# What will the UK do wrt Brexit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 18, 2019, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799 "2019-02-18T22:39:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 98
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2021, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1944 "2021-01-20T17:28:53Z")
> [@its\_the\_daddy](#): > > > [@Gyrate](#): > > > > But at least we got some blue passports out of it. > > Not strictly true! > > [New blue British passport rollout to begin in March - BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51585018) > > Some important quotes: > > _“The UK was never formally compelled to change the colour of its passport in the 1980s but did so with other member states.”_ > > _“The blue passports will be made by Gemalto, owned by French firm Thales. However, they will be personalised with the holder’s details in the UK.”_ > > _“In Europe, people from Iceland, **Croatia** and Bosnia and Herzegovina carry blue passports, while it is a popular colour in central and south America - including in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Uruguay and Venezuela.”_ > > So ‘blue passports’ was another Brexit lie: we could have had them all along, but chose to change to burgundy! How much upset was there over the color (or the colour) of the passports? ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2021, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1945 "2021-01-20T17:29:30Z")
> [@filmstar-en](#): > > UK Financial Services sector requires a cunning plan I’ve heard that Boris Johnson has someone in mind to come up with one. [https://2w6kxc22rrr9mabqt1mglgait6-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/boris-and-baldrick-1024x580.jpg](https://2w6kxc22rrr9mabqt1mglgait6-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/boris-and-baldrick-1024x580.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2021, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1946 "2021-01-20T17:37:54Z")
As of today we Yanks have a spare bombastic that Boris could invite in for tea and shenanigans. I’m sure _that_ little diversion would take some pressure off Boris’ need to be seen as performing. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2021, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1947 "2021-01-20T17:39:06Z")
> [@filmstar-en](#): > > So my question is how much of this financial services can the EU capture from the UK over the next few years? > > It is fairly ironic that the EU should start building this capability. It has long been a bone of contention between the UK and the EU, during its membership, that there were proposals by some EU states to introduce a financial transaction tax to help pay for the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. That would unfairly affect the UK financial services sector and the UK would use its veto. Funnily enough, over 95% of the EU regulations on financial services were either written by the UK or already matched what the UK had in place at the time of implementation. We’re now going to see a slow drifting apart of regulatory requirements, with lighter or less stringent regulation in the EU than in Britain. That’s likely to draw more business to the Continent in terms of headquartering and ‘home country’ status over time, although they will continue to do plenty of business in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![its\_the\_daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@its\_the\_daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/its_the_daddy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1948 "2021-01-21T09:07:13Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > How much upset was there over the color (or the colour) of the passports? It’s a classic button-push issue (like bent bananas etc), mostly cooked-up by Priti Patel (HM’s Home Secretary, previously Secretary of State for International Development). Here’s the Gov’t statement: note the weasel words. [Iconic blue passports return next month - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/iconic-blue-passports-return-next-month#:~:text=The%20first%20new%20blue%20passports%20will%20be%20issued%20from%20March%202020.&text=The%20colour%20is%20not%20the,%2C%20Scotland%2C%20and%20Wales%20embossed.) _“Britons will be able to travel with a blue passport when the traditional colour returns for the first time in almost 30 years.”_ _“The distinctive blue cover will be re-introduced now the UK has left the EU, and will replace burgundy passports which were gradually rolled out from 1988.”_ _"Leaving the European Union gave us a unique opportunity to restore our national identity and forge a new path in the world._ _By returning to the iconic blue and gold design, the British passport will once again be entwined with our national identity and I cannot wait to travel on one."_ _"The blue cover is a return to the original appearance of the British passport, with the colour first used in 1921._ _It remained the colour of choice until the UK joined the EU when a change to burgundy was agreed and adopted."_ But this nowhere says that the UK was compelled to change its passport colour/color anytime between joining on 1 January 1973 and leaving 47 years later. That’s because it wasn’t! For some essentially right-wing, pro-Brexit comments, look at the Daily Express. [Blue passports return NEXT MONTH in huge step to restore national identity after Brexit | UK | News | Express.co.uk](https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1245772/uk-news-british-blue-passport-return-new-design-boris-johnson-national-identity) _"The burgundy document approved by Brussels caused upset among Eurosceptics when it was introduced in 1988._ _Brussels later floated plans to remove the Queen’s crest to make it more European and to end use of the phrase “Her Britannic Majesty” in the documents."_ But this was a proposal made by members of the EU, the club we had joined. And we, and other members would have none of it. So: it’s another Brexit lie. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1949 "2021-01-21T09:46:38Z")
> [@its\_the\_daddy](#): > > when the traditional colour returns My understanding is that it won’t be the traditional dark blue, but rather closer to turquoise. And printed in Poland, Which is in the EU. > [@The\_Librarian](#): > > “Industry policy”? > > Are you sure you are talking about the UK? That shit sounds more like the USSR. What else do you call it when a government is deciding when and how to use cheap loans, grants, tax allowances and so on to encourage and support new technologies to replace dying industries, whether and where to invest in infrastructure, and to do so in a way that encourages geographically, socially well-balanced and sustainable economic development? Wasn’t that part of Trump’s appeal (however confused)? Isn’t what every government tries to do, however imperfectly? For decades (way back into the 60s to my certain knowledge) there has been an argument in the UK that financial services have led to lop-sided economic and social development. If their (overheated?) expansion in recent decades is now going to deflate because of Brexit, how else are we going to be able to make up the lost ground? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1950 "2021-01-21T12:32:00Z")
If they’re musicians like Van Morrison, the Gallagher brothers or (sadly) Ian Brown, well, Europe is well rid of the plague rats. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1951 "2021-01-21T14:02:08Z")
And is Britain better off without, say, [Simon Rattle](https://www.classicfm.com/artists/sir-simon-rattle/applies-for-german-citizenship-brexit/)? There’s a lot more money in popular music and yet this is hurting those musicians; in the classical arena this has already been devastating. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1952 "2021-01-21T20:14:21Z")
Rattle was already half-arsing it - I think he was functionally only 1 month of the year actually at the LSO, and _at home_ in Berlin the rest of the time. Let’s face it, the new concert hall was never going to get built. And Europe is better off having him in Bavaria. Sucks to be Britain, but then if you can’t tell, I take Europe’s side on this. And like I said, it’s better off without idiots like Morrison. And utter fucking hypocrites like Brexiteer Daltrey. Talk about completely out of touch: “We used to tour Europe in the 60s and 70s without the EU” Yeah, well, Grandad, the world has moved on. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1953 "2021-01-27T15:45:24Z")
Sounds like the whole “reducing bureaucracy” thing is going swimmingly. [Narrator: It was not.] > **[Truckers Shun U.K. Ports to Avoid Brexit Red Tape (Published 2021)](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/27/world/europe/truckers-uk-ports-brexit.html?action=click&module=News&pgtype=Homepage)** > > British ports expected gridlock after post-Brexit trade rules began on Jan. 1. Instead, some are nearly empty as truckers stay away, reluctant to spend hours waiting for newly required export documents. (probably paywalled, sorry) From a trucker in the article: “The only way I can explain it is to say that everything used to run freely, there was no waiting for paperwork; but last Friday I was held up five hours in Kent,” he said. “We are all stuck in limbo — one of our lads was here for four days early in January,” Mr. Lucas said. “It’s terrible, absolutely terrible,” he added, and “I can only see it getting worse before it gets better.” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1954 "2021-01-27T16:00:59Z")
Yes, of course everything ran smoothly and there was no paperwork, _when your country was a member of the EU_. What do you expect now that you chose to go off on your own? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1955 "2021-01-31T09:25:44Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > I stick to my prediction that Boris will not last January. That doesn’t seem to be the way the public are seeing it. Not only has he lasted, [he’s seen as the best option for PM and the Tories are back in the lead.](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jan/31/success-of-vaccine-rollout-pushes-tories-ahead-of-labour-in-the-polls). And all this was on polling done before the EU layed its steaming turd regarding the potential vaccine export restrictions. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1956 "2021-01-31T12:06:56Z")
I guess I’m eating crow. That doesn’t change the fact that Britain is not in a good spot. The fact that Boris could do with NI what he did is a “brevet van onvermogen” (licence to fail?) for the opposition. Governments have failed over smaller issues. ---
**Author:** ![WalterBishop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/aeb1de/32.png) [@WalterBishop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WalterBishop)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1957 "2021-01-31T12:14:16Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > And all this was on polling done before the EU layed its steaming turd regarding the potential vaccine export restrictions. I think it’s It’s quite ironic that, given the past four years hand-wringing over the possibility of Brexit leading to a hard Irish border, the first people to threaten it was the EU. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1958 "2021-01-31T12:30:46Z")
> [@WalterBishop](#): > > I think it’s It’s quite ironic that, given the past four years hand-wringing over the possibility of Brexit leading to a hard Irish border, the first people to threaten it was the EU. I think it would only be a surprise if someone had no knowledge of the the EU’s track record. And note, they didn’t just _threaten_ it, they _imposed_ a de-facto hard border at the drop of a hat and after apparently zero consultation with either the UK or Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1959 "2021-01-31T12:35:35Z")
I would like you to remember that the EU members are sovereign nations. Brexiteers always have trouble with this concept. The EU has no powers to impose anything on Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1960 "2021-01-31T12:42:29Z")
I’m not a brexiteer so that’s irrelevant. And to the best of my knowledge the EU was imposing export restrictions, are you saying that those restrictions did not apply to Ireland? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1961 "2021-01-31T13:17:26Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > they _imposed_ a de-facto hard border To who did “they” impose this? Who is “they”? The “hard” border between the UK and the EU is a direct consequence (the goal?) of Brexit. The EU has given extraordinary concessions to allow the UK to put NI “inside” the EU border. The idea that the UK would have to do anything less than bend over backwards to appease the EU to be allowed to keep this so is patently ridiculous (to me). ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1962 "2021-01-31T13:21:24Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > To who did “they” impose this? > Who is “they”? I’ve a feeling you haven’t been following the story. [Here’s a link to it.](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/31/how-eus-floundering-vaccine-effort-hit-a-fresh-crisis-with-exports-row) The criticism of the EU for that hasty decision has been instant and very loud indeed. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799/1963 "2021-01-31T13:29:30Z")
I find the idea that any problem on the NI border is somehow not of Boris’ making ridiculous. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799.md?page=97) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-uk-do-wrt-brexit/829799.md?page=99)