Watch the UK's Brexit negotiator explain his frank realization that Britain is an island

[YetiLives]

That millionaire, perhaps billionaire? kitty contemplating buying a boat is wonderful. I hope he does buy one.

[GagHalfrunt]

@mjlonsda

This seems to have been the thinking throughout the Brexit process: that bespoke deals can be brokered with individual countries in a way that will leave the UK just as well off outside of the EU as it was when it was in the EU. From the outside looking in, this doesn’t seem to have been a very successful strategy so far.

It’s almost like giving non-member states the same preferential treatment as member states would defeat the whole point of an economic union and therefore none of the member states want to do it.

There’'s a theory that May and friends are simply letting the clock run out because they expect either a last minute capitulation by the EU that gives the UK free trade with no strings attached (no freedom of movement obligations, no European Court of Justice jurisdiction, no contribution to the EU budget), or a giant fudge that leaves everything to be thrashed out later after the so-called transition period has ended.

[smulder]

@mjlonsda

the Irish border is undoubtedly a huge problem and I have yet to hear anyone float any sort of reasonable solution

“Make Northern Ireland a separate country from both the UK and southern Ireland, but part of the EU”

Is the problem a lack of reasonable solutions, or a lack of reasonable leaders?

[ejeffrey]

@philipstorry

Whilst I’d heard of Calexit, it’s only in general hypothetical terms. I had no idea it was a (serious? significant?) political movement. It’s on the same mental shelf for me as “Texas might leave because of oil and stubbornness”.

It’s definitely more hypothetical, but 10 years ago I wouldn’t have thought the UK leaving the EU was a serious possibility. David Cameron didn’t seem to think it was a serious possibility even after the Scottish independence vote.

There is one big difference. Unlike the UK (although similar to Scotland), California doesn’t really have the power to secede of its own accord.

[Avyctes]

@GagHalfrunt

There’'s a theory that May and friends are simply letting the clock run out because they expect either a last minute capitulation by the EU that gives the UK free trade with no strings attached (no freedom of movement obligations, no European Court of Justice jurisdiction, no contribution to the EU budget)

If the EU accepts this it will mean the end of the EU. Giving away all of that for essentially nothing will mean that every single member can now demand the same. It’d be suicidal and everyone in Brussels knows this, thank the gods. It will not happen no matter how hard May hopes it will. A no deal scenario is far better for the union in the long run.

[anon29537550]

Because it is,. Along with splitting CA into 2,4 or 7 states. Not happening, but gets lots of press on slow news days.

[roomwithaview]

@SpeedRacer

They intended on cocking it all up so that May and her evil globalist cronies can say “Well, we tried, but it got all cocked up. Guess we can’t Brexit now” and then, because the EU is also an evil globalist, the EU can say “But now you have to open your borders to all these brown people” and May can say “Well, there’s nothing we can do because its all cocked up, yeah?” and that’s what they wanted all along.

That is a cockney accent…

[Hubber]

@Avyctes

@GagHalfrunt

There’'s a theory that May and friends are simply letting the clock run out because they expect either a last minute capitulation by the EU that gives the UK free trade with no strings attached (no freedom of movement obligations, no European Court of Justice jurisdiction, no contribution to the EU budget)

If the EU accepts this it will mean the end of the EU. Giving away all of that for essentially nothing will mean that every single member can now demand the same. It’d be suicidal and everyone in Brussels knows this, thank the gods. It will not happen no matter how hard May hopes it will. A no deal scenario is far better for the union in the long run.

THIS. I’m completely baffled that the pro-Brexit contingent doesn’t understand that the EU has far more to lose by giving the UK a good (by pro-Brexit Briton standards) exit deal than it does by giving no deal at all. To rephrase your comment, if leaving the EU is easy then the EU will cease to exist. Not because it’s the EU, but because any treaty with no consequences for withdrawal is pointless.

[Avyctes]

Exactly.

In a way brexit is perhaps just what the EU needed, Britain suffering the negative consequences after leaving will show all the others that it’s a terrible idea. And hopefully take some of the wind out of the sails of the nationalists.

[Ministry]

@FFabian

Oh and I thought the fine people of the UK didn’t like “furriners” meddling with their sovereignty

I think we’ve had this conversation before, but those who voted for Brexit are only a subset of “the people of the UK”. 48% of us didn’t vote for it.

[MikeR]

Dominic Raab obtained an undergraduate degree in law from Jesus College, Cambridge and a masters from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. Both universities might want to question the quality of their education after this.

Though perhaps he spent more time wanking off in front of his Ayn Rand poster than looking at a map of the world.

[MikeR]

The DUP have spent decades whipping up hatred on the grounds that they are the most British of all British people - even though they aren’t actually British. So there is no way that they would be prepared to split the UK into Britain and an enclave in the top-right of Ireland where it is always 1690.

[Rachel_Hall]

Horrors! A Haggis shortage!

[moortaktheundea]

If the answer involves just changing the legal status of Northern Ireland, then it isn’t a reasonable solution. The Troubles may be in the past but the population still has some pretty deep splits and any change in legal status is going to favor o,ne group at the expense of the other.

[fuzzyfungus]

I suspect that this guy has just ventured well outside the scope of his expertise, whatever it is; but there is a sense in which distances in Europe can change substantially faster than plate tectonics would suggest.

Specifically, everything feels further away when the route is blocked by razor wire and brutal attrition warfare; which isn’t as infrequently as people might like it to be.

[anon73430903]

@fuzzyfungus

Specifically, everything feels further away when the route is blocked by razor wire and brutal attrition warfare; which isn’t as infrequently as people might like it to be.

Not in Western Europe, not since the formation of the EU…

We’re fucked, aren’t we?

[anon62122146]

@Scurra

Also, I think he was the first person I heard who called it the British Border problem.

TO paraphrase An Irish comedian: it’s not the Irish border, it’s the British border in Ireland. The Irish border is the beach.

[someguy]

And humble too!

[smulder]

@moortaktheundea

any change in legal status is going to favor o,ne group at the expense of the other

expecting “no change” to be a “solution” is not “reasonable”

[jaded]

Actually, it’s still hard to laugh at Trump very much, because no matter how stupid or patently dishonest he proves himself to be on any given day, we can’t help but remember that with every breath he’s still doing real long-term damage to our country. We mostly just cringe.

So know that we aren’t laughing so much as uncomfortably wincing as we watch these. And know you have our sympathies as you continue to deal with the fallout from these evil, stupid, greedy fuckers.