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Brexit "divorce"- did Commonwealth countries pay to leave?

(38 Posts)
Newquay Sun 20-Aug-17 22:28:14

Does anyone know, when countries left the Commonwealth, did they have to pay to leave like we're supposed to be doing with Brexit? I just don't understand, simple soul that I am, when you leave something you pay subs to, you give the required notice (if any agreed beforehand) and then just leave and stop paying. So how come we're supposed to be paying to leave?

maryeliza54 Sun 20-Aug-17 22:35:58

I really don't think you can begin to equate leaving the Commonwealth with leaving the EU ( or your gym for that matter)

Chewbacca Sun 20-Aug-17 22:47:25

The gym? confused

maryeliza54 Sun 20-Aug-17 23:01:51

An example of ' when you leave something you pay subs to'

durhamjen Mon 21-Aug-17 00:08:33

We' re not paying to leave. We are paying what we owe.
If you take out an agreement you have to fulfil the terms of that agreement, like paying the rent. If you try to leave without paying what you owe, you have the law coming after you.

Primrose65 Mon 21-Aug-17 00:10:43

Does anyone know how the calculation works? I understand we will incur pension obligations and we've contributed to EU infrastructure, but I have not seen anything showing how these assets and liabilities are valued.

durhamjen Mon 21-Aug-17 00:32:35

If anyone does know they ought to tell David Davies, because he doesn't know.
We have agreed to pay the rent until 2020.

durhamjen Mon 21-Aug-17 00:50:35

Just thinking that the Commonwealth wasn't a group of equals. We just took them over and robbed them of their wealth. Why would they pay to leave? Most left after some sort of uprising.

Chewbacca Mon 21-Aug-17 08:24:25

We robbed Australia, did we? And The Bahamas? Canada? New Zealand? What of?

Iam64 Mon 21-Aug-17 08:58:28

Any country that invades another and imposes its own rule on that country is a bit of a robber Chewbacca.
The commemoration of the independence from British rule of India, the separation of India and Pakistan is a timely reminder that Empire building brings its own costs to those invaded and also to the invaders.

Chewbacca Mon 21-Aug-17 09:13:19

But Canada, Australia & New Zealand were not "robbed" in any way as far as I'm aware Iam64. But I agree with you wholeheartedly regarding india/Pakistan; it was just the massively sweeping generalisation from Durham that we "took them over and robbed them of their wealth" that irked me.

Newquay Mon 21-Aug-17 09:16:08

So what does the agreement say then? Where's that? Can we see it/its summary? Have we agreed to give a certain period of notice (like rent/HP)? Didn't we have a "pre nup"? Does anyone know do you think Durhamjen? Like you Primrose we should see the accounts/balance sheets-oh yes haven't they not been filed/audited for about 20 years? Suspicious that don't you think?

Tegan2 Mon 21-Aug-17 10:07:40

If many brexiters are of the mindset of the original post it's no wonder people voted for brexit; I'm amazed at how simple a lot of people think the whole brexit process is going to be.

Welshwife Mon 21-Aug-17 10:17:17

Grow many more times are we to hear this rot about the accounts! They HAVE been audited every year and found to be OK. The money we need to still pay is that which we have agreed to pay up till 2020 I think - the EU works on a seven year programme and all the money requirements are sorted when the agreements are made - that the promise we need to fulfil. We also need to pay the pension agreements made for I think our own EU officials.
If you wish to cancel SKY you need to pay three months payments whether or not you can actually watch their programmes!

durhamjen Mon 21-Aug-17 10:24:07

Exactly, Welshwife.
It's quite easy to find out what we agreed to up until 2020, but people like to be spoonfed. They also like to weasel out of agreements.

durhamjen Mon 21-Aug-17 10:30:26

Tell the Aborigines that we never robbed Australia.
Our prisons were full. We sent prisoners over there, and took back flax and timber, which we took from the aborigines. We didn't buy it from them any more than we bought their land. That is robbery.

MargaretX Mon 21-Aug-17 10:31:07

I suggest you look at the EU parliament, just how many people are sitting there in that area. Then the hundreds of offices devoted to translations and printouts, then the legal side and the amount of PA s the MEps have, the computers and computer systems that have to be kept in good working order.
If you are a member of such an organisation you can't just get up and leave and not pay for the things you wanted, voted for and used just on a whim.

To be honest Newquay Is this a sample of Brexit thinking?

What would you do with those balance sheets? There are thousands of folders. Which would you wish to see first?
D Davies should start work on those concernng the the Uk but he doesn't seem eager to start. The EU lawyers are not paid to to this work for the UK.unless the UK pays for it.

suzied Mon 21-Aug-17 10:40:23

I think lots of indigenous people were killed , land stolen by the Europeans during the colonisation of Australia, NZ and Canada amongst other places. Not a bloodless invasion .

durhamjen Mon 21-Aug-17 10:41:06

Tell the First Nations in Canada that they did not have their lands stolen from them, along with the herds of buffalo and the gold in their rivers.

durhamjen Mon 21-Aug-17 10:41:46

Snap, suzie.

Iam64 Mon 21-Aug-17 12:06:52

And the First Nations in the USA

suzied Mon 21-Aug-17 12:12:49

Not to mention the slave trade between w Africa and the W Indies and N America making lots of European plantation owners fabulously wealthy.

Jalima1108 Mon 21-Aug-17 12:15:28

We are expected to pay what we owe - so does that mean we will get back most of it in grants anyway?

You'd think they could work out what they think we owe, what they owe us back and divvy it up satisfactorily.

durhamjen Mon 21-Aug-17 12:20:15

fullfact.org/europe/eu-divorce-bill/

durhamjen Mon 21-Aug-17 12:23:23

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/brexit-explained/eu-divorce-bill