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UK triggers the official Brexit process in a letter to EU

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Re: UK triggers the official Brexit process in a letter to EU

#161
post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would this be the same EU that wasn't founded for another 13 years? While we're putting forward spurious facts not a single non-EU country aided the UK.

> Would this be the same EU that wasn't founded for another 13 years? Yes; the same one, too, that grew out of the EEC founded 35 years prior.

So your argument is that the Economic body that was the EEC was supposed to help the UK fight a war half a world away because.....reasons?

Re: UK triggers the official Brexit process in a letter to EU

#162
post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>They even pay mad bucks on their royals for basically nothing. Royal family costs the UK £307m (highest number) with a revenue from them of £500m [1]. Seems like good business to keep paying for them. 1. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/07/is...

Interesting, didn't know that :)

Look into the Crown estate if you're interested, that's how they make a lot of their money, with any profits going back to the treasury AFAIK.

Re: UK triggers the official Brexit process in a letter to EU

#163
post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And I bet you nothing will happen in 2 or 3 or 5 years either. Except for the "massive drop in the value of sterling" which is due to market and media hysteria, which will correct itself.

If nothing happens, what was the point then?

Then the point is you can make your own laws and not wait for some committee of 20+ countries and some Brussels bureaucrats to decide their "one size fits all solution", especially one designed to fit Germany better because it bullies and controls more lackey states' votes?

Also note that by "nothing happens" I mean nothing that negative as the hysteria implies. Not that "nothing at all" happens.

Re: UK triggers the official Brexit process in a letter to EU

#164

I'm a bit tired of reading doomsday messages by now. I am an European living and working in the UK and even though this affects me I have no reason to believe that things will go downwards now. If there's anything I've learned so far then that every analysis I've read couldn't have been more wrong. It almost seems like the more the UK economy doesn't collapse the more people shout even louder how bad the Brexit is. M…

It doesn't help the EU is acting like a petulant wronged partner. We didn't even cheat on you! I mean, seriously, £68 billion for stuff we're not going to be able to use? Grow up and rework your budget. No trade negotiations until we leave? It makes them look like utter fools, one dose of actual democracy deciding they've had enough of backdoor federalisation and they're threatening every punishment they can think of…

> No trade negotiations until we leave?

No trade negotiations until we official notify the EU that we are leaving, which makes nothing but sense from the EUs perspective.

Re: UK triggers the official Brexit process in a letter to EU

#165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You seem to be forgetting the part where the British people voted to leave the EU.

> You seem to be forgetting the part where the British people voted to leave the EU. A minority voted to leave the EU.

Errr, no there was a clear majority vote for leaving the EU.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Results_of_the_United_Kingdom_...

Re: UK triggers the official Brexit process in a letter to EU

#166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He gambled 64 million people's livelihoods to defend his party against another, that right now, doesn't even have a sitting MP (for those outside the UK, that's the UK Independence Party). There's tables at Vegas that haven't seen that level of loss.

> oesn't even have a sitting MP While technically true, that's deliberately misleading to those not familiar with the UK. That party got 3,881,099 votes (12.7% of all, making them the third biggest in results) but the craziness of the First Past The Post meant that didn't translate to seats.

While FPTP is responsible for its own share of distortions, in this case it's the use of Single Member Electorates that was the primary cause of UKIPs poor seat-for-vote return.

For example, something very similar happened in the last Australian Federal election, which doesn't use FPTP (it uses full preferential voting) but does also use Single Member Electorates: The Greens got 1,385,650 first preference votes, also making them the third-biggest party, for the return of 1 seat (out of 150).

Re: UK triggers the official Brexit process in a letter to EU

#167

I'm a bit tired of reading doomsday messages by now. I am an European living and working in the UK and even though this affects me I have no reason to believe that things will go downwards now. If there's anything I've learned so far then that every analysis I've read couldn't have been more wrong. It almost seems like the more the UK economy doesn't collapse the more people shout even louder how bad the Brexit is. M…

The UK economy will not collapse because of this, but it will cost them billions in the short term and a few basis points of yearly GDP growth for the next decade, and that really adds up.

What's even worse is that the UK leaving the EU can destabilize the Euro, which is already on a knife's edge. If the Euro collapses we'll get a worldwide recession, with a staggering human cost.

It's too easy to dismiss concerns as doomsaying. We know from history that civilization doesn't progress in a linear manner. It's entirely possible for societies to make mistakes that take a century to recovery from, and the EU and the US are not invulnerable.

Re: UK triggers the official Brexit process in a letter to EU

#168

I'm a bit tired of reading doomsday messages by now. I am an European living and working in the UK and even though this affects me I have no reason to believe that things will go downwards now. If there's anything I've learned so far then that every analysis I've read couldn't have been more wrong. It almost seems like the more the UK economy doesn't collapse the more people shout even louder how bad the Brexit is. M…

What exactly would you expect to change when nothing has actually changed yet? What you're saying is as disingenuous as me saying that since all the horrible things people are afraid Trump didn't happy after the election before he came to power there was nothing to worry about.

> What exactly would you expect to change when nothing has actually changed yet?

This is my view point:

Reputable well known economists and analysts: "If the UK votes to leave then the UK will suffer great economic consequences. As soon as in the 3rd and 4th quarter of 2016 the UK will see a recession which will continue into 2017, 2018, ..."

A few months later the same people: "OK, 2016 was actually quite solid, but 2017 the shit will hit the fan"

A few months later the same reputable people: "OK, it seems like we need to make some corrections to our prognosis. There will be no recession, not even in 2017, but the economy will definitely not grow as fast as it would otherwise."

Me: "Why is still everyone hysteric. Seems like nobody knows what is really going on. Nothing bad happened yet. Let's chill and watch"

People from before: "Of course nothing has happened yet!!! Why did you think something should have happened by now? Who did tell you that, ey?"

Me: -.-

Re: UK triggers the official Brexit process in a letter to EU

#169
post #61

Whatever one may think of the politics or if one's country should join/leave, it's absolutely true that EU has been a big factor in keeping the peace between European nations for decades. The Nobel Peace Prize to EU got a lot of criticism because of politics, but I think it was important to show that EU has helped keep the peace.

> keeping the peace between European nations for decades

It really doesn't do anyone any favours to make claims like this; the breakup of Yugoslavia and the associated genocides were hideous:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakup_of_Yugoslavia

(cards on table: I'm very pro-EU)

Re: UK triggers the official Brexit process in a letter to EU

#170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would this be the same EU that wasn't founded for another 13 years? While we're putting forward spurious facts not a single non-EU country aided the UK.

Not true. Chile was a vital ally, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/falkl... The United States secretly provided satellite imagery and telecommunications during the conflict but was careful to project a neutral stance in public. Also France was perhaps ambivalent about the conflict, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9767736/Thatc... Certainly support from EU countries was not easily…

That link showed that France did help the UK. Also they provided ports in West Africa for UK ships as well as details of all the weapon systems sold to the Argentinians. At least as much help as the Chileans.
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