"There will be NO renegotiation!" says Juncker for EU. Let us get out NOW!

Even if Britain stayed in the EU it will never be the same. Damage has been done. Its like an unfaithul husband. when he returns it will not be the same,

Deal or no deal.

Well be ok for toblerone and cuckoo clocks then. Yes before anyone’s moans I know Switzerland makes a lot of high end stuff, pharmaceuticals and so on, all very expensive. I don’t think it’s going to replace The EU market somehow.

Auf Wiedersehen

MazieD
Why do we have to have a customs union? Why can't we be a trading block?, and yes I do appreciate that we have closer ties than most trading blocks, i.e. security, shared protests etc etc. There is evidence to suggest that trading blocks are more productive than customs unions, maybe this could be a good thing between us and the eu.

Not protests, projects although the French do have the edge on us on that one.

And in time to come when folk are complaining e.g. about increases in food prices, many will blame the government of the time and will never understand that the inevitable financial difficulties are a direct result of bloody brexit. A few years from now they'll blank out the whole debacle and place the blame anywhere but on themselves!

Totally agree with you mcem

'Brexit has been so stressful for myself and my company that i had a heart attack and lost 6 employees. The cost of imported goods spiralled , we had extra work planning for uncertainty , the extra stress led to staff giving up who were unable to cope with the added stress , several EU employees left the extra work load meant myself and others had to be medically treated for stress and I had a heart attack . Ironically the heart ? attack happened in Germany at the end of a Euro tour to drum up support 400 miles a day driving and 4 big meetings a day proved too much and I had a heart attack in Düsseldorf where I had arrived to exhibit at the biggest healthcare trade fair in the world Medica Dusseldorf. The only consolation was the abuksbce arrived in 10 minutes and within a few hours they operated at a Dusseldorf hospital where the treatment was free and world class . Both my grandfathers were regular volunteers fighting in both world wars I felt my heritage was to rebuild bridges . The company that I founded A1 Pharmaceuticals Plc is the longest consecutive exhibitor and the biggest Pharmacy show and medical exhibitions in Europe . Brexit has literally left be heart broken because I spent my whole career over 30 years building bridges with Europe the success of which lead to a Queens award in 2012 and the Sunday times top 100' .
...just read this on facebook; I'd like to ask anyone who voted to leave the EU to justify their vote after reading something like this.

As I understand it, petra, without a customs union 'frictionless trade' becomes difficult or impossible because of the non-tariff barriers in place.

Non-tariff barriers add to the cost of exporting.

Examples are given here.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/non-tariff-barriers

The UK and EU have agreed to the Common Transit Convention in the event of a no deal Brexit.

This means that paperwork, duties etc will be done at final destination.

No delays at ports, project fear is beginning to be overturned step by step.

Well, that's a tiny thing, GG13 and a relief for the citizens of Dover, but it still doesn't solve a host of problems. In transport alone there is till the question of permits and recognition of drivers' qualifications. Among others the Irish border is still a major problem and the issue of international confidence in a country which reneges on its obligations and unilaterally breaks agreements. Who will want to make trade agreements with perfidious Albion?

P.S the fact that the EU has agreed to inviting the UK to join the CTC rather belies its image as an evil bully out to punish us...

Only a remoaner would think that

And only a Brexsh*tter would think the opposite.

Language MaizieD ☺

Sounds like we may be developing a plan for no deal now. If nothing else that may make the intransigent EU bods have a rethink. (They can’t just follow the Macaroon’s lead, he may not be in post much longer).

Call me a remoaner and I see red, Buffy. There's no call for bad manners.

So, Britain preparing for a no deal situation will put pressure on the EU, not this country and it's peoples?

Well it’s alright if we go down the pan as we’ll be hurting them as well. Very noble sentiment.

There's some very strange logic going on at the moment. Someone on tv last night said it was ok that people didn't know what voting leave meant because we didn't know what we were voting for 40 years ago either [which wasn't actually true anyway].

The chairman of one of the big German banks (I think the Bundesbank) has come out and said that the UK will be ok leaving with no deal, as we are a resilient and resourceful nation.

He went on to say that Germany will suffer more than the UK, it appears that the EU members are starting to worry about us leaving without a deal.

Well it’s alright if we go down the pan

Ha ha..such a typical Project Fear bad loser response!

We are going to go down the pan are we? You know this?Crystal ball arguments again.

The EU has never been our trading saviour. They rely on us too you know. We are perfectly capable or drawing up new agreements globally AND continuing to trade on different terms with the EU bloc - as other countries around the world do.

Us preparing for a no deal is a practical thing to do, and anything that puts some pressure on the EU negotiating team is welcome.

It is bein widely reported that the cabinet is implementing no deal scenario.

Due to EU elections in May 2019, it is impossible to put Article 50 on hold, this is the legal advice as reported in the Telegraph.

Also it will take at least a year to organise a 2nd referendum so that is in all probability not going to happen.

Why they couldn't have spent the last two years working on a no deal with the EU, laying the ground for our full participation with the WTO, whilst simultaneously ironing out leaving difficulties and having a joint UK/EU agreement as to how we would go forward (because the EU doesn't want to lose it's trade with the UK either).

It would have been a much better use of time.

If May had said to Barnier and Juncker from the beginning, two years ago, "We are leaving - how do you want to trade with US in the future?" it might have been a better strategy, leaving us in almost the same place we are now, but without any of the ground work laid for an alternative plan.

I cannot imagine though, that there hasn't been a Plan B which kicks in if we cannot agree terms with the EU. We will continue to trade with the EU in the future anyway. They need our market too.. I think we have tried too hard to be conciliatory.

Back to square one maybe, after two fruitless, bitter years?