Brexit has well and truly begun!

[Carana]

Britain's national security will be severely weakened if the UK leaves the EU without a deal and it could take "years and years" to rebuild.

The blunt warning comes from three men who have served at the very top of the British defence and security establishment: Sir John Sawers, the former head of MI6, Lord David Richards, the former Chief of the Defence Staff, and Lord Peter Ricketts, the former National Security Adviser.
https://news.sky.com/story/national-security-will-be-severely-weakened-in-no-deal-brexit-former-security-chiefs-11616825

[Eleanor]

Britain's national security will be severely weakened if the UK leaves the EU without a deal and it could take "years and years" to rebuild.

The blunt warning comes from three men who have served at the very top of the British defence and security establishment: Sir John Sawers, the former head of MI6, Lord David Richards, the former Chief of the Defence Staff, and Lord Peter Ricketts, the former National Security Adviser.
https://news.sky.com/story/national-security-will-be-severely-weakened-in-no-deal-brexit-former-security-chiefs-11616825

So Britain no longer controls its own security.  What a disgraceful admission.

[Carana]

So Britain no longer controls its own security.  What a disgraceful admission.

A fear of "illegal immigrants", appears to have been a major "selling point" for Brexit, on the back of the refugee crisis and that they would have freedom of movement.

That doesn't seem totally accurate. If they get official travel documents, they generally don't need visas to visit other countries within the Schengen area.

This is from Latvia's official information about refugee travel documents:

"According to the Council Regulation (EC) No. 1932/2006 exemption from the visa requirement to enter another Member State of the EU, except for the United Kingdom and Ireland, but including Norway and Iceland, applies to the refugees who reside permanently in another Member State and who are holders of a travel document issued by that Member State."

https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en/home/services/passports/refugee%E2%80%99s-travel-document.html

Checking what that regulation says:

"COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1932/2006
of 21 December 2006
amending Regulation (EC) No 539/2001
listing the third countries whose na
tionals must be in possession
of visas when crossing the external borders
and those whose nationals are ex
empt from that requirement

... The United Kingdom and Ireland are not
 bound by Regulation (EC) No 539/2001. They
are therefore not taking part in the adopti
on of this Regulation and are not bound by or
subject to the application thereof. "
http://www.europeanmigrationlaw.eu/documents/EML_DIRECTIVE_CELEX-32006R1932_EN.pdf (p. 5)

And trying to verify if it meant what I thought it did:

"Refugees need to apply for a standard travel visa from their host country if they're not sponsored."
 (I selected refugee, wanting to visit UK as a "tourist".)
https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa

Other possibilities:

"Family reunion visas for refugees

If you were separated from your partner or child when you were forced to leave your country, you can apply for them to join you in the UK.

To apply you must have been given asylum or 5 years’ humanitarian protection, and not have British citizenship."
https://www.gov.uk/apply-to-come-to-the-uk

So... the idea that millions of refugees hosted by other countries could suddenly leg it to the UK without trace doesn't appear to be totally accurate.

Based on that, I'm bewildered as to how no longer being in Europol, nor having access to the Schengen Information System (SIS2), (there was a time-limited partial access in the event of a deal, which presumably falls apart in a no-deal), and no longer being part of the Galileo project is meant to meant to improve security.

How is UK-French police cooperation supposed to continue in Calais?

[Carana]

On the idea of the UK unilaterally cancelling tariffs on imports.

https://twitter.com/JamesMelville/status/1088696249652572160

Oh dear.

I'd never heard of Delingpole... Seems he's the executive editor of Breitbart, London.

If even Andrew Neill pulls him apart... lol

An additional point not made clear in this short clip isn't just that the UK would have to apply zero tariffs to the rest of the world, it encourages dumping, thus making life even more complicated for UK-based businesses who wouldn't be able to compete even on their home turf. How is that going to Make the UK Great Again?

[Carana]

I think its significant taht Dyson is building his new car in malaysia....if the EU is so good why isnt he building it there

Apparently, his car will be manufactured in Singapore - which is where he's seemingly shifting his HQ to.

Singapore and the EU signed a trade agreement in October 2018.

http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=1926


Early Feb 2017, he opened a big R & D centre there.

Dyson, which currently employs 1,100 people in Singapore, said it plans to grow its Singapore-based engineering team by 50 per cent. It is seeking talent across a broad range of engineering disciplines, including connectivity, motors, sensors, robotics and software. The new centre will create an additional 190 jobs over the next five years.
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/dyson-opens-s-587m-r-amp-d-centre-at-singapore-science-park-7592436

Maybe UK engineers could get jobs over there?

If, indeed, his biggest market is Asia, it makes sense for the company to move closer. So far, so good.

But why did he jump on the Brexit bandwagon?

[Angelo222]

I liked this comment on question time.. Angela Merkel needs to sell 850,000 cars to this country... There are 2 million German jobs at stake... After no deal that phone is going to be ringing pretty quickly

The Germans sell by far the most cars to the UK, about €23 billions worth in 2017.  It's very much in their interest to keep us sweet. 

[Carana]

The Germans sell by far the most cars to the UK, about €23 billions worth in 2017.  It's very much in their interest to keep us sweet.

The UK and Germany can't do their own separate little deal, though.

[Carana]

Some Leavers think no-deal is the only version that is "true" to Brexit.
https://twitter.com/sturdyAlex/status/1088807915933388800

Yet arch-Brexiteer Farage himself kept going on about a "Norway deal".
https://twitter.com/sturdyAlex/status/1088818772486602752

[Venturi Swirl]

The Germans sell by far the most cars to the UK, about €23 billions worth in 2017.  It's very much in their interest to keep us sweet.

If the GBP want German cars they will still be able to buy German cars, they will just cost more than pre-Brexit. 

[Carana]

French firms with UK ties told to look for alternatives as Brexit looms

French minister launches booklet that warns companies should seek other options in case of no-deal Brexit


French businesses working with British contractors or suppliers should now be actively seeking out alternatives, the French government has said, as it further ramped up preparations for a no-deal Brexit that it sees as increasingly likely.

“Let’s not panic, but let’s prepare for different scenarios,” the Europe minister, Nathalie Loiseau, said on Friday as she unveiled a 28-page booklet for companies with British ties, which advises them to adopt the UK’s wartime motto and “keep calm and carry on”.

Companies reliant on UK business partners should explore other options outside Britain, while those with UK-based operations in specific EU-regulated sectors such as pharmaceuticals should think about moving them to the continent, the guidance says
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/25/france-advises-firms-with-uk-ties-to-prepare-for-no-deal-brexit

[Venturi Swirl]

A no deal Brexit may actually turn out to have some advantages for Europe, if the exodus of big businesses from the UK means they end up relocating to European cities instead.

[misty]

Britain's national security will be severely weakened if the UK leaves the EU without a deal and it could take "years and years" to rebuild.

The blunt warning comes from three men who have served at the very top of the British defence and security establishment: Sir John Sawers, the former head of MI6, Lord David Richards, the former Chief of the Defence Staff, and Lord Peter Ricketts, the former National Security Adviser.
https://news.sky.com/story/national-security-will-be-severely-weakened-in-no-deal-brexit-former-security-chiefs-11616825

Other ex-MI6/defence staff have said that there are threats to UK security buried within Theresa May's (failed) EU Brexit deal. They advocate an exit based on WTO rules with UK retaining full sovereignty, which is presumably what comes into play under a no-deal Brexit. Who to believe......?

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/exhead-of-mi6-urges-tory-chairs-not-to-back-mays-deal-as-it-threatens-national-security-a4035601.html

[Carana]

Other ex-MI6/defence staff have said that there are threats to UK security buried within Theresa May's (failed) EU Brexit deal. They advocate an exit based on WTO rules with UK retaining full sovereignty, which is presumably what comes into play under a no-deal Brexit. Who to believe......?

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/exhead-of-mi6-urges-tory-chairs-not-to-back-mays-deal-as-it-threatens-national-security-a4035601.html

I don't see what WTO has got to do with security. May's deal or no-deal, the UK will still be out of Europol, SIS2, Galileo...

[Carana]

Cabinet Office compares no-deal Brexit to Iceland ash cloud chaos

Eyjafjallajökull seen as nearest recent example of what civil service could have to cope with

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/25/cabinet-office-compares-no-deal-brexit-to-iceland-ash-cloud-chaos


"The government has a running list of “reasonable worst-case scenarios”, which is constantly being amended and updated. Earlier this month it included a gamut of serious concerns.

(...)

Another scenario is that the UK and EU will not have secured a data protection agreement before Brexit, which could prevent police from having instant access to information held by European forces on EU citizens arrested in the UK."

[Sunny]

Cabinet Office compares no-deal Brexit to Iceland ash cloud chaos

Eyjafjallajökull seen as nearest recent example of what civil service could have to cope with

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/25/cabinet-office-compares-no-deal-brexit-to-iceland-ash-cloud-chaos


"The government has a running list of “reasonable worst-case scenarios”, which is constantly being amended and updated. Earlier this month it included a gamut of serious concerns.

(...)

Another scenario is that the UK and EU will not have secured a data protection agreement before Brexit, which could prevent police from having instant access to information held by European forces on EU citizens arrested in the UK."

Am I right that you voted remain Carana? 

Seriously though, everyone I have spoken to who voted for Brexit won't change their mind regardless of the scare stories in the media.   

in fact it is this project fear that made me think about changing my mind after the vote had happened.

Looking back I remember everyone being brought forward to keep us in the EU, even Barrack Obama.  Scare stories about the pound crashing, inflation etc all was supposed to happen after a Brexit leave win. None of which happened.