Former Polish Finance Minister : Britain's negotiating position is very weak
"The UK, without a presence at those talks, will simply have to accept or reject whatever the EU offers. This would be true even if the UK pursued a prepackaged arrangement such as membership in the European Economic Area or the EU customs union; it will be all the more true if the UK seeks a “bespoke” deal, as May has indicated she will.
If British voters recognised their country’s weak negotiating position, the Brexiteers, who won the referendum on their promise to “take back control,” would face a political disaster. Walking away from substantive negotiations is the simplest way to avoid such an embarrassing unmasking.
Thus, politically, a hard Brexit is actually the soft option for the government. Economically, however, hard Brexit will come at a high price, which the UK will have to pay for years to come."
http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/analysis/politically-a-hard-brexit-is-soft-option-425078.html
If British voters recognised their country’s weak negotiating position, the Brexiteers, who won the referendum on their promise to “take back control,” would face a political disaster. Walking away from substantive negotiations is the simplest way to avoid such an embarrassing unmasking.
Thus, politically, a hard Brexit is actually the soft option for the government. Economically, however, hard Brexit will come at a high price, which the UK will have to pay for years to come."
http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/analysis/politically-a-hard-brexit-is-soft-option-425078.html
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Comments
Agreed.
It's why they are desperate to not get Parliament involved.
He raises an intriguing point. If and when the UK enters into negotiations with the EU, it will become very evident to the British public that the government has no cards up its sleeve and no bargaining chips. In that case, they could decide to go straight for a hard Brexit and pretend this was their favoured option all along (to cover up the fact that they have nothing to bargain with).
I remember being told this frequently. Are you telling me this was a brexit lie? I'm shocked.
:-/
I thought the Poles were stealing our jobs. Make your mind up.
A few weeks ago before a parliamentary committee David Davis was very cocky that he had something up his sleeve if there was no agreement with the EU, yesterday in the House of Commons he revealed he had nothing up his sleeve.
The Brexiters who think that the EU will offer the UK a good deal regardless are as deluded as those Trumpeters who think that because the UK will be at the front of the queue in a Trump presidency that the deal will be good for the UK.
So far as I can see most Poles have jobs but if they return home they'll be jobless.
I spend a lot of time in Poland and it's a massive concern for the Poles that large numbers will be returning and that's mostly due to the fact that vast numbers left from areas with high unemployment. This kind of migration has had a very significant impact in some places, with schools closing due to the numbers of kids falling etc., so if a high % chose to return (and believe me, many would if, for example, access to benefits was still more restricted) it would be a disaster. It's a hot topic on Polish tv, that and the impact to the Polish economy should the flow of cash being sent back by working, the the UK, Poles dry up.
We have the money and they want it!
Maggie
We have the debt.
Poland is looking forward to their brain drain ending.
Anyone know where to start with this one?
The problem will be that low skilled workers will go home, the high skilled will stay.
It is true. There is plenty of evidence that states Polish workers are removing money from the UK market by transferring it home.
I'm sure the ex-Polish minister would say he is 'anti-Brexit' as a political ideology rather than anti-Britain. Reading through his article, he seems very well informed about the nature of the debate that is taking place in the UK at the moment.
Well, some of what's left after paying their UK tax and NI, rent, food, drink, etc, etc.
After all, if a Brit is working abroad, they spend every penny they earn in the country they work in, don't they?
Neither side has to make a deal but it boils down to both sides agreeing on a post Brexit agreement that is mutually beneficial to both.
"The UK, without a presence at those talks, will simply have to accept or reject whatever the EU offers."
I'm not sure 'mutually beneficial' will even come into it : Britain might have to accept whatever they're offered by the EU or else go for a hard Brexit.