From Blue Badge To Eternity...

[Jim B]

...have any of you ever been out of your comfort zone?

I think that's the funniest comment I've ever read

Jim

[Devil]

What the hell have the last posts to do with Blue Badges? Who goes off at irrelevant tangents?

[Poppy]

I can think of many benefits of BREXIT for us UK citizens living in the land of our birth but have to agree that it will probably be a pain in the bum for expats living in an EU Country however ,with the greatest respect,whilst it seems the Government will do all it can to protect those Expats,it's main priority is obviously going to be the UK( residents,jobs,health,pensions,trade etc etc and in no order of priority) so whilst I can understand frustrations we all have a choice of where we live

[Jim B]

Shelagh

My sister an ex Civil Servant, a true blue Tory was only complaining how much more expensive food shopping and living in general the UK has become over the last couple of years when I spoke with her on the phone the other day.
I would be interested to know of the many benefits Brexit has brought to the UK as the only two I could possibly think of is if you possibly own an export company or a hotel which I like 99.9% of the population don't?

Jim

[trevnhil]

My Father in Law used his UK Blue Badge down at Paphos Harbour, with no problems at all..

[Poppy]

Shall we do one a day Jim? 're cost of living in the UK it is difficult for me to comment as we have only been here since February. I do notice a few price increases but to combat that there are many special offers on the essentials so if we see these offers we tend to stock up accordingly. We also eat a lot of fresh fish living on the coast which is very reasonable and still delight in being able to buy our English favourite food items which were so expensive in Cyprus. '
Re benefits of BREXIT my no 1 is and always has been that we take back control and no longer have to fund projects for other EU countries that do not even contribute to EU coffers - selfish? Yes probably but we still provide a vast amount in overseas aid.

[Jim B]

I think you will find it's already in the political section.

Jim

[Royal]

The above pearls of wisdom - misguided aspirations on your part - demonstrate that you had not got a clue how imports and exports work. One way or another I've been importing and exporting for nigh on 40 years.

Lloyd, once again (now there's a surprise) you are purposely being obtuse. It’s getting a little tedious to repeat myself, but hopefully, sometime it'll sink in - although I won't be holding my breath. I don't give a fig how long you've been importing and exporting - ask Tate & Lyle (a far bigger importer/exporter than you will ever be and trading for around 150 years or more) what they believe to be the post Brexit future. They are totally supportive! Tate & Lyle prefer to buy cane sugar from the Caribbean, but this is subject to very high tariffs when being brought into the EU. Why? So that companies like Tate & Lyle are forced to buy - at inflated prices - EU produced sugar beet from non efficient EU farmers at equally inflated prices (but less so). It seems to me that you just want a simple, paperless life and are prepared for others to pay more in order to achieve it. Goods bought on the Global market (like Caribbean sugar cane) will be cheaper than those bought within the Single Market. Who ultimately pays the tariffs? The consumer, of course. Not you, the importer/exporter. The customer pays. Brazil produces ten times as many oranges as Spain, and Florida five times as many. Supply and demand states that in a free market the largest suppliers will give the best price. However - when was the last time you saw Brazilian oranges on the supermarket shelves? I've never seen them. Why? Because of tariffs, which impose a silly level of tariffs on Brazilian and Floridian oranges in order to force us to buy Spanish oranges from non efficient EU farmers.

‘Geddit’ now?

So take it from me, if and when the UK leaves the EU single market, then all goods arriving at, or leaving, the UK from the EU WILL be subject to Customs inspection; and duties and taxes - and possibly even tariffs - will be applied thereon.

Sorry Loyd, but I do NOT take it from you - especially as you appear to be confusing the Single Market and the Customs Union which are two totally separate things. The UK does not particularly wish to leave the Single Market, but we have been told (rather constantly and consistently) that we cannot be a member unless we accept the uncontrolled immigration of members of the EU - a rather nonsensical diktat, confusing free trade with free movement of people. Of course, Norway and Iceland are members of the Single Market but not members of the EU. We could follow this model, but don't wish to, because they pay through the nose for the ‘privilege’ of membership. Due to our asymmetric trade balance with the EU, we are totally unlike Norway and Iceland, and therefore are far more worthy of a tailor made deal to suit our particular circumstances. Not to grant such a deal will mean that all EU goods arriving in the UK from the EU will be subject to the same tariffs (or more) as the EU imposes on UK goods. As we import £310 Bn of goods from the EU, but export only £240 Bn, it surely doesn't take the wisdom of Solomon to work out who the loser would be in a trade war.

We simply cannot stay in the Customs Union as to do so would force us to impose tariffs on Global goods as we do now, with the proceeds going to Brussels and the UK consumer ultimately paying the price. In addition, being a member of the Customs Union would prevent us from forging Global trade deals with the 85% of countries trading outside of the EU. However, although you assert that “all goods arriving at, or leaving, the UK from the EU WILL be subject to Customs inspection; and duties and taxes - and possibly even tariffs - will be applied thereon” you are once again confidently asserting as fact what will happen before we have even negotiated such things. It is quite possible (and indeed eminently probable) that in this digital age the country of origin of goods made in the UK for export to the EU will be the deciding factor in whether customs inspection, tariffs, duties and taxes will be imposed. Don't forget that Turkey is a member of the Customs Union, although not a member of the EU.

[holitec]

Royal,

HIC wears blue tinted glasses with gold stars, and blinkers as well.

The single market is not what it seems. As an example effecting me, I am importing 2 vehicles next month. I complained to the EU that for some reason I have to pay over 3k in import duties - the initial reply was that this was a "registration tax" not import duty. I then asked why there was a duty payable at importation, then another charge for registration. The reply (after being escalated to the next level of support and quite a long delay) was that they had asked for a directive to be issued but could not get all 28 member states to agree on this, and that it was not correct and they are working on it.

However, in other issues QMV seems to apply. There is also no single market in services (apparently a significant UK export), you try to get banking or credit card services other than the monopoly's here like JCC. JCC refused me (because I offered UK TV streaming), and I cannot get credit card merchant services anywhere else.

What this has to do with Blue Badges I have no idea!

[Poppy]

I do agree that we have rather gone off the subject. I blame HIC!

However I did promise one benefit a day of leaving the EU to JimB so here comes number 2
2) We are free to trade with whichever Country in the World at our own negotiated deal.
What this space tomorrow for no3!

[trevnhil]

Will it be about blue badges

[Dominic]

I do agree that we have rather gone off the subject. I blame HIC!

However I did promise one benefit a day of leaving the EU to JimB so here comes number 2
2) We are free to trade with whichever Country in the World at our own negotiated deal.
What this space tomorrow for no3!

So what? A small independent supermarket can buy from whoever it wants. However, the result is much higher prices. By teaming up with lots of other small supermarkets and forming NISA (National Independent Shopkeepers Association) the small supermarkets had a more limited stock available to sell, but they were able to sell it at much better prices because of their increased buying power.

[Poppy]

Sorry Dominic but your argument just does not work. You cannot compare a small supermarket with the UK.Lots of countries want to trade with us and Don't forget that we import more than we export and when you are free to deal with whoever you want you can obtain excellent deals because they will be falling over themselves to trade with us!

[Royal]

So what? A small independent supermarket can buy from whoever it wants. However, the result is much higher prices. By teaming up with lots of other small supermarkets and forming NISA (National Independent Shopkeepers Association) the small supermarkets had a more limited stock available to sell, but they were able to sell it at much better prices because of their increased buying power.

Au contraire, Dominic.

That's not how it works.

The Single Market is a protectionist organisation. Goods from outside the Single Market which cannot be produced within it are allowed in with minimal tariffs. However, goods which are produced within the 'club' have artificially high prices maintained and goods from outside the 'club' face very heavy tariffs and we the consumer ultimately bear the extra cost.

Using your analogy, it's like a group of NISA shops located within a large, gated housing estate. They are inefficient and overstaffed and sell goods to people living within the estate at whatever price they can get away with. Whilst everyone has the 'freedom' to buy from Tesco located outside the estate, they are stopped at the entrances into the estate and they have to pay more for every item they bought which was cheaper than the NISA shop in order to make them choose NISA in future. By the way, I have NEVER seen foodstuffs cheaper in a NISA store than in Tesco!

85% of all world trade is conducted outside the EU Single Market. I have already mentioned that Brazilian and Floridian oranges would be much, cheaper than Spanish oranges if tariffs were not levied so heavily on them - all in order to force us into buying from within the Single Market. The list of such produce and manufactured goods is endless, and the consumer - the ordinary man and woman will benefit ultimately from the 'real' free trade that we are after.

I well remember the prices in the shops increasing after Cyprus joined the EU and again when it joined the Euro. Ever wondered why?

[Dominic]

In the end, time will tell. If it is any consolation, I hope you are right.

[Poppy]

Ok JimB here is number 3-
3) We can be selective of who we allow to enter the Country and allow people in who have the skills we require or abilities we require and who have the ability to sustain themselves without looking for state help before they have even paid in to the coffers.

[Jim B]

Oh Shelagh

Going from 1 first; We have always had control but you choose to believe we don't, not really a brexit plus is it? So you are quite happy giving the richest 5% in the UK massive tax breaks but begrudge giving help to ordinary people and countries who have been under the Soviet yoke for fifty years or colonies like Malta and Cyprus; says a lot.

2) so you're not really concerned about what standards the items imported are? The EU maintains consistently high standards whether it be foods electronic or white goods. In my job I spend a lot of time working with procurement checking equipment purchased is not counterfeit and meets EU standards; the amount of dangerous equipment on the market is unbelievable; the leading Brexiteers want to lower these standards which to me is frightening.

3) The UK can already do this but choose not to; another red herring by the Brexiteers; the vast majority of EU citizens do sustain themselves. I did post a link to a government web site to both you and Holitec spelling this out to which Holitec did reply.

Your list isn't very inspiring is it?

Jim

[Jim B]

It's not the EU Standards Hudswell, it is the "new countries" we will be importing items from under our new "Trade Deals"; many of which do not meet the present high standards set by the EU. Even Theresa May has stated in the past we don't have to maintain Food EU Standards when making deals. Standards will drop and being honest I'd rather they stay where they are. I'd rather have my bacon and pork sausages coming from Denmark.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 57036.html

http://news.sky.com/story/post-brexit-t ... s-10960894

Jim

[Firefly]

Jim B

I still maintain that as most of our goods sold in the UK come from China, I see no reason to make such a fuss about trade with the EU. Personally I'd rather have my bacon and pork sausages produced in Britain, we don't need Danish bacon.

In what way will Brexit lower safety standards ?

Jackie

[Jim B]

Jackie

When you lower standards in food production or manufactured goods it lowers safety parameters. A lot of equipment manufactured in China is unsafe and in many cases downright dangerous and is blocked by the EU; these are restrictions the likes of Liam Fox wants to do away with. At least in Cyprus we will not have to worry about that sort of thing ending up in the shops.

Jim