2022-08-16T19:05:14Z https://www.taurillon.org/the-uk-and-brexit-the-picture-today#comment24173 2022-08-16T19:05:14Z

<p>Do you actually research these articles or simply write what you want to believe ? “After Brexit, the UK can no longer enjoy the EU single market and financial service benefits” Some hard facts, Q2 2016 – Q1 2022 UK GDP went up 6.8%. France 6.9%, Germany 4.5%, Spain 4.8% Italy 2.8%. We all faced Covid, Ukraine War and the clear knowledge UK was leaving the EU and this would create barriers. Doesn't seem that exclusion from the Single Market has been that catastrophic. “Although there is no border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, there are some customs and regulatory formalities” The EU has approximately 20% of its total external border checks occurring between the UK and NI. Much more than ‘some customs and regulatory formalities, trade between NI and the Republic does not represent 20% of EU external trade. Dublin checks 4% of externally traded goods arriving in Republic ports. The NI Protocol itself has been declared in breach of the Good Friday Agreement by David Trimble (awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his negotiating that very agreement) and Ray Bassett one of the Republics lead negotiators. Violence has already flared in the Unionist community and is likely to spread over time to the Republic and mainland Europe. “The EU is a big job market for UK workers and vice versa.” The EU was never a big job market for the UK. People did work there but very many more went to retire to the sun. In fact Spain (with an unemployed rate of 12.48%) had the biggest UK ex pat population. Most UK citizens wishing to work abroad went to the Anglosphere. The UK was a very big source of jobs for the unemployed in the EU. Today, unemployment in the UK 3.8%, Euro Zone 6.6%, Germany 5.4%, France 7.4%, Italy 8.1% etc. If the UK was still part of the EU it is unlikely many UK citizens would be heading there for jobs. “Many big companies for example, Barclay's, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and Bank of America, have moved their offices from London to the EU.” Most of these ‘moves' have been cosmetic to satisfy the Commission. The FT survey of the 24 biggest financial companies found most had increased staff in London. Société Générale has reduced UK staff by 300 but BNP Paribar offset that by recruiting new workers. Vanguard the second largest asset management company in the World doubled their London staff. Additionally, mainland banks have warned the Commission that the cost of credit to the EU is likely to increase as they increasingly find it harder to operate in London. “In a world that is moving towards globalisation.” Have you looked at patterns of trade since the pandemic and the Ukrainian War ? Increasingly security of supply is seen as critical. Empty shelves across Europe and the US are indicative of the danger of over reliance on extended supply chains.</p>