Brits would much rather have a closer economic relationship with EU than US

  • Thread starter Thread starter Vouthon
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
V

Vouthon

Guest
In the latest episode of “why exactly did we vote for Brexit?” it has been revealed that Brits would much rather have a closer trading relationship with the EU than the USA.

On the day that the government released its negotiating objectives for a US free trade deal, YouGov published a poll on our preferred trading partner.

It turns out that 51% of people would rather have the EU as a closer trading partner, whereas only 17% said the USA.

10% of people said “neither” (?!), and 22% said they didn’t know.

Perhaps people have read the news that a US free trade deal is only expected to add 0.2% to UK GDP, whereas we’re set to lose up to 9.3% by crashing out of the EU.
Click to expand...
https://twitter.com/x/status/1234501164818931715

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
 
Last edited:
But having a trade deal with the US will boost the economy by 0.16%!
 
It’s awesome, the kippers are vindicated, buccaneering Britain will once again rule the trade routes.
 
Thanks, @Vouthon, I’ve been waiting for an excuse to use this old smiley again…

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
 
JamesV.Cameron said:
Maybe people value something more than economic growth?
Click to expand...
The 0.16% ‘boost’ has to be set against the dampening (several percentage points) of a crash-out deal with the EU so they’re going to find out just how much their ‘something’ is going to cost them.

Fortunately, Leave-voting areas are going to be disproportionately hit, which is as it should be.
 
Yes, fewer Romanians and Poles, apparently.
 
Last edited:
The Chartists of the 1830s were, perhaps, gifted with foresight when they declared that, in the end, it was all a “knife and fork, bread and cheese” question.

Ultimately, however ‘pretty’ high ideals may be in theory (even though I’d say there’s nothing pretty or high-minded behind Brexit but that’s a matter of opinion), the most important thing is the ability of any policy to deliver more of what people need and provide them (and future generations) with relative well-being, security and opportunities to flourish (whatever their particular life goals might be).

If that can’t be delivered, then it really ain’t worth much cop.
 
Last edited:
It’s important to note that, apart from the aged and the out-and-out xenophobes, a very large proportion of people who voted for Brexit did so because they thought they didn’t have enough stuff and thought that it was about time people gave them more stuff.

Of course, given that all but the rich are going to take a hit from Brexit, the chances may be pretty slim that anybody’s going to vote to give them more stuff ever again.
 
JamesV.Cameron said:
But I’m not a kipper as i wasn’t eligible to vote.
Click to expand...
Well, you would have been, if you were.

Meanwhile old Enoch would have been overjoyed that immigration from non-EU sources (mainly China and India) has reached record levels.
 
Last edited:
Post withdrawn as well, for same reason after reading your other posts (which provide context).

I am deeply sorry for the loss your family has suffered but equally so, I would sincerely ask that Enoch Powell’s racist speech from 1968 be left out of any discussion.
 
Last edited:
If Lee Rigby’s murder is justification for stopping all immigration from Muslim countries, then i suppose the English Protestants were perfectly justified in the massive crackdowns on Catholics that occurred in the wake of the Gunpowder Plot. Because all Muslims are just like Rigby’s murderers, just like all 17th century Catholics were just like Guy Fawkes.
 
Last edited:
I mean, this seems pretty obvious. Britain is in Europe. Of course they’re more interested in trade with their literal neighbours (who also trade with them more) than in trade with a country on the other side of the world.

Don’t get me wrong, I love America. And I’m a big fan of trade with America… because I’m a Canadian. 😛 Y’all are our neighbours. But Britain has other neighbours, and I think it’s lovely that they trade more with the people they live right next to. Actually seems to reflect some Catholic social teaching principles, too.
 
MNathaniel said:
I mean, this seems pretty obvious. Britain is in Europe. Of course they’re more interested in trade with their literal neighbours (who also trade with them more ) than in trade with a country on the other side of the world.
Click to expand...
Thanks for re-orienting the thread back to the actual topic!
 
And the English-speaking world has gone down that dark path a few times; from Edward I’s Edict of Expulsion to the Catholic persecutions in Tudor and Stewart times, to Cromwell’s campaigns in Ireland, to Japanese internment in Canada and the US during the Second World War.

What makes me so cynical of humanity these days is our ability to completely ignore when we’ve gone down the same road before, and yet recycling the same tired bigoted invective over and over again, picking new targets as the old targets finally become accepted. I don’t have much faith in humanity these days, a species with a marvelous brain, and so little willingness to actually use it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top