Anthony Gardner, former U.S. ambassador to the EU, shares his thoughts on Brexit as British lawmakers prepare for a string of crucial votes.
Brexit is a mess and a failure of leadership, former US ambassador to EU says | Street Signs Europe
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None of this should have happened. It has been the biggest waste of time and money in history of Parliamentary democracy.
@Ted Cameron I wrote Parliamentary democracy with capital P. UK was a country where the Parliament used to be supreme and not the ignorant mob who voted to leave the EU without understanding the ramifications. The ills of the country have nothing to do with the EU or the ECJ.
Unfortunately agent provocateurs have given it as an excuse to the mob to express their frustration with the national government to ironically empowering its tyrany to screw them even more rather than having a more independent body protecting their rights and freedoms.
@John Gould I don’t know whether it is a problem with UK’s conservative party or conservatism in general. But there is only so much baggage you can carry into the future in the name of conservation, tradition, broad church or what ever else you want to call it in a political party. People like Bill Cash, Peter Bone and their caricature reincarnation in Rees-Mogg should have been left behind in the 20th century.
Ted Cameron go to sleep you are drunk
what democracy
Innit
I don’t understand why nobody understands that the border in Northern Irland was possible to remove because UK and Ireland were both full members of EU that included Custom Union.
So no Custom Union means hard border.
Yeah it’s obvious. I don’t understand why this is hard to understand by otherwise intelligent people.
May and the EU are working together to ruin the referendum. Colluding together to keep us in the EU. Britain is not fooled. Liars all of them. No deal. Out out out!!!
You do realise that the EU already agreed to the Withdrawal Agreement proposed by the UK Govt. The problem is that the UK Govt cant actually get it approved by themselves.
@Mugdorna look. Without our 40 billion. The EU are fucked. They are skint
Thank you, mr. Gardner, for calling out that BS from the interviewer.
There was no problem with Brexit until the Politicians became involved.
There was no Brexit untill the politicians became involved
Guy Withdacap
If the scuttlebutt is right we got the referendum by mistake.
Cameron, who was in a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats at the time, offered a referendum to shut up anti Brexit MP’s in his party. This was called a dangerous move by the EU but Cameron stated that his coalition partners would veto any such move so there was no danger of having a referendum. At the next election he got an overall majority and had to honour his promise……..the rest is history.
Only two world leaders were in favour of Brexit, Putin and Trump and Trump had to ask an aide what Brexit was.
@Cosmic in which case you would have to say that Trump had to ask his boss what Brexit is!
@rrickarr Touché 🙂
@Cosmic well said ……….
@stuart Nicklin Until you realize that its those elitists that create jobs and prosperity.
@Orpheus yes that´s what I do. I´m very rich and I like poor people, so when there are many, I built mills for the poor people to have work. That´s why there are no unemployment and no poor people and some very, very rich people like me! …Or do I invest to win more money and be more rich? Does that make cense? If it does, than I only invest to satisfy an increased demand… those poor guys have to have some money to increase demand. If not, I´m not going to invest. So actually it´s those poor guys that might create the jobs… I only invest to have more money….
The UK is a fake democracy i can’t remember seeing only leave with a deal on the ballot paper
Exactly. 2 Leave options should have been offered.
please, democracy is not a system of referendums …. brexit is the result of a referendum. If democracy is a referendum system just keep on doing referendums after referendums until you understand that is not democracy. Maybe that´s what you really need.
More: when Parliament accepted the results of the referendum and decided acting accordingly (it could refuse to accepted them; it was in their representative democratic power), they gave the representative democratic power to the referendum. That´s when it became a democratic decision by the people. Not before. Referendums are an auscultation of the opinion of a group of people that voted in that referendum. Democracy is a system that, every few years, elects representatives to lead the state in the name of the people. Democracy is not a referendum or data pool opinions system.
Brexit is Norway. No vote for you. Vote illegally.
This strange far-right and far-left Norwegian party
https://youtu.be/kBiRu4CI2Ks
NO EU, NO EURO.
W BREXIT.
17.4 Million people have been betrayed by a Government/Parliament who they put their trust and faith in and then Parliament voted overwhelmingly to uphold the result of the referendum by putting it into legislature of which received Royal Accent, basically written in stone. Out of the 650 politicians in Parliament 85% of them are pro remain ( EU sympathizers ) so why didn’t they vote against it in the first place ?. We treasure our democracy here in the UK so when we the people put our trust in politicians that purport to serve us and then betray us well that is just down right criminal.
What would your Government say or do if the politicians in let’s say Texas wanted Mexico to oversee rules, taxes ,culture and sovereignty of the State of Texas and Millions of Dollars being forwarded to the Mexican Government on a weekly basis from the state of Texas, i know exactly what your Government and it’s people and the people of Texas would say and do ” no way José,” and the national guard would be there in a heartbeat but this is what our Government is being forced to do by Parliament here in the UK.
It all boils down to this and i have said it before that any Politician, Official or common man/woman that colludes with a foreign country to bring about changes that affect the sovereignty, rules and laws of our country that contravene the crown and the will of the people are Traitors and they have committed high Treason. The Latin word for Treason is traditio (a handing over) and that is exactly what the PM intends to implement. The EU commission has no intention of accepting the Governments demands and the Government has no intention of threatening a No Deal with the EU commission. If there is a No Deal well that’s fantastic but can we actually see this happening, no. Like i said in my opening comment (a handing over) by treasonous means is more like it.?
Treasonous to have a simple binary choice in a referendum. By your measure 16m ppl are also being betrayed.
In July 2016 i formation should have been given to every hone in the UK outlining the pros and cons of either vote. A choice of 2-3 Leave options should have been offered.
please, democracy is not a system of referendum …. brexit is the result of a referendum. If democracy is a referendum system just keep on doing referendums after referendums until you understand that is not democracy. Maybe that´s what you really need.
Its failing because they mean it to, they are traitors, and they are finished politically in this country after this
I have just had to send emails to America telling them that they can’t do a deal to buy my goods because were trapped in this blasted EU by an incompetent government and an EU customs union
You can’t sell goods to the US or sign contacts with US companies as a member of the EU? Blimey. Better get out then.
What rubbish. You’re already selling goods to the US.
The UK has been dealing and trading for 40 years as part of and with the support of the EU.
The US is a bigger mess. lol
Deserve what you want to genius of the Empire
I don’t know how any american has the cheek to say anything about our country when they have chump in charge. At the very least our leaders aren’t rapist racist thieving criminal traitors with a god complex. Also when are we actually going to complain about the fact that the EU is doing everything in their power to keep us imprisoned in an agreement we no longer agree to. Why do we have to beg or do what they say to enable us to leave the EU? and if we don’t do what they say then we will still have to follow laws set by them and have no say in the making of the law. This is why I wanted to leave in the first place, we should not be getting told what to do by any other country. We created and shaped the modern world and now we are being told what we can and can’t do like some naughty little child. ALso why the hell do we need to pay the EU £39 Billion to leave or whatever it is for? Get stuffed, go get your own money it is long past due that you stop having ours.
We haven’t travelled any ‘far’ to get to this point. We’ve wasted years and spent billions getting nowhere, because there is nowhere to go. The UK govt. is a total and comprehensive failure – and this isn’t new – it’s a consequence of donkeys’ years of rot facilitated by the retarded voting system, which allows minority governments to be controlled by their extremist minorities, in collusion with the billionaire-owned gutter press.
WTF has Brexit to do with this guy and since when was he an expert on the decades of relations between the EU and the UK, I would be interested to see what his opinion would be if Canada was to take control of American affairs, dissolve democratic rights, erode sovereignty and force through laws and legislation that has negative impacts on the country as an whole…. until you are in this position I suggest you shut the fuck up and keep out of other peoples business.
It would be different if the EU position to the US was the same as it is to the EU although he is obviously an europhile thus I bet he would sell out the US for his lapdog approach to arse licking the EU.
Hey mr ambassador buisness didnt vote the british people did WTO
Brexiters promised the same benefits with none of the obligations. No-one promised to take away all the benefits of membership in a crash landing. The choice was leave or stay in… leave is anywhere between Norway and no-deal. Saying that 52% voted for no-deal is ridiculous. Anyway. Good luck.
Masson H, that is what the EU wanted !, to stop other country’s leaving the click !!
EEA membership or a Swiss-type deal are the only realistic options left.
But thats means obeying EU rules without any say in the matter. Exactly what Moggie and BoJo claimed was already the case.
@Mugdorna
I agree, Brexit is a cockup of fantastic proportions. All we can now do is maintain a relationship with the EU, which is what we need.
Who said they would want you in the eea? Norway already hinted that having the UK join their group would not be in any of the other countries’ interest and would destroy the political balance within the group
I wish the media has as much objectivity as Mr Gardner, in pin pointing the problem with the current stalemate with regards to Brexit. He has rightly pointed out that the EU has been clearly following it’s rules in supporting one of it’s members. And he was absolutely right that stupidity of the UK PM (which of course he did not say but implied) in starting off with her red lines, were incompatible with getting a withdrawal deal. Looks like media is permeated by political moles!
NO SHIT! SHERLOCK
We’ve already had a “peoples vote”. It was to leave. Democracy will die if we don’t come what will.
You realise that these arent “threats”? The WTO rules are pretty strict in order to force countries to make trade deals. Are you going to leave the WTO too?
No. UK trade with Europe will revert to WTO rules which it already uses to trade with U.S, China, Canada, Australia…
@Morbius1963 Nope. WTO rules are the default setting when nations dont have a trade agreement in place. They impose automatic tariffs. So trade with the EU will go from no tariff to tariffs on everything.
The 2 nations then need to agree a trade deal to lower these tariffs. This has been what the last 2 years was supposed to do.
The UK already trades with these other nations under the EU trade agreement. Im not saying that trade will stop, just that it will impede trade.
Nope? To what?
@Morbius1963 The EU members currently trade with the nations you named under an EU bilateral trade deal. They dont use “WTO rules”, as these are the absolute lowest level of trading rules. These are in place when nations dont have a deal in place, which will be the UK on March 30th.
Only ‘arrogant’ England can brutally colonize half the world and then complain about immigrants…!!
Now they don’t even like Europe. hahaha
The multiculturalisme is a mess and thats why people choose for brexit. Dont blame the people who voted for brexit but blame the EU
No you sleepy ignorant moron you’re just a fucking deluded idiot.
Blame electricity and the invention of the wheel too
Don’t bullshit American stuff are not subseptable to British bias. Cause a hard border and congress will Vito any trade deals. Fact.
Brexit is a mess cos of MP’s meddling, they just get in the way. ….business will sort it..
Stop this “provocative” nonsens. How is it not then equally provocative to make suggestions that would effectively compromise the integrity of the single market? You’re playing into British navel-gazing where it is perfectly normal to compare the union to the Soviets and demonize them non-stop, but the moment someone makes a cherry-picking joke everyone goes insane.
As a UK citizen I read every treaty we had signed up to, examined the inception & evolution of the EU and how it operates today & this was enough to decide on how to vote. Here is another example of a remainer wishing to undermine democracy. The British turned out to vote in the highest numbers ever & politicians are not respecting that, stating we didnt know what we were voting for. Finding this arrogance extremely offensive. The northern Ireland issue is a red herring, everything coming in & going out can be tracked electronically the same way we track every parcel we receive. There was never a need for a hard border unless the EU or Eire insist on it, in which case they can build it & man it.
Think you need to take a look at what is happening across Europe, there is a real shift to the right, because politicians are not listening to their electorate. The tough line towards the UK is because although European citizens are happy being Part of Europe but not happy with the EU (around 75%). Has this guy not taken note of the yellow jacket demonstrations across France over the last 17 weeks? The EU is starting to fray around the edges and would not be surprised is it ceases to exist in the next decade or two.
Which lies specifically? There were plenty of misleading statements on both sides. If we want to look at lies, the campaign 40 years ago that took us in to what was just supposed to be a trade agreement was one big lie. This vote to many was more than about trade. Most people I know did their own research & expect a few years where things may be difficult. We were told the vote was binding but there has been a concerted effort to derail the negotiations from the start. Thats appart from our governments own incompetence. If leave had won those who voted remain would have accepted it – but they didn’t & remainers can’t accept they lost. Stating it was a small margin is equivalent to stating we should not accept a government with a small majority. There were a heck of lot more votes than in any general election. Interestingly most remainers I know (including fellow academics) seem to have no idea how the EU runs, can’t name the current President etc. Change is frightening, sticking to the familiar is a reaction to this, & yes, this takes us out of our comfort zone. Take a look at what is happening in France, Hungary, Poland, Estonia, Spain, Italy etc The EU has a ‘plan’, won’t deviate from it or listen to it’s citizens calling for change. Its unravelling.
Oh Veronica there are so many lies to pick from. Here are a few:
and more here:
When Ireland made its first application to join the EEC in 1962, the Irish new that the organisation they were joining was more than just a common market. The Danes don’t seem to have been surprised it was more than a common market and they both joined the EEC with the UK in 1973. How did the British not know? If the government hid this fact, what were the media doing? Its not like it was a secret.
You and I both know that the majority of those who voted to Leave did not do any research. Those who do feel they carried out research, may have been influenced by the widespread misinformation available online and in the print media about the EU, so we cannot glean any comfort from research unless we know the sources.
I’m not saying that the result should not be accepted because of its size, I would question its legitimacy because of the lies. However, unlike in a government situation, in this referendum, because there was no plan and no vision document on paper that politicians could be held to, we only know what a small majority voters are against, not what they are in favour of in terms of the new relationship. The small margin means there are plenty of remainers trying to shape that new relationship. Nothing wrong with that in a democracy, I would have thought. It is a pity Brexiters had no plan.
Most British people are deeply ignorant of the EU – we can probably agree on that. Again the UK media must take responsibility I feel.
I look around the other countries of Europe as you have suggested and frankly none of them are in the kind of chaos the United Kingdom finds itself in. Some people are loudly calling for change, but not the majority in any country I can think of. In some cases these countries, like the UK, are seeking exemptions from rules that govern all the rest – hardly sounds fair. It is often the case (Italy comes to mind) that governments will take on Brussels in order to gain popularity at home, blaming Brussels for difficult decisions that are made domestically. Every country does that at some stage.
I think the EU will be fine. It will continue to evolve, probably as a multi-speed entity. It seems to be an important aspect Brexit theology that the EU is the union that is failing when in fact it the union closer to home that is the one on more shaky ground. Perhaps the English will be the ones to leave the UK in the future; maybe it will be the Scots if they can convince Westminster to allow a second referendum; Northern Ireland will almost certainly seek a border poll in the event of a hard border; perhaps Brexit will be the catalyst to propel Welsh nationalism towards a more coherent identity – Welsh speakers voted overwhelmingly to remain, while more Anglicised parts of Wales voted to leave.
That’s the fascinating thing about Brexit – who knows what forces it has unleashed at home. It is has had relatively little effect on the continent.
@Taint ABird Like the lies we were told about going into a steep recession, that unemployment would go up if we voted out? These are predictions that have not come to fruition. In percentage terms the majority might not be so large, but in numbers of voters it was significant. I don’t know of anyone who blames the EU, they are only protecting themselves, because if we do well post brexit there are other countries lined up to leave. The blame is on our poor negotiators & clowns in parliament. The deal on offer is appalling. It’s available on line, all 568 pages of it & no one in their right mind would accept it.
In essence we have had Cameron elected on the promise of a vote, then the referendum, followed by the stupid election May called, though she dropped her majority the parties promoting staying in the EU lost out. Lib dems did particularly badly. We have a first past the post system in the UK so that’s what we have to go with. That’s 3 times the public have had a bash at it.
We cant predict the future, only make guesses on expert opinion- which varies. Only time will tell, so we will have to agree to disagree. Meanwhile, polls suggest the public just want to get on with it, because this uncertainty is damaging to all.
Remain lost the referendum – get over it. You cannot continue to offer this straw man argument to avoid the issue.
Leave won telling lies. How is getting a result that you want based on lies related to democracy?
Its a tough one to answer…
Mrs Brown you must be the only person in the all world that has “read every treaty we had signed up to”… and probably really knows them all. They will be millions of pages. Some with non public arrangements. Sorry I don´t buy it…. you don´t know what you are talking about… as it is evident by your baseless opinion over the Ireland border. Dear it´s the international treaties. Either you have a agreement over a border with a neighbor country that allows you to have a special border or you have to have all borders equal. You may chose. No borders any where, no controls over nothing or controls every where. You can´t have both at the same time with no agreement.
a level headed narration of the facts by the Ambassador.
https://youtu.be/pT8M-i7hsLY
May is a globalist bitch and has deliberately screwed up the negotiations because she is a remainer corporate liar .
We won’t ‘ Crash out’ we will leave on WTO rules you idiot .
great rebuttal to a biased question in the end 🙂 good one
The UK maneuver into what we call in German Zwickmühle. Regardless what next move will be, it ends always in a mess.
Thanks to the previous leaders for tying up the country in such a shit deal in the first place, the people never voted to be in the damn thing, just another con by the governments, nothing good ever came out of the EU, unelected dictatorship.
UK did a referendum to join the EU. You where in a bad economic situation. You have improved and now you opted to leave. Hope every thing might go well. I´m afraid that you will be back in a very difficult situation … next time you do a referendum to join again you will accept a full political, economic and monetary integration. You may keep your King. Yes, by the time there will be no Queen.
well, the experiment the US and UK have been trying out, allowing the wealthy to own our governments and our minds, isn’t panning out very well. Roughly half the US is now at or below the poverty line and we sport a huge 23 trillion debt, and the UK is about to experience and nice jump in it’s poverty numbers.
I always like to have an American explain things to us, like we dont understand what is going on , or know the history of our borders. What is with this attitude they have about other countries ? Certainly we understand very much how Americans like to “visit ” other countries and put them straight. Or if not , they can sell them weapons. I remember their position on the Falklands and Gibraltar when they took against UK and also Noraid .
yes Gilbraltar is going to be another problem…. it will be returned to Spain. You know that, don’t you?
The Tories created this mess and they’ve done everything possible make it worse and to steer the UK onto the rocks. They are not a government.
Dissolve The UK Union 🏴🇮🇪🇪🇺 #ScotRef #IndyRef2
That pathetic english weasel and his moronic lies. Fire him.
No extension to Article 50.
Treasonous MP’s will try a short delay at first, so Brexiteers can not be included in the EU elections. After the elections, it will be delayed again.
REVOKE ARTICLE 50 before leave day
The Head of the EU, Teresa May, The EU court all say we can,
They say things will go backt to before Brexit was first talked about.
They say we can try again when and if we want to REVOKE ARTICLE 50 NOW !!
IN YOUR DREAMS / WAS YOU EVEN BORN WHEN THEY BOUGHT OUT THE POLL TAX ???/ WELL THAT WILL BE A TEA PARTY COMPARED TO WHAT THEIR GOING TO GET IF WE DON’T BREXIT ON 29th OF MARCH
THIS IS A WH ITE ITALIAN BULLSHIT,. YOUR USA COUNTRY IS A PIECE BROKEN ASS.
Most outsiders dont know why we voted for brexit all they do is mock, and yet ignore the travesty of their own nations plight, at least the Brits have balls to try and make their own destiny, Unlike most of the other nations citizens. The Uk is being paralised with EU laws which give those more power over our rights, They use politics to destroy our national identity and flood our nation with immigrants, take our rights to fish in our own waters, dictate to us every chance they get. So of course the people are fed up with it and want out. The Lion is rearing its head again to roar.
People keep telling us that the people were not told the real consequences of leaving the E.U. So what kind of detail will this man give us as to the events that will take place in the future in all circumstances as he would appear to know the future. How on this earth would it be possible to tell people in any detail of events following Brexit as even now we have no idea of how the actual agreement of the relationship after Brexit will look ,which is another reason asking for a second feferendum before the actual agreement has even begun and saying that the “people did not know what they were voting for” so what questions on the ballot paper? taking into account i assume that the final deal will be years off? What if it is the same result but with a smaller majority? or what if those wishing to stay win by a very small majority and without all the details of the final deal? Yet another referendum of course. Another referendum is stupid because it will make a very difficult problem oh so much worse i find it difficilt to believe that these people wanting another referendum can not see the stupidity of their argument and abuse their own argument by saying “it will be more democratic”
Im surprised as an US ambassador of the so called free world and proud democratic country that Mr Gardener does not understand or respect the concept of democracy !!
He does
All these people who think They have a right to speak on are country focus on ya own we voted brexit n I hope we come out on no deal n all you country’s would be lining up to secure trade deals with us
This ambassador knows Nothing. But on JC’s vile gaslighting of the Nation and Labour apart from the foul Tories: Labour has argued with supporters emailing me angry at your good self that a ‘third’ Referendum—first 1975 not advisory or corrupted as 2016 was—will split the UK. To Quit with no clean binding Third Referendum will split this country a hundred times harder with grim consequences, milder or stronger, taking the UK down to a state resembling civil war and break the UK apart, Ireland, Scotland will go so why ever will Wales stay? It won’t. Finish the UK finish Labour earlier or later as the young will get so angry with JC’S gaslighting betrayal. If Labour will be honest to spell out the costs, already, and far greater costs to come but above all how—invalid the 2016 Referendum is. If or when TV or Radio Journalist say ‘so you are defying the majority will’ they need say ‘it was not a majority when 3 million to 5 million’—please figures?—‘were not allowed to vote then the dirty money coupled with Trump’s manipulations of Farage, Boris, Rees Mogg, Boris, Liam, Putin’s manipulations with Facebook and more dirty money to make the UK slaves to him as Trump tries to make the UK part of his fascist leaning Empire not to count the hundreds of lies. Then how many did not vote to Quit for the present “No Deal May’s Deal Any Deal” put forward. JC’S deal is unworkable—see how Switzerland negotiated patiently with experts we do not have for 50 or more years yet is still in trouble and might have its deals torn up, all, by the EU, with Norway in similar case—to make us a Rule Taker not a Rule Maker. Until every Labour spokesperson does so I know JC is stuffed full in anti-EU prejudices plus Leninist Lies. (See Chomsky on Lenin, You Tube.)
Send Rees-Mogg and Farage to Brussels with 39 BB £ for a week and miracles will happen
1 leave
2 if Ireland needs a border it’s the EUs problem
UK and Ireland have the black Friday agreement . That can not be touched by the EU as it was declared before Ireland Joined the EU / You should not listen to the propaganda scare tactics / BBC SKY ALL POLITICIANS ARE OWNED BY THE BANKS / BANK OF ENGLAND AS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE UK
@Go Pro K UK It’s called the Good Friday Agreement (officially the Belfast Agreement), signed in 1998, in effect since 1999. And Ireland joined the EEC/EU along with the UK in 1973.
You don’t get it, do you? If the UK leaves on WTO terms (without a deal), it is allowed (under WTO terms) to either control all border traffic at all its borders equally, or none of it.
Controlling imports from (e.g.) China at all other borders, but not controlling imports ffom (e.g.) the EU at the inner Irish border, would violate one of the WTO’s very core rules, the non-discrimination principle.
China (acc. to this example) would simply sue the UK, and they would win.
It’s definitely also (and an even bigger) problem to the UK, than it is to the EU (which is way less dependent on WTO terms, than the UK would be).
I thought “taking back control of our borders” was a central Brexit belief? Why do you want to abandon that?
@Josefine Nilsson
Please don’t confuse him with such stubborn things, like facts and logic.
The UK’s new top industry will be unicorn farming, so they will (of course!) breed invisible unicorns, controlling immigration, despite an open border.
There does not need to be a hard border in the Irish sea, any more than there needs to be one in the Channel or the North Sea. This guy would have voted remain if he was a UK citizen and it’s colouring his opinion.
but you voted to leave to control your borders. Remember? Now you don´t want border controls?!!! Can you make up your mind?
@Andreia Pereira Sure some maybe voted to control immigration, but that was never my concern. I’ve wanted out of the EU for about 30 years now. It’s corrupt, incompetent and worse of all, anti democratic. I demand the right to remove those who would pass our laws, and with the EU you CANNOT do that. it’s rotten to the core and I want nothing to do with it politically.
It’s the fault of remainers that has made brexit a mess.
Yes, it’s there intention. May has failed to pass laws which should have been passed 6 months ago. Due to her incompetence, when there is a mess, she will blame Brexit.
what? Imagine you are talking to my snail. Can you explain that?
what the EU wants: can’t be changed
what the UK people want: well, you have to understand…
how is that not a dictatorship?
UK PEOPLE WANT FREE OF PAEDO’S BUREAUCRATS. / GOVERNMENT HAVE THE TRUST OF THE PEOPLE THATS ALL / THEY ARE THERE. FOR US / WE ARE NOT HERE FOR THEM /
THEY ARE LOSING TRUST FAST / TIME AS RAN OUT
Get a grip. It’s not the EU stopping you from leaving. It’s your own MP’s because they can’t agree on anything.
It was very very clear, and simple, only the idiots like labour, lib dems, greens, SUP . Put stupid hurdles in the way, they all need to be kicked out of politics. Taterdemalions and retarded thinkers.
Will people please note the photo attached with user D’Andre Brown? Something needs to be done about it! See the “you’re right but” thread.
Gardner is a globalist. Is his middle name Benjamin? Brexit is about democracy, not economics.
Brexit is about stupidity. Brexiteers are thundering idiots.
Globalism good, nationalism bad. Understood? Good boy!
no EU is about democracy and people. People first. Brexit is the contrary. You must understand this. immigrants out, jews out… they are people you know, and that´s not democracy.
There is no option for another vote / And should not be used as to obtain extra time/ It was legislated through the house of commons to activate article 50 and to leave on the 29th March 2019 with or without a deal / They have failed to make a deal because the government did not plan on losing the vote to remain / politicians are only in it for the EU, As most ex politicians go to EU from UK / It was treason by instalment from the beginning / Now UK is seeing how entangled we have been made to be by the EU / Its a crying shame they didn’t fight as much about joining as they are over leaving / May be we we’re miss lead by joining and NOT by leaving / in short another vote will be disastrous for politics and trust of the government not to mention outright disregard for the voting process and confirmation of treason in the eyes of the British people / in other words civil war march on parliament / and or the crown / Brexit is Brexit Treason is treason 👎😎
We don’t want May’s dirty little brexit.
An Obama appointee globalist would never concede Brexit means more freedom economically, socially etc for Britain. When Britain leaves, who will pick up the slack fiscally to keep the PIIGS above water, Germany?
gogriz91 : Who will pick the fruits in UK ? Who will buy your fish ? The Brexiters complain about people like Anna Soubry but never criticize somebody like David Davies who went to Brussel “without even a sketch on a piece of paper to show how Brexit could be implemented”. Two years have been wasted talking about the “corrupt E.U. burocrats”. The only people who don’t take seriously Brexit are the E.U. “burocrats”.
Don´t mind about the PIIGS. Worry about yourself. Just leave and f***k off
@Andreia Pereira You must not be a worker in Germany I’m guessing.
I just want the bloody thing over. I voted for Brexit but most of those in Westminster had and still have no formula to deliver it as the people wanted. Eventually unless Corbyn wakes up or May is replaced, the only possible outcomes are a “No Deal Brexit” or a Second Referendum giving people the choise of three things: 1) Accept the May Deal. 2) Accept a No Deal Brexit or 3) Vote to remain in the EU. The obvious outcome of that referendum will be the vote to remain will win. The former voters for the leave the EU option would not only not win a second referendum, if there is a ballot with the two exit options available it would split the exit camp and make the remain win even bigger. We can never have a deal that will eventually restore a physical border between the South and the North of Ireland.
“I voted for Brexit”. Then this is really your own fault. No point in moaning now, you did this to yourself.
@Square In Square Nobody could have guessed what a balls up of it the Conservatives has made of it. I am not saying I want to remain or leave, I can live with either outcome. What I am saying is that like so many people in the UK, we just want the whole thing over.
@Judith Aldridge You were told beforehand what would happen, you labeled it “project fear”. Now it’s reality.
@Square In Square Until recently I never wrote on here about Brexit. However you are right; had Cameron etc put emphasis on the benefits of remaining rather than his constant complaining he might have won the ballot.
This is not a question of ignorance or enlightenment. It is a question of sovereignty/free will versus subjugation. We are now like a woman with 2 husbands. We sleep with UK normally. But because We also are subjugated to EU’s will, we have to service EU master in Brussels. They want £39B u work hard and give. They say what foods we can eat and sell; we prepare: where the Border is, we obey. In return, we can trade In the common market and carry an EU ID, and bear the surname of European. Stick to our UK husband for goodness sake. Having another intrusive man in the house makes us into Europeans?????? 100 years ago, we had to defend our sisters on the Continent, and today we pay the price daily with £39 B. What ever for?
To read your comment is such a waste of time.
Nearly 3 years and you’re still writing this propaganda nonsens.
It’s truly embarrassing.
Daniel W. In our history since 1066, we are sovereign. We even rejected the stranglehold of the Papal System to form the Church of England. Now u prefer to grovel at Brussels for hand out?
Daniel W. U shd have a deeper sense of self respect than that. There is nothing u have in common with the Bundesvolk or people let in unchecked with no screening or vetting!
@Fair for all
You’re really gifted at taking a mosaic piece of various complex themes and creating a new version/story out of it, that (of course) suits you better. 👏
Daniel W. U are European first. British, doubtful.
I would say it is a catastrophic failure of leadership.
Theresa May is totally incompetent. As a childless women, she thought being PM would give meaning to her life, but she isn’t capable.
@VsstDtbs I must confess I think this mess is deliberate. To quote her former assistant, ‘for TM brexit was always about damage limitation.’ She does not see all the opportunities that this has to offer. We sent a remainer in to do a brexiteer’s job. Fool on us…
Leadership in place before the referendum, yes. By having a referendum that was too vague, it left a mess for whoever had to implement it. TM is trying to herd cats.
@monizdm You must be referring to the first referendum in 1975, how extremely vague that was. It referred to the common market, implying economic. People had no idea it was a political integration. At least in the 2nd referendum, they knew clearly they wanted to leave.
The problem was a disconnect between UK government/ UK institutions and the population at large. A referendum means one man one vote, which is at odds with representative democracy, where the political classes represent the population, and who are, in general, pro-EU. Brexit should have been taken out of the hands of politicians and a special group responsible for it back in 2016. A country has a right to self-determination, even though the globalist western elites are trying to stop it.
There is no mess EU loyalist within government and Parliament are making it harder… UK leaves 29th
lol EU citizens are not eager for the economic dammage you do the world in the event of no deal but we are prepared to have you ruin yourself so severely if it means the final suicidal charge of the mindset of the british colonial empire. my something better take its place you snowflake brexiteers.
@gerbenvanessen The truth would be if second referendum.s were not force there would be no EU… So for UK to move forward it as just shown how fragile and badly managed the EU is… Remember run by failed leaders and not quite so bright Buinessmen….
The uk Electorate are not wrong to want to breakaway from the EU , they have been lied to for 40 plus years they are seeing their sovereignty stripped away from them and you expect us to take it. If this happens in the US then the people would have taken to the streets by now fully armed and ready to fight. For years we have seen our laws changed by this EUSSR we have allowed migrants to come here and take over our towns etc , some even bring there own laws with them and we are not allowed to speak out about it or we are called racist . There comes a time when enough is enough . We voted leave and the only problem is this gutless Government can’t and will not deliver. We do not want a hard boarder in Ireland it is the EU insisting on it . Democracy must win the day . The Tories are finished in this country as are Labour . Let’s have an Election and see what the people think . I tell you now less than 10 % of current MPS in parliament would retain their seats . If you are so sure of yourselves in Parliament call an Election now , I dare you.
Frank Jenkins ahh, right. The immigrants. Well, the EU had little to do with that as only EU citizens have the right to live in the UK. As for EUSSR, what laws enslaved the English that don’t pertain to the Scottish who voted remain and clearly don’t agree?
christiaan hetzner Scotland is a part of uk not a separate country
Frank Jenkins not for long. You gave them the catalyst they needed. IndyRef2 is inevitable and I suspect the Scots have had enough of being a vassal state to Westminster. The SNP tried to effect change from within to at least show they made an honest attempt, but everyone knew May and Corbyn would drag then out of the EU against their will. Kind of explains why Sinn Fein doesn’t even bother taking their seats to begin with, pledge of loyalty to a foreign parliament notwithstanding.
Brits will starve if they not give to EU 63 billions
Great stuff! 1. No deal was taken off the tables 15/03/2019 2. Delay of Brexit 29/03/2019 due asking EU for extension – Off with his head 11th century Britain. More than two years, given from 23rd June 2016 to 29th March 2019 to set up an exit from EU and the PM starts in December 2019 running about. What a laughing stock and doesn’t understand the word ‘nebulous’?
Watch the movie – Too big to fail in reference to Britain (not) leaving EU! Yes, every year the UK remains in the EU, it pays EU one billion dollars!
That might be truth. But you will see that you win much more than you pay. For the same reason if you earn enough money to pay taxes you shouldn’t pay them. It is money you trow away… not getting any thing back… or a government you don’t really like. Please do a referendum to decide if you should pay taxes or not. I think you would profit a few billion pounds and then the UK would move forward full stem 😉
mr gardner sounds just like obama interceding, with his big nose. both hate democracy..
Hopefully it’s a purposeful mess to being no deal on 29/3 or parlour ment is done
Correct
Thanks, we got the Americans settling our Brexit deal!
This is the first time that someone brings up the humongous problem with the land and maritime border between the EU and the UK!
Don’t listen to the propaganda and fake news which is owned and controlled by the globalist elite who want to keep us tied to the EU for their own capitalist reasons the EU is failing and heading in a direction the British people want no part of the is the people vs the elite, listen to the facts Leave means Leave https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJf51pTe2zo
When has Europe ever had leadership? Adolph Hitler? Maybe it’s better that Europe doesn’t have leadership.
Jef go make love to Putin, Trump, Maduro, Kim Jong-un etc. you will be happier. You also do not understand what is a democracy, or how it should work
The MAY government has had two-an-d-a-half-years to get the voted-for LEAVE sorted-out. To NOW in panic, defy that LEAVE decision made 30-MONTHS-AGO is APPALLING, DISASTROUS, management by what has become, surely the WORST, the MOST-AMATEURISH GOVERNMENT of the LAST 100 YEARS.
Brexit is the suicide of the British colonial empire mindset.
and as an EU citizen I hope they will internalise the dammage they do to themselves and turn it into some force for good, becomming team players like the rest of the EU countries.
@jester26uk thank you for showing us you have no idea how the EU works, what sovereignty is, and how you spout independence nonsense while the ENglish pretty much control Scotland and part of Ireland. I got brexiteer bingo and won a toaster.
As a British person I hope so too! I have my issues with certain aspects of the EU but working with other European Countries is always better than going it alone. The whole thing is utterly embarrassing too.
Interesting to read two years later. The facts are telling us the truth.
The US talking about failed leadership in another country….., hahahahahahahaha
it is a former US ambassador, an individual. He doesn´t represent the US
As far as I can see, the only solution to the Irish border if Britain leaves on a no-deal situation is to have EU soldiers patrolling the border between the Republic and the North!
you wish! and a lollipop for every UK citizen!
I really hope Brexit is the endgame to this recent dabbling with nationalist populism. It’s like the British people got together and thought out the single most stupid, destructive and reckless way to put their hysterical xenophobia on display. It’s the equivalent of lighting yourself on fire to prove a point, and that point all along was how much better off you’d be if you were on fire. It’s insanity.
Britons have never understood the political peace project that the EU is in the same way that its other member states have. Perhaps because they were never occupied? Who knows.
The point of the EU was economical and political integration to avoid future wars. How? The more goods, people and service you exchange, the more dependent *both* parties are on having a good relationship. Germany can’t start a war with the rest of Europe if they import 80% of their medicines and 50% of their food from the EU. See?
This is essentially what the UK is being faced with now, the consequence of starting a war and abruptly disrupting all their supply chains, but without even being at war. In a way the disastrous Brexit just proves how well the EU works. Even under completely peaceful circumtances, the UK can’t even leave the EU in an orderly fashion over the period of 3 years without facing a logistical nightmare. This would mean an abrupt war is simply impossible. You’d have to restructure your entire economy over a period of decades.
But I guess now the UK is off to becoming like North Korea, because dependence is bad, m’kay. And their view of “dependence” is literally just trading and cooperating with other nations. You can’t trade or cooperate without another nation without creating some kind of mutual dependency. But mutual dependency is *good.* It’s what stops wars. North Korea is the only “truly” independent country (although they do rely on imports from China for energy, so not even they are 100%), and that’s not a country I’d aspire to become.
What do you think of the yellow vests in France?
@Bill Bird Quite understandable response to government policies which have disproportionately hit the poor and working class.
Brexit is the opposite of that. Brexit is like if the yellow vests would be angry at the EU and France’s EU membership rather than the French government, which has actually enacted the policies screwing people over.
Brexit can really just be summed up in two words: misplaced anger.
@Julian Nicholas Frederickson Fair enough, but there is an element of nationalism and anti immigration and anti EU associated with it. Also I wouldn’t call it “hysterical xenophobia” when talking about the UK – it is obviously about the grooming gangs, rapes, child abuse, knife crime and terrorist attacks etc. – these things are real, they aren’t made up of irrational fears and prejudices, pretending they don’t exist doesn’t make them go away. If self determinaton is defered to an international governing body who then make the choice to impose more and more of these problems upon you then it makes sense to wrest that control of the situation back into your hands.
I don’t care about Brexit, but I love the smile of the girl at the end of the video 😊❤️😂
This is the most articulate summation of the situation. Can someone give Theresa May his telphone number?
Simply put the UK has the best deal now inside the EU, every other option is a worse deal, similarly please note that latest polls show that a clear majority think leaving the EU is a mistake.
https://whatukthinks.org/eu/questions/if-there-was-a-referendum-on-britains-membership-of-the-eu-how-would-you-vote-2/
Just look at the situation in the US and the failures there first Mr. Gardner.
I gree with Gardner on one thing. I don’t think the UK public were told the truth about the consequences of BREXIT.
The UK and Irish border is a red herring to undermine democracy! We don’t want to be part of the mainland just like any other island country in the world! The corsicans have wanted independence from France since the end of ww2 lol! The mainland is riddled with two anti-British idealisms that has historically never worked Socialism and Catholicism! Our sense ability is slightly more evolved than those of the mainland who are in the Irish case 100 years behind!
WW3,
It takes an american to sort out a British problem.
Madness,
Is this man completely ignorant of USA foreign policy and the interference of the State Department in European affairs generally and UK affairs particularly? The U.S. virtually ordered the UK to join the EEC ( as the EU was called then) as early as possible. George Ball , representing the U.S. ,met with Edward Heath, then Lord Privy seal , and a Foreign Office official on 30 March,1961, , bearing tidings that the U.S. political establishment regarded it as a misfortune that the UK had not joined the EU. The document with the minutes of the meeting is PRO, FO 371/158162.An official of the Regan administration has described the UK as a vassal state of the USA and this was proven when Blair declared his support for Bush’s Iraq war. This just one item from a catalogue of others which could be cited to prove my point.
Most major companies in the UK will leave.
Meantime all is well in America. BS
It’s all perfectly clear…..
)*&^%$£$%^&*&^%$£”£$%^&*&^%$%^&^%$£%^&^%$%^&%$
See?
You are MESS not Brexit!!!
Brexit is not the disaster, the disaster is finding out there are so many MP’s who conspire to buck the system of British democracy, a majority vote to leave the EU. What’s the bet this American would be saying something totally different if Mexico were to make the laws governing the US? Why don’t we suggest having an open border in Alaska with their neighbours, Russia.
Conservative party/DUP are incompetent .
This guy is a slimy remainer.
And the English are dragging us Scots out of the EU!! >:(
I STILL REFER TO HIM A DODGY DAVE.
It is a characteristic of this age that there is a lack of progressive leadership. Those that are in power; Putin, Trump, Xi, BJohnson, Jair Bolsonaro, Narendra Modi are all Nationalists, Racist, Misogynist, Sexist, Sectarian, Corrupt, venal, Militarists that approve the use of police violence against their opposition. This period will end one day in the future and we will look back on it as that time before the recession ended.
Why is it so bad the uk want to make decisions for themselves?
Lol. Because that is lie, it already did make its own decisions but from now on all important decisions will be made in the eu that affect it and they will have absolutely no say. How is that a powerful position?
And this is from someone who has trump as a president
Ooop this did not age well 🤣