EU would not rush to reopen Brexit talks with Labour, say Brussels sources
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/01/eu-would-not-rush-to-reopen-brexit-talks-with-labour-say-brussel-sources
Posted by 1DarkStarryNight
EU would not rush to reopen Brexit talks with Labour, say Brussels sources
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/01/eu-would-not-rush-to-reopen-brexit-talks-with-labour-say-brussel-sources
Posted by 1DarkStarryNight
20 Comments
> “It’s not that people are thinking good things about the UK, it’s not that they are thinking bad things. They are not thinking about the UK at all,” said one senior source close to the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen.
Why would they be in a rush? Any negotiations would be drawn out and difficult due to our past as a nation with an incredibly privileged seat at the table (No Schengen, no Euro, having a veto), as well as having a very insidious far right element element in our politics that believes in British exceptionalism for some reason.
They’ve been burned by us, and we have to demonstrate that we’re a reliable ally acting in good faith. Farage, Sunak et al need to understand that since they’ve dragged us out of the EU, we no longer call the shots.
I genuinely worry (and…This is as a result of protracted conversations I’ve had with family and friends) that people think we’re just going to wake up on saturday, fingers will be clicked and everything will be undone. I wish that were the case, and I wish it were that easy but the truth is that the wreckage that will be left as a result of some wholly unnecessary policy will take a considerable amount of time to unmuddle, and I don’t think the population are quite prepared for the step back we’re going to have to take to assess the damage that has been done.
Keir is tactically right to state that red lines won’t be crossed; not because people don’t want them necessarily, but because I think the EU Hierarchy, while willing to forgive, and even overlook some of the recent past given the change in government, it would be a profound act of stupidity to open their arms and say “welcome back!” No. We need to push for an alternative to fptp, and we need reform in westminster so that we can *never* be held hostage as a nation like we have been ever again.
It’s been with a certain degree of irony that I’ve been laughing at the past couple of weeks of the Conservative administration whining about the danger of a “labour supermajority” meaning that they can do as they will without any push back or interference. While I think that a decent opposition is essential to act as a balancing conscience, I really think labour are going to need a clear majority just to *actually change* and reform.
I hope they do. I’d rather like a boring, uneventful government that just does things with a modicum of competence for a while if that’s ok with everyone else.
Given that the EU is shifting rapidly to the right, rejoining might actually become a “right-wing” thing in the UK, back in the 1970s the leftwing were actually the Eurosceptics, maybe we’ll return to that paradigm one day.
For example, the EU’s border is about to implement biometric fingerprint checks, something the UK isn’t even considering. Their border will soon become far more stringent than the UK’s. And imagine if Le Pen and other right-wing parties start to dominate EU institutions, imagine for example if the EU introduces a hijab ban in EU institutional buildings (replicating France’s existing rules where the hijab is banned in government buildings), and that the UK would have to comply with that and stricter refugee numbers, and so on.
There’s absolutely no guarantee rejoining will remain a leftwing staple.
What would be the outcome of a reopening of the talks? Labour has made it quite clear that it will not move on any of the “red lines” set out in 2017. Since the current agreements are more or less the logical consequences of those positions, it is to be expected that any changes will be minimal. Hence why, in the eyes of the EU member states, these negotiations are unlikely to be worth it. A lot of effort for very little change. Note that they already have what they want (at least within the current scope of a hard Brexit) and can’t expect to gain much unless there is a serious shift in position on the part of the UK that would broaden the scope of the current treaties.
Secondly, there is the diplomatic and political risk involved. The UK may be unhappy about the current post-Brexit position, but there is no guarantee that any of the possible scenarios would be politically sustainable. It is perfectly possible that none of the potential outcomes (EU membership, a soft Brexit, a hard Brexit, a “no deal” style rupture of relations, …) are acceptable to enough people and politicians in the UK to be politically stable; that all of them will be under constant threat and attacks by the usual suspects. The EU might not want to be on the receiving end of that all over again as it could poison diplomatic relations within the wider military and political alliances between many of its members and the UK.
This is the question that baffles me. A lot of people in UK think EU is waiting for UK to rejoin. Europe has moved on from Brexit. Clearly UK hasn’t.
There’s absolutely no way the EU will reopen negotations until there is broad support for it from the public and from the political majority.
They don’t want Fartrage back.
Unsurprising since Labour are anti-FoM and pushing pro hard Brexit propaganda.
It’s good that the EU has moved on without us. We need to move on too. Crying about the result, Tory failure to capitalise on leaving, alleged changes of minds etc is pointless. We need to focus on getting the UK back where it belongs in the world.
I wonder if anyone reading this has ever heard of or been in a negotiation. Of course the EU is going to say this because if they were eager to come to the table they would look weak and desperate, and this would affect their position in any negotiation. I would be honestly surprised if they didn’t affect diffidence about this.
The EU might want us back for political purposes if the far right continues to gain ground in mainland Europe. A return of the UK to the EU would do a lot to quell exit campaigns by other countries.
We left, and they told us to take our little flags with us.
Farage made absolutely sure he left a horrible taste in their mouths so it would be much harder to rejoin.
There wouldn’t be any point because Ukip or Brexit Party or Reform would win the highest number of MEPs
Until the uk is open to accepting the euro rejoining is a non starter
And we won’t see talks until a party pledges to rejoin by adopting the euro.
Adopting the euro is the only way for the UK to show it is serious about the European project.
Otherwise if we did rejoin, who is to say we won’t leave again in 4/8/12…. Years times.
The EU was created to stop the age old issue of European powers destroying each other. By tying their economies together.
So until we are ready to talk about adopting the euro. Which is a very unpopular pledge, the whole conversation is pointless.
Thing is, the effects of Brexit are far stronger on the UK than on the EU.
Would the EU like to have us back? Definitely – we’re the 6th biggest economy in the world, but losing 1/28 countries isn’t the death knell for them that it is for us.
Wow turns out each European country wants to deal with its own issues first. I’m shooketh
>Carbon pricing and a realignment of the highly expensive regulation of chemicals is also likely to be on the wishlist of an incoming Labour government.
No to the customs union or the single market, but a specific “list” apparently exists? This would certainly make for an interesting reception in Brussels, albeit likely not an outright “no” .
Seems like this would result in a point-by-point negotiation.
Fuck re joining !!! We will be used and abused again and our politicians don’t have it in them to negotiate
Oh, the negotiations have already begun.
First word in most negotiations is no.