BRFR Cake Stop 'breaking news' miscellany

[Rusty Nails]

No, just haven't bothered to look yet. Not sure what the issue is with distance as transport is easily organised for goods and services exports tend to be 'down a wire'.

Worth pointing out that we have a trade deal with the EU that allows tariff free trade and one that means they can meddle less in our internal affairs. That said, why are you preoccupied with a small and shrinking part of the global economy? We are rightly prioritising the higher growth countries a regions.

View attachment 8275

Because the economies of countries like India are growing it does not mean that we are likely to significantly improve our trade with them in line with their growth. We are not a major manufacturing country anymore…other countries have moved on further, faster and more effectively than us, and we are not the only country trying to increase trade with the likes of India
By all means sensibly try and make the best of what we are left with after Brexit by dealing with more distant countries, but that will never make up for the reduction in well established trade with our neighbours… unless we can claw back trade relations with those countries, which will then be portrayed as “betraying Brexit” by the likes of the Telegraph, Mail and GB News.

 

[Stevo 666]

Because the economies of countries like India are growing it does not mean that we are likely to significantly improve our trade with them in line with their growth. We are not a major manufacturing country anymore…other countries have moved on further, faster and more effectively than us, and we are not the only country trying to increase trade with the likes of India
By all means sensibly try and make the best of what we are left with after Brexit by dealing with more distant countries, but that will never make up for the reduction in well established trade with our neighbours… unless we can claw back trade relations with those countries, which will then be portrayed as “betraying Brexit” by the likes of the Telegraph, Mail and GB News.

You can't say that it wouldn't improve - your statement is probably more wishful thinking than anything else. Otherwise why bother trying to improve terms with the EU?

I think you under-estimate the UK as a manufacturing nation, but in any event out services exports to the EU have grown post Brexit, something conveniently forgotten by some. So what exactly are we clawing back in that regard?

 

[briantrumpet]

Haha, "former newspaper the Telegraph". From Private Eye:

 

[Rusty Nails]

You can't say that it wouldn't improve - your statement is probably more wishful thinking than anything else. Otherwise why bother trying to improve terms with the EU?

I think you under-estimate the UK as a manufacturing nation, but in any event out services exports to the EU have grown post Brexit, something conveniently forgotten by some. So what exactly are we clawing back in that regard?

What you think or I think is irrelevant. We will see how trade goes over the next ten years.

Until then it is just wishful thinking. We know how trade suffered as a result of Brexit but have yet to anywhere near make up for that with new trade deals.

Service exports are a positive but these trade deals are not about service exports.

 

[bobzmyunkle]

I think you under-estimate the UK as a manufacturing nation

Do expand @Stevo 666

 

[Beebo]

Hang on, haven't they got heaven to look forward to? That's good, isn't it?

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The MAGA relationship with Christianity is very odd.
Jesus, if he existed, was one of the most Woke people ever. His teachings are almost entirely Woke.
And now JD Vance has been corrected publicly by two Popes, over his understanding and interpretation of Catholicism.

 

[secretsqirrel]

The MAGA relationship with Christianity is very odd.
Jesus, if he existed, was one of the most Woke people ever. His teachings are almost entirely Woke.
And now JD Vance has been corrected publicly by two Popes, over his understanding and interpretation of Catholicism.

I have often wondered about this. I can only conclude that although they bang on about Christianity they have only looked at the old testament, which may well support some of their views in places. Jesus the hippy, only appears in the sequel which has a far more socialist vibe.

So I can only conclude that they are confused. Bless

 

[AndyRM]

View: https://youtu.be/ZgXyM8Bri94?si=jWYFpmLlN90ZqKtL

 

[Stevo 666]

What you think or I think is irrelevant. We will see how trade goes over the next ten years.

Until then it is just wishful thinking. We know how trade suffered as a result of Brexit but have yet to anywhere near make up for that with new trade deals.

Service exports are a positive but these trade deals are not about service exports.

Re your first sentence, agree - we have to see how these things pan out.

True, most trade deals are heavily weighted towards goods, but just goes to show what we can achieve in the absence of these. As we are predominantly a service economy the success of that sector absent trade deal advantages shows why we should not cry too much over what people see as the 'spilt milk' of Brexit. IMO there are more important things to deal with these days.

 

[PurplePenguin]

Until Trump came along, it looks like there weren't too many barriers to trade, thanks to NAFTA. Reading about that, it seems that removing tariffs and whatnot was good for everyone. Kinda like the Single Market.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada–United_States_trade_relations

NAFTA is a free trade agreement much like the UK has with the EU. It is not comparable to the EU which many federalists would like to be like the US.

 

[Stevo 666]

NAFTA is a free trade agreement much like the UK has with the EU. It is not comparable to the EU which many federalists would like to be like the US.

The issue with the EU single market is the strings attached, mainly along the lines of member states handing significant parts of national decision-making to a centralised supra-national body. I don't know of any other trade deals that impose those sorts of membership conditions and most of these other blocs seem to operate perfectly well.

As I've said before, if the EU had kept to the original brief of being a trading bloc then we probably would never have left.

 

[briantrumpet]

NAFTA is a free trade agreement much like the UK has with the EU. It is not comparable to the EU which many federalists would like to be like the US.

But if they are (or were, before the attempted extortion) effectively getting most of the benefits similar to the UK had in the EU without being the 51st state, why would they want to be? Your argument could be a strong one for re-joining the EU SM & CM, so we're similar to the NAFTA arrangement.

 

[Stevo 666]

But if they are (or were, before the attempted extortion) effectively getting most of the benefits similar to the UK had in the EU without being the 51st state, why would they want to be? Your argument could be a strong one for re-joining the EU SM & CM, so we're similar to the NAFTA arrangement.

Rejoining the SM might not be so simple now the UK has some major trade deals signed with other countries and blocs (USA, India, CPTPP). Unfortunately this comes down to the strings that the EU attaches to SM membership which are incompatible in some respects with these other trade deals, in particular that trade deals are done at a EU and not national level.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/09/trump-has-just-put-remainers-out-of-business/

Trump and Brexit (with a mention of the Tories) in the same article by the Telegraph - you might want to bookmark that as it has all four of your favourite subjects rolled into one 😉

 

[PurplePenguin]

But if they are (or were, before the attempted extortion) effectively getting most of the benefits similar to the UK had in the EU without being the 51st state, why would they want to be? Your argument could be a strong one for re-joining the EU SM & CM, so we're similar to the NAFTA arrangement.

The UK's current position is similar to what Canada had with NAFTA. I suspect it is actually better. You want further integration which is much like suggesting Canada further integrates into the US. I'm curious why it's a great idea for the UK, but not for Cananda.