Our country post Brexit

Hear hear Anya

I wavered and am still wavering too but that is because I listened to sensible, educated and experienced people on both sides (no, not the politicians, other voters).

Yes, of course the thread was doomed because using words like chortling shows why it was started in the first place. And words like imbecile used about Brexiters just shows why no-one wants to participate in so-called debates.

Oh jalima that was merely a figure of speech. My goodness you are reading into something that isn't there, and are being entirely unfair.

Why oh why can't you find anything positive?

What was merely a figure of speech?

Why oh why can't you find anything positive?

Because the OP wasn't addressed to me?
Because I have been horrified by some of the sheer nastiness and name-calling by some people about people who did vote Brexit?
I see nothing positive in any of it, quite frankly.

As you wish

As no one is willing to speak positively about Brexit, I propose this gets turned into another Brexit watch as the Cliff Edge is coming to an end.

Interested to see that Hammond is visiting Argentina. They are amongst the countries who are very likely to cause us difficulties post Brexit and if we need WTO entry. I can see the Falklands being mentioned. I hope the Falklanders are aware of the potential difficulty.

I think they know full well.
I hardly dare post this link but it does give their point of view:
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4743230/Even-flag-waving-Falklanders-don-t-want-Brexit.html

Thank you jalima
Re trading under WTO rules, we will still be squids in, says James Dyson.

Just keep in mind we import £100 mil from the eu and export 10mil to the eu.
Who needs who the most?

I think you might have got your figures slightly wrong, petra.
That would only buy one or two mansions in Chelsea.

fullfact.org/europe/uk-eu-trade/

Whoops!! That should have been billions.

fullfact.org/europe/uk-trade-deficit-eu/

Still wrong, even in billions.

Whenever someone quotes that 'we import more from the EU than they import from us' thing they don't seem to take into account that if you look at it country for country.

The UK (if you count it as one country) sends 44% of its exports to the EU whereas the 27 EU countries are each only sending the UK a far smaller percentage of their exports (which isn't actually strictly true because some countries export very little to us and some export a lot, but the principle holds true)

Full Fact says our EU exports are worth £230 billion while EU imports are worth £260 billion. So if trade with the EU were to cease we would lose £260 billion whereas, on average, each EU country would lose less than £10 billion. I think the loss to the UK looks somewhat larger...

durhamjen
Even better more than pleased to be wrong on that figure.

So, Petra, you'd be perfectly happy for the UK to lose £260 billion p.a as opposed to each EU country only losing £10 billion?

How does the rest of the world survive outside the EU?

It is very hard to refrain from passing a judgement on the the intelligence of this Brexiter:

Though it could well be a spoof!

How does the rest of the world survive outside the EU?

As I understand it, Primrose, they form trading blocs. Usually with their near neighbours...

it looks like a spoof to me

That is the problem though, Primrose - having abandoned some of our old trading partners they have found new markets.
One reason why I nearly voted Brexit was because I thought we would regenerate our links with our Commonwealth partners - because of our ever closer links with the EU and more stringent rules on Commonwealth citizens they in return have made it more difficult for British citizens to gain visas etc.
But we have had gone too far, I think, and thrown our lot in with the EU rather than maintained our trading and other links with such countries as Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Many Gransnetters who did vote remain seem to have relatives who are EU citizens or have close links, working or otherwise, with the EU.
Most people I know have families who live in Commonwealth countries, either temporarily for work or permanently.

I expect to be corrected, those are just my thoughts, not evidence-based facts.

Another thing that never comes into trade is the effect on the environment of transporting all those goods.

Trading with the EU must have a lesser effect than trading with the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

This was written by James Dyson at the time of the referendum but it could have been anyone who understands the maths.
Our trade imbalance with the eu is running at £9 Billion a month, and rising. If this trend continues that's £100 Billion a year.
If as David Cameron suggested, they impose a 10% tariff on us, we will do the same in return.
We buy more from them than than they buy from us, so we would be the net beneficiary, and based on these numbers it would bring in £10 Billion annually.
Added to our eu contribution it would make us around £18.5 Billion better off.

I prefer fullfacts take on the balance of trade.
Rees-Mogg got it wrong, too.

fullfact.org/europe/uk-trade-deficit-eu/

durhamjen
I prefer someone who knows how many beans make 5 while manufacturing goods that are exported all over the world against a keyboard warrior who's only skills are looking at a computer screen.
I doubt if one of them could work their way out of a paper bag.