Brexit, the economy and house prices part 5

Thrugelmir

LHW99 wrote: »

Even Juncker seems to have got the message eventually
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42609057

Now the divorce bill has been agreed in principle. Then the reality has to be addressed. As the UK was a net contributor to the pot.

Tromking

Germany in the news this morning.
On the morning it records a record budget surplus, Germany is being cited in the British press as a potential major obstacle to a post Brexit UK free trade deal being agreed with the EU.
It’ll be interesting to see how Germany playing hardball will go down with
other less successful EU nations who might more exposed to a hard Brexit than Germany may be.

Herzlos

Germany will be propping them up even more than they are now, if we stop paying in. So a lot of smaller players will be reluctant to upset Germany.

gfplux

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Didn't realise that anything had been agreed. Talks are as yet, just talks.

I agree as nothing is agreed untill everything is agreed. However I read that the EU will turn phase one talks into a legal document this month.

Theresa May has written an open letter to the 3.2 million EU citizens in Britain and the 1.2 million British citizens living in the EU27 telling us/them of the super deal she has made to protect us all after Britain leaves the EU. The letter did not say that the deal was not done but only suggested she would be pressing for even better things for us.

gfplux

kabayiri wrote: »

I do think they need to start the development of the next Customs system.

Even if we don't know the actual rule sets yet, there is still lots that can be done. A well rehearsed and comprehensive change management system will be essential if the politicians start agreeing 11th hour revisions.

Even with this, the timeline to say Dec 2020 would be tight.

Is it true they are going to ask for volunteers to man the border. Did I see that referred to as a Dads Army type of thing?

I am sure that is not true. Surely it’s media speculation.

Are they recruiting extra customs officers and civil servants to handle this. There might be links available to the civil service job site?

Here is something.

http://www.theemployable.com/index.php/2016/10/26/become-uk-customs-officer/

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/about/recruitment

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/border-force

Tromking

Herzlos wrote: »

Germany will be propping them up even more than they are now, if we stop paying in. So a lot of smaller players will be reluctant to upset Germany.

Germany picking up the U.K. tab by the way of contributions would no doubt go down a storm with some EU nations, I’m not sure how that would be viewed by ordinary Germans though. That said, such is the German success within the EU, it’s probably a pragmatic option for Germany to prop up an EU that has a deep effection for German made stuff.
A rampantly successful Germany within a otherwise economically ‘ordinary’ EU is not politically tenable for ever though.

vivatifosi

gfplux wrote: »

Is it true they are going to ask for volunteers to man the border. Did I see that referred to as a Dads Army type of thing?

I am sure that is not true. Surely it’s media speculation.

Are they recruiting extra customs officers and civil servants to handle this. There might be links available to the civil service job site?

Here is something.

http://www.theemployable.com/index.php/2016/10/26/become-uk-customs-officer/

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/about/recruitment

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/border-force

AIUI, the plan is for volunteers to watch places that are not currently covered, e.g. little harbours and slipways. It isn't part of Brexit as such. People and contraband smugglers have been using these locations to land. So the idea is more to get people to call in suspicious activity. A bit like neighbourhood watch. I don't think it will involve the equivalent of police specials checking passports at Dover.

System

kabayiri wrote: »

I do think they need to start the development of the next Customs system.

Even if we don't know the actual rule sets yet, there is still lots that can be done. A well rehearsed and comprehensive change management system will be essential if the politicians start agreeing 11th hour revisions.

Even with this, the timeline to say Dec 2020 would be tight.

I'm not so sure it's that urgent. There's already a system in place for collecting tariffs and , if there's a deal with the EU, it's likely there won't be much divergence from the current system. I expect the biggest change to implement will be the name.

Of course if there isn't a deal and tariffs need to be charged on EU imports I'd agree that even with the best contingency planning HMRC would be struggling to cope going into 2021.

System

vivatifosi wrote: »

AIUI, the plan is for volunteers to watch places that are not currently covered, e.g. little harbours and slipways. It isn't part of Brexit as such. People and contraband smugglers have been using these locations to land. So the idea is more to get people to call in suspicious activity. A bit like neighbourhood watch. I don't think it will involve the equivalent of police specials checking passports at Dover.

I have visions of people like these, drunk on Sanatogen, roaming the streets looking for distances expressed in metric format and reporting people found in possession of 'offensive wives'.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/734066/Brexit-voters-change-metric-signs-imperial-European-Union

System

Rough_Justice wrote: »

Realising that consumers are increasingly aware of fuel economy, the company are introducing a 3-litre diesel version capable of 30+ mpg to go with the current gas-guzzling range of petrol V6's and V8's.

It's off-topic but only in America would a V6 3-litre diesel be seen as a green alternative.

Diesel's on its way out. Anyone currently on a manufacturing line producing diesels for cars will be doing something else in less than 5 years. If King Canute had a choice of vehicle to sit in whilst attempting to hold back the tide I think he'd choose a Ford F150 diesel.