Brexit, in or out.

[itsnoteasy]

#
As I keep saying, that isn't even true of our own democracy is it? I live in a Tory safe seat(It has never even come close to changing hands in over a century) with an MP whose politics I find repellent. His majority is tens of thousands and the constituency is affluent farmers, so I have zero chance of getting him out if I don't like him. I didn't vote for the current government, but what can I do to get rid of them? Nothing - even in five years, my vote only makes a difference in another constituency.

At the moment, I think I'd favour staying in Europe but sorting out our internal political structure to make politicians more accountable, then start work on the EU, though that will be extremely difficult.

If the majority votes to come out, I'll be fascinated to see what happens, because we were on the bones of our arse in a totally different world back then. The Berlin Wall was a fact of life!

I feel for you Gav, I work mainly with farmers and without exception they are all Tory voters( I think it's the hunting thing, they see labour as anti countryside and countryside tradition and to be fair so do I) even the ones on their uppers are staunch Tory voters.
As a nation we get a vote every five years now,( to long IMO) as a nation we get the government we vote for in general, I said before England vote Tory and the left split their vote that's why you get right wing governments as the right all block vote Tory.. You never ever get a say in who runs Europe, it's a stitch up. I have seen recently on the subject of Turkey joining them saying Greece has a veto, as if they would use it, they would be threatened with no more bail out money. Look at what happened when countries voted against the big treaty( I forget the name of it ,Lisbon?) they just made them vote again and again untill they gave them the answer they wanted, that's not democracy. look at the votes that this government has lost already, reigned in by its own back benches and the opposition, that at least is democracy at work.

[100-uper]

I have always understood that it is not possible to be part of the Single Market without accepting the principle of "free movement of people." I noticed in a newspaper article from Malta, that Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, have just been granted "unlimited access" to the single market. Does this mean that there is now free movement with these countries? This is all very confusing.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles...untries.614964

If Botwana can do this, I wonder why it will be so difficult for the UK?

[Terry Davidson]

I have always understood that it is not possible to be part of the Single Market without accepting the principle of "free movement of people." I noticed in a newspaper article from Malta, that Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, have just been granted "unlimited access" to the single market. Does this mean that there is now free movement with these countries? This is all very confusing.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles...untries.614964

If Botwana can do this, I wonder why it will be so difficult for the UK?

As the article doesn't say anything about people and immigration I think it's probably possible to have a trade agreement with the EU without having the free movement of people.

[gavpowell]

As the article doesn't say anything about people and immigration I think it's probably possible to have a trade agreement with the EU without having the free movement of people.

Yes, you can trade with it, certainly - America does exactly that - but you have to pay a lot of tariffs and certain products I think aren't allowed, because of the need for uniform safety standards etc. The Botswana/Africa deal has taken about 7 years to negotiate(similar to Canada's) but they've had similar deals in the past, I think.

[Cannonball]

how has this made it onto the forum lol! will cues be cheaper if we stay ir leave lol

They'll be cheaper, the Chinese and Thai ones anyway. We won't be subject to EU quotas. Which probably means more UK cue makers going to the wall. We are net exporters of cues into Europe. That mkt may be gone.

[itsnoteasy]

They'll be cheaper, the Chinese and Thai ones anyway. We won't be subject to EU quotas. Which probably means more UK cue makers going to the wall. We are net exporters of cues into Europe. That mkt may be gone.

The UK cue makers with the long waiting times are exporting to Asia not Europe.

[100-uper]

They'll be cheaper, the Chinese and Thai ones anyway. We won't be subject to EU quotas. Which probably means more UK cue makers going to the wall. We are net exporters of cues into Europe. That mkt may be gone.

I've not been able to find out whether there are currently any import tariffs applied to cues made in Asian countries, but if they exist, and were to be removed, then surely the same thing would apply to English cue makers importing raw materials from Asia? Sounds like a win-win for cue buyers. Perhaps someone who currently imports wood from Thailand can advise of the current position?

[itsnoteasy]

I've not been able to find out whether there are currently any import tariffs applied to cues made in Asian countries, but if they exist, and were to be removed, then surely the same thing would apply to English cue makers importing raw materials from Asia? Sounds like a win-win for cue buyers. Perhaps someone who currently imports wood from Thailand can advise of the current position?

Would you accept import duties and vat as tariffs, because cues from Asia are subject to both of those and they should be taken into account in the price when buying from there. Sometimes you get away with it but your not meant to as far as I know( I paid both on my TP cue but neither on my Grand cue, wish it was the other way round).

[Cannonball]

Would you accept import duties and vat as tariffs, because cues from Asia are subject to both of those and they should be taken into account in the price when buying from there. Sometimes you get away with it but your not meant to as far as I know( I paid both on my TP cue but neither on my Grand cue, wish it was the other way round).

I think for political reasons the authorities and RM are more lax on 'gifts' from China and tougher on imports from Thailand and other far-east countries. I wonder why that is? Nothing to do with visits from the PM and ministers to China of course!

[itsnoteasy]

I think for political reasons the authorities and RM are more lax on 'gifts' from China and tougher on imports from Thailand and other far-east countries. I wonder why that is? Nothing to do with visits from the PM and ministers to China of course!

Because it's their money that's keeping us afloat, they bought all our debt, it's also their money we are borrowing to build all the new nuclear power stations. Of course we don't deal with countries that have bad human rights records, luckily China isn't like that
Oh ,unless they want weapons of course, then any despot can buy as many as they want, then when we end up fighting them we get killed by our own weapons.

[mikeyd100]

Because it's their many that's keeping us afloat, they bought all our debt, it's also their money we are borrowing to build all the new nuclear power stations. Of course we don't deal with countries that have bad human rights records, luckily China isn't like that
Oh ,unless they want weapons of course, then any despot can buy as many as they want, then when we end up fighting them we get killed by our own weapons.

Remember when Cameron went to China recently, said he was going to bring up human rights.... he never even made a whisper of it haha

[itsnoteasy]

Remember when Cameron went to China recently, said he was going to bring up human rights.... he never even made a whisper of it haha

When the Dalai Lama came here a few years ago, MPs were actually banned from meeting him, the Chinese had put the word out that they would pull the plug on investment if politicians met him, and not just the top guys, the rank and file back benchers that you have never heard of, there was a dispatches or panorama documentary on it . We moan about Europe running us, they are just tinkering around the edges compared to the Chinese and the Russians.

[mikeyd100]

When the Dalai Lama came here a few years ago, MPs were actually banned from meeting him, the Chinese had put the word out that they would pull the plug on investment if politicians met him, and not just the top guys, the rank and file back benchers that you have never heard of, there was a dispatches or panorama documentary on it . We moan about Europe running us, they are just tinkering around the edges compared to the Chinese and the Russians.

Nice one thanks, I never knew that, the things that go on eh...

[itsnoteasy]

Just thought I would add this to here although nowt to do with it but an mp has just been shot twice and stabbed outside her surgery. Jo Cox is her name .

[jonny66]

Jesus! Any idea why?