Brexit begins

[Young Master Smeet]

So, please excuse the intrusion of politics: confirmation that we were generally right continues.  Caught in the tragic necessity of having to obey the referendum outcome, Theresa May's letter spell out Britains negotiating position: as little change as possible, please.  She accepts the UK will have to leave the single market, and will no longer have a say in single market regulations, but envisages a free trade agreement, starting from existing regulatory harmonisation: my guess is the Great Repeal Bill will include provisions not just to incorporate EU law into UK law in and of itself, but also for ministers to make regulatory changes in order to comply with whatever non-tarif barrier arrangements the UK makes with the EU (as someone has pointed out, Statutory Instruments can be struck down by judges, so a bill for whatever free trade agreement would leave judges in the UK free to implement EU law without being subject to the European Court of Justice).

The UK will have control of immigration, it will just choose to let in the migrants, etc.  It will choose to pay into parts of the EU budget it takes part in, and of course, it will have to pay for funds it no longer receives (such as agricultural subsidies).

[Young Master Smeet]

EU negotiating positions:

Quote:

18. The British government has indicated that it will not seek to remain in the single market, but would like to pursue an ambitious free trade agreement with the European Union. Based on the Union's interests, the European Council stands ready to initiate work towards such an agreement, to be finalised and concluded once the United Kingdom is no longer a Member State.19. Any free trade agreement should be balanced, ambitious and wide-ranging. It cannot, however, amount to participation in the Single Market or parts thereof, as this would undermine its integrity and proper functioning. It must ensure a level playing field in terms of competition and state aid, and must encompass safeguards against unfair competitive advantages through, inter alia, fiscal, social and environmental dumping.[…]21. The future partnership must include appropriate enforcement and dispute settlement mechanisms that do not affect the Union's autonomy, in particular its decision-making procedures.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/31_03_17_eu_draft_guidelines.pdf

[Anonymous]

I for one am happy to see the intrusion of politics onto this forum. About time too. Not had a decent night's kip since the working class voted to leave . Oh Lordy, what will become of British capitalism?

[ALB]

After Norway and Switzerland, the model arrangement has been relegated to … the Ukraine. Here's Simon Nixon in last Thursday's Times (6 April):

Quote:

Ukraine, for example, negotiated an Association Agreement with the EU that covers security and foreign policy, as well as a deep and comprehensive trade agreement. This deal allows Ukraine tariff-free access to much of the EU single market for goods in return for compliance with EU rules overseen by a bilateral commission, but it isn't part part of the customs union, allowing it to strike its own trade deals.

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