EU referendum, brexit and the aftermath

Not just Percy Pig sweets it has emerged:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jan/08/firms-including-ms-suspend-eu-exports-over-brexit-smallprint

Boris Johnson was said to have swerved the topic of Brexit impact in a call with more than 200 business leaders earlier this week.

“It was a meaningless call, it was all mottoes, we are going to build back business better, build back business greener and a few patsy questions about how much better it would be, nothing about the realities of Brexit and Covid hitting us all hard,” said one business leader.

They really don't give a shit about anything.

They think running the country is a PR exercise.

The problem with that approach is it just kicks the can down the road. Eventually, even a weak press and a disinterested population will realise that things are materially shitter.

Constantly in campaign mode aren't they? It's all they have

EDIT: replied to the wrong post. No source only second hand comments (ie my colleague xyz has been waiting far too long for this)

When @Señor_Bear tries to do Transcontinental race with his packed coronation chicken sandwiches...
https://twitter.com/iancleverly/status/1348534489656520704?s=21

coronation chicken

🤢

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55586246

The mess that are "non tarriff trade restrictions" continues.

Some goods now go via Ireland instead.
Ireland relaxing checks (which can't last forever)
Not all checks are carried out yet (only GB > EU/NI and NI inwards, full checks due March?) and queues are already building up.
Dover traffic reduces, no lorries no queues.
Fines being handed out to drivers, lorries being stuck for hours and sometimes a day and over.
Some drivers won't go to GB anymore.

Fun seeing SDLP roasting DUP on Brexit though: You broke it, you own it.

Right, I need to order paint for my son's birthday: Let's see if that artshop in England with stock still ships here... :/

Why do you hate are curry?

Thank goodness we have all that extra fish now.

Yeah, I saw something about that. Ian Blackford demanded billions in compensation for Scotland, to mitigate the havoc Brexshit has caused for Scottish business. Particularly their fishing industry:

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jan/10/snp-demand-billions-in-brexit-compensation-for-scotland

Ian Blackford demanded billions in compensation for Scotland

Hah. Good luck with that, Ian old chap...

It's all grist for the mill of the upcoming elections in which the SNP wish to do as well as possible.

Of course, Johnson delaying them until 2022 "because Covid" might make things very entertaining.

Another brexit dividend announced today...

The GHIC (Global health insurance card). It replaces the EHIC (European health insurance card).

It entitles you to the exact same benefits as the EHIC, with the exception of Norway, Switzerland and Lichtenstein.

So apart from the name change, it’s less global than the EHIC.

That’s literally it.

The level of small-mindedness is staggering.

To be honest that's much better than I would have ever imagined.

Don’t disagree but that makes it worse.

It’s literally identical and the only reason it’s changed is because the original had the word ‘European’ in it.

That decision was made purely to appease xenophobics.

Decisions like that are costly, unnecessary and ultimately dangerous if they enable the kind of tribalism we’re seeing in the US.

This year's post Brexit Christmas feast:

1 Attachment

Is that Vimto?

Thanks for the heads-up. Interestingly, if you're an EU citizen and from the excluded countries, you can still apply for a 'new EHIC', showing that they haven't abandoned the old name completely, just restricted the number of countries covered by the cards UK citizens can apply for.

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/apply-for-a-free-uk-global-health-insurance-card-ghic/

This has likely been covered, but I was hoping to order some guitar parts from thomann.de - a website I've used a lot for years.

For smaller orders (<£135), they appear to be letting UPS collect the VAT for the government. However, UPS are apparently charging a further 2.5% for paperwork, and then a futher service charge of minimum £11.50. The rules differ at the £135 point obviously but I can't explain how.

So... that extra VAT charge looks like it'll end up being much more once the postal services start to gouge you for it. Brilliant.

I wanted something similar to this at £80.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/gotoh_sgs510z_a07_mg_t_6l_b_tuners.htm

It'd now cost (I guess?) ( 80 * 0.2 ) + (80 *0.025) + 11.50 = £109.5 plus postage.

Before Brexit the vendor would have charged VAT, so the price wouldn't have been £80 though. That's the ex-VAT rate.

Is that Vimto?

A good guess under the circumstances, but no. Let us think of it as the last dregs from what has proved to be final French supermarket trip in late 2019!

You're right - I totally missed that, my calculations are way off then. It's the service charge by UPS that I was taking particular umbrage at.

Thomann based in Germany, prices include the 19% tax though.

But thanks for asking as I've been wondering myself!

And some anecdata from the other side, my partner ordered two pairs of jeans from the U.K., costing £100 each, and just found out she has to pay €40 of customs / handling fees on it when it arrives here in the Netherlands. Probably won't be ordering anything from the UK anymore.