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Would the EU ever trust us and want us back???

(303 Posts)
Kali2 Sun 25-Jul-21 09:19:46

Let's imagine the majority of people in the UK change their mind about leaving. Comes a new PM next election, who is pro EU and wants to negotiate a return, with the backing of a strong majority of the population, say 65% + -

what would the EU say?

As many headlines around the world have been saying this week- Can the UK ever be trusted again?

MerylStreep Sun 25-Jul-21 09:24:19

Who’s going to go first ?

Kali2 Sun 25-Jul-21 09:32:08

Why not you? Here is some context to help

London (CNN Business)Just seven months after singing its praises, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is attempting to rewrite the Brexit deal he signed with the European Union.
It's a risky move that will undermine Britain's credibility as a trustworthy trading partner at the very moment that the UK government is seeking to forge economic alliances far beyond Europe to justify its "global Britain" sales pitch for Brexit, according to experts.
EU officials have already rejected the UK call for a renegotiation, which trade experts say amounts to a brazen attempt to press the European Union to agree to demands that it already rejected during several rounds of talks.

Other countries watching the drama unfold will proceed with caution when it comes to dealing with the United Kingdom, according to L. Alan Winters of the UK Trade Policy Observatory at the University of Sussex in England.

"It certainly does raise questions about the trustworthiness of this government," he told CNN Business. "I don't think it will lead to the complete cessation of negotiations between the UK and other countries, but I think it will make it a little bit more difficult," he added.

Kali2 Sun 25-Jul-21 09:33:13

con'td

To be clear, the UK government's capricious behavior is a bad look, but it won't necessarily prove fatal to future trade alliances. It could, however, weaken its negotiating position.
"The UK is a substantial economy," and is an "attractive trade partner in many ways," said Simon Usherwood, a professor of politics and international studies at The Open University in England.
Potential partners, such as New Zealand and other Pacific nations, may just insist on more robust ways to settle disputes in case the United Kingdom tried to backtrack on a deal, he told CNN Business.
"If you wanted a trade deal with the UK, now is probably the best time to get one on your own terms," Usherwood added, pointing to the highly accommodating deal the UK government granted Australia. "The UK is in a tight situation. It needs to show that leaving the EU was a worthwhile venture."

MaizieD Sun 25-Jul-21 09:35:03

I would be very sorry to think that the actions of our current disgraceful government would permanently affect the way we are regarded globally. I would hope that our previously decent reputation, built up over many years, could be repaired at international level and this government be rightly regarded as the abhorrent abomination that it is, not as a pattern for the future.

However, I don't think we'd return to the EU as the key player that we were.

Welshwife Sun 25-Jul-21 09:35:55

This cohort of politicians cannot last forever and when they are gone, and should the country wish to rejoin, I would expect it to be looked on favourably, but I doubt the U.K. would get all the opt outs etc it enjoyed with the previous membership.

Luckygirl Sun 25-Jul-21 09:46:35

We never really did belong to the EU. We were always carping from the sidelines. I doubt anyone in Europe is the least surprised about what is happening now.

foxie48 Sun 25-Jul-21 09:49:06

No I don't think we would be allowed to rejoin and tbh I can't see us voting to rejoin either as the conditions would be much less favourable than they were when we left. eg need to adopt the Euro would be a major problem IMHO. Also, I think our economic situation post pandemic would mean we wouldn't meet the economic criteria. I know they have bent the rules in the past but I think the EU will have it's own problems without importing more.

Whitewavemark2 Sun 25-Jul-21 09:50:00

History will show that we sacrificed so much thoughout this period.

I have absolutely no doubt that we will eventually reverse the decision to leave such a huge and powerful economic block. One reason is because it is the way the capitalist world is functioning. Large economic blocks provide support and trade to its members underpinned by rules to which they obviously all adhere. There are no countries that survive on their own.

nanna8 Sun 25-Jul-21 09:57:12

Don’t mean to be overly cynical but most countries look to themselves first and last and the UK is no different. Nothing to do with trust, more to do with whether it will be of benefit to those being negotiated with. I wouldn’t trust the UK or the US or France, Germany or anyone else unless the treaty was totally watertight and not open to any misinterpretation. Why on earth should the rest of Europe have trust ? They won’t.

MaizieD Sun 25-Jul-21 09:58:03

Luckygirl

We never really did belong to the EU. We were always carping from the sidelines. I doubt anyone in Europe is the least surprised about what is happening now.

Be that as it may, we were a major player and instigator of a great many initiatives. Most notably we drove the creation of the Single Market.

Irritating, but influential!

Maggiemaybe Sun 25-Jul-21 10:08:04

As many headlines around the world have been saying this week- Can the UK ever be trusted again?

So yet again, we’re the hot topic in the world’s press? There really must be nothing going on anywhere else.

Kali2 Sun 25-Jul-21 10:13:33

The article I posted is from CNN, and has been repeated around the world.

Kali2 Sun 25-Jul-21 10:14:20

The Deal the UK signed was very clear, and not open to mis-interpretation.

Chewbacca Sun 25-Jul-21 10:15:24

So yet again, we’re the hot topic in the world’s press?

Around the world and on tv?

Whitewavemark2 Sun 25-Jul-21 10:18:13

I saw CNN and it’s report on the U.K. and Johnson.

Doesn’t make for pretty reading.

Alegrias1 Sun 25-Jul-21 10:18:27

many headlines does not mean this is all they are talking about to the exception of everything else

Amazingly, many people can think about more than one thing at a time.

Polly12 Sun 25-Jul-21 10:24:37

Oh, I’m sure this is the hot topic in the world’s press - it’s not as if there’s much else of relevance - other than The Olympics, climate change, a global pandemic, the rising cost of Toblerone, etc…..

Eviebeanz Sun 25-Jul-21 10:26:38

There is a saying that "it takes years to build a reputation and seconds to destroy it"
I think the UK may have proved that point
Although we may at some point wish to rejoin I can't see that there would be any point as the benefits that we had previously enjoyed (or not according to your point of view) would no longer be available to us

HolySox Sun 25-Jul-21 10:32:55

I think the EU (whoever 'they' are) would have us back in the blink of an eye. They don't want a trading partner, they want complete dominion over us. In the 1970's we voted for an EEC. This is fast becoming the United States of Europe. More worryingly, when the media look for decisions from 'Europe' did we get a statement from one of the EU presidents? No. Usually the German Chancellor! We jumped ship just in time.

Good on Boris for doing his job and continuing to haggle for us, the UK.

Dinahmo Sun 25-Jul-21 10:38:32

The way in which the govt deals with the application to drill for oil at the Cambo field west of Shetland will show the world whether the UK is trustworthy or not.

The UN climate change conference (COP26) is to be held in Glasgow in October. It has been suggested that the govt will defer the decision on Cambo until after COP26 in order to talk the talk at the conference.

Kali2 Sun 25-Jul-21 10:41:12

To haggle for us, the UK ??? What do you eman JolySox- he has negotiated his perfect Deal, oven-ready, with all the bells he said we needed, he agreed, signed the Deal- said it was a triumph. And now he is saying he does not want it- it is not quite what he meant... He was warned, again and again, by all experts in the field, that it would cause very specific and easy to see problems, as with NI- but he ignored it all. And you say he is 'haggling for us' - haggling is for second car salesmen- not PMs.

Daisymae Sun 25-Jul-21 10:42:33

I think that they would have us back in a shot. Except it would be very much under their terms. We have demonstrated admirably that we have poor negotiation skills too.

henetha Sun 25-Jul-21 10:45:28

I do hope not. I hope we remain independent for ever.

GagaJo Sun 25-Jul-21 10:46:48

I think they would probably tell us to F off, although I for one would love it if we could/did as would just about all of my friends and family.