[Politics] Theresa May resigns as British PM.

[Hawki]

6) UK loses negotiating power and status and will be more in line with that of Brazil than a leading European Nation.

Isn't Brazil something of an economic powerhouse in of itself? Like, when we talk about MEDC and LEDC countries, Brazil seems to be portrayed as more akin to India and China - not "third world," not quite a juggernaut, but well on its way there.

Anyway, even as someone who's half British by ancestry if not nationality (I guess technically full British if we're going by ethnicity), part of me actually wants Brexit to go ahead just to show the bigwigs that a) it's a bad idea, that b) Britannia doesn't rule the waves anymore, and c) clinging to those times is part of why you're in such a mess right now, and the Commonwealth isn't going to be your oyster.

I mean, much as I'd love Britain to "not" be a joke right now, if anyone is having a schadenfrude moment, I can't say I blame them. Guess the thing that's stopping me from going full schadenfrude is that good people are going to pay the price, and that potentially involves rellies I've still got there.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

6) UK loses negotiating power and status and will be more in line with that of Brazil than a leading European Nation.

Isn't Brazil something of an economic powerhouse in of itself? Like, when we talk about MEDC and LEDC countries, Brazil seems to be portrayed as more akin to India and China - not "third world," not quite a juggernaut, but well on its way there.

Anyway, even as someone who's half British by ancestry if not nationality (I guess technically full British if we're going by ethnicity), part of me actually wants Brexit to go ahead just to show the bigwigs that a) it's a bad idea, that b) Britannia doesn't rule the waves anymore, and c) clinging to those times is part of why you're in such a mess right now, and the Commonwealth isn't going to be your oyster.

I mean, much as I'd love Britain to "not" be a joke right now, if anyone is having a schadenfrude moment, I can't say I blame them. Guess the thing that's stopping me from going full schadenfrude is that good people are going to pay the price, and that potentially involves rellies I've still got there.

The standard of living in Brazil is still quite low and good portion of the population lives in urban slums without access to piped water or sanitation and have a high infant mortality rate. Brazil still greatly struggles to support their infrastructure. They are definitely still considered a developing nation. So while it has economic growth (sadly heavily pollutant and extremely environmentally destructive growth at that), they still do not have the infrastructure necessary to be considered a developed nation.

 

[stroopwafel]

6) UK loses negotiating power and status and will be more in line with that of Brazil than a leading European Nation.

Isn't Brazil something of an economic powerhouse in of itself? Like, when we talk about MEDC and LEDC countries, Brazil seems to be portrayed as more akin to India and China - not "third world," not quite a juggernaut, but well on its way there.

It was until the drop in oil prices put the country in a deep recession. Obviously not as bad as Venezuela, low oil prices bankrupted that entire country. Though reasons are same, dependency on oil exports and corruption.

 

[warmachine]

I say Owen Jones' best statement is

"May did indeed inherit a terrible hand. She then proceeded to douse it liberally with petrol and set it alight."

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

This would never have happened on Sir Humphrey's watch.

 

[09philj]

That wet blanket Rory Stewart or Jeremy **** will probably be the next PM.

 

[votemarvel]

Trying to appease the EU which is freaking out cause it feels it's about to collapse is impossible.

How is the EU going to collapse if one member leaves and destroys its economy doing so?

The UK pays more into the EU than it should do, the 3rd biggest contributor but somewhere around the 5th or 6th sized economy.

This means that other EU countries are going to see a potentially large increase of their contributions in order to maintain the EU budget at the size it currently is.

Many countries in Europe, Germany perhaps being the foremost, are experiencing disquiet about the EU and its policies, suddenly having to pay more in could very well being the tipping point to seeing more countries wanting to leave the EU.

 

[Satinavian]

The UK pays more into the EU than it should do, the 3rd biggest contributor but somewhere around the 5th or 6th sized economy.

Wrong. They are second or third in EU, switching places with France. You might have taken the 5th/6th from some global list with US, Japan, China and India in it.

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

She should have just taken a no deal option and gone ahead with it since that's the democratic thing to do.

Since the standards of the Brexit we have was never something actually voted for or stated by the British people, no, that would in fact not be the democratic thing to do

I'm just wondering if the date of leaving she stated is something else thats going to get pushed back like most of the dates for doing things she's given us

 

[Baffle]

Isn't Brazil something of an economic powerhouse in of itself? Like, when we talk about MEDC and LEDC countries, Brazil seems to be portrayed as more akin to India and China - not "third world," not quite a juggernaut, but well on its way there.

It's one of the BRICS countries, so classed as an emerging economy. But I don't think it's seen as a rising powerhouse in the same way China and India are. South Africa is in the same boat.

 

[McElroy]

I've seen the end of May coming for over three weeks now.

 

[Rangaman]

Is this a big deal? Sort of. No matter what you think of Theresa May, she was, unfortunately, more qualified than most of the Tories in leading Brexit. Her going means that we'll almost certainly see a hard-right nutter elected PM. Or, if by chance a luck dragon flies over Tory HQ, a moderate will replace her and call another referendum. I'm not holding out for Option B.

How will this affect Brexit? Brexit so far has been like a man on a set of tracks, trying to stop a speeding 19th century locomotive by shouting at it. Electing a "Brexit means Brexit" fuckhead is equivalent to storming to towards the oncoming train while threatening physical violence.

All of this will be incredibly funny for everyone else to watch, so grab some popcorn and enjoy the fireworks.

 

[generals3]

The UK pays more into the EU than it should do, the 3rd biggest contributor but somewhere around the 5th or 6th sized economy.

This means that other EU countries are going to see a potentially large increase of their contributions in order to maintain the EU budget at the size it currently is.

Many countries in Europe, Germany perhaps being the foremost, are experiencing disquiet about the EU and its policies, suddenly having to pay more in could very well being the tipping point to seeing more countries wanting to leave the EU.

Not really, the UK is the third largest economy of the EU, and if you compare the size of their economy and contributions to France and Germany you'll notice they have been contributing less than they should have. Despite being close to France economy-size wise contribution wise they have been closer to Italy.

This said, the UK was a net contributor and therefor other EU members will need to participate more (or receive less) as a consequence of a Brexit. But that won't cause too much havoc, most people are unaware of how much their country contributes or receives anyway. And even if they did, seeing the UK lose more money from the Brexit than they gain from not contributing to the EU budget would likely make them realize it's money well spent. From what i've heard, support towards the EU has risen among EU citizens. So in a way the Brexit may end up being a good thing?

 

[Hawki]

I've seen the end of May coming for over three weeks now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01ZNEvcaGRY&list=PL6DCEC76CDB0A9D6D&index=5

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

The UK pays more into the EU than it should do, the 3rd biggest contributor but somewhere around the 5th or 6th sized economy.

This means that other EU countries are going to see a potentially large increase of their contributions in order to maintain the EU budget at the size it currently is.

Many countries in Europe, Germany perhaps being the foremost, are experiencing disquiet about the EU and its policies, suddenly having to pay more in could very well being the tipping point to seeing more countries wanting to leave the EU.

Not really, the UK is the third largest economy of the EU, and if you compare the size of their economy and contributions to France and Germany you'll notice they have been contributing less than they should have. Despite being close to France economy-size wise contribution wise they have been closer to Italy.

This said, the UK was a net contributor and therefor other EU members will need to participate more (or receive less) as a consequence of a Brexit. But that won't cause too much havoc, most people are unaware of how much their country contributes or receives anyway. And even if they did, seeing the UK lose more money from the Brexit than they gain from not contributing to the EU budget would likely make them realize it's money well spent. From what i've heard, support towards the EU has risen among EU citizens. So in a way the Brexit may end up being a good thing?

I would think for the EU member states that receive the contracts and businesses that are fleeing the UK for another EU member state are going to receive an economic boost from this. When the UK financial sector collapses due to London no longer being the EU Financial Hub over losing single market access, a lucky EU member state will be on the receiving end of a "New London" as well and that will be one hell of a boost.

In addition, what many do not realize is that the UK will still be reliant on EU imports due to the reason why many imports are currently banned in the UK from the US and China is they contain harmful chemicals outlawed in the UK and other EU nations because they are harmful for human health. The UK would either have to agree to poison their own people and sacrifice all EU contracts for those items or just continue to rely on the EU and abide by EU standards anyways. Due to the harmful pesticide and other chemical use in the US, most of the food produced in the US is illegal in the UK, so there will not be contracts available to compensate for the loss of EU contracts on many items unless they remove the ban on poisonous chemicals which will in turn harm their people and increase healthcare costs. I don't think people realize that the reason the UK doesn't have contracts with the US for many of these things isn't because the EU won't allow them to, but it is instead the chemicals they contain are actually outlawed in their nation for good reason and should stay that way with or without Eu membership. Like when Trump was ignorantly ranting about how European countries aren't buying enough US products, while at the same time he was re-legalizing harmful chemicals that had been banned so that no one can buy US products because when they allow for one farm to spray those chemicals the run off from that farm affects the surrounding farms, soil and water supply contaminating all products made from that region. You would think that if you wanted to be able to have more nations import your products you would make sure your products are legal in their nation first but that would make too much sense.

It isn't just food that is banned either:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/22/chemicals-in-cosmetics-us-restricted-eu

https://www.thenation.com/article/toxic-toys/

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

She should have just taken a no deal option and gone ahead with it since that's the democratic thing to do.

Since the standards of the Brexit we have was never something actually voted for or stated by the British people, no, that would in fact not be the democratic thing to do

I'm just wondering if the date of leaving she stated is something else thats going to get pushed back like most of the dates for doing things she's given us

My understanding is that the deal that was being suggested last by May but ultimately rejected by the rest of the politicians was in fact not in following with at the very least the spirit of leaving the EU. It would basically retain all the reasons why the UK wants out such as having to pay money to the EU and whatnot and it would just technically count the UK as being not in the EU as a formality.

I think these things that made the deal undesirable are implied as being what the UK desires to rid itself of in exiting the EU, so keeping those even after having left defeats the point and you can never have a vote that covers every single thing that falls behind one's desire to be autonomous and retain sovereignty but you can still understand when something is not in line with that thinking.

 

[Baffle]

My understanding is that the deal that was being suggested last by May but ultimately rejected by the rest of the politicians was in fact not in following with at the very least the spirit of leaving the EU. It would basically retain all the reasons why the UK wants out such as having to pay money to the EU and whatnot and it would just technically count the UK as being not in the EU as a formality.

It pretty much boils down to wanting to have our cake and eat it. But we'd also like to complain to the chef about the cake, even though it was an okay cake.

Side note: I read through a few open Brexiteer Facebook groups last night. I went to bed quite depressed that (a) people are so vile; and (b) people can be such thick cunts. (That's not because they voted for Brexit, I know quite a few people who did who don't fall into (a) or (b); but, fuck me, what a bunch of thickos some of these clowns are.)

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

She should have just taken a no deal option and gone ahead with it since that's the democratic thing to do.

Since the standards of the Brexit we have was never something actually voted for or stated by the British people, no, that would in fact not be the democratic thing to do

I'm just wondering if the date of leaving she stated is something else thats going to get pushed back like most of the dates for doing things she's given us

My understanding is that the deal that was being suggested last by May but ultimately rejected by the rest of the politicians was in fact not in following with at the very least the spirit of leaving the EU. It would basically retain all the reasons why the UK wants out such as having to pay money to the EU and whatnot and it would just technically count the UK as being not in the EU as a formality.

I think these things that made the deal undesirable are implied as being what the UK desires to rid itself of in exiting the EU, so keeping those even after having left defeats the point and you can never have a vote that covers every single thing that falls behind one's desire to be autonomous and retain sovereignty but you can still understand when something is not in line with that thinking.

The reason May keeps offering them the same deal is because those are the only options available to not cause a financial collapse in the UK. Everyone told Brexiters ahead of time that this is what would happen, but they didn't listen.

They can either:

1) Allow freedom of movement and abide by EU standards to maintain contracts to stay in the single market and not have all their exports tied up in customs to be checked to prevent an economic collapse ( May's deal)
or
2) No deal Brexit causing an economic collapse, food shortages, massive cuts to government services including healthcare and mass exodus of contracts and businesses fleeing the UK to maintain their access to the single market that will likely lead to their country breaking apart as Scotland has made it very clear they are not okay with this.

May's deal was the bare minimum necessary to save them from irreversible devastating effects that will depress the UK economy for years and reduce their influence and status on the global stage. It's not her fault that the Brexiters were lied to and are delusional.

 

[Silvanus]

My understanding is that the deal that was being suggested last by May but ultimately rejected by the rest of the politicians was in fact not in following with at the very least the spirit of leaving the EU.

Lots of people felt that way, certainly, but the form that leaving would take was not explored before or during the referendum (one of many reasons the referendum was so poorly run).

And so, some people voted to leave to save money. Some voted to end freedom of movement. Some voted to end EU involvement in British law. And some voted for a hundred other reasons, many of which are mutually exclusive with other reasons. (Some people even voted to leave on the basis of promises which were retracted within 24 hours of the referendum result being announced!)

One thing is for certain, though: leaving on WTO terms was definitely not expressed as the preference of the electorate in that referendum. The Leave campaign explicitly campaigned on the promise of reaching a deal, so to default to WTO terms would be to directly contradict their own campaign promise.

I think these things that made the deal undesirable are implied as being what the UK desires to rid itself of in exiting the EU, so keeping those even after having left defeats the point and you can never have a vote that covers every single thing that falls behind one's desire to be autonomous and retain sovereignty but you can still understand when something is not in line with that thinking.

The government has a terrible track record interpreting what it sees as the implied will of the people.

Under normal circumstances, the appropriate procedure would be to... ask the public. Yet, somehow, people seem to have been convinced that asking the public this question would somehow be undemocratic.

 

[Dalisclock]

Many countries in Europe, Germany perhaps being the foremost, are experiencing disquiet about the EU and its policies, suddenly having to pay more in could very well being the tipping point to seeing more countries wanting to leave the EU.

Considering what a massive clusterfuck Brexit has been, I imagine any other countries who might have been considering leaving are probably having second thoughts at this point. Britain is pretty much being the example of "See that guy? Don't be that guy".

As for Ms. May, don't let the door hit your ass on the way out. Good fucking riddance.