The big Brexit thread - news, updates and discussion

[cupid_stunt]

Grow the fuck up.

Perhaps you could do the same?

 

[editor]

Perhaps you could do the same?

Come on. Stop this. You know you were wrong to have an unnecessary dig at my personal life in a discussion about the EU and the coronavirus crisis.

 

[editor]

Arse/elbow/bullshit etc

Brussels has rejected UK government claims that an “initial communication problem” meant that Britain missed out on participating in the joint procurement of ventilators, insisting that the UK was fully briefed on the plans.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is under pressure over its decision to stay outside several EU-wide tenders for vital medical equipment at a time when Britain is desperately trying to add to its supply of ventilators to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, a UK government spokesman blamed the situation on a misunderstanding with Brussels, saying that Britain “did not receive an invitation in time to join in”.

But Brussels rubbished that claim on Friday, saying the plans — which were publicly announced weeks ago — had been clearly set out to Britain and other governments. A spokesman for the European Commission said: “The member states’ needs for personal protective equipment have been discussed several times in the meetings of the Health Security Committee, where the UK participated. “At these meetings, the commission stressed its readiness to further support countries with the procurement of medical countermeasures if needed; so member states and the UK had the opportunity to signal their interest to participate in any joint procurements.”

UK ministers under fire over ventilator delays

Suppliers say offers were ignored while EU says Britain knew of joint procurement plan

www.ft.com

 

[andysays]

Arse/elbow/bullshit etc

Whatever the truth about the reasons Britain won't be part of the EU joint procurement of ventilators, as cupid_stunt suggested the EU itself isn't looking too united over this and other issues ATM

Coronavirus: Can EU get a grip on crisis?

EU leaders meeting on Thursday - by socially-distant video conference - glaringly failed to agree to share the debt they are all racking up fighting Covid-19.

What leaders did agree on was asking Eurogroup finance ministers to explore the subject further, reporting back in two weeks' time. Two weeks. The EU is famous for kicking difficult decisions down the road but in coronavirus terms, with spiralling infection and death rates, two weeks feels like an eternity.

President Emmanuel Macron of France is said to have told leaders the political reaction after the crisis could spell the end of the EU.

Given all of this, I don't think it's entirely unreasonable to say it doesn't really matter whether Britain is part of the EU joint procurement of ventilators or not

 

[editor]

To no one's surprise:

Some farms were struggling even before the crisis hit. A tightening of the labour market, a combination of Brexit and the booming domestic economies of eastern Europe proving more attractive to seasonal workers, had seen a decline in the number of fruit and vegetable pickers coming to the UK.

“Because of the tightening of labour, we had already lost a percentage of farms,” Maurel said. “This will finish others off. You won’t have fruit and veg in shops. Asparagus and beans start in a couple of weeks, cucumbers early April, tomatoes are all year round; in May it’s soft fruits – strawberries, raspberries; lettuces have been in the ground since December.”

Fruit and veg ‘will run out’ unless Britain charters planes to fly in farm workers from eastern Europe

UK urgently needs to fill 90,000 positions to pick crops that will otherwise die in the fields, warns charity

www.theguardian.com

 

[William of Walworth]

Whatever the truth about the reasons Britain won't be part of the EU joint procurement of ventilators, as cupid_stunt suggested the EU itself isn't looking too united over this and other issues ATM

Given all of this, I don't think it's entirely unreasonable to say it doesn't really matter whether Britain is part of the EU joint procurement of ventilators or not

I agree with you about the EU (as a body) being about as chaotic about various pandemic-related things as the UK. But I think the "Britain won't be part of the EU joint procurement of ventilators" might?? not be technically/necessarily true in the transition period before full-on Brexit?

Not sure about this, but I was thinking UK could still be part of the joint-provosion arrangements if they wanted to be, is there really anything to stop this for now?

So in that sense I'm not sure I agree that it "doesn't really matter" -- the more ventilators that can be sourced the better, surely?.
This is not a remainiac question from me btw -- just genuine curiosity.

 

[andysays]

To no one's surprise:

Fruit and veg ‘will run out’ unless Britain charters planes to fly in farm workers from eastern Europe

UK urgently needs to fill 90,000 positions to pick crops that will otherwise die in the fields, warns charity

www.theguardian.com

You applying for a job as a fruit picker then, editor?

 

[editor]

Awesome move. It's not like people and resources are stretched to breaking point by the biggest pandemic in a generation, or we're facing the 'biggest crisis since WW2,' or anything.

Downing Street has completely ruled out extending the Brexit transition period, arguing the UK needs to leave the EU to have the flexibility to respond to the coronavirus crisis.

“We will not ask to extend the transition period and if the EU asks we will say no,” Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said on Thursday.

“Extending the transition would simply prolong the negotiations, prolong business uncertainty and delay the moment of control of our borders.

“It would also keep us bound by EU legislation at the point where we need legislative and economic flexibility to manage the UK response to the coronavirus pandemic.”

The transition period for the UK leaving the EU expires on December 31, with a deadline to request an extension set for June 30.

No.10 Completely Rules Out Brexit Transition Extension

Downing Street claims the UK must leave EU structures on December 31 so it has the flexibility to respond to coronavirus.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

 

[editor]

You applying for a job as a fruit picker then, editor?

Why would I do that?

 

[editor]

Looks like those fields are going to have to pick themselves...

A farmer who started the asparagus harvest with 50 British workers but now has just six left has blasted the Government as 'deluded' for not doing more to help.

Seasonal workers from Romania were due to fly out to help UK farmers pick their asparagus crop this weekend, but had their flights cancelled when their government enforced stricter lockdown measures.

It has left one East of England farmer, who wanted to remain anonymous, facing an 'absolute nightmare'.

Despite 50 furloughed British workers and students signing up to help at the farm, just seven remained as the asparagus harvest continued this weekend.

The anonymous farmer told MailOnline: 'The Government who think British people are going to work on the land are deluded. It's not successful employing British workers. It's not a success.'

Ali Capper, the Horticulture and Potatoes Board Chairman for the National Farmers' Union (NFU), revealed furloughed office workers might not be physically fit enough if they haven't used the necessary muscles before.

She said: 'These jobs are hard work. You have to be physically fit. For people used to an office or computer-based working life they will find they’re using muscles they haven’t used.

Farmer who took on 50 English workers to pick crops just has 7 left

Farmers have half as many workers picking the fields because seasonal pickers can't travel. Edward Spanton Farm in Kent (pictured) has just 40 of the 80 workers it would usually have.

www.dailymail.co.uk

(*apols for the Mail link)

 

[gosub]

Awesome move. It's not like people and resources are stretched to breaking point by the biggest pandemic in a generation, or we're facing the 'biggest crisis since WW2,' or anything.

No.10 Completely Rules Out Brexit Transition Extension

Downing Street claims the UK must leave EU structures on December 31 so it has the flexibility to respond to coronavirus.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

We stay in longer we are back on the hook for EU's response. And the EU's response, as is, guarantees what happened in Greece a few years back will happen again all across the Mediterranean coast. Its an ill wind that does nobody any good..As is if EU collapses won't be seen as UK that caused it.

 

[editor]

Let's free ourselves of all this EU bureaucracy and pen pushers.

Oh, wait:

Britain is to recruit 50,000 more customs agents, to handle post-Brexit trade according to a report in the Financial Times yesterday, at a cost to industry of at least £1.5 billion a year. The announcement of plans to build an academy in Kent to train the agents was made by Michael Gove.

But as Jean Claude Piris, a French diplomat and director-general of the EU Legal Service, pointed out on Twitter, this is more than the entire 33,000-employee payroll of the European Commission in Brussels.

Britain to recruit more border form-fillers than the EU has staff in total

Britain is to recruit 50,000 more customs agents, to handle post-Brexit trade according to a report in the Financial Times yesterday, at a cost to industry of at least £1.5 billion a year

yorkshirebylines.co.uk

Anyone got any news on this since it was announced?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Fifty thousand new jobs, sounds pretty good.

 

[editor]

Fifty thousand new jobs, sounds pretty good.

Who's paying for them? Oh, wait

Still, we've had no problem filling in all those farm jobs, eh?

 

[agricola]

Let's free ourselves of all this EU bureaucracy and pen pushers.

Oh, wait:

Britain to recruit more border form-fillers than the EU has staff in total

Britain is to recruit 50,000 more customs agents, to handle post-Brexit trade according to a report in the Financial Times yesterday, at a cost to industry of at least £1.5 billion a year

yorkshirebylines.co.uk

Anyone got any news on this since it was announced?

TBF they were really going to recruit 50000 customs agents then they'd have to have started years ago, not be looking into it eight months before they are required. Its probably yet another example of them announcing something because its better* than actually doing it.

* in terms of wasting time

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Who's paying for them? Oh, wait

Still, we've had no problem filling in all those farm jobs, eh?

The British taxpayer will be paying, socialism in action.

And if farmers offered better pay and conditions they would be able to fill the positions, rather than exploiting people from poverty-ridden states.

All looking rosy for the future

 

[Raheem]

The British taxpayer will be paying, socialism in action.

Policing national borders is 'socialism in action'? Are we totally sure about this?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Policing national borders is 'socialism in action'? Are we totally sure about this?

No one said they would be doing anything, just welcoming folk in. Most likely.

 

[editor]

The British taxpayer will be paying, socialism in action.

This really isn't socialism.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

This really isn't socialism.

It’s about as real as that bollocks you posted about one in every six hundred people working in the UK being a customs agent.

 

[editor]

It’s about as real as that bollocks you posted about one in every six hundred people working in the UK being a customs agent.

Say what?

 

[editor]

Oh, I found some updates and it appears to be going as swimmingly as you might expect.

Ministers are stepping up co-operation with business to train up to 50,000 people who will be needed to fill in customs forms for post-Brexit trade with the EU through the creation of a special academy. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove revealed plans for the “customs agent academy”, as UK companies prepare for a more complex trading relationship with the EU after the Brexit transition period that is currently scheduled to end on December 31.

Mr Gove said the government was talking to the freight-forwarding industry about the private sector academy, which has been earmarked for a location in Kent, while government officials said other training agencies could be set up elsewhere.
An online customs academy, launched last autumn with government backing, has started providing training courses and industry-recognised qualifications. The Treasury is under pressure to increase the £34m allocated for training the customs agents who will be employed by companies trading with the EU after Brexit to fill in complex forms and clear them with the authorities.

Mr Gove, who gave evidence to the Commons Brexit committee last week, did not challenge the freight industry’s estimate that 50,000 customs agents — also known as intermediaries — will be needed.

One ally said the figure was “not far off” the government’s estimate. Hilary Benn, chair of the committee looking at Britain’s future relationship with the EU, said: “Recruiting 50,000 customs agents and training them between now and the end of the year will be an enormous task, especially in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.”

UK steps up plans to train 50,000 form fillers for post-Brexit trade

Gove unveils ‘customs agent academy’ and is talking to freight businesses

www.ft.com

Virus Hits U.K. Bid to Hire 50,000 Post-Brexit Customs Staff

The U.K. risks failing to recruit the 50,000 customs agents the logistics industry says are needed before Britain’s final parting with the European Union, spelling potential chaos at the country’s busiest border.

www.bloomberg.com

Brexit: UK to set up academy for 50,000 customs form-fillers

A special academy is to be set up to train up to 50,000 people to fill out customs forms to enable post-Brexit trade with the EU.

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

 

[Proper Tidy]

Calling it socialism is a bit too far but I don't understand why 50k new jobs is a bad thing. More entry level civil service form fillers please.

 

[two sheds]

Calling it socialism is a bit too far but I don't understand why 50k new jobs is a bad thing. More entry level civil service form fillers please.

True but they have no actual value.

 

[Proper Tidy]

True but they have no actual value.

That's most jobs though tbf

 

[gosub]

True but they have no actual value.

Actually they do. They aren't going to be employed by the civil service will be employed by companies...the value - can apply same skill to imports and exports outside the EU

 

[two sheds]

Actually they do. They aren't going to be employed by the civil service will be employed by companies...the value - can apply same skill to imports and exports outside the EU

For filling in customs forms that weren't needed before we left the EU - nothing we can actually eat. Just adds to bureaucracy.

 

[Raheem]

Bet we end up hiring them from Belgium.

 

[gosub]

For filling in customs forms that weren't needed before we left the EU - nothing we can actually eat. Just adds to bureaucracy.

I am not disagreeing it is an increase in bureaucracy, but the forms were there before we left, just not applicable to EU goods. Having staff who can deal with them makes the world is their lobster rather than a perocial EU outlook.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Say what?

There's about 30m people working in the UK, 50k is roughly 1 in 600. Fifty thousand is bullshit Tory nonsense with no basis in reality.