The Consequences of Brexit [part 4]

[Car Boot 10]

As the EU is by far the U.K. ‘s biggest export market, I think it makes sense to remain part of the customs union .

What is the counter argument?

 

It was made very clear before the referendum that we would, if we voted to Leave, be leaving the EU, the Single Market, the Customs Union. Stopping the bosses favourite free movement of people and ending the supremacy of the European Court of Justice. Contributions to the EU's budget will also come to an end.

 

Staying in the Customs Union will prevent our ability to do independent trade deals with the rest of the world that cover both goods and services.

 

Staying in the Customs Union prioritises trade with the EU over every other non-EU country, when world markets are growing.

 

Apart from Monaco, only EU countries are in the Customs Union. Those countries which are closest to the EU (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland) are outside. A partial Customs Union, as Turkey has, has been designed for a country that is on a path to full EU membership. And it doesn't cover all goods.

 

Permanent membership of the Customs Union means the UK will have less power, less control, to determine our economic future. Which is one of the reasons we voted to Leave the EU in June 2016.

 

To take back control.

 

Staying in the EU Customs Union means surrendering control of our trade policy to unelected beauracrats in Brussels.

 

---------- Post added 19-04-2018 at 16:39 ----------

 

The EU is a protectionist capitalist organisation that was designed from the start to prioritise the profits of European food producers, clothing manufacturers, etc. Big business has always favoured the Customs Union because it maximises profit for the few at the expense of the EU consumer.

 

It makes no sense for a particular EU member state, such as the UK, to impose a tariff on the import of any goods that are not produced at all within that country. But our membership of the EU Customs Union means exactly that.

 

The current EU tariff on bananas imported from outside the EU is 10.9%.

 

The UK does not produce its own bananas, so a Customs Union tariff on banana imports only raises prices and does not protect domestic UK producers, as there aren't any! UK consumers pay more because of EU Customs Union tarriffs.

 

The Customs Union: protecting the profits of business at the expense of consumers.

Edited April 19, 2018 by Car Boot

[RJRB 688]

But EU countries are our largest and nearest export markets.

As someone said as distance doubles ,exports halves.

Do you think that these reduced markets will be more than replaced by additional sales to countries that hitherto we have no trade agreements with?

That’s a big leap of faith.

To be honest ,I don’t think that many voters of either persuasion had given the Customs Union much thought at the time of voting.

One of many details that we are now googling day by day.

Edited April 19, 2018 by RJRB

[Car Boot 10]

But EU countries are our largest and nearest export markets.

As someone said as distance doubles ,exports halves.

 

I'm guessing that someone wasn't living in China.

 

Do you think that these reduced markets will be more than replaced by additional sales to countries that hitherto we have no trade agreements with?

That’s a big leap of faith.

To be honest ,I don’t think that many voters of either persuasion had given the Customs Union much thought at the time of voting.

One of many details that we are now googling day by day.

 

A permanent UK Customs Union with the EU will ensure that any non-EU countries that sign EU trade deals will have unrestricted free access to the UK. But the UK won't have a reciprocal deal because it will be the EU that has the power to decide our tariffs & quotas with non-EU countries, not the UK.

 

As a non-EU member in the Customs Union UK exporters would have to pay large tarriffs to sell their goods abroad, but their non-EU competitors could have negotiated free access to the UK market. All thanks to the slimy men and women in Brussels.

[gomgeg 10]

You have actually posted on this forum that you have never voted.

Probably some of the educated remoaners didn't vote because they couldn't spell X, likely to have used a Z.

Or perhaps they were too busy working, oh hang on a bit.

[Cyclone 10]

It was a very high turnout from both sides, people not voting probably thought it was a done deal and that remain was going to win. I don't have much sympathy for them.

 

---------- Post added 19-04-2018 at 18:03 ----------

 

I'm guessing that someone wasn't living in China.

 

 

I'm guessing that it's OUR exports that are important to OUR economy, not Chinese exports.

[Longcol 602]

I'm guessing that someone wasn't living in China.

 

 

China is a growing market but still way behind the EU for trade.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42821084

 

We run a substantial trade deficit with China £25bn a year.

[Litotes 63]

This isn't a 'play on words'. It is an insult towards the mental health of those who voted to Leave in the referendum and emphasises that they do not care that they behaved 'wrongly' in doing so.

 

Perhaps if those who were eligible to vote in the referendum, but believed that Remain would win by a huge margin, had actually considered it necessary to exercise their democratic right to vote then these attacks on forum contributors mental health may never have happened.

 

This reply insults me.

 

---------- Post added 19-04-2018 at 20:08 ----------

 

The EU produces bananas so what the 10.9% tariff does it to protect the right of the growers in the EU and reduces the prices for the consumers in the EU of EU bananas.

 

It is protectionism that allows the EU to benefit.

 

The Customs Union: Allowing those in the CU to benefit from those others in the CU.

 

---------- Post added 19-04-2018 at 20:09 ----------

 

...All thanks to the slimy men and women in Brussels.

 

Insulting, derogatory, xenophobic and sexist all in the one sentence.

 

Remind me - how did you vote?

[Car Boot 10]

The EU produces bananas so what the 10.9% tariff does it to protect the right of the growers in the EU and reduces the prices for the consumers in the EU of EU bananas.

 

It is protectionism that allows the EU to benefit.

 

The Customs Union: Allowing those in the CU to benefit from those others in the CU.

 

You are an old fashioned protectionist.

 

Why are you so in favour of economic protectionism when it helps lazy and inefficient companies to carry on, safe in the knowledge that better and cheaper goods from the rest of the world are going to cost more for EU consumers?

 

Why should we pay way over the odds for goods that we can get cheaper elsewhere? There are many foods that the UK simply can't grow, mainly due to climate. We should be able to purchase, for example, cheaper oranges from countries outside of the EU, such as South Africa. But the protectionist EU through its Customs Union wants UK consumers to subsidise Spanish orange farmers.

 

EU tariffs on imported oranges from third party countries are now 16.0%. The EU wants us to buy EU oranges, even though it would be much cheaper for us to get them elsewhere.

 

The EU is doing what it does best - putting business before people.

 

Better off out.

[andyofborg 11]

You are an old fashioned protectionist.

 

Why are you so in favour of economic protectionism when it helps lazy and inefficient companies to carry on, safe in the knowledge that better and cheaper goods from the rest of the world are going to cost more for EU consumers?

 

Why should we pay way over the odds for goods that we can get cheaper elsewhere? There are many foods that the UK simply can't grow, mainly due to climate. We should be able to purchase, for example, cheaper oranges from countries outside of the EU, such as South Africa. But the protectionist EU through its Customs Union wants UK consumers to subsidise Spanish orange farmers.

 

EU tariffs on imported oranges from third party countries are now 16.0%. The EU wants us to buy EU oranges, even though it would be much cheaper for us to get them elsewhere.

 

The EU is doing what it does best - putting business before people.

 

Better off out.

 

for someone who claims to be a lefty you have a callous disregard for the working person

 

protecting internal businesses also protects the workers since without those protections it would be harder for internal business to compete and the only way to do so would be to erode workers pay and protections.

[RJRB 688]

You are an old fashioned protectionist.

 

Why are you so in favour of economic protectionism when it helps lazy and inefficient companies to carry on, safe in the knowledge that better and cheaper goods from the rest of the world are going to cost more for EU consumers?

 

Dream on.

All world trade is heavily based on agreements based on the protection of domestic producers and / or tit for tat agreements.

If a product is substantially cheaper then it probably means that it is subsidised by that country ,or more likely is the product of exploited workers.

In your brave new world we first have to extricate ourselves from established EU quotas and then persuade other major world markets to take our products,and not swamp the U.K. with cheap imports.

Perhaps the likes of Australia,New Zealand,South American countries will find it easier to adjust their business with the EU ,rather than having to negotiate separate deals with the U.K.

[Magilla 510]

EU rejects UK’s post-Brexit customs fixes for Northern Ireland

https://www.politico.eu/article/brexit-northern-ireland-eu-rejects-uk-customs-fixes/

 

Not entirely a surprise...

 

Why Theresa May's customs union defeat could ultimately save her premiership

http://uk.businessinsider.com/brexit-may-humiliating-customs-union-defeat-could-save-her-2018-4

"A Brexit U-turn is in the post"

 

Still, there's always this to cheer everyone up:

 

London will lose its crown as the world's global financial centre within 5 years

http://uk.businessinsider.com/london-financial-centre-ranking-2018-4

Edited April 20, 2018 by Magilla

[Car Boot 10]

Perhaps the likes of Australia,New Zealand,South American countries will find it easier to adjust their business with the EU ,rather than having to negotiate separate deals with the U.K.

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain and Australia would not be able to negotiate a bilateral trade deal if Britain decides to stay in the European Union’s customs union after Brexit, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Monday.

 

“Australia is very keen to pursue a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom. I think that would be precluded if the United Kingdom were to rejoin the customs union,” she told reporters in London.

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-australia-trade/uk-staying-in-eu-customs-union-would-prevent-australia-deal-bishop-idUSKCN1G3104

 

Australia and Singapore have both indicated that they cannot negotiate separate trade deals with the UK while we are imprisoned in the EU Customs Union.

 

Remaining in the Customs Union would be terrible for the UK, our trade negotiators would be unable to sign comprehensive deals with big and emerging economies alike. It would be a situation where the EU determines the taxes charged on goods coming into this country from the rest of the world, and which countries can export their goods to Britain tariff and quota-free.

 

All the while we continue to pay large sums of money to keep the failing EU superstate from crumbling.

 

The EU control of our country must be broken once and for all. Remaining in the Customs Union is no Brexit at all.

 

---------- Post added 21-04-2018 at 19:24 ----------

 

for someone who claims to be a lefty you have a callous disregard for the working person

 

The EU has a callous disregard for non-EU food producers and non-EU citizens. Such as people living in Africa and other developing regions.

 

EU chicken dumping starves Africa:

 

https://mg.co.za/article/2017-11-10-00-eu-chicken-dumping-starves-africa