Current Affairs EU In or Out

[Bruce Wayne]

 

[peteblue]

So what is your point, that we should or should not have signed the agreement. At least you know my views, having wanted a sensible deal between the U.K. and EU, the current interpretation and application of the agreement by the EU is doing no one any favours. Personally I would rip the whole Withdrawal Agreement up and throw it in the Bin otherwise we will never be free from EU meddling……

 

[Bluerover]

Brazil beef warning after Defra signs trade 'understanding'

DEFENDERS of home-produced Scottish food this week expressed concern over the newly signed 'memorandum of understanding' between the United Kingdom…

www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk

Yes the EU does also import some Brazilian beef - I wouldn't touch it, and have never seen it in Ireland - nor would expect to. However, they only allow from producers that have passed rigorous EU audits for welfare and hygiene standards.

 

[Alan Whittle]

So what is your point, that we should or should not have signed the agreement. At least you know my views, having wanted a sensible deal between the U.K. and EU, the current interpretation and application of the agreement by the EU is doing no one any favours. Personally I would rip the whole Withdrawal Agreement up and throw it in the Bin otherwise we will never be free from EU meddling……

The current application of the deal by the EU is the implementation of the deal as agreed by the parties to the deal.
The same oven ready deal trumpeted by Boris and flagged at the time by the DUP as a potential problem.
The only difference here between the EU and the UK is that the EU are standing by what was agreed and the UK don’t want to.

 

[Haydn]

So what is your point, that we should or should not have signed the agreement. At least you know my views, having wanted a sensible deal between the U.K. and EU, the current interpretation and application of the agreement by the EU is doing no one any favours. Personally I would rip the whole Withdrawal Agreement up and throw it in the Bin otherwise we will never be free from EU meddling……

Pete, are you suggesting, that those who negotiated the current deal on behalf of the UK and recommended its acceptance to Parliament, didn’t understand what they were agreeing to ?

 

[peteblue]

Pete, are you suggesting, that those who negotiated the current deal on behalf of the UK and recommended its acceptance to Parliament, didn’t understand what they were agreeing to ?

Either the application of the protocol is against the spirit of the protocol or the protocol itself was signed without understanding the full ramifications. The fault either lays with the U.K. or the EU and we can all point at each other and score political points. The issue however is to make the protocol work, preferably negotiated, but the EU appear not to want to amend the protocol. Whoever was to blame is now a pointless argument, it needs sorting. Listening to the HoC today, everyone appears to be saying that the stupidities such as sandwiches sent from U.K. for sale in NI pose no threats to the EU single market, but political points are still being made. It’s time for the U.K. to get the thing changed…..

 

[Haydn]

Either the application of the protocol is against the spirit of the protocol or the protocol itself was signed without understanding the full ramifications. The fault either lays with the U.K. or the EU and we can all point at each other and score political points. The issue however is to make the protocol work, preferably negotiated, but the EU appear not to want to amend the protocol. Whoever was to blame is now a pointless argument, it needs sorting. Listening to the HoC today, everyone appears to be saying that the stupidities such as sandwiches sent from U.K. for sale in NI pose no threats to the EU single market, but political points are still being made. It’s time for the U.K. to get the thing changed…..

Pete, I get where you are coming from, however accountability can’t be so easily dismissed. It’s not political point scoring either.

I assume you have engaged in contract negotiations during your time. Subject experts review all the relevant sections in micro detail and consider the implications on their specific area of operations. Clarifications are always sought on any ambiguous areas. If the terms wont work for you, the contract isn’t signed and enacted.

If those negotiating and signing the Northern Ireland protocol aspects couldn’t foresee the problems that have now arisen, they must be complete imbeciles.

If those negotiating didn’t consider all the potential outcomes arising from the transport of goods to and from NI despite the many prior warnings, heaven forbid we get round to the really complicated stuff.

The only other conclusion is that they acted in bad faith, to present a charade of having achieved an acceptable (workable) Brexit agreement.

I also don’t buy the “sandwich” argument, That is just a very crude perpetuation of this Government and Johnson’s dismissive style of engagement, whereby they seek to trivialise anything not to their liking.

I’m sure it is insulting to those with a full grasp of the wider issues, the issues this government never bothered to understand in the first place.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

The Tories and Brexit remind me of the weirdos in the airline freakouts videos on YouTube. They buy tickets with clear terms and conditions. They arrive at the airport without complying to those terms and conditions, then lose their $hit when the terms and conditions they signed up to are applied.



Bunch of entitled, lazy tosspots.

 

[roydo]

Its exactly what many were asking about, years ago. A simple question; How does GFA/Control our borders work?

I recall, way back, when the GFA was signed. One of the main players, I dont recall who, said sommet along the lines of "This pretty much cements the UK into the EU as well". He, or she, were correct.

And its not like they (Leave) were not told this. "Technology" or some such moonshine was their response.

 

[peteblue]

Pete, I get where you are coming from, however accountability can’t be so easily dismissed. It’s not political point scoring either.

I assume you have engaged in contract negotiations during your time. Subject experts review all the relevant sections in micro detail and consider the implications on their specific area of operations. Clarifications are always sought on any ambiguous areas. If the terms wont work for you, the contract isn’t signed and enacted.

If those negotiating and signing the Northern Ireland protocol aspects couldn’t foresee the problems that have now arisen, they must be complete imbeciles.

If those negotiating didn’t consider all the potential outcomes arising from the transport of goods to and from NI despite the many prior warnings, heaven forbid we get round to the really complicated stuff.

The only other conclusion is that they acted in bad faith, to present a charade of having achieved an acceptable (workable) Brexit agreement.

I also don’t buy the “sandwich” argument, That is just a very crude perpetuation of this Government and Johnson’s dismissive style of engagement, whereby they seek to trivialise anything not to their liking.

I’m sure it is insulting to those with a full grasp of the wider issues, the issues this government never bothered to understand in the first place.

Indeed. I only mentioned the sandwich because both sides of the HoC did so, frequently. If a contract becomes such that it doesn’t work then it should be rewritten for the benefit of all parties. I’ve no doubt that the U.K. screwed up because firstly May just rolled over, then Parliament tried everything to reverse Brexit and finally Boris just needed to get it done. Now we can all point fingers at Boris, but the interpretation and implementation by the EU is certainly not in the spirit of the agreement, but it doesn’t really matter anymore. We have a non functioning assembly in NI, economic problems for both U.K. and NI, and the agreement specifically allows one party to break it if such a thing happens. A consent vote is also built in to the agreement allowing withdrawal from it to take place in December 2024 anyway. The U.K. and EU should just renegotiate the bits that don’t work….

 

[peteblue]

Marks & Spencer Chairman….

”Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said it was “very, very tough” to meet current requirements.

“At the moment, wagons arriving in the ROI have to carry 700 pages of documentation. It takes about eight hours to prepare the documentation. Some of the descriptors, particularly of animal products, have to be in Latin. It has to be in a certain typeface. We employ 13 vets in Motherwell to prepare it all…

Mr Norman, who also said the protocol costs “30% more driver time”, claimed the EU is “looking for us to impose comparable controls for Northern Ireland” and warned this would stop the movement of goods altogether in some instances.”

Lunacy, pure unadulterated Lunacy….

 

[Bluerover]

Either the application of the protocol is against the spirit of the protocol or the protocol itself was signed without understanding the full ramifications. The fault either lays with the U.K. or the EU and we can all point at each other and score political points. The issue however is to make the protocol work, preferably negotiated, but the EU appear not to want to amend the protocol. Whoever was to blame is now a pointless argument, it needs sorting. Listening to the HoC today, everyone appears to be saying that the stupidities such as sandwiches sent from U.K. for sale in NI pose no threats to the EU single market, but political points are still being made. It’s time for the U.K. to get the thing changed…..

Food of short shelf life are unlikely to be going on to the EU I agree, but the problem is that unscrupulous people (and they are around) will use any loophole to bypass EU Regs and get dodgy products into the EU if there are no checks.

The Leave campaign simply ignored what Brexit would mean for NI - too busy worrying about immigrants in Lincolnshire ffs.

GB will not turn the EU into backing down from its position that there has to be checks particularly on FOAO (Food of Animal Origin) coming into the EU from a non-EU state.

Sadly GB made its own bed and must now lie on it.

I feel sorry for the exporters in NI of all political traditions who voted Remain, and now, because of 22% Donaldson and Johnson, are looking at being excluded from a tariff free 500 million population market place.

I know from my Irish Dept of Ag personal experience that Unionist farmers are livid about what is going on. Politics goes out the window when you see the market for 2/3 of your exports going from no tariffs to now a possible hard border with the ROI

 

[peteblue]

Its exactly what many were asking about, years ago. A simple question; How does GFA/Control our borders work?

I recall, way back, when the GFA was signed. One of the main players, I dont recall who, said sommet along the lines of "This pretty much cements the UK into the EU as well". He, or she, were correct.

And its not like they (Leave) were not told this. "Technology" or some such moonshine was their response.

The technology and databases exist. The EU insist upon paper, in the correct typeface, in the correct colour, some in Latin. I’ve said all along that the EU is just a protectionist bloc, not interested in World trade, and doing its level best to keep developing countries and now even ex-EU countries down……how anyone can defend this bunch of bureaucrats is beyond me tbh……

 

[Bluerover]

Marks & Spencer Chairman….

”Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said it was “very, very tough” to meet current requirements.

“At the moment, wagons arriving in the ROI have to carry 700 pages of documentation. It takes about eight hours to prepare the documentation. Some of the descriptors, particularly of animal products, have to be in Latin. It has to be in a certain typeface. We employ 13 vets in Motherwell to prepare it all…

Mr Norman, who also said the protocol costs “30% more driver time”, claimed the EU is “looking for us to impose comparable controls for Northern Ireland” and warned this would stop the movement of goods altogether in some instances.”

Lunacy, pure unadulterated Lunacy….

Pete, that is absolute *******s. Before I retired, BIPs policy were part of my Division. I worked closely with my veterinary colleagues who were conducting the checks at the BIPs. After some blips at the beginning of 2021, things settled down and are running smoothly ever since. The biggest delays were at Dover which has meant that much more exporters are now shipping directly to France rather than the previous favourite Landbridge through GB

We had (presumably still have) regular meetings with DEFRA and DAER (NI) to make sure there was minimum delay.

700 pages??? Latin???? FFS.

 

[peteblue]

Food of short shelf life are unlikely to be going on to the EU I agree, but the problem is that unscrupulous people (and they are around) will use any loophole to bypass EU Regs and get dodgy products into the EU if there are no checks.

The Leave campaign simply ignored what Brexit would mean for NI - too busy worrying about immigrants in Lincolnshire ffs.

GB will not turn the EU into backing down from its position that there has to be checks particularly on FOAO (Food of Animal Origin) coming into the EU from a non-EU state.

Sadly GB made its own bed and must now lie on it.

I feel sorry for the exporters in NI of all political traditions who voted Remain, and now, because of 22% Donaldson and Johnson, are looking at being excluded from a tariff free 500 million population market place.

I know from my Irish Dept of Ag personal experience that Unionist farmers are livid about what is going on. Politics goes out the window when you see the market for 2/3 of your exports going from no tariffs to now a possible hard border with the ROI

Is it really beyond the wit of man to sort this ? As I say, I would rip the whole damn WA up, not just the protocol if the EU are only concerned with screwing us….