ICYMI:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-bri...-idUKKBN1CA2AK
Regarding the Anglosphere there seem few indications they would be any more accommodating of us than anyone else - it's very much self first.
Quote:
There are three main issues: the division of agricultural import quotas and of farm subsidy rights and - for Britain - continued membership of the WTO’s government procurement agreement, which it is not a member of in its own right.
The thorniest is the planned sharing-out of import quotas, which has already been rejected by the United States, Argentina, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, Thailand and Uruguay.
In a letter first published by the Financial Times, their representatives at the WTO said they would not accept the plan to split those quotas on the basis of historical averages.
They want to keep the flexibility they enjoy now, suggesting Britain should duplicate the EU import quotas, doubling their potential exports into the region.
A British official called their letter a negotiating tactic and an attempt to put a shot across the bows of the British-EU offer before it went to the wider WTO membership.
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Anyone who claimed this would be easy, and there were plenty, were quite wrong to dismiss concerns from those who said our move to WTO would provide other nations leverage on us.
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Looks like Germany's industries are preparing for a disorganised crash out of the UK from the EU without any trade deal or transition period.
At least someone is preparing for it. Our Government won't even let us see their impact assessments let alone any indication of preparation.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-bri...-idUKKBN1CA0KV
Quote:
BERLIN (Reuters) - German firms active in Britain should make provisions now for a “very hard Brexit”, Germany’s biggest industry group said on Thursday, because the government in London does not know what it wants.
The Federation of German Industries (BDI) said British Prime Minister Theresa May’s government lacked a clear strategy on how to exit the European Union following last year’s referendum.
“After four rounds of negotiations, German industry looks with concern at the progress of the Brexit negotiations,” BDI Managing Director Joachim Lang told reporters in Berlin. “The British government is lacking a clear concept despite talking a lot.”
To prepare for a disruptive British departure from the EU, the BDI said it had set up a task force including major companies, which trains-to-turbines group Siemens (SIEGn.DE) said it was part of.
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So much for Germany's EU hegemony and their businesses running the show.
Quote:
Even the Germans are making quiet overtures to us about the need for a nice, friendly trade deal.
They are all scared stiff of two things. Firstly, we buy a lot more from the EU than we sell.
The European countries depend upon us as a huge market for their goods. They don’t want that jeopardised under any conditions. Especially not the Germans.
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