"Think about it again," German minister urges UK on Brexit

[webfact]

"Think about it again," German minister urges UK on Brexit

 

File picture: Germany's Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth listens to a journalist ask a question at the Western Balkans Summit in London, Britain, July 9, 2018. Matt Dunham/Pool via REUTERS

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Europe Minister Michael Roth urged Britain on Monday to think about reviewing its decision to leave the European Union.

 

"The door to the EU always remains open - perhaps think about it again," Roth told German broadcaster ARD. Asked if that meant holding a second referendum, he replied: "Exactly."

 

After seeing her deal to leave the EU resoundingly defeated in parliament last week, British Prime Minister Theresa May has opened talks with lawmakers from all parties to try to find a way to move forward with Brexit.

 

"I have often said Shakespeare could not have written any better the tragedy we are now witnessing in Britain," Roth said. "I am not so sure now, because Shakespeare would have pushed up against the limits of his imagination," Roth said.

 

"I expect firstly that the Britons say now what they want. They have in the past weeks told us what they don't want. Now we need a clear signal. We are ready for negotiations," he added.

 

Separately, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told RBB radio he was optimistic a so-called hard - or no-deal -Brexit could be avoided.

 

(Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Riham Alkousaa and Raissa Kasolowsky)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-01-21

[smedly]

17 minutes ago, webfact said:

"The door to the EU always remains open - perhaps think about it again," Roth told German broadcaster ARD. Asked if that meant holding a second referendum, he replied: "Exactly."

I know "Exactly" the effect his comments will have

[zydeco]

Sure. Run like a whipped dog back to master so that you will know what it means to be house broken.

[lungbing]

Terrified they must up their payment into the coffers to cover the shortfall.   Perhaps they should not have tried so hard to punish the UK.

[welovesundaysatspace]

I must say thank you to those German ministers. Seeing all those Brexiteers going nuts about it — priceless. Keep going guys. Throw in something about WWII or football maybe. Those damn krauts. Stealing us everything. 

[maingmoom]

They should have thought about this two years ago and negotiated with Britain a better deal than the one just voted out. The best way forward now is to leave with no deal. 

[Proboscis]

14 hours ago, lungbing said:

Terrified they must up their payment into the coffers to cover the shortfall.   Perhaps they should not have tried so hard to punish the UK.

If you think that 38 million, shared among 27 members, is going to make the sort of difference that the economic devastation the UK will experience, you are really mistaken. If the large  EU economies are really concerned, it is because the resulting devastated UK in a post no-deal world will no longer be a viable trading partner.

 

 

[Laughing Gravy]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

Asked if that meant holding a second referendum, he replied: "Exactly."

Typical EU rhetoric. Vote until you get it right! Well sunny Jim we got it right first time.

[Laughing Gravy]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

"I expect firstly that the Britons say now what they want.

We have been saying it since 2016. we want out of the corrupt, federal EU. It is the stupid politicians who are not acting on what was said. 'Leave Means Leave' Theresa. Get on with it.

[sammieuk1]

Everyone loves a right wing German give his Brexit views it is still panto season he's behind you????

[Becker]

13 minutes ago, Proboscis said:

If you think that 38 million, shared among 27 members, is going to make the sort of difference that the economic devastation the UK will experience, you are really mistaken. If the large  EU economies are really concerned, it is because the resulting devastated UK in a post no-deal world will no longer be a viable trading partner.

 

 

Oh no, you are mistaken. The UK will negotiate wonderful trade deals with.........uh,........Belarus and......Venezuela and.......Eritrea....just to name a few!!

[Baerboxer]

A wise man not afraid to say what many British people also think and say. Danke sehr!

 

But the stubborn arrogant inept and intellectually challenged May will flog her crap deal till it's too late and Britain falls into the hands of the loony tunes Brexit backers like barmy Boris, dubious Reece Moog and weasel Gove; and the communist Corbyn who flounders like some 70's time warped militant.

 

A "back to Victorian Britain, of a very rich elite minority and very poor everyone else" or socialist "paradise" a la Venezuela under the neo-communist anti UK terrorists' friend comrade Corbyn.

 

Difficult to decide which is more repulsive!

[Baerboxer]

46 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Typical EU rhetoric. Vote until you get it right! Well sunny Jim we got it right first time.

 

Yes we did - in 1975 you mean!

[Baerboxer]

1 hour ago, maingmoom said:

They should have thought about this two years ago and negotiated with Britain a better deal than the one just voted out. The best way forward now is to leave with no deal. 

 

That's right - jump of the cliff into the unknown. Might be a soft landing on your feet after all!

[nauseus]

3 hours ago, maingmoom said:

They should have thought about this two years ago and negotiated with Britain a better deal than the one just voted out. The best way forward now is to leave with no deal. 

A very good observation. The EU was obviously never keen on sensible negotiation, even before 2016.

 

See what the BBC put up today: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46951942

 

Brexit: David Cameron warned by Donald Tusk over 'stupid referendum' - this was in 2016 but shows up Tusk as the interfering cretin he really is. Silly Donald, it's comments like this that fired up the leave vote. Keep it up m8.

 

 

[Laughing Gravy]

1 hour ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Yes we did - in 1975 you mean!

That was aeons ago and since then we have been after a vote to rectify the lie that we were sold. Thankfully the British people have seen past the lies and manipulation that shackled the UK to the EEC then the EU

 

If you think I meant 1975 then I had you down for being smarter.????

[nauseus]

2 hours ago, Proboscis said:

If you think that 38 million, shared among 27 members, is going to make the sort of difference that the economic devastation the UK will experience, you are really mistaken. If the large  EU economies are really concerned, it is because the resulting devastated UK in a post no-deal world will no longer be a viable trading partner.

 

 

It's 39 billion - not million - just for starters. This deficit would have to be almost all made up by Germany, with possibly The Netherlands, France and (maybe) Italy and not shared by most of the 27, most of whom are expectant net recipients of the EU doll. The Germans can afford it for the moment but they are worried about a backlash from their own people, who will object to any increase in EU contributions, as Germany is already by far the biggest contributor. Italy and France can't really afford much of anything extra right now. 

[dick dasterdly]

2 hours ago, Proboscis said:

If you think that 38 million, shared among 27 members, is going to make the sort of difference that the economic devastation the UK will experience, you are really mistaken. If the large  EU economies are really concerned, it is because the resulting devastated UK in a post no-deal world will no longer be a viable trading partner.

 

 

Amongst 27 members?  How many are actually paying in more than they receive?

 

Do you think they are happy at paying out even more when/if the uk leaves?

 

And that's without even getting into the uk trade deficit - which (when it comes to the eu) mostly boils down to a few, wealthier, eu countries?

[welovesundaysatspace]

1 hour ago, nauseus said:

The Germans (...) are worried about a backlash from their own people, who will object to any increase in EU contributions, as Germany is already by far the biggest contributor.  

Where do you get this from? I’ve yet to find anyone in Germany who’s worried about this, or even discussing it. 

[Laughing Gravy]

For those who still believe that Armageddon will happen after Brexit. I could have posted the whole article although some posters seem to get upset????

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/business/britain-s-growth-to-match-europe-s-best-says-imf-zf975d76g

 

 

Britain will grow at least as fast as its biggest eurozone neighbours over the next two years as a sharp economic slowdown in the single currency bloc drags on global growth, the International Monetary Fund has said.

 

Downgrades for Germany and Italy were to blame for the IMF’s decision to reduce its world growth forecast for this year to 3.5 per cent, below its October projection of 3.7 per cent.

 

The outlook for the UK was left unchanged at 1.5 per cent this year and 1.6 per cent in 2020, which means that Britain is expected to grow faster than Germany and Italy and just as fast as France. Of the nations in the G7, only the United States and Canada are expected to outpace Britain.

[welovesundaysatspace]

1 hour ago, dick dasterdly said:

Do you think they [the remaining 27 EU countries] are happy at paying out even more when/if the uk leaves?

Doesn’t the EU have a yearly budgeting process in which that could be adjusted? Would be interesting to know what actually are fixed costs and agreed commitments that cannot easily be cut in the short-run, and what can actually be reduced if needed. Just looking at the net contributions chart, the UK’s net contribution could be distributed not only among the net contributors but also among the investments. 

[Basil B]

1 hour ago, dick dasterdly said:

Amongst 27 members?  How many are actually paying in more than they receive?

 

Do you think they are happy at paying out even more when/if the uk leaves?

 

And that's without even getting into the uk trade deficit - which (when it comes to the eu) mostly boils down to a few, wealthier, eu countries?

Bit of a selfish attitude, we were paying more because we were a lot better off, I suppose next you will be saying we should stop foreign aid too. 

[nauseus]

44 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

Where do you get this from? I’ve yet to find anyone in Germany who’s worried about this, or even discussing it. 

There are many but here is one:

 

https://euobserver.com/economic/141740 

[puck2]

36 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

For those who still believe that Armageddon will happen after Brexit. I could have posted the whole article although some posters seem to get upset????

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/business/britain-s-growth-to-match-europe-s-best-says-imf-zf975d76g

 

<-------->

 

You quote a Murdock Newspaper; that explains all your negative anti-EU propaganda as "corrupt" etc. - without any concrete facts.

 

I would start with your own government:

• May, a stubborn lady, completely unable to say and act how a Brexit should be administered. A complete incompetent MP. She didn't think one minute about finding a bipartisan agreement within GB, so that the parliament could vote for it. She didn't think of the GB people.
• Corbyn, as opposition leader, an absolute failure. Without a clear program, without ideas how to go on, only blabla concerning the process, but no idea for a bipartisan (GB) agreement.
• Only now, after two and a half years - 5 Minutes before the door is closed -  members of the legislature, and of different parties, and not of the government, try to find a solution for solving the Brexit problem.  That was missed by May and Corbyn.

[Laughing Gravy]

16 minutes ago, puck2 said:

 

You quote a Murdock Newspaper; that explains all your negative anti-EU propaganda as "corrupt" etc. - without any concrete facts.

 

I would start with your own government:

• May, a stubborn lady, completely unable to say and act how a Brexit should be administered. A complete incompetent MP. She didn't think one minute about finding a bipartisan agreement within GB, so that the parliament could vote for it. She didn't think of the GB people.
• Corbyn, as opposition leader, an absolute failure. Without a clear program, without ideas how to go on, only blabla concerning the process, but no idea for a bipartisan (GB) agreement.
• Only now, after two and a half years - 5 Minutes before the door is closed -  members of the legislature, and of different parties, and not of the government, try to find a solution for solving the Brexit problem.  That was missed by May and Corbyn.

Does it matter where it came from? Its a quote from the IMF. I know my government is useless and the other politicians. It needs a brexiteer to truly get the UK out of the EU.

 

Actually if you read the Times like I do, most of the articles are pro EU and against Brexit. it would seem that this article touched a nerve!

[welovesundaysatspace]

1 hour ago, nauseus said:

There are many but here is one:

 

https://euobserver.com/economic/141740 

I thought you were referring to the public. As for the politics, I would expect them to push back first.

[nauseus]

2 hours ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

I thought you were referring to the public. As for the politics, I would expect them to push back first.

I think it may be both. Several Germans I know are also unhappy with the EU but more unhappy with Mutti.

[lungbing]

5 hours ago, Basil B said:

Bit of a selfish attitude, we were paying more because we were a lot better off, I suppose next you will be saying we should stop foreign aid too. 

Too right as recipients include China and India.  And why are we paying for girl groups in Afghanistan and for dictator's new Lear jets throughout Africa.

The UK is borrowing money and paying interest on that to give it to countries with a space program.

[Jaggg88]

On 1/22/2019 at 3:38 AM, Baerboxer said:

 

Yes we did - in 1975 you mean!

In 1975 we voted to join the EEC, not the EU! We have never voted to be in the EU! but we did vote to leave.

[Jaggg88]

On 1/22/2019 at 3:04 AM, Becker said:

Oh no, you are mistaken. The UK will negotiate wonderful trade deals with.........uh,........Belarus and......Venezuela and.......Eritrea....just to name a few!!

56% of UK exports already go to countries outside of the EU - 95% of British companies do not export to the EU at all. So all these predictions of doom and gloom seem rather hollow. There are so many 'experts' making predictions on Brexit so how do they become 'experts' on a subject that has never happened before?