Autumnal Brexit update

In truth there is not that much to say other that repeat more of the stuff I have been saying for 15 months now.

When we were away, UK Government published a number of policy papers, only forgetting to publish the one on the "divorce bill". I say forget, its not been forgotten, but this is a game May and co are playing with the editors of the Mail and Express, in that no one wants to mention a figure less it raises ir ire of Mr Dacre, as any amount would lead to them roasting the Government. The EU want to come up with a formula on what is owed, so the actual amount will not be known for some time. Then again D Davis has said UK expects to pay nothing beyond the end of March 2019, which is clearly rubbish, in that he does not speak for the whole country, and any treaty entered into, the financial implications will have to be honoured.

Davis has mentioned that lawyers are going through the bill "line by line", but then wasn't this supposed to be simple? If it was straightforward and Britain held all the cards, then why need lawyers?

The policy documents are light on detail, which comes as no surprise, but also do not take into account the EU's repeated stated positions, so instead of the second stage in a dialogue process, it is a standoff, with the Disgraced Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox threatening to walk away from talks if blackmail by the SU continues? From what he has said, it is clear who has the stronger hand in these talks.

The divorce bill is one of three topics that must be addressed, or significant progress be made on before the EU Commission will sanction parallel trade talks. This position was conceded by Davis in the forst round of talks back in June, in less than an hour after the talks started, after he said that the timetable would be the "row of the summer". In agreeing this timetable, it meant that any failure to make progress would stall all other talks until there was movement. All this was foreseen, and yet the Brexiteers stumbled on.

Of course, the Mail and Express, and to the lesser extent, the Torygraph and Times all back the Government line, how unbending the EU are, how these unelected bureaucrats are damaging the beautiful Brexit baby. Of course, it is the Mr Barnier's task to protect the interest of the EU and its citizens first, UK citizens come second. Not to say they do not care what happens to UK citizen's rights, in a simple world, rights of citizens living in the EU or UK would be mutually agreed to stay as they are, and talks move on. This is the simple of the three issues to fix, and yet goes to the heart of the Brexiteer's lies, in that immigration in itself is a bad thing, and must be stopped. That 200,00 UK citizens live in Spain in retirement, using their health service, and yet less than 100 Spanish retirees live in the UK. We don't hear Spain complaining.

The Government has had to sanction the recruitment of 5,000 GPS due to a shortfall from overseas. That is if they want to come here in the first place. As it seems EU nationals have been relocating to other parts of the EU rather than stay in a country where they are not wanted, or worse, criticized or attacked for living here.

It is a shambles for sure, but with each day, the walls of reality press against the Brexit bubble that they have created. Its not fair they shout, and all the while the EU says, you wanted this, deal with the concequences of your choice.

This is what Michel Barnier says on March 22nd regarding a "no deal Brexit":

"But the consequences of a no deal situation would be even more significant – for everyone:

More than four million citizens – UK citizens in the EU and EU citizens in the UK – confronted with extreme uncertainty concerning their rights and their future;

Supply problems in the United Kingdom, disrupting value chains;

The reintroduction of burdensome customs checks, inevitably slowing down trade and lengthening lorry queues in Dover;

Serious disruption in air traffic to and from the United Kingdom;

Suspension of the distribution of nuclear material to the United Kingdom, as it finds itself outside EURATOM overnight. I can multiply the examples.

The United Kingdom would be seriously affected by such a situation: two thirds of its trade is currently enabled – and protected – by the Single Market and the free-trade agreements of the European Union with more than 60 partner countries."