MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
'Squaring' single market access and free movement with immigration, emerges as the post Breixt challenge
Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday in Brussels that the rest of the EU wants to have the “closest possible” relationship with the UK after Brexit. After discussing the vote to leave with other EU leaders, he said trade and security co-operation would be vital whatever the shape of future links. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesJuncker is a bit weird trying to kiss Farage.
Jun 29th, 2016 - 06:15 am - Link - Report abuse 0He also got a bit awkward with the Greek bloke a few months back.
We can take as long as we like to hit the Article 50 button and there is nothing they can do about it. In the meantime lets start shaping up the non EU trade agreements with the world's faster growing economies.
Jun 29th, 2016 - 08:43 am - Link - Report abuse 0The “access” to the single market is a bit of a red herring. The pound has dropped 7%, tariffs would be around 3% so even without full access we are already more competitive. EU products will be more expensive which will hurt their exporters and help our dismal trade balance.
The FTSE is up for the second day, the pound has stabilised.
Onward and upwards!
While I imagine immigration is an issue for some I don't believe it is the overriding reason for a Brexit vote. My view is far more fundamental. For me to want the EU it would need to be reformed from a political to an economic project.
Jun 29th, 2016 - 10:08 am - Link - Report abuse 0The Euro has been a millstone around the neck of the EU almost from inception. It was a weak currency for many years and then once it finally found its feet the crash came. It should never have been created in its current form. The architects knew it would crash without political and economic union but that was the point. They wanted that crash to spur the federalism they really wanted. That crash occurred 8 years ago and they've done nothing.
Ideally they would dissolve the Euro but the costs and politics of that are too sobering for them to contemplate. Alternatively they should create their federal state which is still unacceptable to many. They'll just bumble along.
The UK is being blamed for the £3tn loss on markets but the Euro has been dragging down the British, European and world economies for years. Yes as a whole it's done rather nicely for Germany and of itself is strong.....but when you look at its constituent parts it has been devastating for southern Europe.
It would seem that half of Europe want a federal Europe and the others want a economic confederation of nation states.
@1. Juncker is a bit weird full stop. Imagine saying “If someone from the Remain camp will become British prime minister, this has to be done in two weeks after his appointment,” he said. But “if the next British PM is coming from the Leave campaign, it should be done the day after his appointment.”
Jun 29th, 2016 - 10:22 am - Link - Report abuse 0@2. You're quite right. Juncker thinks Britain still has to do what he says. Hey, it's October, stupid.
The access to the “single market” is indeed a red herring. How many outside countries get access to the single market without freedom of movement?
But perhaps we should give them a little while to get used to the concept that it's our turn to call the shots.
@3. I think there are many reasons. For me, one of the most important things has happened after the vote. “Recognising” the need for “reform”, what should appear but a Franco-German document full of “proposals”. And what are the proposals? Ever closer union, more power for Brussels, more centralisation, more directives, more power for Brussels, more rules, more removal of authority from national governments.
Both Juncker and Farage are fall-down drunks. After Farage conceded defeat at 10:05 on the night of the referendum he went into a back room and got pissed. That's why press couldn't talk to him before he sobered up a bit. They knew. That's why they kept asking to speak to him.
Jun 29th, 2016 - 02:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0For all the people complaining about the EU being a gravy train - and it is - spend two minutes checking how much Farage and his wife trouser from the EU every year. The man has no principles.
Farage was embarrassing in his goodbye speech to Brussels but he seemed to manage to stir up the rest to act in much the same way.
Jun 29th, 2016 - 02:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@4 Conqueror
Jun 29th, 2016 - 07:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“The access to the “single market” is indeed a red herring. How many outside countries get access to the single market without freedom of movement?”
Zero. Four outside countries have access to the single market and they all accept free movement. Without access to the single market our financial services are in trouble, and they account for 39% of Britain's exports. In fact even Switzerland does not have full access to that area and as a result does a lot of it's banking using UK subsidiaries. Or I should say 'did' use the UK. Many US banks have subsidiaries in the UK in order to access the EU market, so trade with the US will also be affected.
As for it being our turn to call the shots, this is absurd. If no agreement is reached, the UK will suffer a lot more than the rest of EU. We currently have no leader, no plan of what to ask for, and no negotiators, since the EU has been negotiating the trade deals for us for the last 40 years.
@6
Jun 29th, 2016 - 07:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Goodbye speech? The earliest we leave could be 2 years but could be 10 years no-one knows. But Farage will stay to the end to wind them up.
@5 At least he has said he is going to be out of a job. As regards trousering whatever it may be, surely if he is entitled to it if that is what he is paid. 10,000 MEPS get more money than the Prime Minister of the UK.
Freedom of movement isn't a problem as long as there are limits on access to government benefits. Australia gives New Zealand free movement into Australia (the only country that doesn't require a visa or permit) but Kiwis are limited from accessing government benefits and university loans etc.
Jun 29th, 2016 - 11:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 0UK could look at a similar system giving full access and work rights but limited access to pensions, housing, welfare, uni etc.
Funnily enough I don't agree with this. I think Kiwis should get the exact same rights as Aussies.
GOD BLESS THE KIWI's ! (In all things except rugby, cos you are already pretty well blessed)
Jun 30th, 2016 - 11:02 am - Link - Report abuse 0I hope nay pray UK take you up on your trade negotiators (Our politicians are probably too stupid though and will probably cock it up on our behalf)
We were fools to join the E.E.C and after 43 long years have finally woken up to this fact.
Have Canada or Aus got any trade negotiators going Buck Shee ?
@9 Skip
Jun 30th, 2016 - 04:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0You might think differently if half of all New Zealanders had moved to Australia in the last 10 years, and the other half were likely to follow in the next 10.
Freedom of movement isn't a problem between countries with similar levels of wealth and job opportunity. This was the case before the Eastward expansion of the EU (which the UK government was in favour of by the way), but isn't now.
It's been a problem for Britain in two ways; the sheer size of the population growth in a country that previously had a stable population puts a strain on housing, schools, the NHS etc. Also a continuous supply of cheaper labour tends to drive down wages and increase competition for jobs, especially at the lower end of the scale. Of course it's beneficial for the economy in other ways, but this is both less obvious and doesn't usually benefit the same people who are suffering the costs.
Freedom of movement is also a political problem for the Leave politicians since a major part of their argument for leaving was that Britain would be able to control immigration once outside the EU. If they agree a deal that includes free movement then their voters will feel betrayed.
Australia has a higher migration rate than the UK.
Jun 30th, 2016 - 10:39 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“You might think differently if half of all New Zealanders had moved to Australia in the last 10 years, and the other half were likely to follow in the next 10.”
Statistically they did. And statistically they will.
29% of Australians were born overseas.
We make it work.
@12
Jul 01st, 2016 - 12:11 am - Link - Report abuse 0How does Australia deal with the two problems I mentioned? Is there lots of land available for housing to be built? Do new towns appear to absorb the increase in population? Do new arrivals immediately get access to free healthcare?
And are most of the migrants low skilled? Farage has been saying Australia uses a points system and that Britain should adopt this. Is that not true?
Would you vote for free movement between say the Philippines and Australia, and do you think most Australians would?
And do you think people in Britain should just accept this sudden change they didn't ask for, or should they be able to choose whether they want it or not?
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