Brexit and the EU

[JerseyMo]

I happened to have been on business trip to our London office during what I think was the final voting on to Brexit or not.

What I found interesting were the parallels to US, yet the British media would go on and on and on about Trump said this and Trump said that and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah....  so it is okay for the UK but not the US to try and kept jobs and build the economy?

Interesting No?

Here is a clip from the BBC- and how it seems similar

• Freedom to make better and stronger trade deals with other nations.
• ""equalize trade deficit between the US and countries we export to"?
• Freedom to use UK resources in the UK to the advantage of the nation’s citizens.
• "bring jobs back to the US from overseas"?
• Freedom to control the country’s national borders.
• "Is the UK going to build a wall"?
• Freedom to restore UK’s special legal system.
• Not up on what this one is but I say go for it!
• Freedom to deregulate the European Unions' costly mass of laws.
• "US foots the bulk of cost for most of NATO"!
• To make major savings for British consumers.
• Lower taxes
• To improve the British economy and generate more jobs for the citizens.
• "Make the UK Great Again"
• In order to regenerate Britain’s fisheries.
• Bring jobs back!
• Freedom to restore British customs, culture and traditions.
• Yep - you guest it MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

[oldhippy]

From what I can tell most here in the UK do not like Trump. We do not like Merkel, she is the real enemy.

[yankeedog]

Make Great Britain Great again. It has a nice ring to it.

[oldhippy]

It's the bloody E U dragging its feet, they just will not let us (UK) go. The French are having a go at our fishing rights around Jersey, they have banned our fishermen from landing their catch at certain ports in France, while Boris is still sitting on his fat ass. 

[jdm]

2 hours ago, oldhippy said:

It's the bloody E U dragging its feet, they just will not let us (UK) go. 

The UK is  gone already. Now there is a minor international dispute, work it out. No need need to blame the EU which has no part in it.

[Klassiker]

2 hours ago, oldhippy said:

It's the bloody E U dragging its feet

More a case of no preferential treatment for an ex-partner who wasn't happy with the existing terms and conditions.

[oldhippy]

You could say the E U are still controlling us in certain parts with a big stick. It was that bloody idiot Blair that signed us up into things that are hard to get out of. The EU will not give way to anything. 

[jdm]

2 hours ago, Klassiker said:

More a case of no preferential treatment for an ex-partner who wasn't happy with the existing terms and conditions.

Much ado for a trivial esource expoitation issue, that is just about some money for a given sector. My country had plenty of these plus the agricultural ones, before and after the creation of the Union, which I suppose has only helped in settlingn disputes peacefully. Some were quite bitter and involved road blockages etc. All have ve been resolved before or after but as we speak our fishing vessels crews are taken hostage or being shot while in international waters. Our Navy does what they can but is not possible to escort every ship or start a war for seafood. 

With so much else to worry about the nationalist use this to keep beating their drum, no surprise in that either. 

[Klassiker]

7 hours ago, oldhippy said:

You could say the E U are still controlling us in certain parts with a big stick. It was that bloody idiot Blair that signed us up into things that are hard to get out of. The EU will not give way to anything. 

Not sure what this, or the fishing rights around Jersey, has to do with Brexit's effect on Cousins' business. If you are in the EU, the rules are clear. If you are out, the rules are also clear (and it's the ones who are in who make the rules, don't forget).

As far as the rest is concerned, "the Story of Brexit - A Ladybird  book" has a lot of wisdom to offer.

It's Cousins, and all the companies like them, and their customers like me, on both sides of the divide, who are suffering and will continue to suffer. 

[oldhippy]

I'm just explaining that this Brexit is not clear cut. You are very wrong the rules are not clear, why do you think it took such a long time to hammer out some sort of a deal. We played a big part in the EU. I will leave it there as this could go on and on. 

[VWatchie]

I still do my shopping from CousinsUK.com. In my opinion one of the very best sources for tools and parts. However, I've learnt to select the UPS shipping option which is usually around £22. The shipping time (so far) has always been approx. four days, and I get a text message the day before delivery with a reference number and the total amount to pay for taxes, import fees, and handling fees. I can then make the payment using a mobile app called Swish (possibly a strictly Swedish app) and the stuff is delivered to my door the next day. Works like a charm! Anyway, to get an idea of the final cost I multiply the total invoice value with 1.4 which is a pretty good estimate of the actual cost.

So, the major problem is that it has become considerably more expensive to shop from the UK. Swedish main stream media blames the UK for the suffering of Swedish companies doing business with UK, but the reality is of course that it has nothing to do with the UK. The only reason for the decline in the UK/Swedish business is the EU.

IMO, more member states should follow the brave and exemplary example of the Brits. This would put substantial pressure on the EU to reform to benefit its citizens instead of the globalists. Europeans are smart enough to implement free trade and cooperation in critical and common matters such as law enforcement, climate, environment, etc., without creating a supranational political abomination designed for the political aristocracy and the globalists.

Well, jm2c!

[jdm]

2 hours ago, VWatchie said:

Oh BTW, did I mention that I don't care much for a United States of Europe?

Be reassured, you're in good company as that was not never proposed, planned or discussed. Unfortunately the ignorance and prejudice about what EU dominates. Which I understand, as it's a wonderful blame subject for any occasion. 

[spectre6000]

VAT sounds like a PITA. I hope that's not construed as a political statement... I'm honestly not sure how customs works here. Just does. Overseas shipments must have whatever fees paid by the shipper, because I only ever see the more complex labels on those packages. Some have a declared value (usually either a lie or suggesting I overpaid quite dramatically) on which I assume some amount was paid, but there's never anything I can do about it even if I wanted to. It used to be that sales tax on internet sales between states was supposed to be paid by the buyer somehow. I've never heard of any such thing actually occurring, and the laws around that were eventually changed to make it work. It's possible there's a similar yet unaddressed mechanism at play here.

[jdm]

6 minutes ago, spectre6000 said:

VAT sounds like a PITA. 

The idea is, High services (e.g. universal free healthcare no ifs not buts) == High Taxation.

 

7 minutes ago, spectre6000 said:

 I'm honestly not sure how customs works here. 

In the US? You hardly pay anything ever on imports:

 

[VWatchie]

5 hours ago, jdm said:

Be reassured, you're in good company as that was not never proposed, planned or discussed.

And yet supranationalism has already been implemented and strong voices with the EU are arguing for EU taxation power. Hmm... 

[spectre6000]

5 hours ago, jdm said:

The idea is, High services (e.g. universal free healthcare no ifs not buts) == High Taxation.

Gotta be honest with you... (screed deleted) There is a long list of things I'd trade you in a heartbeat. We do a lot well, but that ain't one of them. There's a middle ground that is maximally effective with minimal friction, and it's much closer to you than us.

Edited May 15, 2021 by spectre6000

[jdm]

Back to the subject topic, below from a private conversation with Sam Cousins.

Thank you for the link and thank you to you and your members for the positive comments, they are appreciated.

From our perspective, EU deliveries from Cousins are now 20% cheaper (there is no VAT).

Our sell price will always compete with your local supplier, even if duty charges are applied.

We have found, like some of your members, some deliveries have taken a little longer due to local customs procedures as well as the carriers being caught off guard by the amount of regulations they now have to implement, surprising given they knew the date of Brexit. However i am being constantly assured that back logs are now being cleared and the carriers now have the infrastructure to deal with the new situation. Cousins now include all the commodity codes and countries of origin of the goods on the customs invoices (copies of which are electronically sent to your local customs as well as included with the goods) and this breakdown is also included on the invoice emailed to our customers, should they need to chase their local customs.

Hopefully with the carriers getting on top of their situation as well as Cousins providing all the required information to the local customs agents, delivery timeframes will return to what they were.

Kind regards,
Sam Cousins
Cousins Management Team

[VWatchie]

23 minutes ago, jdm said:

From our perspective, EU deliveries from Cousins are now 20% cheaper (there is no VAT).

Yes, Cousins are doing everything right! They are extremely professional!

Here (Sweden) local value-added tax is added 25 %, plus import fees, plus handling fees, plus a completely unreasonable waiting time. My £211 Cousins order placed April 7, still today (May 18th) hasn't been delivered, and it has so far costed me £285. EU is an amazingly enriching construct for the globalists, politicians, and the bureaucrats, but not so much for the common man although it was promised to be.

On 5/15/2021 at 11:41 PM, spectre6000 said:

Gotta be honest with you... (screed deleted) There is a long list of things I'd trade you in a heartbeat. We do a lot well, but that ain't one of them. There's a middle ground that is maximally effective with minimal friction, and it's much closer to you than us.

"High services == High Taxation" (written by a C# programmer?) is nothing but a myth perpetuated by socialists. I live in Sweden which has been dominated by social democrats for the past 100 years and has the highest taxes in the world, so I can tell you first hand. We can't freely determine what we need or want, or how to spend our money, because that money has already been confiscated by the state. For every $100 I create I get to keep $40 at best. And, when we are in dire need of expensive care, for example a cancer operation, the queues are so long that we often die before we end up on the operating table. In the long run, we will also have to stand in line to buy food and other necessities (that's always what socialism brings you in the end). Socialism is perhaps an enticing thought, but it doesn't work, has never worked (the history and present day are full of examples), and will never work. Its implementation and long term consequences have always been evil.

[Klassiker]

On 5/18/2021 at 4:06 PM, VWatchie said:

EU is an amazingly enriching construct for the globalists, politicians, and the bureaucrats

..... Etc etc etc.

Please could we agree to keep this thread on-topic and take our politics elsewhere?

[jdm]

2 hours ago, Klassiker said:

Please could we agree to keep this thread on-topic and take our politics elsewhere?

Off topic postings have been split out.

[VWatchie]

1 hour ago, jdm said:

Off topic postings have been split out.

 

3 hours ago, Klassiker said:

Please could we agree to keep this thread on-topic and take our politics elsewhere?

It's sort of difficult to discuss Brexit in relation to business with the EU member states and how it affects the common man without touching on the politics behind it. The nature of any discussion is most often that one thing leads to another, and as long as it is somewhat related, relevant, and respectful I think it most often adds to a discussion. Of course, other members may not agree with what we have to say and it may even make others feel uncomfortable and perhaps even insulted, but that's the price we pay for the free exchange of ideas and opinions and I see no harm in it.

Edited May 21, 2021 by VWatchie

[Klassiker]

@VWatchieI understand you, but I don't agree. I'm not arguing against free speech, but there is the right time and place for it. It's not what I come here for. I have strong opinions on the broader subject of Brexit, but I keep them to myself on this forum. Sharing relevant facts about the broader issues is a different matter.

There comes a point where wading through people's opinions to get to the information I can use becomes too tiresome. The signal to noise ratio on this forum is very high, and I'd like it to stay that way.

[VWatchie]

6 hours ago, Klassiker said:

There comes a point where wading through people's opinions to get to the information I can use becomes too tiresome.

I can relate to that. Moving the "political posts" to a separate thread was an excellent idea. I didn't understand that at first but just assumed "the missing posts" had been deleted or hidden. So, everyone's happy! 

I have basically said everything I wanted to say on this matter, but to make sure. Significantly increased costs and delays in delivery from the UK to Sweden (and likely other member states within the EU) is the fault of the EU. It's so very dishonest of Swedish mainstream media and politicians to blame the Brits for all of these problems.

[VWatchie]

7 hours ago, jdm said:

 

Edited May 21, 2021 by VWatchie
Post moved to the wrong thread by the moderator.

[Colditz]

On 5/15/2021 at 12:26 PM, VWatchie said:

I agree and that was always my choice before Brexit. It was excellent, but as of now everything shipped by Royal Mail gets stuck in Swedish customs. My guess is that "they" intentionally leave it for weeks, sometimes months, to punish me and the British for Brexit. One of my Royal Mail orders from Cousins was shipped April 8th and arrived in Sweden April 14. I still haven't received this package, and when I track this package today, more than a month later, all I get is the below...

When I call Postnord (Swedish Royal Mail) a rather arrogant person informs me that "The shipment item is in customs clearance and there is no estimated delivery time yet". The tone, as well, is very much like I'm a criminal and that I've done something wrong.

So, from now on I will only use courier when shopping from Cousins. IMO, time is money and I just hate waiting.

I agree it does look like we are being chastised for leaving EU. The effect of which will mean more engineering in the UK I hope. There was already a common market with trade deals set up, I cannot understand why they can't simply revert pre EU.