SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
UK set for Brexit, as PM promises 'new dawn'
The UK [officially left] the European Union at 23:00 GMT, ending 47 years of membership.
[...] Pro and anti-Brexit demonstrations and marches are being held across the country, as the UK flag is taken down from EU institutions in Brussels.
Little will change immediately, as the UK begins a "transition period".
Most EU laws will continue to be in force - including the free movement of people - until the end of December, by which time the UK aims to have reached a permanent free trade agreement with the EU.
[...] The prime minister held a cabinet meeting at the National Glass Centre, a museum and arts centre in Sunderland, the city that was the first to back Brexit when results were announced after the referendum.
The meeting was held amid tight security.
[...] Mr Johnson told the Cabinet it was time to start a "new chapter in the United Kingdom's story" and end the division of the past three and a half years, according to a Downing Street spokesman.
The Cabinet discussed future trade deals, including seeking a a Canada-style free trade agreement with the EU, and Mr Johnson thanked Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay for the work of his department, which is being wound up.
The PM told ministers the government aimed to have 80% of the UK's trade with other nations covered by free trade agreements within three years.
[...] "This is the moment when the dawn breaks and the curtain goes up on a new act. It is a moment of real national renewal and change."
[...] A new commemorative 50p coin will also come into circulation to mark the UK's withdrawal.
(Score: 1) by pTamok on Saturday February 01 2020, @11:32AM (4 children)
Umm, there's a majority in Northern Ireland that wish to remain in the Union with Great Britain. And while in principle the Republic of Ireland want a united Ireland (it is part of the Irish Constitution), in practice, it would be a significant drain on the Irish economy to continue with the level of support that Northern Ireland gets from other British taxpayers. On a point of principle, the Irish might be happy pour money into Northern Ireland, much like the Germans did, and continue to do, into what was East Germany, but it wouldn't necessarily be popular.
One of the benefits of EU membership was pretty much removing visible signs of a border between the two states in Ireland, helping to reduce tensions. Putting a 'virtual border' in the Irish Sea is going to cause a lot of difficulties.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Saturday February 01 2020, @03:26PM (2 children)
Putting a customs border in the Irish Sea is, indeed, going to cause a lot of problems. But they aren't the *same* problems that a land border would cause, and they are arguably much less.
I think the whole thing is a really stupid decision, it was justified based on a pack of lies, and it has continued to be justified by lies. But we'll see if I'm wrong. Unless there was massive voting fraud (electing the Tories) people really *did* vote for the backers of this idiocy, though the alternative parties weren't much better. My suspicion is that they push behind this action is largely to continue the current money laundering, but if the EU enforces it's rules internally, this may not work. Though this may be why there is such interest in a set of treaties with the US. Perhaps the goal is to turn Britain into Cayman Islands Mark II.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 01 2020, @04:28PM
No, the goal was to "win". Probably some hypothetical Oxford Union debate between the land-owning aristrocrats heirs. Turns out Britain wanted to leave, toodley-pip - you win Randolph, there's your $1.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 03 2020, @04:43AM
Would you, assuming you are American, prefer to be ruled by American politicians or by a vote of a bloc of other countries? Try, if you can, to set ideology aside when answering this. What I mean there is that it's easy to ignore the EU's behaviors in recent times if you happen to agree with their biases. So imagine if you happen to support more open migration in nations that the EU was proposing sharp restrictions on such. This isn't even that difficult to imagine. For instance Sweden was once probably the most far left democracy in terms of social values. Increasing diversity however has had an interesting reaction. The Sweden Democrats [wikipedia.org] are now likely the largest party in the country. I say 'likely' only because we're relying on polls - the next general election isn't until 2022. Wiki gonna wiki but it's description of them as The "right-wing populist[2][16] or far-right,[10][17] national-conservative,[2][14] and anti-immigration.[2][6][18]" is not entirely inaccurate. Newton's Third applies as much in politics as it does in physics.
It's easy to glamorize things like the EU at a distance, especially if you happen to agree with their policies. It's another to experience being ruled by mostly unaccountable politicians who are not even on the same landmass as you. That experience was a major part of the reason that Americans today are Americans, and not British.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Sunday February 02 2020, @11:54PM
Umm, there's a majority in Northern Ireland that wish to remain in the Union with Great Britain.
They're irrelevant. If the rest of the UK didn't want them to stay, then the fact that they want to stay doesn't count for much. It only counts if the rest of the UK wants to keep them, but I was positing a scenario where they don't.
It's like your weird uncle John who's staying at your house in the spare bedroom in the basement. If you (the homeowner) decide you want him to move out, the fact that he doesn't want to go doesn't matter.
Putting a 'virtual border' in the Irish Sea is going to cause a lot of difficulties.
You think a land border between NI and Ireland would be better? That'll just bring back the Troubles, since it's exactly one of the main things that was agreed on with the Good Friday Agreement and putting a customs border there would be reneging on that agreement that finally ended the Troubles.