Friday 16 June 2017

Another of those "have I gone mad or have they" moments...

From the BBC:

UK to agree Brexit divorce bill before trade talks - EU sources

The UK has agreed to sort out its EU "divorce bill" and citizens' residence rights before starting Brexit trade talks, EU sources have told the BBC.

But the UK's Brexit department has insisted a trade deal must be agreed at the same time.

7 comments:

paulc156 said...

I think at this point the EU have probably figured out that the pre election outline of the UK position is old news and that the new negotiating stance will emerge just as soon as the UK's strong and stable leader has taken instructions from the DUP, Scottish Tories, SNP and Jeremy :-(

Ralph Musgrave said...

The EU also want the nature of the South / North Irish border determined before trade talks begin, which is daft. If the end result is a hard brexit, that means a hard border. And soft brexit means soft border. Barnier is putting the cart before the horse.

paulc156 said...

I had wondered about that. Could be that's an EU roundabout way of saying just that. Either in the customs union with no border restrictions or vice versa. If we choose 'no border restrictions' we choose the customs union and it's over to Theresa May to decide.

Mark Wadsworth said...

PC, first comment, yes.

RM and PC, they can piss off. The Troubles apart, the N Ireland has always had a soft-ish border with Ireland (Irish citizens have more or less automatic right to live and vote in the UK). We can unilaterally allow free movement/trade between Ireland and N Ireland whether we are in the EU or not. I don't think any sane person would want anything else.

Same as Switzerland and its EU-neighbours. Then it's the EU's call - will they demand that Ireland does not respond in kind?

We can do all this stuff unilaterally, if the EU wants to play bullying, then it's on them.

Bayard said...

It looks like the beginning of the end of Brexit. It's the Hotel Californeu, "you can vote "out" any time you want, but you can never leave".

Mark Wadsworth said...

B, yes, that's the new plan. Negotiate a really shit exit deal and put it to another referendum.

Bayard said...

I don't think they'll risk asking the voters about anything for a very long time. There's far too much risk they will give the wrong answer again. It'll simply be a Lisbon Treaty style fait accompli.