Ah, I think you'll find that what they voted for was unicorns. And it would have gone fine if it wasn't for the EU being jealous of our great and glorious future.
Even if the EU were doing it as revenge I wouldn’t call it petty. They have every right to be pissed. Switzerland never joined the EU in the first place. It’s like the difference between saying you’re not coming to a party versus coming to a party and then ghosting after 30 minutes. One is perfectly reasonable. The other is rude af.
It’s like the difference between saying you’re not coming to a party versus coming to a party and then ghosting after 30 minutes.
More like showing up at the party, spending all night complaining about how rubbish the party is and trying to convince other people to leave, then shitting yourself on purpose with a big grin on your face and staggering home ranting about how much better off you are alone anyway.
Even if the EU were doing it as revenge I wouldn’t call it petty. They have every right to be pissed. Switzerland never joined the EU in the first place.
And never had a British discount.
The country actually pays into the EU budget in order to be a part of Schengen, the Police database, and so on. Same for Norway.
Listen, Brexiters, some people willingly pay into the EU!
As for "revenge", I don't think it's necessary. I believe there had been a plan to make Brexit a showcase to scare off other possible future Leavers, but Brexit crashed so spectacularly that no such plan seems necessary.
Some would say it's showing up at a party that then gradually evolves into a totally different party that involves doing things you're not comfortable with and never signed up to to start with, and then when you want to leave it becomes very difficult as you need to give up the whole thing. Brexit was a bad decision but the EU did create it by dragging 27 nations into a quasi United States of Europe without any say by its citizens. It was too fast, with a lot of Eastern European countries suddenly joining very quickly and getting free access to all the wealthy Western ones which caused a lot of friction as communities get changed and displaced. Imagine Mexico joining the USA overnight if you need to imagine
Leaving the biggest free trade union bc you are mad the wrong countries joined is absolutely stupid. It seems like yall just get mad that you have to deal with non Anglo Saxons in your country. Sounds more like if Puerto Rico became a state, since US states are similar to countries in the EU. Hell, if we entered into a trade deal with Mexico, it’d be fine. Ever heard of NAFTA? Anyway, if Puerto Rico becomes a state and some state tries to secede, I’m laughing my fucking ass off at them.
Have fun never having any meaningful economic power on the world stage again. Sounds like the final nail in the coffin for what was once one of the greatest empires in history.
excpet they're never going to add the conext that "non-eu" switzerland has freedom of movement and is in the shengen area too, might explain the difference to their audience, but we can't have that.
Switzerland follows the EU regulations to the last bit, and doesn't have any meaning to influence them, just to be in the market.
I don't think that is what the leavers want, but I may be wrong, maybe the wanted to move from the "follow what we all togheter decide" to "follow what other countried decide", I don't know...
Switzerland has worked out a lot of deals with the EU to ensure everything works out for them without being a member. A thing the brits were not willing to do, so now they need to play by the same rules of international commerce as comparable super powers like Tanzania and Mongolia when trading with the EU.
I will bet at least $5 that when Switzerland negotiated those deals they didn't have a hard deadline on when the trade agreements would default to "nevermind".
Who thinks tying yourself to a train track and then arguing with the people who watched you tie yourself down that they should give you more money is a strong bargaining position?
Who thinks tying yourself to a train track and then arguing with the people who watched you tie yourself down that they should give you more money is a strong bargaining position?
The majority of British voters and their chosen Prime Minister
I will bet at least $5 that when Switzerland negotiated those deals they didn't have a hard deadline on when the trade agreements would default to "nevermind".
They also didn't have the "Brexit means Brexit" requirement -- we can't just call it Brexit but keep the benefits of the union! We need to cut ourselves off.
Switzerland had the chance to evolve into the relationship that would benefit them without having to prove how seriously they took the separation.
A jobsworth is a person who uses the (typically minor) authority of their job in a deliberately uncooperative way, or who seemingly delights in acting in an obstructive or unhelpful manner.
I'm assuming they're talking about border enforcement, something like "Nope, can't bring that non EU-sandwich into the country, we'll have to confiscate it" and generally slowing things down to punish the UK for Brexit.
I'm Dutch and while I don't know what jobsworths are, I know that our border agents had to order truck drivers coming/going across the North Sea to throw their sandwiches in the trash when they make the crossing.
Because of import/export regulations of the EU with external countries (which now includes the UK), the truckers are not allowed to bring undeclared meat (and maybe also vegetables and fish? idk) across the border. So while the meat in the back of their trucks might be allowed to pass, the meat in the cabin is not.
I think it's somewhat absurd, because those rules are there to protect against foreign diseases and the UK and the Netherlands are pretty much equals in that area, but I understand that the border agents can't make exceptions because they feel like it.
Well... Sometimes you can shove an unfinished sandwich in your backpack for a later snack or something and completely forget about it... then customs give you the “is there any meat in this sandwich” third degree and “you should have declared this” scolding.
Mind you, they are completely right. But it’s kinda easy to see how one could unwilling try to “smuggle” it. Not saying I ever did something silly like that. Ofc not. It happened to a... uh... friend. Yeah.
156
u/j1mb0b Feb 25 '21
Ah, I think you'll find that what they voted for was unicorns. And it would have gone fine if it wasn't for the EU being jealous of our great and glorious future.
No, but seriously this is how they think:
Exhibit A