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The Brexit Thread

No, my own opinion based on trying to get care kids involved in euro exchanges...managed a care exchange...and it was great fun, but the focus overall of Erasmus was high falutin' academic values...the U in erasmus stands for universities...there is a vocational side to it, but less funding, and very short placements compared to the academic side.
With a lot of effort, we managed to get one young person in our care on the scheme, and she loved it, but that was one kid out of a couple of thousand.

Like other schemes, what was designed for all under good universal ideals, becomes a feeding board for the white middle classes.

Surestart for the under fives suffered in a similar way, greater uptake by the better off than those in the greatest need. So it was cut.
 
Basically, if you do/did a foreign language degree like me - Erasmus+ is a vital part of the course. Imagine doing a French degree and not spending a year at a French Uni.

The principle raison d'etre for Eramsus+ always has been Universities/students - and with access to Higher Education massively increasing over the past 20 years, more and more have been able to access the scheme, although more recently it brought a few other initiatives under the same roof. As with many things in the EU, I am sure it was not perfect - but the rug has now just been totally pulled. What we had before was certainly better than what we seem we're going to get now.
 
I think from a trading point of view, we were better off inside the EU......


....but in light of the recent Vaccine and the threat of the Northern Ireland Boarder shenanigans, which I was appalled by. From a political view, part of me now thinks good riddance to the EU (I'm still a Remainer though)
 
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I agree that the way the European Commission handled the Northern Ireland vaccine export restrictions was regrettable. Somebody made a serious error of judgement there which undermined the EU's credibility and played straight into the hands of Eurosceptics.

Still, I guess it shows some of the tensions that exist now between the UK and EU. None of this discussion would have happened as an EU member.
 
I think from a trading point of view, we were better off inside the EU......


....but in light of the recent Vaccine and the threat of the Northern Ireland Boarder shenanigans, which I was appalled by. From a political view, part of me now thinks good riddance to the EU (I'm still a Remainer though)

That was a blunder of the highest order. I don't think anybody could disagree. Of course, had we been in the EU, the argument wouldn't have been there to be had in the first place.

In fact, the Northern Ireland situation *is* a concern. It's so precarious over there, and us little Englanders really have no idea. The idea of proper tensions between the UK and the EU is a new one which we never had to deal with in recent years.

The trading situation is a joke.
 
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are some, but I just don't see any tangible benefits to the situation we are in now? We may not be sending money to Brussels anymore, which was clearly a huge issue for many Brexiteers, but Brexit itself has cost an astronomical sum of money and businesses are facing many more costs because of red tape.
 
Wasn't it Cornwall who voted to leave and very quickly said to the government "oh but you will need to cover the subsidiaries we get from the EU"?

That's the sort of stuff that was ignored with that "we send £350 million" bus.
 
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are some, but I just don't see any tangible benefits to the situation we are in now?
How many more businesses need to close down before Farage admits this was an awful idea?
Related questions. To ardent Brexiteers, Brexit is about ideology. Any economic damage is simply collateral damage and worth it for the perceived gains (things such as self-determination and sovereignty). People like Farage will therefore never consider it a bad idea no matter what happens to the economy.
 
In a happy turn of events, Europa-Park had a 20% off and free shipping offer on their online store at the start of this month. Cue: Me making a purchase as, even with the customs charges/admin charges now payable due to Brexit, the cost would be largely the same as it would have been to buy the items without the offer.

However upon making the €87.00 (£79.00) purchase on 5th February, Europa-Park advised me that it had been shipped on the 6th - typical EP efficiency! However, my parcel has now been held up at Cologne Airport and it's now 10 days since it was dispatched from Rust. Upon speaking to Parcelforce, they advise me this is due to Brexit causing shipping delays to the UK from the EU. My parcel has not yet left Cologne.

Joy. More crap.
 
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In a happy turn of events, Europa-Park had a 20% off and free shipping offer on their online store at the start of this month. Cue: Me making a purchase as, even with the customs charges/admin charges now payable due to Brexit, the cost would be largely the same as it would have been to buy the items without the offer.

However upon making the purchase on 5th February, Europa-Park advised me that it had been shipped on the 6th. However, my parcel has now been held up at Cologne Airport for 7 days. Upon speaking to Parcelforce, they advise me this is due to Brexit causing shipping delays to the UK from the EU.

Joy. More crap.
It's partly Brexit partly covid.
On the memo site at work there's a massive list of countries where customs have a backlog impacting parcels.
 
I would dispute that it's Covid to be honest. The pandemic may be having some impact, but it's not the main reason. I have recently had a package from the USA which arrived in 6 days after being dispatched. Before Christmas, I sent Christmas presents to my parents in France and they arrived within 6 days of being posted, which was previously typical for a parcel. An order from Europa-Park last summer arrived within 5 days.
 
There’s no doubt that Brexit is causing me headaches at work.

Ordered some important parts from Germany mid-January with a two week lead-time, and my team’s current maintenance schedule in part relied on having them at the start of February. They were dispatched at the correct time, but mid-February and I’m still waiting for them to leave the port...

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So Value Add Tax (VAT) was introduced to pay for membership to the European common market when we join in 1973.
I wonder if the government will remove it now we don't pay for ECM membership.
Haha, that would be stupid to expect

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VAT replaced Purchase Tax, which was far more complicated a system on wholesale prices.
We changed to VAT to fall in line with Europe, not to pay for European entry.
Scrap VAT, which is a regressive form of taxation, and replace it with increased income tax, which is progressive...the rich pay more, as they should.
Simple, but little to do with brexit.
 
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