Brexit Deal - one of the easiest in human history?

[Classicrock]

Bonkers Boris kept the whole world guessing until the last minute if he would or wouldn't pull his No Deal stunt.

Meaning that nobody could sort any terms out for things like status, work permits, visas, whatever beforehand because the exit rules were simply not known.

Things like residency, work and need for Visas were supposed to be part of the earlier leaving agreement not the trade deal. As far a I know there is no need for Visas. My guess is EU went back on some things agreed earlier. The deal would have been better if May had not totally capitulated and come up with a deal which meant staying in in all but name. I'm sure however some details were overlooked in the rush to get a deal which would protect the motor industry above everything else. Nissan seem happy bunnies for now! The negotiations aren't really over and this will go on for years. The refusal to grant EU ambassador diplomatic status looks like a bargaining chip. We should be self sufficient in energy in 10 years if not 5 so that is an empty threat. Also remember the French have a big stake in British energy provision.

[NSNO2021]

https://www.loudersound.com/news/fish-b ... -in-the-eu

Long but well worth reading. It is now very difficult for bands to tour in the EU.

I voted remain but why is it that The Beatles, could happily play the Star Club Hamburg in 1962 yet now, bands are finding it nigh on impossible to work in Europe.

I think the answer might be as simple as EU politics aided by I.T.
Back in the 60s there was no effective way to implement and manage complex processes whereas today they could be totally automated if you wanted that to be the case.

[slinger]

The refusal to grant EU ambassador diplomatic status looks like a bargaining chip.

But for whom? The EU has 143 delegations around the world. Without a single exception, all of the world's host states have granted, or agreed to grant, these delegations and their staff the equivalent to that of diplomatic missions of the states under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

All of which leaves us as "odd-man-out," for all the world to point a finger at and laugh at for our perceived small-minded attitude. The EU would also be on pretty firm ground if they decided to "downgrade" our own head of mission to the EU. If we're not treating them as a nation-state then why would we need a full-blown ambassador? A chargé d'affaires would suffice with whatever lessening of diplomatic rights and provisions that entails.

The EU can manage without us far more easily than we can manage without it, although in reality, I believe we both need each other. It's all well and good saying we can be "this" in 5 years or "that" in ten years. What about today, and tomorrow, and next week, next month, and the rest of those 5 years minimum before we become energy self-sufficient to use your example?

Not aimed at you, Classic, it's mostly in the press, but it makes me laugh when I read the same people complaining about how the EU is riding roughshod over us, and in the next breath telling us that the EU will, obviously, bow down before us. They can't have it both ways, as we're finding out to our cost.

[Ordinaryman]

I imagine that, in 1962, The Beatles carried their own instruments, plugged into the 'house' amps and got paid their lodgings plus all they could eat, drink, smoke and screw. If the surviving members wanted to recreate those gigs on the same financial basis then I'm pretty sure that the local promoter would be happy to take care of the paperwork.

[slinger]

EU citizens offered financial incentives to leave UK
EU citizens are being offered financial incentives to leave the UK, the Guardian has learned, months before the deadline to apply for settled status.

From 1 January EU citizens have quietly been added to the government’s voluntary returns scheme where financial support is offered as an encouragement to return to their country of origin.

Payments can include flights and up to £2,000 resettlement money. The scheme is designed to help some migrants in the UK to leave voluntarily.

People working to help vulnerable EU citizens in the UK said the offer of money to return home contradicted the government’s claim that it was doing everything it could to encourage people to register for settled status. The deadline for Europeans living in the UK to apply for the EU settlement scheme (EUSS) is 30 June.

Benjamin Morgan, who runs the EU homeless rights project at the Public Interest Law Centre, said: “It is clear from our casework that some of the most vulnerable EU citizens are yet to resolve their status. Barriers to application and delays in Home Office decision-making remain significant factors.

“This mixed messaging around settled status on the one hand and voluntary returns on the other, seriously undermines the government’s claim that the rights of vulnerable Europeans will be protected after Brexit.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Some people may choose not to obtain status under EUSS and may not wish to remain in the UK after the deadline. That is why we have written to stakeholders to inform them that EEA nationals who wish to leave the UK may now be eligible for support to help them do so under the voluntary returns scheme.”

The news came as research from the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JWCI) warned that thousands of European key workers risked losing their legal right to remain in the UK.

The report, titled When the Clapping Stops: EU Care Workers After Brexit, warns that thousands of European citizens currently fulfilling key worker roles in the care sector, as well as those working in construction, manufacturing and agriculture, are at risk of losing their legal status and face removal from the UK.

Of 295 care workers surveyed by the charity, one in seven were unsure what EUSS was, one in three had not heard about it before being in touch with JCWI, and one in three did not know there was a deadline for the settlement scheme, nor when it was. Most of the surveys were conducted between January and March last year.

“If even a tiny fraction of the estimated EEA+ (EU, EEA and Swiss) residents are unable to apply in time, tens of thousands will lose their status overnight,” the report states.

“Without urgent action, the care sector is likely to be devastated,” it adds.

The report calls for the immediate lifting of the deadline for applying to the EUSS, for European citizens to be automatically granted settled status, and for an end to “hostile environment” policies.

It states that workers in industries with poor conditions, low pay and insecure contracts such as care, construction and agriculture are particularly at risk of slipping through the cracks in the scheme. Those unable to apply on time will be subject to measures including detention and removal and could be criminalised for working, renting accommodation or driving a car.

Chai Patel, of JCWI, said: “Our research scares me because the people we talked to were far less vulnerable than other groups hidden in exploitative working conditions, who no one has been able to reach to ask questions. Despite warnings from us and many other experts, the Home Office is burying its head in the sand about this just like they did with Windrush and making excuses instead of finding solutions.”

JCWI is not the only organisation to warn that some might slip through the net. The Migration Observatory has expressed concern that some groups are at risk of being unregistered by the 30 June deadline.

The immigration minister, Kevin Foster, said the JCWI report presented “an incredibly misleading picture of the EU settlement scheme” as it relied on “a small survey of less than 300 people conducted a year ago”.

“Since then millions of applications have been received by the scheme,” he said. “We have now had almost 4.9m applications to the hugely successful EU settlement scheme. There is now less than six months before the 30 June 2021 deadline and I would encourage all those eligible to apply now to secure their rights under UK law. A wide range of support is available online and over the telephone if you need it and we are funding 72 organisations across the UK to ensure no one gets left behind.”

SOURCE

[slinger]

[savvypaul]

It is now easier to deal with the US than it is with the EU.

I didn't think I'd ever say that.

But, is that a reflection on the UK or the EU? Is it UK incompetence or EU bloody mindedness?

In my clothing business, I am seeing plenty of both, tbh. I've never been a fan of Brexit but this episode is not showing the EU in a good light, either.

[Fretless]

Dutch companies importing from the UK into Holland are complaining that the very complex documentation now required is not being properly filled in at the UK side as the exporters there have not received the correct information from the British government about how to fill things in.

Any faults in the forms mean sending the entire shipment back. It is easier to import goods from China than from the UK.

Something will have to be sorted out on both sides and quickly.

[savvypaul]

Dutch companies importing from the UK into Holland are complaining that the very complex documentation now required is not being properly filled in at the UK side as the exporters there have not received the correct information from the British government about how to fill things in.

Any faults in the forms mean sending the entire shipment back. It is easier to import goods from China than from the UK.

Something will have to be sorted out on both sides and quickly.

And, it also appears that the EU Commission is not giving correct information to Dutch customs...

https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-pig- ... riculture/

[Fretless]

One big mess.