UK Politics: Time Marches On

[Werthead]

12 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

In that case EU should say no extension. IMO, stop this clown show from dragging on any further and make Britain hit the reset button. They can still work on Brexit, but do it more sensibly learning a lot of lessons from the first experience.

The timetable for us leaving next week worked out nicely because it allowed us to avoid having to go through more EU elections and also allowed us to negotiate a budget break quite nicely as the current EU budget period expires in 2020.

Us remaining in for two years is difficult because we'd have to hold EU elections and we would also have to pay more money, as we would be carried partially forwards into the next budget period (2021-28).

The EU would also be quite correct in asking what happens if we just have another two years of faffing, finger-pointing and parliamentary roadblocks that prevent a deal getting through, and we're just back in exactly the same place in March 2021.

The EU I think are carefully considering several options. One would be to give us a two-year extension but only if a general election or second referendum is held to allow more clarity. Another might be to suggest that on the basis of other trade agreements (the seven years it took to negotiate the last Canada trade deal, for example), there may be some logic in Britain remaining in the EU right to the end of the next budget period - nine years from now! - but perhaps allowing a fundamental and far-reaching UK/EU trade deal to be negotiated in full in that time. I consider the latter extremely improbable.

[Mosi Mynn]

12 minutes ago, DaveSumm said:

To gauge public opinion on a subject before taking action I guess?

That would have made more sense - but they still would have needed a plan as to what to do with it.

But this referendum was never pitched as anything but the real thing.

[Heartofice]

It wasn't legally binding but the government said:

"This is your decision. The Government will implement what you decide"

But then, like everything else we've seen so far, words don't mean very much, its easy to backtrack on basically anything.

[Mosi Mynn]

4 minutes ago, Heartofice said:

It wasn't legally binding but the government said:

"This is your decision. The Government will implement what you decide"

That’s a biggie to walk back.  If there is any trust left in UK politics going back in that would destroy it.