Courtesy of Mish.
Words are flying, generally pointed at UK prime minister Theresa May for forcing the UK into a “hard” Brexit.
Is that Theresa May’s doing or is it German chancellor Angela Merkel’s doing? How about the “gang of 27”? Does the question even matter?
Regardless, the search is on for a solution. Financial Times writer John Gapper, argues for a soft hard-boiled egg. Is there such a thing?
Searching for a Soft Hard-Boiled Egg
John Gapper says Quit the EU gently to Protect British Workers.
Chief executives do not usually call press conferences to confess their uncertainty, so Carlos Ghosn’s appearance at the Paris Motor Show last week made a refreshing change. “I don’t know what it means. What does it mean?” inquired the Renault and Nissan boss when asked about Brexit.
It means a shock for the car industry if Liam Fox, UK international trade secretary, has his way. Britain has entered “a ‘post-geography trading world’ where we are much less restricted in having to find partners who are physically close to us”, Dr Fox insisted in a fatuous speech on the same day. Forget the EU, which accounts for half of the UK’s exports; gaze into the distance.
Dr Fox has made little secret of his enthusiasm for the hardest of hard Brexits. He would like the UK to leave not only the EU and its single market but also the tariff-free customs union that it formed in 1968. If it abandons all three in 2019, when Brexit occurs, he will have a job negotiating trade deals with the rest of the world. Until then, he must defer to the EU’s agreements.
Liam Fox on Free Trade
Gapper is referring to a speech by UK’s international trade secretary, Liam Fox, regarding Free trade.
