Buying from EU

[Spectric]

The issue with the House of Lords these days is the high number of totally unsuitable individuals being put there by totally unsuitable politicians.

The biggest single issue with the house of Lords is that they are not elected by the people of the Uk, the main requirement for membership is to be human toilet paper !

The issue with buying from the EU is the huge import taxes being imposed, I brough a straight edge from Fine Tools and it cost me a total of over £90 whereas a member in Germany brought it over the counter for something like £36. We are getting the negative impacts but not the positive, a trade deal with the Americans could see us buying Kreg, Woodpecker, Jessem and such products for a much better price. It is also odd that I have seen German products available in the states which can be brought for less than buying direct from Germany, maybe air miles reduces the price !

 

[sploo]

Scary. We are totally screwed on multiple fronts.

Not just cronyism, quite possibly promoting people who are compromised (in terms of security/Russia).

As for Charlotte Owen (Charlotte Owen, Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge - Wikipedia) maybe a Boris "bit on the side". Maybe one of his kids that he can't even count.

 

[Rhossydd]

As for Charlotte Owen (Charlotte Owen, Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge - Wikipedia) maybe a Boris "bit on the side". Maybe one of his kids that he can't even count.

Allegedly now subject to a super injunction after people started looking into her background.

 

[stuart little]

Lest we forget.
Almost the whole point of the EU was to facilitate trade between members, and between members and the rest of the world and it worked really well.
So leaving the EU makes these more difficult. Surprise, surprise - what did brexiters expect?
Movement of goods, capital, services, people all now made much more difficult with quite disastrous consequences in some areas particularly where EU labour is required e.g. NHS, or in academe and R&D where shared projects now not accessible.
The whole dung-show made much worse as we have no politicians with enough guts to propose rejoining, as they are all after the silly person vote.
But we aren't all idiots!

But what about the reports suggesting the Eu is in crises, & on a break-up course? Maybe it's the paparazzi ******* scare mongering as they are with ongoing conflicts.
Oh dear, we're off-topic AGAIN.

 

[sploo]

Allegedly now subject to a super injunction after people started looking into her background.

That surprises me not at all.

 

[sploo]

The issue with buying from the EU is the huge import taxes being imposed, I brough a straight edge from Fine Tools and it cost me a total of over £90 whereas a member in Germany brought it over the counter for something like £36. We are getting the negative impacts but not the positive, a trade deal with the Americans could see us buying Kreg, Woodpecker, Jessem and such products for a much better price. It is also odd that I have seen German products available in the states which can be brought for less than buying direct from Germany, maybe air miles reduces the price !

I can't see any realistic way a UK<->US trade deal would be a positive for the UK; in the sense that (as the massively junior party in any negotiations) we'd have to accept all sorts of conditions we didn't want in order to get even a little of what we did. We also have a lack of people skilled in such trade negotiations, because we haven't needed to do that (individually) for decades.

Now if we were part of a much bigger trading bloc; maybe one that rivalled the US in terms of size, then we'd collectively have a much stronger hand. If only there were something suitable

 

[Dave Moore]

Not sure about Major and Merkel. In the shorter term; Farage and Cameron certainly (the former for scaring the Tories sufficiently for them to try to become UKIP, and the latter for promising a referendum purely to persuade hardline Eurosceptic voters to cast their ballot for the Conservatives instead of UKIP).

Longer term; certainly there's been a failure in the UK to explain to the population the benefits of membership (and an acceptance of years of untruths about "EU bureaucrats" being printed in the usual rags - which perhaps had more effect than expected).

Even longer term... maybe a failure to have a sufficiently educated public; such that they could spot an incompetent lying moron, even if that incompetent lying moron has an upper class accent.

Yes, Cameron got a great deal and Sunak had a great deal with the Windsor BS. If the deals were so good why did neither of them tell us what the deals were? If I had a brilliant sports car I’d be flashing it all round town just like Cameron did with his great deal,NOT! Who wants to be governed by unelected, unnaccountable incompetents in Brussels?

 

[sploo]

Who wants to be governed by unelected, unnaccountable incompetents in Brussels?

Um... Elections to the European Parliament - Wikipedia

 

[whereistheceilidh]

Its not difficult to send most goods either way if you use one of the major carriers, DHL, UPS etc, they have pre-loaded forms that are very easy to fill in and guide you through the process. However I can understand if the companies margin is very small its not worth their time to even do this but do sell sporting goods to the EU using this method -- or the Post office for small items. As for leaving the EU I am in favour 100% we never should have signed the Maastricht treaty. The problem with the EU the tail is wagging the dog !

I am not too sure what experience you have or if you are just swayed by ideology. We have just received today some goods from Holland. There was a quite high minimum order amount as Heron said, & on checking this is because of the additional issues that are now involved in dealing with the UK.
Yes, we used a major carrier ...& no it was not easy ....or cheap. We had to pay £180 ish import duty on some £500 ish of goods.
So in our experience it is not easy to shift money ...or gods either way.. & we do both.....since we left the rest of Europe.
If you are talking of tail wagging then the major culprit was Jacob Ress Mogg & his ERG friends tail wagging a Tory dog.
Living in Scotland, I can assure you that we did not vote to leave Europe & I can see no benefit either financially or socially for doing it!

 

[Jake]

When even Tufton Street starts publishing articles saying Brexit was a mistake, defending it is becoming a dying minority sport.

https://iea.org.uk/why-brexit-was-a-mistake-from-a-libertarian-perspective/

 

[sploo]

When even Tufton Street starts publishing articles saying Brexit was a mistake, defending it is becoming a dying minority sport.

https://iea.org.uk/why-brexit-was-a-mistake-from-a-libertarian-perspective/

That is odd isn't it. I mean, the IEA is shady as F, but as you say - if even they're conceding it was a bad idea it's a good thing. 8 years too late mind.

 

[Dave Moore]

Um... Elections to the European Parliament - Wikipedia

I must have missed the election where we voted for Von der Leyen.

 

[Scruples]

So to summarise: more paperwork for individuals and businesses. UK sellers must simply put up with it if they wish to keep access to the EU market. EU sellers can however accept the loss of the UK market (as they can still easily sell to the rest of the EU, and the additional paperwork doesn't make it worthwhile to sell to the UK). Not exactly a win for the UK is it.

The UK was a major contributor to the EU. Without that contribution and, with the increasing number of poorer countries having joined or attempting to join, the EU will face harder times. The UK will achieve better deals with the EU countries in time. Covid has caused a significant delay in world affairs.

 

[Keith Cocker]

I must have missed the election where we voted for Von der Leyen.

And May & Johnson & Truss & Sunak

 

[Adam W.]

And Frosty the No-man.

Anybody voted for that unelected government minister?

Of curse it's all the horrid EU and Jeremy Corbyn's fault.

 

[Rhossydd]

The UK was a major contributor to the EU.

Yes, we did contribute a lot. Per capita about a tenth or less than it's costing to be outside of it. We also got a LOT back and that's left regions of the UK with big shortfalls of funding.
We were also one of the three major forces in the EU, with Germany and France, that controlled policy and influence, now all lost.

The UK will achieve better deals with the EU countries in time.

Have you still not understood that will never happen ? The EU has a customs union and single market. Trade deals are done with the EU centrally, NOT individual countries.
This is what this thread is all about, no longer being in that single market makes it harder to trade with the countries inside.

 

[Fergie 307]

Lest we forget.
Almost the whole point of the EU was to facilitate trade between members, and between members and the rest of the world and it worked really well.
So leaving the EU makes these more difficult. Surprise, surprise - what did brexiters expect?
Movement of goods, capital, services, people all now made much more difficult with quite disastrous consequences in some areas particularly where EU labour is required e.g. NHS, or in academe and R&D where shared projects now not accessible.
The whole dung-show made much worse as we have no politicians with enough guts to propose rejoining, as they are all after the silly person vote.
But we aren't all idiots!

All good points, and why they should have left it at that. It seems to me the aspiration to political union is where the problems lie, and yes I accept that was always on the agenda.
And the EU apparent inability to address some issues or accept any need to reform, for example why the hugely expensive yo yo between different venues, total waste of millions of euros every time they do it, utterly bonkers.
I feel confident political union will never happen, but equally confident that many billions will be wasted pursuing it. Why? What is the point? No necessity whatever to have this in order to trade effectively, or achieve any of the other worthwhile ideas like freedom of movement, as demonstrated by the many years these things have carried on without it.
So, a great idea which may yet be undone by political dogma. Formally abandon the idea and they would take much of the wind from their opponent's sails straight away.
Interesting times ahead with the growth of far right parties across Europe, most of which seem to be less than enthusiastic about EU.

 

[sploo]

I must have missed the election where we voted for Von der Leyen.

She was voted in by the European Parliament; i.e. the MEPs that are elected by EU citizens. Not really that different to the UK electing MPs, who vote on decisions in the House of Commons. You also don't directly get to choose the PM, or the Home Secretary, or the Foreign Secretary etc; they're chosen by the members of parliament who have been elected by the people.

I'm not making a judgement as to whether any of the people in said roles are good or bad; just the point that the trope of "EU people being unelected" is no more or less true than our own governments.

 

[Jacob]

All good points, and why they should have left it at that. It seems to me the aspiration to political union is where the problems lie, and yes I accept that was always on the agenda.
And the EU apparent inability to address some issues or accept any need to reform, for example why the hugely expensive yo yo between different venues, total waste of millions of euros every time they do it, utterly bonkers.
I feel confident political union will never happen, but equally confident that many billions will be wasted pursuing it. Why? What is the point? No necessity whatever to have this in order to trade effectively, or achieve any of the other worthwhile ideas like freedom of movement, as demonstrated by the many years these things have carried on without it.
So, a great idea which may yet be undone by political dogma. Formally abandon the idea and they would take much of the wind from their opponent's sails straight away.
Interesting times ahead with the growth of far right parties across Europe, most of which seem to be less than enthusiastic about EU.

All good points, and very good arguments for staying in / re-joining and having influence over reform and future developments.
The "political union" idea is a bit of a red herring until somebody fills out the details with an actual proposal of what they mean, bearing in mind that the EU is already an alliance which is a form of union to start with. No two "unions" are the same.

 

[sploo]

The UK was a major contributor to the EU. Without that contribution and, with the increasing number of poorer countries having joined or attempting to join, the EU will face harder times. The UK will achieve better deals with the EU countries in time. Covid has caused a significant delay in world affairs.

The UK was a major contributor, but that attitude is basically taunting "Ha ha, I shot off one of your toes" (when that was the ricochet from the blast when you shot off your own foot).

The UK will not achieve better deals with the EU countries in time. We are the minor player, now vs just about the largest trading bloc in the world. They have many experienced trade negotiators, and we have few. Even a basic common sense understanding of trade deals between groups would tell you that there's zero chance we'd "win" that one.