MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
UK ex top diplomat warns of “disastrous consequences” of Brexit
The author of the European Union’s Article 50 has issued a call for Brexit to be halted, warning that its “disastrous consequences” are becoming clearer every day. Lord Kerr of Kinlochard was among more than 60 prominent figures in Scotland who signed a joint letter warning that Brexit has seriously damaged the UK’s international reputation and calling for a “UK-wide debate about calling a halt to the process”. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesIf the EU had been more democratic, less corrupt and resisted the Islamification of the continent a bit more, Brexit may not have happened.
Jul 20th, 2017 - 10:18 am - Link - Report abuse +1That may be the case...but there is no denying that it is having disastrous consequences, falling living standards, rising inflation, slowing growth and lower productivity...and is leaving the UK weak, with diminished influence...
Jul 20th, 2017 - 10:55 am - Link - Report abuse -1How long will folk keep saying...things will get better...?
10 years...20 years...?
I reckon most folk didn't vote to be poorer for a decade or two and the masses of old folk that tipped the balance...poorer for the rest of their lives...
Voice,
Jul 20th, 2017 - 11:33 am - Link - Report abuse +1How can those things be a consequence of the UK leaving the EU when we actually haven't left yet?
Lord Kerr and the others are afraid of their own pensions being cut. No one knows the true extent, for good or bad, of how the UK leaving the EU will be...BUT remainers like Lord Kerr always paint the worst case scenario.
But if you just look at the facts then the future isn't bleak at all.
The UK imports MORE from the EU than we export to them, so if they want to play silly buggers, let them...it's their members economies that will be hit the worst.
@LEPRecon
Jul 20th, 2017 - 01:35 pm - Link - Report abuse +1“How can those things be a consequence of the UK leaving the EU when we actually haven't left yet?”
Because people know we are leaving, the currency has fallen which causes inflation, this leads to lower living standards. Also businesses hold off on investing, and the BoE doesn't raise interest rates so less money comes in, this slows growth and lowers productivity. Again, we have diminished influence because everyone already knows Brexit is happening. Once it happens we'll start to see the REAL effects. How bad they will be depends on if we get any kind of deal.
Sure the EU will be hurt too, but they can take it. No one country will be as badly affected as the UK so they can afford to play hardball.
Spoken like a hard core capitalist.
Jul 20th, 2017 - 02:44 pm - Link - Report abuse 0It is interesting that the pro-socialist commenters here also tend to be remainers. The EU leans hard towards a command economy and socialists believe in that kind of strong government presence. So, people with that kind of ideology wanted to remain.
They say leaving the EU will cause these things to happen:
Falling currency
Higher inflation
Less investment
Slower growth
Lower productivity
Socialism has demonstrated it causes all of the above. You can't be a socialist and have a problem with the above economics.
It is ironic to hear socialists saying we don't want:
Falling currency
Higher inflation
Less investment
Slower growth
Lower productivity
We need to remain more socialist which causes:
Falling currency
Higher inflation
Less investment
Slower growth
Lower productivity
Socialist don't care a hoot about the above, they just want a lot of goverment, and, as all humans do, right or left, will spew any argument that gets them what they want.
It seems to me that the above economic factors were not the primary factors to either Leavers or Remainers.
Leavers wanted to leave because they wanted less bureaucrats and less politicians that they had no control over.
Remainers wanted to stay because they believe in socialism and bureaucrats and politicians that the people can't control. They didn't want “good economics”.
“Spoken like a hard core capitalist.”
Jul 20th, 2017 - 03:47 pm - Link - Report abuse +3Well duh. That's because in the real world most people are in favour of capitalism, including me.
“Remainers wanted to stay because they believe in socialism and bureaucrats and politicians that the people can't control. They didn't want “good economics”.”
Haha. This is what happens when you make shit up instead of bothering to ask some Remainers why they voted that way.
You need to remember that many more young and well educated people voted to remain, and they get more benefit from an open economy and the opportunities it provides. Nearly all of my friends voted to remain, and the economy WAS the primary reason. Second reason is a cultural one: we have grown up with the EU, and met friends from different countries at university, so European integration doesn't seem like a bad thing. Thirdly, for some people free movement is bad because it means more competition, but if you are young and ambitious it is an opportunity to go and live and work in another country; I have friends who are doing this and now Brexit is causing problems for them.
This doesn't mean I love the EU, it has plenty of problems, but it exists whether we like it or not and the benefits to being inside easily outweigh the costs.
Leper-Con : The consequences Kerr invokes are merely the still-early results of the vote and the preparations to leave. They are the indices of much more of the same to come. The naive pretense no one knows the results of putting up beaurocratic walls between one's largest trading partner is a signal you are content to keep your head comfortably cemented up your arse where in that darkness you see no contradiction. The Kerrs of the world, aware of that which you are oblivious, are trying in vain to avoid the catastrophes you irresponsibly and blithely ignore. Suggest you remain tight within yourself, the better for the fragility of your self-reassurance that you are correct and reality is wrong, and let the disaster descend upon you eventually all at once, allowing you your warm and infantile state of bliss as long as you can.
Jul 20th, 2017 - 04:58 pm - Link - Report abuse -2Merkel and Juncker are the disaster.
Jul 21st, 2017 - 01:16 am - Link - Report abuse -1The EU bureaucracy is the disaster.
That is what one has to be totally blind to not see.
These are the nightmares your leavers voted to get away from.
Let's see an audit of the EU accounts to see where all the billions the EU have given the EU, then we can talk about economics.
Jul 21st, 2017 - 09:23 am - Link - Report abuse 0He would be Scotch! It's all the boomers fault and the millennials for not turning out to vote. Old people like Voicey didn't help either, voting Tory to stick one up Wee Jimmy. Collective fail by the voting public. Uncle Vince will see you out of the door...
Jul 21st, 2017 - 08:51 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The Voice
Jul 22nd, 2017 - 05:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0and you have Boris, Teresa, Rudd, Davis, Hammond, Patel etc. ........ what an inspiring bunch !
The question is why is this piece appearing in Mercopenguin, a British government propaganda organ supposedly devoted to America, South America and the “South Atlantic”?
Jul 23rd, 2017 - 07:56 am - Link - Report abuse -1The question is why you can't think of an intelligent thing to say.
Jul 23rd, 2017 - 09:55 am - Link - Report abuse +2Commenting for this story is now closed.
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