Richard Simpson Mark II wrote: ↑Mon Apr 08, 2019 12:38 pm
Ironically, it is the French id card that makes the UK so attractive a destination for clandestines.
Don't mean to nit-pick, Richard, but the card we've just been issued is not actually the french national identity card, which can only be held by French citizens. What we've got is a 'carte de sejour', or a french residency card.
They were phased out years ago and the right of non-french EU citizens to reside in France was taken as a given due to EU-wide freedom-of-movement principles. It is purely due to Brexit that UK citizens living in France are now being required to get residency cards. It establishes a right to live here that we already had!
To get a full french national ID card, and a french passport, we would first have to pass the french citizenship test. That's not easy. We are way over the 5-year residency threshold but there is then an exam and oral interview in which you must demonstrate a fairly high level of french language skills. Tracie and I have OK everyday working French (perhaps B1 level) but probably not good enough for the test. If there's a no-deal and if it turns out that our residency cards are not sufficient to protect the rights we have here now, particularly access to health services etc, we will have to study hard and go for the full citizenship test, get berets, stripey shirts, strings of onions and bicycles etc - which as we all know every frenchman has.
a piece by John Redwood MP
(this helps explain why the erg and staunch brexiteers are so opposed to mrs may's deal)
9 May at 21:54 ·
JOHN REDWOOD SETS OUT THE HORRORS
OF THERESA MAY'S "WITHDRAWAL AGREEMENT".
The very thoughtful John Redwood MP has laid out exactly where May's deal falls down, in a letter to the Attorney General Geoffrey Cox.
It is published on his website. He writes : -
Dear Geoffrey
Let me have another go at getting a reply from you concerning the way the Withdrawal Agreement stops us leaving the EU Dictatorship.
Would you kindly confirm :-
1. If we sign this Treaty we will be locked into the EU and have to obey all its rules and pay all the bills it sends us for a period of at least 21 months, and probably for 45 months if we have not surrendered further to reach an exit agreement at the 21 month stage.
This would mean remaining in the EU Dictatorship for at least five years from the decision to leave and probably for seven years.
The EU Dictators would be able to legislate and spend against UK interests during this period, whilst we would have no vote or voice in the matter.
2. In order to “leave” in your terms at the five to seven year stage the UK will need to stay in the Customs Union and accept all single market rules and laws, unless the EU Dictators relented over the alleged Irish border issue.
Three years on, and the EU Dictators have given no ground on the made up border issue, so why would they over the next two years?
Isn’t the most likely outcome we would remain in the Single Market and Customs Union contrary to the government promise, that leaving meant leaving them, in its Referendum literature?.
3. After the 45-month period fully in the EU Dictatorship, the UK still would face financial obligations under the Withdrawal Treaty.
The bills will be decided by the EU Dictators and we will have to pay them.
Any attempt to query them would be adjudicated by the EU Dictatorship’s own court!
The longer we stay in the more the future bills are likely to be.
The £39 billion figure is likely to be a considerable underestimate.
4 The Treaty creates a category of super-citizen in the UK.
European nationals living in the UK when we “leave” the EU Dictatorship will have their access to benefits guaranteed in a way the rest of us do not for their entire lifetimes.
So we will not be taking back control of our benefit system.
* * *
I am also concerned about a number of Articles in the draft Treaty that expressly extend EU Dictators powers and jurisdiction for a further four to eight years beyond our departure date after the 21 to 45 month delay > >
Article 3 asserts EU Dictatorships legal jurisdiction over Gibraltar and British overseas territories in general terms, where disputes about the extent of EU Dictators control would fall via the Agreement under the European Court of justice.
Article 5 reintroduces the powers of the European Court and enforces “sincere co-operation” on us - they do not want us impeding their plans for economic, monetary and political union.
Article 31 imposes social security co-ordination on us.
Article 39 gives special protection to European citizens currently living in the UK from changes to social security for the whole of their lives, protection which the rest of us do not enjoy.
Article 51 applies parts of the VAT regime for an additional five years after the long transition envisaged in the Treaty.
Articles 92-3 impose the EU Dictators state aids regime on the UK for four years beyond transition.
Article 95 imposes binding decisions by EU Dictators quangos and bodies for four years beyond transition.
Article 99 requires us to pay for access to records to handle issues over indirect tax where the EU Dictatorship keeps powers for four years beyond transition.
Article 127 applies the whole panoply of EU law throughout transition, including the right to legislate any way they wish against our interests and enforce it on us via the European Court of Justice.
Article 130 prevents us taking back control of our fisheries any time soon. Doubtless more of our fishing rights would be given away trying to get an Exit deal.
Article 135 allows them to send extra bills up to the end of 2028
Article 140 imposes on us financial liabilities up to December 2020 and carry over into 2021
Articles 144 and 150 prevent us getting back accumulated reserves and profits from our European Investment Fund and EIB shareholdings
Article 143 imposes adverse conditions on us over pension and loan liabilities of the Union
Article 155 requires to make continuing payments to Turkey under an EU programme after we have left
Article 158 gives the European Court continuing power for eight years after transition
Article 164 makes a Joint Committee an effective legislator and government over us
Article 168, the exclusivity clause, denies us access to normal international law remedies in the event of disputes. Presumably this closes off use of the Vienna Convention to renounce an onerous Treaty where there has been a material change of circumstances.
Article 174 requires any arbitration to be governed by ECJ judgements on the application of law in disputes. The Protocol on Northern Ireland will require us to stay in the Customs Union with regulatory and legal alignment with the single market, or split off a separate place called UK (NI) which will be governed differently to the rest of the UK on an island of Ireland basis.
There is much more I could object to. This is no Treaty to take back control, no Treaty for a newly independent nation. It does not quantify the financial liabilities, which are open ended and could be much larger than the low field £39 billion Treasury estimate.
We have little power to abate the bills and no power to abort the bills. It would probably result even in failure to take back control of our fishing grounds.
Mrs May needs to go back to the EU and explain why the UK people and Parliament have opposed this Treaty, and ask them to think again if they want an agreement before we leave.
She needs to make it clear we now intend to leave without signing the Withdrawal Agreement prior to the European Parliamentary elections.
Yours
John Redwood
garyboy wrote: ↑Sun May 12, 2019 10:40 pm
The very thoughtful John Redwood MP
No need to read any further really....
That'll be John Redwood, whose full time MP's wage is met by tax payers but who only works part-time as an MP, who is Chair of a stockbroking firm (£180k for 2 days per week) and also Chair of a private equity firm, and who stands to make a small personal fortune on his investments from a no-deal brexit. Hypocrisy, insider-dealing and ruthless self-interest are alive and well in the ERG Tories.
