This is what I don’t quite get Sick boy, why would you (or others)be happy with the EUs stance ? This is like groundhog day but we have moved on and left so surely you (and others) should just want what is best for us now. I’m surprised people can be supportive of the EUs current stance on what are essentially now discussions to secure a free trade agreement (which would mean zero tariffs on a majority of goods thereby cheaper products for citizens in the U.K. and Europe ?)
The current requests for a level playing field our outside of the free trade talks usual remit. Why is this acceptable ? Why should the EU have an influence/jurisdiction over our rules and regulations now we have left ?
We already maintain higher standards way above EU minimum standards in various areas of employee rights, should all EU countries match our standards ie on maternity, sick pay, minimum wage ? The net migration figures from the EU over the past 10 years support what EU citizens think our employment opportunities and rights. We don’t need EU directions to maintain that ? (Worth having a read of this
Don’t be fooled – the EU is no defender of workers’ rights | Larry Elliott)
and ultimately if U.K. citizens see their employment rights being eroded in future, you know what, they can vote to change the government.
In relation to state aid influence look at the number of times the EU has had to intervened in state aid cases in the U.K. compared to other EU nations, who all appear to take the piss. However, if the government now wants to help certain key industries for the country why shouldn’t it be allowed ?
I have no doubt that we will maintain high environmental standards, why do we need to follow the EU on this ? We were the first major economy to pass the net zero emissions by 2050 into law. I think the EU are still finalising this but it excludes Poland and certain other EU nations want financial incentives.
How can the EU want to influence our corporate tax policy when it allows Ireland, which is on our doorstep, to have Corp Tax of 12.5% and further huge incentives/tax breaks in innovation areas ?
Ultimately we’re a goods importing nation with a massive trade deficit on goods traded with Europe (£90bn) Whilst they are obviously a bigger, more powerful bloc, tariffs will damage a lot of currently struggling EU nations as well as our own. In a world when they are wider trade battles ie with Trump over tariffs, do they really think this is best for a majority of EU citizens ?
Be in no doubt this is purely damage limitation from the EU perspective. They desperately don’t want a more competitive direct neighbour. For all the doomsayers, we are forecast to grow more than Germany, France and the EU as a whole this year. Germany as we all know is the European powerhouse (and to some large extent are essential to its prosperity) is forecast to grow at only 1.1%, last year it was 0.6%. Also see some recent comments from the IMF in terms of our longer term future economic standing and even Mark Carney which certainly forecast the future in a (much) more positive light than previously.
I personally want the EU countries to flourish as ultimately, we will benefit. Why wouldn’t they want the same for the UK, unless it is purely for political reasons of protecting ‘the project’ ?
If so, basically, what they and others appear to be saying, is that its ok for the EU to unilaterally make a majority of its citizens worse off because it doesn’t want the UK to make a success of leaving the EU ? I just can’t get my head around that personally.
I don’t expect people to agree with everything above and I know many are still, quite rightly, upset about the result and where we are (as they didn’t vote for it), however, now we have left, the question is, why would UK citizens not want us to be the most successful country as we can be, even if it doesn’t fit in with the EU project ?
