Theresa May’s Government has finally agreed the EU withdrawal Bill,
Michel Barnier has just reported that there is no agreement on Northern Ireland, except a UK/EU Customs area… uh oh..
Deal or no deal?
Read all 500 pages here
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We voted to leave the customs union
"Great news, we've got a great deal to stay in the customs union!"
We voted to leave the single market
"Great news, we've got a great deal to stay in the single market!"
Some reminders of what was in the 2015 Conservative Manifesto which led to the People's Vote referendum of 2016 occurring in the first place:
give you a say over whether we should stay in or leave the EU, with an in-out referendum
by the end of 2017
commit to keeping the pound and staying out of the Eurozone
reform the workings of the EU, which is too big, too bossy and too bureaucratic
reclaim power from Brussels on your behalf and safeguard British interests in the Single
Market
and
We are clear about what we want from
Europe� We say: yes to the Single Market� Yes to turbocharging free trade� Yes to working together where we are
stronger together than alone� Yes to a family of nation
states, all part of a European Union – but whose interests,
crucially, are guaranteed whether inside the Euro or out�
No to ‘ever closer union.’ No to a constant flow of power
to Brussels� No to unnecessary interference� And no, of
course, to the Euro, to participation in Eurozone bail-outs
or notions like a European Army
Reading the clarity of all that, and comparing it to the empty vessel of a charter of EU power over our lives that we see today, it's like an old gentleman losing his marbles following his wife dying, moving into a care home, and leaving his property empty. The only consolation to the relatives is that the former family home is exempt from Council Tax until it's sold.
Better analogies are no doubt available, but I do feel like the government of the UK now suffers from SMI.
We voted to leave the customs union
"Great news, we've got a great deal to stay in the customs union!"
We voted to leave the single market
"Great news, we've got a great deal to stay in the single market!"
Testing Comments
Damn you! I needed to get some sleep tonight. Three hours and I've only managed to get to page 300.
Mostly not-very controversial boilerplate so far. That must mean I've not got to the exciting stuff yet.