So there will be NO border checks in Dover and Tunnel?

Yes, at the moment things coming from China have to be CE checked to show that they are up to our standards, which are EU standards. Once we leave, anything goes if we do not have checks at the borders.

We will get cheap imports from China, not fire retardant, not doubly safe- and kids and people will get hurt.

If the EU wanted to be pernickety, they could say that we had to have different standards for each country. That will be fun.
Everything that we get from every country comes through EU standards, the CE mark, even the laptop, mouse and keyboard I am using. All our grandchildren's toys are CE marked.
But it's going to be so easy, isn't it?

Probably get the kite mark back!

Nobody has thought of that

When do we lose the CE mark, and what will replace it?

As they were constantly being told that we were being 'ruled from Brussels by unelected bureaucrats' without any explanation of how the UK actually had input into the system I expect they just feel it's more of the same for the next 2/3 years.

But, after that we'll be FREE...

Apparently they voted to give total control to Brussels without any input from the UK.

If it wasn't such a tragic mess, such a complete disaster, I would be laughing at the attempts of the Brexit supporters, MPs and others, as they try to convince us ( and themselves) that this is what they wanted, that they voted for Kent to become a lorry park, the potential losses in terms of manhours, fuel, wasted food, and the cruelty of the animals stuck in the queues, was this what they voted for? Grayling is not a fool, so he must be a liar, it can only be one or the other.

petra 'Did I bleat on about it, no! Did I expect sympathy, no! We made our choices and would live with it.'

how unpleasant and, yes, nasty- did I ever 'bleat' - I truly don't think I did- just explained what the effect is on us.

I am not sure if Belguim or the Netherlands would agree to no border controls, it always seem to be assumed that all freight goes via France. Rotterdam is one of the largest ports in the world and I doubt if they would be happy to have British vessels on a different basis to other countries.
I must say if they lift the UK borders it would make a big difference to the amount if migrants camping here trying to get to the UK or would that be different I wonder.?

If you had said anything about it, petra would you have expected people to have said "tough luck"?

It wasn't a pythonesque competition to see who was the most hard done by.

I'm afraid your attempt at justifying the original comments just compounds my poor opinion of some Leavers.

In 2008 when the banks collapsed we were living abroard very comfortable on the interest on our money ( our pensions wouldn't kick in for a few years)
Did I bleat on about it, no! Did I expect sympathy, no! We made our choices and would live with it.

I know, some here will sneer

I think that the sneerers have mostly gone from these Brexit threads but I must confess that, as a relative newcomer to this forum at the time, I was extremely at the callous reaction to your plight when you posted about the effect the Leave vote had had on your income. I was used to more 'respectful' message forums. It didn't do the image of Leave voters any good IMO.

I think that in “retiring” to another country, as others have done to France, Spain , Australia etc, that is a chance one takes, namely the exchange rate. Frozen state pensions are another one.
One of the swings and roundabouts to balance the (possibly) pros of weather, living conditions, lifestyle or proximity to adult children and grandchildren.
The grass is not always greener is it? (Although from my experience of your part of Switzerland, Jura there are possibly other compensations. )

Some of you probably have a very distorted view of what Switzerland is like. I do not live in Gstaad, or St Moritz- but in an area which look more like Wales or Yorkhire- with very down to earth people, farmers, watch-makers.

Swiss people often say to me 'oh I know England, I've been to London' ... and I say - well, most of UK is not like London at all ...

I know. About the exchange rate taking a dive on the day of our 3 monthly transfer- I can concur.

When it got to its lowest point, last year, 1.18- we seriously panicked- as it represented a cut of 60% compared to the rate when we arrived here exactly 9 years ago. Our problem here is that the Swiss Franc has crept up concurrently to the £ dropping. Fortunately back up to about 1.28-1.30 (but even then is a 50% drop in income).

I know, some here will sneer - why go swanning off to Switzerland- no sympathy: But this is where I was born and bred, and where my elderly parents were in dire straights and so needed us. It is also the part of Switzerland nearest to France (the border is less than 1/2 mile away- and where property is cheapest- much cheaper indeed to most parts of UK.

We are now in limbo - wondering if we will have to go back to UK, and at the same time with our DDs thinking very seriously about coming over (they have dual nationality and could make a fantastic living here, even more so post Brexit).

I am not worrying too much at the moment Jura, it is still a couple of years away. I think transition will be the start of a long fudge.....

Mamie- agree about avoiding ports after Brexit- but how? My grandchildren and daughters are there, and I have to see them every few months - just have to.

Who said channel 4 news tonight “Cambridge analytica”? Definitely looks worth a look

Profiling petra - have you been carrying anything you shouldn’t?

We have been pulled over and searched several times coming back and going out so we expect it now.
We always laugh at the search as not one of them bothers to look in the huge boot or under the seating or the drop down bed.

Yes it did. The problem is that it often seems to take a nosedive on transfer day!

Good to know mamie thanks for the info.

The £ rose a bit today at the prospect of a soft Brexit I think

In terms of chaos at the ports I think we will make sure that we don’t need to go to the UK for a bit when Brexit actually happens. I travel quite often as a foot passenger and that will probably be the safest bet.
In general terms I am pleased about the transition as I think every step takes us further from hard Brexit. On a personal level we have our permanent residence cards and rights to health cover from France now, so the main worry is the state of the pound, though transition should ease that a bit.