It'll be fine. Thus far there's been a lot of subdued and soothing talk which contrasts greatly with the doom forecasts we were treated to before we voted to Leave. The sky hasn't fallen in and it won't fall in: have some confidence that this country can stand on her own two feet.Quote:
Originally Posted by scottish
If you look at the political reactions so far, the panic has actually been at the EU end: they're terrified now that this is going to spread.
I simply think people are looking for excuses that we're not leaving when we are. The reason why Article 50 hasn't been triggered just yet - and I agree with it and have said in the past there's no need to instantly trigger it - is because Britain will want to lobby officials in European capitals before negotiations actually formally start. That way, the actual negotiations ought to have a baseline in which discussions will take place on when the Treaty clause has been activated. This is pretty standard stuff: you know when leaders go to televised meetings like the European Council most of the negotiations have already taken place behind the scenes, the face-to-face negotations are often mainly for the PR political benefit of the leaders attending.Quote:
Originally Posted by scottish
On trade deals with other countries, talks can begin immediately yeah. We'll not yet be taking our seat at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) but talks on a bilateral basis can take place now so that they can be introduced when EU withdrawal is completed. I expect in many cases that these should be concluded quickly if there's already an EU FTA in place (as we're already operating under that) but we'd be looking at deepening some of the trade deals. For example, I think African nations in particular will be eager to push for more open agricultural agreements with us than they currently have under the existing EU deals as France as the biggest farming country in the EU has often blocked any attempt to open agricultural trade up to Africa.
