Politics, politics, politics (so long and thanks for all the fish)

[Rorschach]

Honestly- if anyone thinks Trump will not wake up tomorrow or the day after and slap on more tariffs to countries at random - including the U.K.- they haven’t been listening.

They have zero integrity in their relationships, the President has a sexual assault conviction and was still elected. Musk has kids with women he employs and on and on.

It is a mafia-style shakedown on a global scale. If the UK needed any more reasons to rebuild broken ties with the EU again, well, this is another big one to add to the list.

 

[Silly McSilly Face]

It is a mafia-style shakedown on a global scale. If the UK needed any more reasons to rebuild broken ties with the EU again, well, this is another big one to add to the list.

We actually need to do the opposite. We need to maintain the goodwill of the current US regime and negotiate a trade deal to remove tariffs. We do less than 50% of our trade with the EU and this figure has been declining. The US remains our single largest trading and economic partner and that won't change in the near to medium term. US is our largest export market accounting for over 15% of exports. It's our second-largest import market behind Germany. The Netherlands at no. 3 isn't a true reflection as actually we use Shipol and Rotterdam as intermediary ports and most of those trades are going to/coming from outside of Europe.

 

[Gutter Boy]

We actually need to do the opposite. We need to maintain the goodwill of the current US regime and negotiate a trade deal to remove tariffs. We do less than 50% of our trade with the EU and this figure has been declining. The US remains our single largest trading and economic partner and that won't change in the near to medium term. US is our largest export market accounting for over 15% of exports. It's our second-largest import market behind Germany. The Netherlands at no. 3 isn't a true reflection as actually we use Shipol and Rotterdam as intermediary ports and most of those trades are going to/coming from outside of Europe.

I reckon just do them over subtly. Open the floodgates specifically to Chinese EVs and green energy tech (hardware, not software), and use our agility to shift across global partners

 

[Silly McSilly Face]

I reckon just do them over subtly. Open the floodgates specifically to Chinese EVs and green energy tech (hardware, not software), and use our agility to shift across global partners

That's what will likely happen if we get a trade deal carve out with the US, we will become the primary gateway for trade with the US and Europe/east (more so than we already are anyway).

 

[johnola]

That's what will likely happen if we get a trade deal carve out with the US, we will become the primary gateway for trade with the US and Europe/east (more so than we already are anyway).

it will need to be balanced but I am sure there is an opportunity there on the fulcrum around the world - and perfectly in line with our long merchant history.

 

[johnola]

It is a mafia-style shakedown on a global scale. If the UK needed any more reasons to rebuild broken ties with the EU again, well, this is another big one to add to the list.

Hmm- we went though a punishing round of trade negotiations and there is little point speaking with them again.

 

[Silly McSilly Face]

Hmm- we went though a punishing round of trade negotiations and there is little point speaking with them again.

I don't actually think our ties with the EU were ever actually broken. And most of the movers and shakers within the EU (the leaders of the various member states, I.e. the council of Europe) are different to the ones that were in place when the negotiations were going on. You only have to look at the co-operation on Ukraine under Johnson, Sunak and now Starmer that the idea that the UK gets a frosty reception everywhere we go in Europe and we somehow needed to rebuild anything is gonads made up by the media. The new reality is that we clash on issues with different EU memberstates like we always have done (Spain on fisheries, the French on border control and what have you), we just don't have to try and seem like we are playing nice when we're not anymore.