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UK trade deal not top priority for Canada

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But it is the message of the UK gov't that all sorts of deals are on the table. It is the brexiter narrative that makes "everyone will want deals with us". They might but priorities are low. Given the time it takes to hammer out a deal then at a low priority waiting for a deal is a long wait.

I still think, one way or another, the UK is going to remain in the single market. Reading between the lines of some of the more recent comments coming out of the EU, I think a deal is going to be made. Also Hollande is the biggest anti-UK guy in there and he is dead meat. One of the problems for the EU is that many of the trade agreements they are negotiating or which are already in place were/are based on the assumption that the UK is part of the single market.

Then again, I am eternally optimistic.
 
I don't know where you're getting that from. Admittedly I can't read the whole article because it's behind a paywall, but the quoted section explicitly says "Canada would want to strike a trade deal with Britain after it leaves the EU".

It's diplomatic speak, I read it as "We'll be getting back to you sometime, but not soon". I should stop being so pessimistic but the whole impact of this on my future is something that has me very concerned indeed. If the UK remains in the single market I will breathe a sigh of relief.
 

Xando

Member
I still think, one way or another, the UK is going to remain in the single market. Reading between the lines of some of the more recent comments coming out of the EU, I think a deal is going to be made. Also Hollande is the biggest anti-UK guy in there and he is dead meat. One of the problems for the EU is that many of the trade agreements they are negotiating or which are already in place were/are based on the assumption that the UK is part of the single market.

Not sure where you getting this from but if you read comments from european politicians it's pretty clear that they're bracing for a hard brexit.

About your Hollande comments just let me quote Francois Fillon who is probably going to be the next french president:

"Now the urgency is to regulate the British case. The divorce must be serene but it should be fast.

"The 27 must pressure the British and agree on a deadline, which should not go beyond the end of September.

"Meanwhile, the British members of the Strasbourg Parliament should no longer take part in votes and officials in Brussels decisions. I would also pay tribute to the British commissioner who, in consistency, drew the consequences of this vote by resigning from office.

"The objectives are clear: the British out, but the English do not make them adversaries. Neither hostility nor complacency.

"We can not have left the town house, not pay more expenses, and benefit from the roof, room and board.

"However, we can negotiate a good neighborhood agreement. And if they are seekers, and I hope, we must maintain and deepen defense agreement with Britain.

"But there is no reason to give them European financial passport, and the eurozone must recover the clearing of its currency. In the process, we must reach out to the French settled in the UK and those who think they should be located within the European Union."

http://www.businessinsider.de/franc...idate-hard-brexit-eu-le-pen-2016-11?r=UK&IR=T
 
Not sure where you getting this from but if you read comments from european politicians it's pretty clear that they're bracing for a hard brexit.

About your Hollande comments just let me quote Francois Fillon who is probably going to be the next french president:



http://www.businessinsider.de/franc...idate-hard-brexit-eu-le-pen-2016-11?r=UK&IR=T

'..and those who think they should be located within the European Union'

Does this mean reach out to companies or individuals? I hope that there's some kind of EU wide special easy work visa deal and a path to citizenship for 18-35 year old UK citizens on the cards here.
 

DopeyFish

Not bitter, just unsweetened
Well the UK is in the EU still, yes?

Kind of hard to make a free trade deal when they are still there. Also FTAs are complex, why waste the time on something which may not happen?

If UK remains in the EU, would they not fall under CETA?
 

d9b

Banned
d9b.jpg
 
The UK should try to organize free trade between the entire Commonwealth. That would be a sizeable trading block, and well worth all Commonwealth nations time and effort to join.
 
Not sure where you getting this from but if you read comments from european politicians it's pretty clear that they're bracing for a hard brexit.

About your Hollande comments just let me quote Francois Fillon who is probably going to be the next french president:



http://www.businessinsider.de/franc...idate-hard-brexit-eu-le-pen-2016-11?r=UK&IR=T

I was reading in the Observer about some unnamed Eurocrat insisting that the UK would have to give up the common market in exchange for immigration controls. Something about the language...I dunno, I mean, clearly that is the position, that has always been the position, we know this but the way this guy was insisting that this was the case made me think that actually the resolve was maybe weakening.

As for Fillon, well I appreciate the quote and take the point. Of course he is hardly going to say anything else at this stage. I don't suppose he could possibly be more anti-UK than Hollande was/is though.

And of course there is the looming spectre of France's own referendum. Which would really put the cat amongst.
 

jstripes

Banned
Well the UK is in the EU still, yes?

Kind of hard to make a free trade deal when they are still there. Also FTAs are complex, why waste the time on something which may not happen?

If UK remains in the EU, would they not fall under CETA?

The UK is like a 20-something that lives at home with their parents, complains about it all the time, finally says they're going to move out, but still wants all the benefits of living with their parents.
 
The UK is like a 20-something that lives at home with their parents, complains about it all the time, finally says they're going to move out, but still wants all the benefits of living with their parents.

The EU is like the parents of a 20-something that says they want them to leave, but won't let them start looking for a new place until they've already moved out and are homeless.

Both of these metaphors are dumb
 
As a British, I am okay with this and encourage it.



Yep pretty much, UK likes to pretends it's big and important but really isn't.

Uk punches above its weight both economically and culturally. Why shouldn't it? I don't agree with Brexit but your attitude stinks.
 

4Tran

Member
So....go sort that out and then come back to us. That's completely fair enough, but this story is being spun as "oh no we're not absolutely at the top of the list" when it makes absolute sense that we're not.
That's not what "not a high priority" means though. In diplomatic speak, it means that it's not on the list of things to do at all. And it wouldn't be until the UK formally leaves the EU and the entirety of the fallout is understood. Who knows how long that's going to take.

The UK should try to organize free trade between the entire Commonwealth. That would be a sizeable trading block, and well worth all Commonwealth nations time and effort to join.
There are two caveats to this. The first is that the Commonwealth is a very diverse organization which is not geographically based, so all of their interests are divergent. It's possible that trade between the various members isn't very useful compared to regional trade agreements. The second problem is that as long as the UK's fate vis-a-vis Brexit is up in the air, it's impossible to settle on any trade details or even to perform meaningful negotiations. That's why it's of paramount importance for Britain to settle its Brexit plans and to wrap up its negotiations with the EU. Until that happens, no one is going to be interested in trade deals with them.
 

Azih

Member
Ooh, looks like we've got a high ranking member of the Canadian government posting on GAF. Do tell us more.
It's right there in what the finance minister said. Canada's got other problems and the UK's needs with Brexit don't register.

The Commonwealth can be a very nice cultural bloc but there's no way it's going to be any sort of economic alliance.
 

ATF487

Member
The UK blindly marching itself off a cliff because of a fancy opinion poll is absolutely infuriating and I don't even live there.
 
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