Dear British People,

enough is enough.
Really. Stop making an ass of yourselves. You are nice and kind and lovely people, do you really want to become the laughing stock of the civilized world?
"The people have spoken", haha. Just accept the fact that Brexit was/is/will always be a textbook example of a crackpot idea that leads nowhere but down.
Now get rid of the Demonic Possession and come back home please. We Europeans aren't perfect either, and we will happily accept your sincere apologies. Just send us a bottle of Isle of Skye whisky and an annual subscription to the Royal Shakespeare Company, and we will be fine. See you in Paris/Berlin/Rome next summer, let's get drunk [and I mean drunk!], and let's have a good laugh together, about this present madness. 🌷

Yours cordially,
helenS.

[Note added: this post is no longer relevant. The majority of British people have now decided, at their peril, to harm their own interests, and "get Brexit done". So be it. Go find more trustworthy friends. Mr. Trump is waiting for you. 😕]

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SW-User

the way Boris pulled this off is not even asking the population again. Instead he offered, if you don't vote for me, this continues... when the population of Britian is tired of the question, and many vote in fatigue, just get it done, it's actually manipulative of a politician.

helenS · 36-40, F

@SW-User Hey, it's over. The UK will be out soon. The status of the UK will be similar to that of Norway - they will have to accept everything, and they will have no voice within the European institutions. They harm themselves, but - what can you do?

SW-User

@helenS I imagine - it's not my problem as a Canadian. I don't even conceive, as Canada is part of the British commonwealth, how this may affect us. Times changed since that really had meaning outside travel and visas. I do imagine, the UK trading value will go down, which I think is the opposite hope they want from those that voted for brexit. I congratulate a country that wants to say to this world they are their own, as long as it's accepted it comes with consequence and maybe the UK will learn it's real story (place) in the world and it's different from when they colonized many places.

SW-User

@helenS we're only like Norway until end of 2020. The new withdrawal bill has a clause forbidding parliament to ask for an extension to the transition period (so much for "Take back control" 🤷‍♂️)

So today in a year we'll either left with a deal (most experts seem to believe that is implausible) or crash out no deal and we're a third country dealing solely on WTO terms. Some Brexit supporters believe the GATT clause 24 will save us and allow us to continue to trade with the EU tariff free whilst on WTO with the crest of the world. However again experts, like the guy who wrote clause 24, believe that isn't possible as GATT 24cis designed for where two parties are negotiating toward shared standards, clearly UK wishes to negotiate the opposite of that.

So as throughout brexit it is far from done and who knows the eventual outcome 🤷‍♂️.

SW-User

@SW-User You won't be a 3rd world country.. Even if you are the same in relation as a third world country in trade, you will have more to offer (legacy) and that legacy will promote you even if the skill-sets of a third world country offers the same. It is interesting the people of Britian want to put themselves in a precarious position

helenS · 36-40, F

@SW-User I still can't really figure out how reasonable people can harm themselves so badly.
Really I don't get it. 😐

SW-User

@SW-User no "third country" is a term in wto meaning a country trading with no trade deal in place at all therefore required to be treated as the same as all other "third countries", same rules, same tariffs etc. Basically like North Korea, Somalia, Yemen etc

I'm not implying our leaving makes us a third world country over night.

SW-User

@SW-User But you asking for the same position with a healthy affluence. Given that, would the countries you cited do the same? Somewhere I imagine, they would beg and ask for what Britian has rejected.

SW-User

@helenS you and me both but I'm continually told by the supporters we'll be better off and that the experts get it always wrong.

We'll see. I'm retired now so employment isn't a concern, my pension fund is but hopefully the markets can weather the storms.

helenS · 36-40, F

@SW-User I had a private chat with a Brexit supporter some time ago on SW and she said "Never trust an expert!" 🙄

SW-User

@SW-User they're among the very small number of countries in the same position, ie outside a trading block relying on wto trade rules, well N Korea doesn't it has a limited trade deal with China.
Moldova is closest in terms of in Europe and closest in economic ranking.

You can say the the UK is remarkably brave endeavouring on a new economic path that no country has before (since 1945) undertaken.

Either we're genius right and you'll all follow.... Or....

SW-User

@helenS that was a direct quote during the referendum campaign from Micheal Gove (he now claims a misquote).

Funny my daughter in law to be was until September on his ministry expert advisor team 🤔

But it really stuck that now the experts are wrong or lie for a conspiracy agenda! 🤷‍♂️

SW-User

@SW-User Third country isn't what I said. I said third world. Suggesting if a power broker of a country with less clout, like even Canada knows the ramifications would be grand. But I do have a feeling your child nation, who knows how to get along... May at one time be a more prominent country than one isolating itself.

SW-User

@SW-User I'm afraid I'm not understanding you.

SW-User

@SW-User I'll break it down; the time of the British being pretentious overlords, came and passed. Now, they question questions about immigration they agreed to, suggesting people leech. So the poor country leaches off the affluent? Of course. That's nature, maybe Britian shouldn't have colonized countries they thought were of strategic purpose to fight France. Great Britian wants to exit what is has created and the European Union was likely the only truce Europe had and all over immigration?

SW-User

@SW-User ah I see.

Well there you see much of the spilt in the UK. I think something like 60% are happy about immigration (I am it is his our economy grows).

There's much evidence that immigrants give back more than they take out, they are largely younger & healthier.

However the rise of nationalism has been since the end of the war and the inevitable erosion of the empire.

You need to have this conversation with a nationalist, which I'm not. I'm a patriot as per Orwell's definition

SW-User

@SW-User The older generation is less happy about immigration from my reads. The same demographic voted in exiting and outweighed younger voices. On an elemental level, while that is democratic, that makes no sense - so the ones who don't have to live with their vote in consequence, decide?

I was unaware the rise of nationalism was that long in time.

SW-User

@SW-User Quebec tries to exit all the time - what I am getting at, the UK is in a fall diminished from it's place as a world power, and sometimes, especially upon Boris, it does feel as an attention plea

SW-User

@SW-User oh yes for many in our country sadly they still think we're worthy of our status as permanent members of the UN Security Council where if you're honest we'd never get that today. Since the referendum at least India has overtaken us in terms of economic wealth.

SW-User

@SW-User What matters more, and I'm philosophically very socialist, if the UK wants to decry what it once had, denounce, those economic times are going to change. Canada, for example, I don't think will happen, can rip up agreements it has with it's parent country as the parent country has given up it's position. This could actually make Canada, and every commonwealth country, it's own real country. I really anticipate that, Canada will denounce what the UK has done when it comes healthy for Canada.