4 ms·

For anyone not familiar with British political etiquette, the phrase: "the UK cannot remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean not

For anyone not familiar with British political etiquette, the phrase: "the UK cannot remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean not leaving the EU at all" can be interpreted as: "I told them they better give us a special exception for single market access and no immigration and they laughed at me".

akjainaj 10y ago
Which is funny because if the EU is to survive, immigration controls will have to be put in place. Many countries are already demanding to control their borders. So when that happens, the UK will feel stupid for leaving, I suppose. They could've just waited.
- jamesdempsy 10y ago
  > Many countries are already demanding to control their borders. Yes but that won't happen. > the UK will feel stupid for leaving, I suppose. Nope. It's not just about immigration. It's actually being able to run one's own country. When you sign up to the EU, you are effectively giving up your country.
- bru 10y ago
  There are currently such controls for the EU, actually, and done on the French side of the channel. Those may go as well.
  - cs02rm0 10y ago
    Only at Calais are they on the French side. They're on the UK side elsewhere.
    - cs02rm0 10y ago
      Why the downvote? With the exception of the Eurotunnel route, customs checks remain unaffected by juxtaposed immigration controls and continue to take place upon arrival after disembarkation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juxtaposed_controls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juxtaposed_controls
  - CaRDiaK 10y ago
    The Le Touquet treaty is a bilateral treaty between two countries and has nothing to do with the EU.
- raverbashing 10y ago
  "control the borders!!!11" are one of the catch-phrases that make absolutely no sense for people with only a modest understanding of how it actually works But I'm sure to some Brexiters brown people at the streets is the fault of the EU somehow
  - akjainaj 10y ago
    I believe if the UK could have chosen to control immigration from A8 countries, Brexit would have never happened. I don't think it would have mattered if the UK actually did restrict immigration or not, it's more about not having the power to choose to restrict it.
    - raverbashing 10y ago
      Maybe, and not necessarily a direct control For example, not giving unemployment benefits for those that just had arrived (though it seems this applies to all kinds of immigration)
      - akjainaj 10y ago
        You don't have to hate brown people (as you said up there) to understand that a system that gives benefits to people who have never contributed to it is not sustainable in the long term. And citizens from A8 countries are barely brown, anyway. ;P I believe political correctness triggered Brexit, and will eventually kill the EU (not only because of immigration, though)
        raverbashing 10y ago
        > You don't have to hate brown people to understand that a system that gives benefits to people who have never contributed to it is not sustainable in the long term Of course
      - tom_mellior 10y ago
        > unemployment benefits for those that just had arrived Is/was that really the case in the UK? From day one? I hop on a plane today, take a taxi from the airport to the unemployment office, get in line, and I'll have unemployment benefits paid to me starting in February?
- literallycancer 10y ago
  Many countries are "demanding" that, because it's probably the easiest way for politicians to get more popular (right after "being tough on crime"). There's literally no need for inner border checks, as long as the outer borders are secure.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
- dx034 10y ago
  The UK is not talking about non-EU migration. The concern is EU migration. And that's very different to other EU countries. Germany and France are not concerned keeping people from Poland out.
mojuba 10y ago
And for anyone not familiar with what's likely going on behind the scenes: it's about lowering the corporation tax in the UK. I don't know whether this is a new idea or not, but it would give the UK the leverage it needs in negotiations; will persuade many multinational corporations to stay and will even attract new ones. However, there will be a lot of pain for ordinary people in the interim. Not for corporations though. it seems.
- tornadoboy55 10y ago
  > will persuade many multinational corporations to stay and will even attract new ones No. To have access to the EU single market, your company MUST have its main base of operation be in a EU member state.
  - mojuba 10y ago
    Leaving the single market doesn't mean no access at all, it's just tariffs and some bureaucracy. Not that I support all this, but the Govt. seems to be hoping that becoming a tax haven will compensate all that.
    - kamjam 10y ago
      Yes, because becoming a tax haven has always done wonders for shifting money from the uber rich to the working class people. /sarc The UK really needs to sort out it's internal policies and spread the wealth around the country and the not just keep pushing "the London agenda"
  - tlholme 10y ago
    This is not true in many industries, due to supranational regulation. MAT insurance (a huge financial product the UK exports to the EU) is exempt from this rule due to WTO regulation. Furthermore, 'main base of operation' is pretty vague, and I don't believe it accurately reflects EU requirements. A subsidiary can be based in an EU country and provide you with all the access you would like. This isn't an option for smaller companies, but for larger ones its just an extra cost.

akjainaj 10y ago

Which is funny because if the EU is to survive, immigration controls will have to be put in place. Many countries are already demanding to control their borders. So when that happens, the UK will feel stupid for leaving, I suppose. They could've just waited.

jamesdempsy 10y ago
> Many countries are already demanding to control their borders. Yes but that won't happen. > the UK will feel stupid for leaving, I suppose. Nope. It's not just about immigration. It's actually being able to run one's own country. When you sign up to the EU, you are effectively giving up your country.
bru 10y ago
There are currently such controls for the EU, actually, and done on the French side of the channel. Those may go as well.
- cs02rm0 10y ago
  Only at Calais are they on the French side. They're on the UK side elsewhere.
  - cs02rm0 10y ago
    Why the downvote? With the exception of the Eurotunnel route, customs checks remain unaffected by juxtaposed immigration controls and continue to take place upon arrival after disembarkation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juxtaposed_controls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juxtaposed_controls
- CaRDiaK 10y ago
  The Le Touquet treaty is a bilateral treaty between two countries and has nothing to do with the EU.
raverbashing 10y ago
"control the borders!!!11" are one of the catch-phrases that make absolutely no sense for people with only a modest understanding of how it actually works But I'm sure to some Brexiters brown people at the streets is the fault of the EU somehow
- akjainaj 10y ago
  I believe if the UK could have chosen to control immigration from A8 countries, Brexit would have never happened. I don't think it would have mattered if the UK actually did restrict immigration or not, it's more about not having the power to choose to restrict it.
  - raverbashing 10y ago
    Maybe, and not necessarily a direct control For example, not giving unemployment benefits for those that just had arrived (though it seems this applies to all kinds of immigration)
    - akjainaj 10y ago
      You don't have to hate brown people (as you said up there) to understand that a system that gives benefits to people who have never contributed to it is not sustainable in the long term. And citizens from A8 countries are barely brown, anyway. ;P I believe political correctness triggered Brexit, and will eventually kill the EU (not only because of immigration, though)
      - raverbashing 10y ago
        > You don't have to hate brown people to understand that a system that gives benefits to people who have never contributed to it is not sustainable in the long term Of course
    - tom_mellior 10y ago
      > unemployment benefits for those that just had arrived Is/was that really the case in the UK? From day one? I hop on a plane today, take a taxi from the airport to the unemployment office, get in line, and I'll have unemployment benefits paid to me starting in February?
literallycancer 10y ago
Many countries are "demanding" that, because it's probably the easiest way for politicians to get more popular (right after "being tough on crime"). There's literally no need for inner border checks, as long as the outer borders are secure.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
dx034 10y ago
The UK is not talking about non-EU migration. The concern is EU migration. And that's very different to other EU countries. Germany and France are not concerned keeping people from Poland out.

mojuba 10y ago

And for anyone not familiar with what's likely going on behind the scenes: it's about lowering the corporation tax in the UK. I don't know whether this is a new idea or not, but it would give the UK the leverage it needs in negotiations; will persuade many multinational corporations to stay and will even attract new ones. However, there will be a lot of pain for ordinary people in the interim. Not for corporations though. it seems.

tornadoboy55 10y ago
> will persuade many multinational corporations to stay and will even attract new ones No. To have access to the EU single market, your company MUST have its main base of operation be in a EU member state.
- mojuba 10y ago
  Leaving the single market doesn't mean no access at all, it's just tariffs and some bureaucracy. Not that I support all this, but the Govt. seems to be hoping that becoming a tax haven will compensate all that.
  - kamjam 10y ago
    Yes, because becoming a tax haven has always done wonders for shifting money from the uber rich to the working class people. /sarc The UK really needs to sort out it's internal policies and spread the wealth around the country and the not just keep pushing "the London agenda"
- tlholme 10y ago
  This is not true in many industries, due to supranational regulation. MAT insurance (a huge financial product the UK exports to the EU) is exempt from this rule due to WTO regulation. Furthermore, 'main base of operation' is pretty vague, and I don't believe it accurately reflects EU requirements. A subsidiary can be based in an EU country and provide you with all the access you would like. This isn't an option for smaller companies, but for larger ones its just an extra cost.