, europe branch : you can select my quote and left-click google to find the article

 

 

now what about this fact itself? Are you conscious how serious the situation is? 

 

read the BBC news site last months Brexit induced :

 

1/ a productivity problem

Quote

Brexit has dealt the UK economy a "productivity penalty" of £29bn, or £1,000 per household, a Bank of England policymaker has said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64623488

 

 

2/ an investment problem last time I looked it up and before the pandemics, it was -11% across the whole economy

Quote

 the United Kingdom experienced a drop in private investment of around 11% between 2016 and 2019

 

 

 

..  all this in spite of a serious devaluation of the pound (I guess you experience this in Thailand)

 

 

 

 

so the current problem with the food bills or the NHS is just the tip of the iceberg : the future IS bleak, we KNOW

 

 

While, I quite agree with you that "money is not all that matters" and that Brexit is no Armageddon either, there is a very very serious issue there. 

 

[placeholder]

22 minutes ago, 3NUMBAS said:

they will   just walk then

 

Well, it looks like the European Court of Justice will still be adjudicating and the Tories are going to accept it.

[Mac Mickmanus]

9 minutes ago, Hi from France said:

 

..  all this in spite of a serious devaluation of the pound (I guess you experience this in Thailand)

 

The Pound is currently about the same exchange rate as it was five years ago and up about 10 % from its post Brexit low

[RayC]

1 hour ago, Hi from France said:

... then maybe the Euro was not at all a mistake (unless croats are total idiots of course)

Croatia had little choice but to adopt the Euro and it is far too early to form any opinion about whether its' adoption by them is a success.

 

1 hour ago, Hi from France said:

 

btw I'm extremely happy with the Euro and we're heading for Croatia at Easter with the Euro and the superb scenery, not Portugal/Spain/Italy this year!

I lived and worked in Belgium both pre and post-Euro. My job meant that I had to travel throughout Europe. At a personal level, the introduction of the Euro made things so much easier and I'm sure that is true for many others. The problem - as I explained in a previous post - occurs at a macro level: It is almost impossible for the ECB to reconcile the - often conflicting - monetary needs of all 20 Eurozone states and that causes problems in the wider economy.

 

I'm sure that you will enjoy your holiday in Croatia. A beautiful country. Can I suggest that you visit Plitvice National Park. Simply stunning.

[RayC]

7 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

The Pound is currently about the same exchange rate as it was five years ago and up about 10 % from its post Brexit low

We've been here before, Mac.

 

In the years leading up to the referendum, sterling consistently traded in €1.20 - €1.30 range. Since the referendum, it hasn't broken €1.20 and has consistently traded at the lower end of the €1.10 - €1.19 range.

[Mac Mickmanus]

47 minutes ago, RayC said:

We've been here before, Mac.

 

In the years leading up to the referendum, sterling consistently traded in €1.20 - €1.30 range. Since the referendum, it hasn't broken €1.20 and has consistently traded at the lower end of the €1.10 - €1.19 range.

Yes, but my point is that that isn't  "serious devaluation" and the Pound was over valued before Brexit  and needed to come down a bit and also having a strong currency is a double edged sword .

   

Edited March 3, 2023 by Mac Mickmanus

[Chomper Higgot]

46 minutes ago, RayC said:

We've been here before, Mac.

 

In the years leading up to the referendum, sterling consistently traded in €1.20 - €1.30 range. Since the referendum, it hasn't broken €1.20 and has consistently traded at the lower end of the €1.10 - €1.19 range.

Never mind the exchange rate, look at the growth and productivity.

Down the pan!

 

[placeholder]

48 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

I did express myself. You know I did as you replied. How you would think I didn't is comical.

More evasion.

[RayC]

1 hour ago, youreavinalaff said:

I did express myself. You know I did as you replied. How you would think I didn't is comical.

If your intention is to irritate then congratulations, you have fully achieved your goal. However, if it was to engage in a serious, grown-up discussion then you have failed miserably.

 

Why can't you simply repeat your question then maybe, just maybe I could answer it  

[youreavinalaff]

36 minutes ago, placeholder said:

More evasion.

I agree.

 

It's about time you stopped.

[placeholder]

1 minute ago, youreavinalaff said:

I agree.

 

It's about time you stopped.

And another childish comment.

Edited March 3, 2023 by placeholder

[Hi from France]

1 hour ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Yes, but my point is that that isn't  "serious devaluation" and the Pound was over valued before Brexit  and needed to come down a bit and also having a strong currency is a double edged sword .

   

In theory, a weaker currency makes the country poorer but fosters exports and attracts foreign investments.

 

For 6 years now, the UK has had a weaker currency, weaker exports and less investments. A horrible loose-loose-loose mix.

 

Year after year after year, Brexit has proved not an outright catastrophy, but a continuous"slow puncture".

 

And after years running on flat tires, there are considerable consequences.

 

 

Brexit might not have been about purchasing power only, but instead about immigration and above all "sovereignty" but a poorer state and population means reduced sovereignty.

 

 

 

And the worst thing now is: no real improvement in sight...

 

 

 

.

Edited March 3, 2023 by Hi from France

[placeholder]

1 hour ago, RayC said:

Croatia had little choice but to adopt the Euro and it is far too early to form any opinion about whether its' adoption by them is a success.

 

I lived and worked in Belgium both pre and post-Euro. My job meant that I had to travel throughout Europe. At a personal level, the introduction of the Euro made things so much easier and I'm sure that is true for many others. The problem - as I explained in a previous post - occurs at a macro level: It is almost impossible for the ECB to reconcile the - often conflicting - monetary needs of all 20 Eurozone states and that causes problems in the wider economy.

So long as Croatia doesn't experience some sort of economic crisis peculiar to itself, the Euro won't make much difference to its economy. 

I don't think even 20 years ago the convenience of one currency was worth the potential damage it could cause. And did cause in the wake of the 2009 (2010?) financial crisis. Which it's clear you well recognize since you have noted that its problematic at the macro level. And now with digital wallets and payments, I think even the relatively weak justification of convenience no longer is valid.

[Mac Mickmanus]

12 minutes ago, Hi from France said:

In theory, a weaker currency makes the country poorer but fosters exports and attracts foreign investments.

 

For 6 years now, the UK has had a weaker currency, weaker exports and less investments. A horrible loose-loose-loose mix.

 

Year after year after year, Brexit has proved not an outright catastrophy, but a continuous"slow puncture".

 

And after years running on flat tires, there are considerable consequences.

 

 

Brexit might not have been about purchasing power only, but instead about immigration and above all "sovereignty" but a poorer state and population means reduced sovereignty.

 

 

 

And the worst thing now is: no real improvement in sight...

 

 

 

.

Sounds terrible...................................can we re-join the E.U ?????

[RayC]

1 hour ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Yes, but my point is that that isn't  "serious devaluation" and the Pound was over valued before Brexit  and needed to come down a bit and also having a strong currency is a double edged sword .

   

I agree that a strong currency has its pros and cons but an unplanned overnight drop of 13% drop, which occured as a result of the referendum, could never be considered good news.

 

Why do you consider that the pound was over-valued prior to the referendum?

 

 

[Scott]

Off-topic, troll posts and replies reported and removed.

 

[RayC]

18 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

See. That's the point. I didn't ask a question. Had you kept up with the conversation you would have known that.

 

I made a statement about your post. You then became evasive. Nothing new in that.

I asked you to clarify your statement because I didn't - and still don't - understand your comment. Instead of simply doing so, you embarked on some cryptic, meaningless linguistic journey. 

 

I've been anything other than evasive but I sincerely wish that I had been.

[Scott]

Continued trolling will result in suspensions being given.

 

[Hi from France]

48 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Sounds terrible...................................can we re-join the E.U ?????

that would be an excellent idea, but neither party wants it at the moment.

 

• For UK politicians the "B word" is taboo.
• For UE public opinion, the Brexit divorce is now history and we have problems aplenty, so no one really cares: near-zero coverage of the Windsor Framework.

 

Most experts say no membership candidacy before 10-20 years, I think it's reasonable, but both Britain and the EU will be very different then.

 

Right now I think the priority is rebuilding the bridges which have been burned down, the good new is the tide seems to turn. No more Boris Johnson (His "The French are little t*rds" did not go down well at all).

 

 

besides, Brexit is not as loose-loose as Ray would have it: to a large extend, EU countries want to go on taking or recovering pieces of the UK "economic cake": industrial sites, stock market transactions, euro bonds, foreign students... so, on the EU side there is a lot a wariness about a big quick rapprochement.

 

.

Edited March 3, 2023 by Hi from France

[placeholder]

5 minutes ago, Hi from France said:

besides, Brexit is not as loose-loose as Ray would have it: to a large extend, EU countries want to go on taking or recovering pieces of the UK "economic cake": industrial sites, stock market transactions, euro bonds, foreign students... so, on the EU side there is a lot a wariness about a big quick rapprochement..

I guess you can't blame the EU for plundering that particular treasure. The UK left itself wide open. On the other hand, if most of those financial types abandon London, maybe house and rental prices might decline to more reasonable levels? 

[Mac Mickmanus]

5 minutes ago, Hi from France said:

 

 

Right now I think the priority is rebuilding the bridges which have been burned down, the good new is the tide seems to turn. No more Boris Johnson (His "The French are little t*rds" did not go down well at all).

 

 

.

To keep it in perspective , Boris wasn't referring to all French people , Boris was frustrated with how the French negotiators were conducting themselves in the Brexit talks and thats who he referred to ,  the French negotiators at the Brexit talks 

[Hi from France]

3 hours ago, RayC said:

Croatia had little choice but to adopt the Euro and it is far too early to form any opinion about whether its' adoption by them is a success.

I read that practical Euro use in Croatia has been going on for years

 

 

 

3 hours ago, RayC said:

The problem - as I explained in a previous post - occurs at a macro level: It is almost impossible for the ECB to reconcile the - often conflicting - monetary needs of all 20 Eurozone states and that causes problems in the wider economy.

indeed, and the Eurozone cannot really work unless other measures are implemented (tax rates convergence, setting up budgetary transfers from rich to poor regions....). That's why it Brexit is so useful: the UK was the main (though not the only) member blocking these advances.

 

 

 

note the USA has very heterogeneous states in its federation and the dollar works ?

 

  

3 hours ago, RayC said:

I'm sure that you will enjoy your holiday in Croatia. A beautiful country. Can I suggest that you visit Plitvice National Park. Simply stunning.

thanks a lot!

 

Right now we are working on this (your browser will probably translate this page)

 

.

Edited March 3, 2023 by Hi from France

[Hi from France]

24 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

To keep it in perspective , Boris wasn't referring to all French people , Boris was frustrated with how the French negotiators were conducting themselves in the Brexit talks and thats who he referred to ,  the French negotiators at the Brexit talks 

I was not referring to Boris Johnson as a prime minister but as a U.K. foreign minister

 

https://www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-french-turds-bbc-footage/

 

 

but this is just one of many times when UK diplomacy, which used to be very the best of the world, was wrecked when Brexiteers "took control" (and sacked its most talented diplomats).

 

As soon as Sunak started his Bromance with Macron, some "non-negotiable" issues with Northern Ireland being in the single market suddenly disappeared

 

 

 

 

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thetimes.co.uk%2Farticle%2Frishi-sunak-macron-cop27-bromance-height-age-prime-minister-xjtrglxtf

Edited March 3, 2023 by Hi from France

[Mac Mickmanus]

2 minutes ago, Hi from France said:

 was not referring to Boris Johnson as a prime minister but as a U.K. foreign minister

 

https://www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-french-turds-bbc-footage/

 

 

but this is just one of many times when UK diplomacy, which used to be very the best of the world, was wrecked when Brexiteers "took control" (and sacked the most talented diplomats).

His job at the time isn't the important issue , the point is that Boris was referring to the people whom he was negotiating with and he wasn't referring to all French people , just the group whom was negotiating with 

[Hi from France]

4 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

His job at the time isn't the important issue , the point is that Boris was referring to the people whom he was negotiating with and he wasn't referring to all French people , just the group whom was negotiating with 

.. not to mention he had "no recollection" of having said it.