Проблема Брексита и Тереза Мэй

Dec 20, 2016 Jacek Rostowski

ЛОНДОН – Как сообщается, британскому премьер-министру Терезе Мэй «потребовалось некоторое время, чтобы прийти в себя» на недавней встрече с её якобы союзником Ангелой Меркель. Немецкий канцлер категорически отвергла предложение Мэй заключить «отдельное соглашение» по вопросу о гражданах стран ЕС, живущих в Великобритании, до того, как Соединённое Королевство официально объявит о начале переговоров о Брексите в соответствии со статьёй 50 Лиссабонского договора.

Первоначальное высокомерие и эйфория сразу после референдума сменяются всё более ясным пониманием, что правительство Мэй абсолютно неправильно просчитало возможную реакцию Евросоюза на британский выход из этого объединения. Теперь кажется вполне вероятным, что Британия начнёт катиться от неудачи к неудаче, причём ускоряющимися темпами.

Проблемы Мэй связаны с тем фактом, что коалиция сторонников выхода из ЕС (хотя и разделяющих некоторые общие консервативные ценности) состоит из двух несовместимых фракций. С одной стороны, это богатые пенсионеры из среднего класса, которые хотят выхода из ЕС, потому что считают этот союз излишне бюрократическим и протекционистским, а с другой, – это избиратели из рабочего класса, которые хотят выхода из ЕС, потому что поддерживают усиление протекционистской политики.

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0 Comments on this paragraph, 43 Comments on this article

Anthony Laud Dec 29, 2016

I didn't need to read all the article before arriving at my hasty conclusion. Yet another over educated know it all remainer still bemoaning brexit. How the author can have such profound knowledge as to the reason people (his claimed two groups) opted out is mockable. I'm one of those two groups and my reasons, along with a lot of others wasn't even touched upon, just a repeat of the same old negative tripe we've been forced to endure month in month out. Needless to say we're all a little tired of it now. Any attempt to bully us into thinking we've regretted our decision will eventually come back and smack you somewhere sweet when you realise the other EU states are slowly waking up to the fact it's all been a scam from the start.

Welcome to your future.
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leslie miller Dec 27, 2016

What will Polish workers do when people from poorer EU states start arriving looking for work willing to labor for lower rates and your employers do as the UK businesses did when the polish came here ten years ago a bricklayer could earn £700.00/£1000 a week today it averages about £600.00.I bought my home for £11,000 in 1979 now worth £650,000 its cheaper to buy than to rent so impossible for a normal worker to save a deposit this will happen to you if you stay in the EU get out while you can my country has lost 40 years of growth
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Richard Solomon Dec 27, 2016

The Brexit vote, as well as Trump's victory in the USA, seem to be examples of an old adage: be careful what you ask for because you might get it. Both countries now are stuck with policy inclinations which will likely make things a lot worse rather than better. How will 'the people' work their way out of the mess they have created?!? Stay tuned for a very bumpy ride in the months to come!
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eusebio manuel Dec 27, 2016

The story has not yet been written just wait to see UK will ned EU workers in many fields for a long time and there are other reasons too and last is those things like predictability to decency order UK Theresa May determination to use citizens not British as negotiating pawns is a disgrace and a shame not only for her but in the country
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Barry Rosenfeld Dec 26, 2016

This is how the EU works: Poland exports surplus workers to the UK; Polish workers in the UK provide remittances to Poland; Polish recipients of these remittances then import goods from more productive countries - like the UK. QED.
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Don Ramble Dec 26, 2016

The worst thing to happen to the U.K. since WW2.
Older voters take most of the blame of denying the young a European future.
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jagjeet sinha Dec 26, 2016

EUROPEAN UNION's BRUSSELS PROBLEM

Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing incorrectly and applying the wrong remedy.
NATO kept the Peace in Europe - US/UK boots on the ground - NOT BRUSSELS.
Germany has underwritten Europe's Economics - NOT BRUSSELS.
English has facilitated Migration within Europe - NOT BRUSSELS.
Having abdicated the Three principal responsibilities of CAPITALS - Brussels is no Moscow..
Having outsourced the Three principal responsibilities of CAPITALS - Brussels is no Beijing.
Having ducked the Three principal responsibilities of CAPITALS - Brussels is more Versailles.
Time to get REAL - Brexit is the first shot, Brexit plus plus the second shot.
BREXIT PLUS PLUS PLUS will he the final shot - Berlin perhaps before Paris.
Nero fiddles unflinchingly - this one from Poland.
Time to get Real - before another Meltdown.
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tim williams Dec 25, 2016

What rubbish. The Tories would win a 100 seat majority in an election. Seaford was won by a pro leave Tory by a massive majority. Pro EU fetishists liberal won Richmond by tiny majority suggesting some erosion in pro EU vote in that Remain stronghold. If the European establishment persist in their childish aggression the Uk will just get more anti European in return. As for the simplistic and amateur demographics this was the kind of demographic determinism that led Democrats to defeat in the US. And by the way a recent Yougov poll indicates a strengthening of leave position not weakening. To repeat. The EU is a German dominated undemocratic junta which is pro austerity and destroyed Greek democracy. NATO KEPT THE PEACE NOT BRUSSELS. British people voted to take back democracy from a bunch of self loving elites and Project Syndicate is in alliance with BRUSSELS. Terrible.
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Wim Roffel Dec 25, 2016

As we already have seen with Greece many EU politicians turn into a kind of mobsters when given a chance. Nobody is responsible and everybody pushes a nationalistic "me first" attitude that ignores the interests of the other side.

Now we see the same thing happening with Brexit. If there was someone to negotiate with May would have a chance to strike a deal. But she is facing a bunch of unpredictable sharks. Any deal she strikes will be challenged by other "EU leaders".

The situation is made even worse because some EU politicians don't even want a deal. They hope that if they keep Britain bungling at some point it will give up and stay.

May is facing a very difficult job.....
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Odyssios Redux Dec 25, 2016

Thank you. I've been saying this pretty much since the referendum. The helpless and pathetic flailings of May's mob would be wildly funny, were they not so tragic in consequence. I voted (age 73; yes, graduate training in math and physics, state 'pensioner') to remain as it was clear to me that the UK and EU were more soundly enmeshed than conjoined twins sharing vital organs. And May's mob represents the untalented amateur surgeons about to try separation with blunt, rusty bread knives. Good luck with that. Doesn't look too good for the patient.
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nick horslen Dec 25, 2016

The question everyone is asking, if the EU was shut down for 6 months, would anyone notice. Everything Europe is doing right can continue without an EU. Elected governments need to do their work. Accountability and moral hazard of the voting public is everything!
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nick horslen Dec 25, 2016

jacek-rostowski what deluded rubbish. Before writing this some research should be done and speak to people across all the deographic and from north to south. The UK is doing the right thing and your old boss, Tusk and the rest will have no choice but to negotiate. Come back in two years time. Then I 5 to 10 years, it is increasihky clear here in the UK Tha being locked in tight was never a choice. We are strong enough to get out, Wait till others less strong and more delayed try!
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Patrick Newman Dec 25, 2016

I detect a degree of wishful thinking in this article. The problem of the Remain side is credibility following the 'armageddon is the least of your worries' theme to the Cameron and Osborne case for remaining. The former has much to answer for as there was no compelling case for a referendum. Had Cameron been a sensitive fellow he would probably have to be on suicide watch given what has been inflicted on the UK. What has been or is about to be inflicted on the people has been brought about by only 37.5% of the electorate and if you include those couple of million or so who are eligible to vote but for whatever reason are not registered you are close to just one third of the adult population have decided a major and highly risky constitutional change!
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j. von Hettlingen Dec 24, 2016

Jacek Rostowski makes an interesting point on Theresa May's Brexit problem, and her eagerness to push it through as soon as possible. The challenge she faces at home may be bigger than the one she will face in Brussels, and she worries more about provoking the Brexiteers than appeasing the Bremainers.
The author highlights the division within the Leave coalition, which makes up of two groups that share "certain conservative values", but different agendas. To one faction belong English nationalists, who are "mostly middle-class, affluent pensioners who want to leave the EU because they think it is too bureaucratic and protectionist." The other faction makes up of nativists - "mostly working-class voters who want to leave because they favor more protectionism", who resent foreigners taking jobs away from them. Whatever deal May's government is to conclude, it will satisfy neither of the two groups.
May might want to get the whole thing over with "before voters realize that the Leave campaign sold them a false bill of goods, including the promise that they could keep all of the benefits of EU membership, particularly full access to the European single market, without having to allow free movement of labor." But she would also want to move on and focus on Britain's future, like forging trade ties overseas.
While the Tory leadership is keen on respecting the will of the Brexiteers, the author says "no one is speaking for the 48% of voters who sided with Remain, except for the Liberal-Democratic Party, which has minimal influence in Parliament." He points out "two deep structural factors that will cut short Leave’s continued political dominance in the medium term."
The one factor is the "buyer's remorse" psychology. The author says, of the 1.2 million Leave voters, a million of them were not politically engaged and didn't vote in the 2015 election that ushered in a strong Tory government under David Cameron. They may have been misinformed and misled by the Leave campaign or they cast their votes in protest against the government and establishment. "These disengaged voters will likely not participate in future elections, though they might mobilize for a second EU referendum, if one were to be held."
The other factor is - according to the author - that the Bremainers have a demographic advantage. "Leave-voter deaths will exceed those of Remain voters by 150,000, while new Remain voters entering the electorate will surpass those of Leave by 150,000 (after adjusting for differential turnout between young and old). This generational dynamic alone will tip the balance in Remain’s favor by about 300,000 voters each year, and it will eliminate Leave’s majority by 2020." The number may be too good to be true. But it all depends on geography. Young, uneducated people with little skills growing up in deprived rural areas in England may not vote differently than their parents.
Indeed, the June referendum shows how divided the country is. "Leave and Remain voters’ attitudes differ on almost everything, from the death penalty to environmental conservation. And anyone reading the two sides’ increasingly heated online interactions can see that they heartily despise each other." The author speaks of “deep blue water” - a division "between Remain’s growing constituency and Leave’s diminishing one" that would mar "British politics for at least a generation." With radical Leave voters pushing for a hard Brexit, while Bremainers want a soft one, and given the unforgiving stance in Brussels, the "divorce" may be lengthy and painful. Moreover May's government seems inept to grapple with multiple challenges. Soon people come to realise that she will fail to “get the best deal for Britain.” The author predicts her government might last until May, but not much longer." The wisdom nowadays is that you take each day as it comes. Five months are a long time in politics, and much could happen in between.
- Richard Robinson Dec 25, 2016
  
  I am not able to find why you just repeat what is in the article?
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Jan Czaja Dec 23, 2016

Quick comment on Mr. Rostowski's calculations. One thing that has been proven over and over again is that pensioners do show up to vote. Young, not so much.
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Alisdair Hamilton-Wilkes Dec 22, 2016

"and mostly working-class voters who want to leave because they favor more protectionism."

This is a speculation among, mostly pro-EU, pundits. There is little evidence to support the assertion. The only market people seem to favour protecting is the labour market but even there the views of the electorate are much more nuanced than this crude statement would suggest.

Lord Ashcroft's poll (which was NOT an exit poll btw) provides some interesting category data but it asks as many questions.

Most of the mood music in the UK suggests a fundamental political realignment is in place but not just in the UK and moving to a less corporatist regime.

Pretty sloppy really, doesn't help Mr Rostowski's credibility.
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Andrew Jordan Dec 22, 2016

I was on board for much of the content of this piece until the last sentence; I just don't see what the alternative is to a conservative government for quite some time. Of course, if the hapless Corbyn were to stand down, then things might change quite quickly. But I am comforted that time is on the side of the values which remainers broadly stand for (whether or not the UK technically remains an EU member). Incidentally, the same can be said for the US; the younger generation largely reject much of what Trump and the right wing of the Republican party represent.
- Alisdair Hamilton-Wilkes Dec 22, 2016
  
  I agree your point that right now the Conservatives are the only game in town but not that the values of leave and remainers are really that different.
  
  What detailed analysis of both the cited Lord Ashcroft poll and other sources tell us is that there are far more reasons for people to vote the way they did than many in the media are able or will to get to grips with.
  http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2016/12/21/christmas-table-brexit-inequality-demographic-divide
  
  The sensible conclusion is that Brexit was about a lot more than Brexit.
  
  Also, even if the hapless Corbyn is replaced, the Labour Party looks very much like what people want to get away from, a group of wealthy, remote and superior rulers that are subject to corporatist pressures above their representative duties.
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Tim Bowler Dec 22, 2016

A useful article which highlights the challenge May's government faces. Namely, the Brexit vote was largely split in to two camps (a generalisation but a useful one) and for this reason - and the UK's weak position vis-a-vis the EU when it comes to getting a deal - it is not likely things will end well, electorally, for Mrs May.
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John Brian Shannon Dec 21, 2016

Hi Jacek,

When a political structure isn't working, the citizens vote to leave. Full stop.

We saw this when Gaul and Britain broke away from the Roman Empire, and when former colonies broke away from their European masters, at the fall of Soviet communism, and since 2009 we've seen Greenland, Switzerland, and now UK voters choosing to leave the EU.

More states will choose to leave the EU and we're not at the end of that process -- we're at the beginning.

And, granted, other eastern European nations will probably join the EU in the near term (the non-Crimean and non-Donbass areas of Ukraine, the former Yugoslavian states, and others that have already signed-up to enter the EU)

Which should nicely balance-things-off for the EU. So there's no need for the EU to panic just yet.

Concentrating on the margin of the Brexit vote, is nitpicking. Britain voted to leave, no matter the percentages, it's time to move on.

And, it very clearly shows in your writing that you see the EU through the prism of Poland and Poland only -- and in your worldview -- what is good for Poland, and what Poland wants, and how the EU and other countries/regions should be benefiting Poland, are the only matters of importance.

While this is admirable in some respects, EUROPE ISN'T ALL ABOUT POLAND. (I know, that's shocking for you, isn't it?)

Europe is about the needs, wants, and desires of 504 million citizens. For some of them, EU membership is working, and for some of them it sure isn't.

Scolding people in louder and louder tones, that 'The EU *is* working!' 'The EU *is* working!' won't convince anyone of anything.

It's a frequent conversation in countries new to democracy, where if it's working for one person or one region, or one country -- then it MUST be working for everyone, everywhere.

We need a more mature worldview than that.

No person, no region, and no country, should be browbeaten into or forced against their will, to live under a political system that isn't working for them. And the results of the British referendum inform us, that for a majority of Britons, the EU isn't working. (Similar result for Greenland and Switzerland)

I was pleased to read your fine essay, however, I must respectfully disagree with your conclusions.

Regards, JBS
- Naveed Mohammed Dec 25, 2016
  
  Stunningly accurate John, excellent comments.
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- John Brian Shannon Dec 25, 2016
  
  Hi Steve and Jagjeet,
  
  Brilliant comments from both of you, as is your habit here on these honourable pages.
  
  Looking forward to reading your words at ProSyn in 2017.
  
  As always, very best regards, JBS
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- jagjeet sinha Dec 23, 2016
  
  Hi John
  
  European "Union" has not been "working" since Caesar - hence the endless migration to The Anglosphere.
  For Poland - and The East & The South - Transfer Union would have prevented the need to Migrate to Britain and Germany.
  But in the absence of Democratic Mandate - from Sovereign Parliaments - for The Transfer Union, Unlimited Migration was the Only Option.
  And Europe collectively can never look in the mirror to discover - WHAT IS RIGHT.
  Perhaps the reason why Europe's challenging The Anglosphere - always ends in tears.
  BREXIT, BREXIT PLUS PLUS - both were inevitable.
  BREXIT PLUS PLUS PLUS in Berlin perhaps also inevitable.
  
  Always enjoy your interjections.
  Regards
  JS
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- Steve Hurst Dec 22, 2016
  
  @John
  
  Yup, thats about it
  
  Only comment I could make is there will be more wanting to join the EU but they will not be positive net contributors. Further the geopolitics appears to be a tussle about the polarity of - join the EU or join Russia - one or the other - so the dynamic has moved away from economics some time ago. Guess what trying to solve an economic problem with geopolitics doesn't always work
  
  Regards
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John Reid Dec 21, 2016

I fear that, before too long, the UK as we currently know it will cease to exist. It will go the way of Hapsburg Austria and the USSR before it. I'd advise everyone to try to be living somewhere else when that happens.
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jagjeet sinha Dec 21, 2016

THE EURO CAN END THE DOLLAR STANDARD
Should Mexico join in, in an Atlantic Partnership with European Union, Theresa May will not be alone.
Donald Trump's Brexit plus plus problem will come up against A Real Mexican Wall.
The Atlantic Union can isolate America Britain and Canada into submission.
Perhaps The Euro can finally supplant The Dollar.
Poland and Mexico can both share The Euro.
And replace English with Latin...

But by then, China and India will have 3 billion speaking English.
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Curtis Carpenter Dec 20, 2016

Brexit, it seems to me, is just another manifestation of a very profound crisis that permeates the West -- and the entire globe although in slightly different terms.
And no one, I think, has yet fully understood the nature of it. Poland is no less caught up in this than Britain or the United States.

"Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity."

Yeats has never rung so true to the zeitgeist as he does today. The price to find and restore our trust in some sort of center will be high indeed.
- John Brian Shannon Dec 25, 2016
  
  Hi Curtis,
  
  Another brilliant comment!
  
  Looking forward to reading your words here at ProSyn in 2017.
  
  Cheers! JBS
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- Tim Bowler Dec 22, 2016
  
  Curtis, you are so right about Yeats. I wish his poem wasn't relevant but it is, and 2017 is only likely to make it more so. Best Tim
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Mauricio Duran-Loriga Dec 20, 2016

It's already evident that Mrs May lacks the statemanship required to deal with the current situation, no vision and no courage. Considering she faces a remarkably weak opponent, May's proposal for a side deal has been like losing a chicken's game without even igniting the car.
EU is a weak opponent because 1) it has 26 different interests at the same time, and 2) it always folds at chicken games.
History always repeats itself. For several centuries Britain has been the counterbalancing power in Europe against freedom grabbing from Spain, France, Germany, Russia...
Up to the point of sacrificing millions of lives by fighting countless wars.
Brexit means enough threatening Britain's freedom and independence. It will be a beaurocratic war and I wish Brits had a more suited leader for the task.
Whoever the Prime Minister at Downing Street is, he/she will have to navigate the fading Scottish independence issue, even as Scots perform a faked although renewed independence drama.
My take is that once Brexit will be clearly on its track, Scotland will fold, for uber-obvious reasons.
The Scottish Independence referendum was held way too late within the original plan. And the original plan was to get all the North Sea oil proceeds without sharing them with the rest of Britain. Sadly for Scotts, North Sea oil proceeds are diminishing by the day... So maybe a policy U-turn will happen sooner than anyone could imagine.
Brexit wil mean much tougher EU threats to ailing PIIGS countries.
- Alisdair Hamilton-Wilkes Dec 22, 2016
  
  +2 well said both.
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- Steve Hurst Dec 20, 2016
  
  @Mauricio
  
  Quite apart from the N Sea Oil revenue issue a Scots Indie EU memebership is a non starter due to Spain blocking any such solo attempt in order to stop any similar Catalan indie attempt - Catalan contributing above its pro rata share the Spanish Guvnt revenues. Spain has threatened to send in the army if Catalan moves towards an Indie
  
  T Mays domestic opponent is Labour under J Corbyn, a man nearly as unpopular in the UK as Hollande is in France. Its a walkover. There will be no possible agreement between 27 EU members - that's a given - so that is a walkover
  
  There is still the question of what a Brexit actually is 6 months after the vote
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M M Dec 20, 2016

The U.K shall go for a general election before any triggering of Art. 50. Until then the British people will carry on being injected with tranquilisers (meaning lies) until they are fully drugged when they go to the polling stations. May is in an enviable position, but she put herself in it and agreed to it. The British people were lied to for a very long time (like most other people in the EU, and yes the UK is still in the EU)....
- M M Dec 26, 2016
  
  JCB, best wishes to you for the new year. Looking forward to more insightful and enlightening comments from you. All the best, MM
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- John Brian Shannon Dec 25, 2016
  
  Hi M M,
  
  Brilliant comment, as per your usual.
  
  Looking forward to reading your words here at ProSyn in 2017.
  
  As always, very best regards, JBS
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Steve Hurst Dec 20, 2016

There is nothing helpful in this article whatsoever. As somebody who voted Remain I can only find that disappointing. Far from deep blue water the latest polls confirm UK citizens are more not less detached from the EU mentality and more condescending pap from the continent - or should that be the incontinent - is unhelpful. I am no more in favour of a 'Hard Brexit' than I am of a 'Hard Remain' where the UK starts to drive on the Left and eat baguettes endlessly but the lack of honesty from Poland is breathtaking. Poland has been a major beneficiary of EU funds since it joined and a major source of migrants to the UK whilst relentlessly claiming migration to Poland is a threat to Polish culture. The EU needs to get a grip and realise Brexit will happen and if arguing about it at least use facts
- Naveed Mohammed Dec 25, 2016
  
  Very accurate Steve. Poland is a case of do what I say, not as I do. Double standards.
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- Steve Hurst Dec 22, 2016
  
  @Matteo
  
  Here is a link below to a report about recent poll which shows the intent to leave is firm, in fact growing, quite different to J Rostowski opinion.
  
  Difficult thing facts
  
  I consider my other facts relevant to the issue. Poland has made its position vis a vis the Brexit clear, it will not compromise in any shape or form. I view there being near zero chance of negotiating with the EU as the European Court of Justice has published a legal opinion saying that all 38 national and regional parliaments, around five regional and linguistic parliaments in Belgium, and at least five upper chambers in Europe have to approve an EU trade deal
  
  EU freedom of movement is not a big thing as far as I am concerned but it clearly is for some
  
  http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/19/europe/cnn-brexit-poll/index.html
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- Alisdair Hamilton-Wilkes Dec 22, 2016
  
  @Ga
  Here is a link a link for you countering the author’s assertions regarding demographics.
  Essentially, it is not true the ‘young’ are pro EU. The young AND affluent are and it was these voters that showed to vote among the young; given that people vote more as they get older it is reasonable to assume those voters will become more active.
  
  Sadly there are fewer affluent young voters than poor ones.
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- Matteo Napolitano Dec 22, 2016
  
  @ Steve Hurst
  
  Not only did you miss the point of the piece entirely (a rather exact analysis of the irreconcilable quandary the UK government finds itself in), but you also seem to have no idea who Jacek Rostowski is. He spent the better part of his life in the UK, in fact he's more British than Polish - something many Poles will somewhat sneeringly confirm. That makes him uniquely placed to provide insight from both sides of the channel. Your other statements about Poland and its economy are off-topic
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- Steve Hurst Dec 21, 2016
  
  @Ga
  
  I am not posting link after link, I will leave you to look stuff up yourself but here are some points for you to 'think' about
  
  1/ Poland has been in receipt of 100's of billions of euros in EU aid. Some pundit put the aid as being higher than the Marshall Aid Plan for the whole of Europe post WW2
  
  2/ Polands economy has expanded by 3x since joining the EU
  
  3/ 830,000+ Poles are now in the UK, over 750K having moved since Poland joined the EU. Quite a significant figure dont you think
  
  4/ The UK contributes 15% of the EU budget and is a net positive contributor, one of a handful. Poland is most certainly not and will not be for the foreseeabe future if ever
  
  5/ There are plenty of UK polls around that show support for Brexit is growing not fading, probably in response to rhetoric coming from the EU. (I have stated that I voted Remain, so I dont actually find the mealy mouthed Junckers type rhetoric helpful)
  
  6/ Poland is quite happy to see its brightest and best leave Poland - for reasons which are quite beyond me as there are also reports that discuss the depopulation problems this is having in some areas of Poland
  
  7/ If you bother to look at the news reports you will find that there are civil protests in Poland about the risk of damage to 'Polish culture' due to the risk of immigration to Poland, specifically Muslim migration. Quite how anybody can argue for free movement from anybody in the EU to the UK as a right but decide to lobby at the same time to bar particular group from going to Poland is beyond me. Perhaps you can help explain that.
  
  8/ The EU has waved a red flag about Polands constitutional court changes and issued an official warning to Poland
  
  9/ Poland is agitating about an EU army being formed and agitating about wanting NATO military deployment into Poland. Attempts to influence policy
  
  I would suggest this shows that the authors position is hardly independent and he wants the gravy train to keep on rolling along. He knows only too well just how Poland has gained from the EU and that the UK leaving which now looks a certainty will reduce the size of the gravy train
  
  So yes I repeat my comment - the authors lack of honesty is breathtaking - to which I add he is cherry picking what he puts in the article
  
  Regards
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- Ga Steli Dec 21, 2016
  
  "...the lack of honesty from Poland is breathtaking." I don't know to what this refers.
  "The EU needs to get a grip and realise Brexit will happen and if arguing about it at least use facts". The author, in fact, makes some demographic calculations that suggest that support for Brexit may be a fading phenomenon. This may not be factual but it can be called "empirical", and is meaningful and persuasive. Your response consists a lot of vindictive insults, which may be self-edifying, but cannot be considered persuasive. If you're going to dismiss a writer's opinions based upon his country-of-origin, or continental EU membership, why not just say that right at the start instead of going on in a way that does not respond to the writer's thoughts or arguments. Ad-hominem attacks are innately irrelevant, and a sign of a poor writer and poor thinking. A good writer responds to the arguments presented to him, and not to personality or personal attributes.
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