twit of the Week

Quoted from AdamHaddock

People who hold that inflated view of Britain's importance in the world are in for a shock over the coming years

Quoted from TAGG

Look at the numbers.
It's a fact.
I work 4 very large RoRo vessels a day from Europe. I know what comes in and what goes out and believe me they need us more than we need them.
Apart from that you do know there is a world beyond the boarders of the EU??

Quoted Text

In a letter published on Friday to the committee, HMRC said 96% of customs declarations made in the UK are cleared electronically within 20 seconds.

About 3% of these are subject to checks for paperwork because the lorries are from outside the EU. HMRC’s national clearance hub clears 96% of these within two hours.

Quoted from 935

Yes brilliant, a big world beyond the borders with whom we have 0 trade agreements and who are much further away than the EU meaning that transaction costs are trebled at the very least. The US have told us categorically it will take YEARS to organise a trade deal with them, and if Mr Trump remains in power he has been very clear about "America for the Americans" a clear message that trading with overseas countries is not welcome, what ever balderdash the daily mail might print.

The truth is, and take this from someone who has studied, practiced and taught EU law and economics for many years, we are sleep walking into a BIG BIG problem which will leave the UK so far behind the rest of the modern world we will regret this decision for at least a generation.

I think the saddest thing about the entirety of Brexit is the absolute crap from both sides that has come up. Those who voted for Brexit think that it should just magically happen because they voted for it and intercourse the rest of the country, those who voted against are furious too. We are all in this together and whatever you might think about "they need us more than we need them" it is completely not true. Think about it rationally, 27 other countries need 1 country that doesnt produce anything that they dont already. We all know that what keeps the UK afloat is the city of london and financial instituions, the majority of whom will be gone in a flash come 2019.

Also whilst i welcome the red crosses that come, these again are a sad indictment of the complete failure as a country to address this problem by having a proper conversation. Like I said both sides of this debate seem to pick the "facts" that they want to be right and no one is sitting down, looking and talking with the other side. You simply cannot understand a situation if you dont look at both sides of the coin. We now know that the majority of both sides campaigns last year were built on a misunderstanding of the reality of the situation at best. The promise to put 350 million back in to the NHS was almost fraudulent especially when one considers that Brexit will cost at least 58 billion pounds before we even leave.

What is more amazing, put simply, is the desire of the fervent leavers to push this one at a time that people are using foodbanks, the NHS is on its hands and knees, there are cuts to the police forces and the standard of living for many is dangerously low. The grenville disaster neatly demonstrates the massive gap between haves and have nots and yet we are all so heavily concentrated on leaving the EU what ever the cost, its insanely self serving.

Quoted from mariner91

Exports from the UK to the EU made up 12% of our GDP in 2015. Exports from the EU to the UK made up 4% of the remainder of the EU's economy in the same year. Are these the numbers you mean?

And yes there is a big wide world but it makes economic sense to do the bulk of your trade with your nearest neighbours.