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Burnham - rejoin Europe in one shape or form?

(187 Posts)
Wyllow3 Wed 30-Sept-26 21:44:37

At last, some sanity. I think another referendum unlikely, but it was a possibility. But definitely move towards either a Customs union or the single market.

Brexit has proved pretty much a grim disaster: probably, if it had not been such a hard Brexit, and we had stayed decent trading partners, none of this would be necessary.

For nay sayers, it's worth remembering the EU is now very different. Many more countries are making independent national decisions and still staying in for trading and other purposes, ie on the way to returning in some ways to the original trading union it was.

Go Burnham go. this is a sensible move that will allow businesses and farmers to trade well with Europe and cut prices raised by read tape and customs troubles. We can review which trading standards make sense for us as a bid.

LemonJam Tue 06-Oct-26 18:42:17

You and I personally can't know what the majority of the British public can know I agree.

We can and do know what numbers of various polls conclude on such matters.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Tue 06-Oct-26 22:30:04

Polls too have their own bias. Questions skewed in a certain way, demographics improperly represented etc. Which is why pollsters often get results wrong. And I’m sure sometimes those polled don’t tell the truth anyway. So 🤷‍♀️

It’s guessology at best. I set little store by them even when favourable to my beliefs.

Casdon Tue 06-Oct-26 22:42:24

Try PollCheck FriedGreenTomatoes2. You’re right regarding individual polls, but PollCheck collates and compares them, and because the polls are compiled from various interests, the amalgamated version is much more accurate than they are individually. They were spot on for the last election.

specki4eyes Wed 07-Oct-26 04:29:47

It's not a case of GB deciding whether to have a referendum!
I live in the EU and, this is a generalisation, but many Europeans are genuinely perplexed and offended that Britain chose to leave after benefitting from all the help and subsidies they received during the EU years.
I'm guessing that if Britain tried to re enter, the first condition would be that we lose Sterling and switch to the Euro. None of the concessions GB previously negotiated would apply. Imagine how that would pan out!
It's clear that over half of the UK electorate is too stupid to understand this. I put it down to the dumbing down of the education system.
Peace in our time..this was Churchill's mantra after the WWII. YEAH right...look where our precious Britain is now...broken, crumbling, anarchy taking over.
I'm glad I'm old.
Ps it might not have been WC who said that so don't jump all over me. That was the essence of his idea for a united Europe with UK fully included

madeleine45 Wed 07-Oct-26 04:57:04

Whether we rejoin the european market or have some other arrangement with them, it will be much better, if we use reality and common sense and accept we are a amall island both phyically close and mentally a darn sight more close to them than to the lunatic Trump and co. Why on earth we wanted to hang onto americas coat tails and be told what and when to do by them, when it is always to our disadvantage I dont know.

I have travelled a lot and lived abroad for quite a considerable time, and the british do not seem to recognise how many people have and are working with european firms and companies. A practical organisation to make sure that there is ease of arrangements to be able to work abroad , and avoidance of any of Trumps totally untrustworthy offers, and let him take his planes back and not have them on british soil is good news as far as I can see. If you had a friend or worked with someone who could never be trusted to keep their promises, changed their minds daily and thought only of ME ME ME any sensible person would keep them at a distance at least and never trust them to do what they say.So why are we listening to the lunatic Trump, who even now is mostly concerned, not with the good of his country, but how to grab more money and be as selfish as possible. I would tend to doubt the sanity of anyone who willingly let such a person tell them what to do, so lets use common sense, and avoid relying on a single thing that man says.

David49 Wed 07-Oct-26 05:44:17

Whitewavemark2

We have a few options open. One being the Swiss agreement. The other being the Norwegian route. I think it unlikely st present that we will become fully paid up members again.

We won't get a Swiss agreement, it's a major point of disagreement in the EU because the Swiss abuse it so much. It's not practical to enforce the rules they should be following so they get away with it.

A Norway agreement is possible but Schengen and freedom of movement will need to be agreed, full membership highly unlikely

Maremia Wed 07-Oct-26 06:21:13

madeleine, yes.

MartavTaurus Wed 07-Oct-26 11:04:26

Sago

Labour wont like having to remove the VAT on private school fees if we rejoin the EU.

Well, ironically they might!
Reports show that Labour's estimate of 40,000 pupils leaving the independent sector over 10 years were grossly incorrect. 56,000 have left already, in 15 months, so by 10 years we could be into 6 figures. All these children need placing in state schools at huge financial costs.
Maybe rejoining the EU, and removal of the 25% VAT, would mean that a fair few of them return into the private sector. Maybe it wouldn't. Labour could have shot itself in the foot.

specki4eyes Wed 07-Oct-26 11:20:23

Yes madeleine well put. The so called special relationship is a joke pedalled by Thatcher and Reagan, but then probably relevant and reassuring. Not so now. Trump would sell his own grandmother (if he still had one) in order to justify his insane ideas.
Americans are moving over here to Europe in numbers and those who are already here are fearful that he will never be held to account for what he has done to the USA and the rest of the world. In the west we are all suffering for his madness.
And yet subsequent British governments continue to kiss his gross backside. Why? He would kick UK under the bus on a whim! I too am glad he's removed his nasty warplanes from Fairford..it will be interesting to know where he's put them.

David49 Wed 07-Oct-26 13:14:10

The B1 bombers have returned to Ellsworth Airbase in South Dakota, they can easily be reactivated if needed.

A drone attack in the UK is a credible threat we let anyone in these days and large drones are easily available, it's not possible to guarantee a security area large enough to protect any airfield in UK

Whitewavemark2 Thu 08-Oct-26 07:16:18

Burnham in talks with Germany over defence. I suspect this will be one of many, as europe decides it’s future defence strategy.