Brexit: It's Only Just Begun
Barry and Margaret Williamson
January 2021
(At the Beginning of the New Era)
Since it is absurd to compare the new EU/UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement
with the bluff of 'No Deal', we copy below the EU's own summary of what we have
lost by abandoning the excellent deal we have had since 1st January 1973. If
you were exchanging your house, your car, your job or your partner seeking
improvements, you would compare the new arrangement with the existing one. It
would be crazy to compare it with having none at all, thereby becoming homeless,
car-less, unemployed or single. But then there are a lot of crazy people around
these days.
1973 was
a year of miners' strikes, power cuts, 3-day weeks and oil shortages. It
was also the year we joined the EC, the forerunner of the EU, which led the UK
to now being the World's fifth largest economy. What more do we want? We had
moved from days of Empire (ie occupying and exploiting other people's countries), to becoming a major and respected influence among what became 27 of our nearest
neighbours. They admire our history, science, music, literature and above all
they use our language freely among themselves and as the key to their world
travel. One of Europe's greatest post-war achievements was the single market,
something strongly supported by Margaret Thatcher. Her Lancaster House speech
of 18th April 1988 included: “Bigger than Japan. Bigger than the United
States. On your doorstep. And with the Channel Tunnel to give you direct access
to it. It's not a dream. It's not a vision. It's not some bureaucrat's plan.
It's for real.”
What do we get in return for all that we have lost? The nebulous concept of
'Sovereignty'! What is it? The ruling parliamentary party has an overwhelming majority
of 87 (56.2% of the seats) from 43.6% of the votes cast in the 2019 election.
Parliament is rarely consulted and it was given just a few hours to vote through
all its stages the 1,200
page UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement with 27 other European countries.
On the same day, the unelected House of Lords also voted on the bill and our one true Sovereign
signed it into law from the shelter of one of the 24
homes owned by her family. This is Sovereignty? Taking back control? In
practice no more than six people left over from the Vote Leave campaign have gathered
around Boris Johnson to actually take control. With a thousand COVID-19 dead on
the day of the vote, perhaps they should learn how to use it.
As with COVID-19, problems will arise both with the plethora of new post-Brexit
regulations and with confusion over what they really are. How can every
concerned official throughout 30 countries (UK+EU+2) know the details of the
new agreements? How can every border guard, customs official, police officer,
post-office worker, hotelier, campsite receptionist, etc, know to treat the British as foreigners? Confusion will
replace respect along with embarrassment at our new much lowered status.
As staunch 'remainers', we have often been accused of being 'losers' and told
to 'get over it'. Here is the European Commission's summary of what we have all really
lost, and it will be a long time before anyone in the United Kingdom is able to
get over it.
https://ec.europa.eu/info/files/eu-uk-trade-and-cooperation-agreement-new-relationship-big-changes-overview-consequences-and-benefits_en
Trade in Goods
‣‣UK goods no longer
benefit from free movement of goods, leading to more red tape for businesses
and adjustments in EU-UK supply chains
‣‣Customs formalities and
checks on UK goods entering the EU, with more border delays
‣‣VAT and, where
applicable, excise duties (e.g. on alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, etc.)
due upon importation (including for online purchases)
‣‣UK producers wishing to
cater to both EU and UK markets must meet both sets of standards and
regulations and fulfil all applicable compliance checks by EU bodies (no
equivalence of conformity assessment)
‣‣UK food exports must
have valid health certificates, and (phyto-)sanitary border checks will be
carried out systematically
Trade in Services, Digital & Procurement
‣‣UK service suppliers no
longer benefit from the 'country-of-origin' approach or 'passporting' concept
(e.g. for financial services), which enable automatic access to the entire EU
Single Market
‣‣No more automatic recognition
of professional qualifications: Doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, vets,
engineers or architects must have their qualifications recognised in each
Member State they wish to practice in
‣‣UK operators no longer
free to supply audiovisual services in the EU with UK licence
Energy & Climate
‣‣UK no longer
participates in seamless EU internal energy market that ensures more efficient,
cheaper, more secure supplies of electricity, gas and oil
‣‣UK is no longer part of
the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) and its effort-sharing mechanism
‣‣UK is no longer member
of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and cannot trade nuclear
material and technology with Euratom
Mobility
‣‣No more free movement of
people: UK nationals no longer have freedom to work, study, start a business or
live in the EU
‣‣UK visitors to the EU
need a valid passport; visas are required for stays over 90 days in a 180-day
period; additional border checks; EU pet passports no longer valid
Aviation
‣‣UK air carriers no
longer participate in fully liberalised EU aviation market: they can no longer operate passenger and/or cargo flights
between EU destinations based on UK-issued licence and they can no longer operate passenger flights onwards to or
from the EU (e.g. London- Amsterdam-Bangkok)
‣‣UK no longer
participates in or contributes to shaping standards in EU Aviation Safety
Agency
Road Transport
‣‣UK no longer
participates in EU Single Market for transport services
‣‣UK operators lose right
to conduct unlimited cross-trade in the EU and up to three cabotage operations
within the territory of a Single Member State
Fisheries
‣‣UK becomes an
independent coastal State and is free to decide on access to its waters and
fishing grounds, in respect of its international obligations
‣‣UK leaves the Common
Fisheries Policy – the EU's joint legal framework ensuring equal access to
waters, stable quota-sharing arrangements and the sustainable management of marine
resources
‣‣UK fishery products face
customs & SPS checks upon EU entry
Security & Thematic Co-operation
‣‣UK no longer
participates in or shapes rules of EU agencies for police and judicial
cooperation (Europol, Eurojust) and no longer benefits from privileged
cooperation amongst police and judicial authorities
‣‣UK no longer has access
to sensitive EU databases and networks that support the EU's area of freedom,
security and justice, such as SIS II
Union Programmes
‣‣UK no longer benefits
from EU funding programmes. For example: - The NextGenerationEU scheme aimed at speeding up the EU's collective
recovery from Covid pandemic;
- Regional development and cohesion funding;
- Agricultural & rural development support;
- And many others.
‣‣UK is excluded from
sensitive, high-security projects or contracts
|