Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Grey Fox]

I've a horrible feeling any future trade negotiations with the EU will go like this.

Belgium Walloons block key EU Ceta trade deal with Canada

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37749236

Good thing our Walloons brother are there to save us.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

I've a horrible feeling any future trade negotiations with the EU will go like this.

Belgium Walloons block key EU Ceta trade deal with Canada

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37749236

Good thing our Walloons brother are there to save us.

Their kind of saving you don't want, if you see what they did to the region...

[Valmy]

The problem with Wallonia is that it is full of Walloons...well and Germans to I guess.

[Admiral Yi]

How many Brexiters does it take to change a light bulb?

Trick question. Brexiters are unable to remove the old light bulb. They only know how to screw up.

Terrible.  Needed something about pulling out.  But I like where it's going.

There's a reason they don't release betas of jokes.

[Gups]

Thursday easiest for me. Generally family shit to do at w/ends

How does your Thursday look?  We're supposed to be in that morning & will hopefully be settled in at the hotel early afternoon.

Not looking good I'm afraid. My wife seems to have filled up my social calendar without consultation (or alternatively, I wasn't listening as usual)

[Gups]

I've a horrible feeling any future trade negotiations with the EU will go like this.

Belgium Walloons block key EU Ceta trade deal with Canada

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37749236

Did the Canucks offer free movement of labour?

I understand that is a pre-requisite for any free trade deal with the EU.

[Tamas]

It was not a free trade agreement

But I am afraid it is a very good indicator of the times to come.

For starters, if the Brexit deal will not have free movement of labor, the east european countries will have to be bribed in a big way or they will just veto it.
Let alone what the Walloon parliament will be offended of.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Then there is Palermo District Council, they are often problematic when seeking diplomatic deals of any variety 

[Tamas]

So, they are building a new runway at Heathrow.

I must admit I am surprised. Sounded like this is the most complicated option in terms of opposition, administrative red tape, and "OMG we are suffocating teh Earth" green opposition.

Add to that the dubious status of just how much the economy will keep buzzin' in the next few years, and it's feels like a weird choice.

Was it made because this was the biggest option in terms of the workforce and public spending required? Or was this just a case of straight-out corruption?

[Zanza]

I understand that is a pre-requisite for any free trade deal with the EU.

You misunderstood. That's only a pre-requisite for single market access.

The EU has plenty of FTAs without freedom of movement.

[Gups]

It was not a free trade agreement

But I am afraid it is a very good indicator of the times to come.

For starters, if the Brexit deal will not have free movement of labor, the east european countries will have to be bribed in a big way or they will just veto it.
Let alone what the Walloon parliament will be offended of.

Quite. There's zero chance of a comprehensive  trade deal with single country vetos in place - as us Bremainers warned many times.

[Gups]

So, they are building a new runway at Heathrow.

I must admit I am surprised. Sounded like this is the most complicated option in terms of opposition, administrative red tape, and "OMG we are suffocating teh Earth" green opposition.

Add to that the dubious status of just how much the economy will keep buzzin' in the next few years, and it's feels like a weird choice.

Was it made because this was the biggest option in terms of the workforce and public spending required? Or was this just a case of straight-out corruption?

Neither. It's because Heathrow is at 99.9% capacity and needs a 3rd runway if it is to remain a major world hub airport (which Gatwick could never be).

[Richard Hakluyt]

Yes, it was really a choice between remaining in the EU and a hard Brexit. Which is fair enough as being an EU member (especially with the UK opt-outs) is vastly superior to some sort of semi-detached relationship. There is no way any deal will be made in just two years.

[Gups]

It was not a free trade agreement

Roll your eyes as much as you like, but the removal of all tariffs on goods combined with full access to markets is the very definition of a free trade agreement.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Re Heathrow : I think it is extremely unlikely that the extra capacity will go unused. Even if the wider UK economy takes a hit from brexit then that will merely encourage the use of a relatively cheap alternative. We have been forcing business over to airports like Schiphol, Zurich and Frankfurt for years with our undersized Heathrow.