Dawlish Discussion

Petition

Leave the EU without a deal in March 2019.

er........the EU has just signed a Free Trade Agreement with Japan. This will take effect from Feb 1st 2019. This means there will be a free trade area for services and goods covering approx 650 million people. This trade deal took some five years to agree. 

I think you'll find that the EU has just gained a major partner - Japan.

And then of course there's the recently signed off Canada/EU Free Trade Agreement..........(mind you that took 5 plus years to sort out as well). 

Population of the UK  (2018) = 66.57million

Population of Japan (2017) = 126.8 million

Japan is the world's 3rd largest economy.

The UK is presently in 5th place.

What was that you said about the UK having negotiating clout with the EU?

In order to secure the deal, did Japan and Canada agree to pay the EU billions of Euros and allow free movement of people from EU countries?

1. Euros - Japan and Canada were/are in a different situation than the UK with regard to the EU.  They have never been part of the EU 'club'. We have. And because we have, we still have outstanding commitments to honour/fees to pay.  

Not too sure how any country, with whom we would wish to set up a FTA, would regard our integrity to honour any commitments concerning the FTA if we default on what we have agreed with the EU.

An Englishman's word is his bond and all that. Old chap.    

2. Free movement of people from the EU - agree that the FTAs do not allow for free movement of people from the EU. But as I said, we are in a different relationship with the EU than that of Japan or Canada. 

For info - various links below give information about the PM's proposed UK/EU deal

25 Nov 2018 - Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration on the future relationship between theUK and the EU as endorsed by leaders at a special ...

If we leave with no deal being agreed, after March 29th our relationship with the EU will the same as with any other non-EU country, furthermore we will not be obliged to pay them a penny:

(The) House of Lords EU Financial Affairs Sub-Committee said in a report published today that “under international law the UK will not be legally obliged to contribute to the EU budget if an agreement is not reached at the end of Article 50 negotiations”.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/04/britain-will-not-have-pay-penny-leave-european-union-say-peers/

So because the House of Lords is of that opinion that would be accepted by the EU?

Splitting my sides at the thought!

You can laugh as much as you like, but if the legal positon stated by the House of Lords EU Financial Affairs Sub-Committee is correct, then that is what it is.  You seem to be having difficulty getting your head around the fact that if we leave without a deal then at 11 pm on March 29 next year we become independent of the EU.  Some people like to call it "hard Brexit", I just call it Brexit.

IF, Burneside, IF.

As Brexiters are so fond of saying -"this has never been done before" ergo - no-one knows what the legal status of the financial payment is. There are only opinions. 

BTW I have no difficulty whatsoever about getting my head around the consequences of us leaving the EU without a deal.