Is a Swiss style deal on the way

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The daily flail reports Tories are concerned the chancellor's comments in the budget speech that closer ties to Europe could lead to a Swiss style economic deal where we have better access to EU markets but without membership. Seems like a plan and would potentially resolve the NI impasse.

Blup
 
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The Brexers have always resisted saying what sort of Brexit they wanted, and Johnson ended up giving us the hardest, most uncooperative version that damaged the nation.

Brexers have never been able to agree what they want.

Sooner or later, somebody has got to try to salvage what they can and minimise the damage from the Brexit Clusterflick.
 
The same deal we were promised by leavers during the referendum campaign? You don't know whether to laugh or cry.
 
Steve Barclay gave a solid NO it's not on the way, this morning.
I don't know much about the Swiss arrangement, except that their hands are tied in many ways.
And I'm not absolutely certain, but I'm pretty darned sure their arrangements for some matters wouldn't apply:

  • Northern Ireland
    Immigration
    Fishing
 
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Why is the language slowly changing?

Because it is so obvious that brexit has helped tank the UK economy...

Hunt has as much acknowledged that...

"Jeremy Hunt said on Today that "unfettered trade" was "very beneficial" to growth but rejoining the EU single market would not be "the right way to boost growth" because voters had demanded Brexit in order to get rid of freedom of movement, unlimited migration from and to the EU"

"In other words, he appeared to tacitly acknowledge rejoining the single market would help with growth, but it was politically unpalatable."

So it was less of an attack on the EU per se than before and intimating it was the 'anti UK xenophobes' what did the tanking...

And another minister, whilst claiming to be against such a deal said...

"Steve Barclay has admitted that since Brexit there have been “difficulties” with “greater friction” over trade.
Asked on Sky News whether Brexit had had an adverse impact on UK trade, he said: “What I’m saying is you’ve got to look at the issues in terms of Brexit in the round.
“There are areas where there have been difficulties in terms of greater friction and we’re looking to work constructively with EU partners on that."

Slowly but surely the time for a new referendum is coming, but a younger less prejudiced electorate will then hold sway and the UK will rejoin!
 
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Steve Barclay gave a solid NO it's not on the way, this morning.
I don't know much about the Swiss arrangement, except that their hands are tied in many ways.
And I'm not absolutely certain, but I'm pretty darned sure their arrangements for some matters wouldn't apply:

  • Northern Ireland
    Immigration
    Fishing

I think it would involve accepting EU standards in most areas, so that we don't need all the checks. I think that would sort out the Northern Ireland problem. I don't think we would have to accept freedom of movement or the Common Fisheries Policy.
 
The same deal we were promised by leavers during the referendum campaign? You don't know whether to laugh or cry.
We can still sell there providing certain conditions are met - one is adequate work done here on what ever the product is.
So that check is still needed and the other difference is that stuff moves through import and export channels. That has a cost implication for some.

NI. A couple of BBC reports. One was an NI haulier. He collects stuff from various place there and delivers here. He then collects stuff from here to take back. At the NI end he initially had paperwork problems but it cured itself once people knew what to do. He then found he had problems finding stuff to take back. Another. A market gardener type selling stuff in NI. He would normally import from the UK. He approached his usual supplier and they no longer wanted to deal with him so he bought from the EU instead.
 
I think it would involve accepting EU standards in most areas, so that we don't need all the checks. I think that would sort out the Northern Ireland problem. I don't think we would have to accept freedom of movement or the Common Fisheries Policy.
You can't have the former without the latter as it is a core right of the EU...

Remember, the UK is a 'third country' unless it adopts the EU core rights !
 
You can't have the former without the latter as it is a core right of the EU...

Remember, the UK is a 'third country' unless it adopts the EU core rights !

As far as I remember, we would still be a third country, it would just be that, in return for accepting EU standards, they EU would forego all the checks and inspections. This would be a bespoke deal, in the way the Swiss have a bespoke deal, without being in the single market, or the customs union, or the EEA. The Swiss have voluntarily accepted freedom of movement. We have been offered this sort of deal at every stage, but it was refused because we wanted unfettered choice over standards.
 
Surely a Swiss style deal means joining EFTA (which is what Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein belong to) and Norway has already stated their opposition to us joining? In any case, that would mean accepting a lot of EU standards and some EU law without any say in the creation of those rules and accepting that EFTA as a bloc negotiate trade deals - so what price the Brexiteers' beloved (mythical) sovereignty and those wonderful trade deals?

I'm still waiting for the cheap food which Rees-Smugg promised would be an immediate benefit of Brexit - don't tell me it's been put on hold for 40 years
 
The Swiss have a large number of bilateral agreements with the EU and it's worked OK., the eu have wanted to dispense with the current arrangements and replace it with a single treaty, a more far reaching arrangement. The Swiss people rejected this out of hand because of the loss of sovereignty it would involve.
 
Surely a Swiss style deal means joining EFTA (which is what Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein belong to) and Norway has already stated their opposition to us joining? In any case, that would mean accepting a lot of EU standards and some EU law without any say in the creation of those rules and accepting that EFTA as a bloc negotiate trade deals - so what price the Brexiteers' beloved (mythical) sovereignty and those wonderful trade deals?

I'm still waiting for the cheap food which Rees-Smugg promised would be an immediate benefit of Brexit - don't tell me it's been put on hold for 40 years
"On 21 June 1999, the European Union (EU) and Switzerland signed the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP). The AFMP lifts restrictions on EU citizens wishing to live or work in Switzerland. The right of free movement is complemented by the mutual recognition of professional qualifications, by the right to buy property, and by the coordination of social insurance systems. The same rules also apply to citizens of EFTA member states."

Brexiteers wouldn't accept such cooperation and are happy to pay higher prices as long as they have their hypothetical 'sovereignty' which they don't understand that they had all along :rolleyes:
 
The Swiss have a large number of bilateral agreements with the EU and it's worked OK., the eu have wanted to dispense with the current arrangements and replace it with a single treaty, a more far reaching arrangement. The Swiss people rejected this out of hand because of the loss of sovereignty it would involve.
Do tell us...

How many sovereign nations are there in the EU?
 
Surely a Swiss style deal means joining EFTA

I don't think it does. The thing about a Swiss style deal is that it is much more flexible. It isn't EFTA, or EEA, or customs union or single market. The Swiss are in EFTA, but we wouldn't have to be. This isn't about tariffs and freedoms, it's about standards and checks.
 
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