EU referendum, brexit and the aftermath

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55871373

The UK will apply to join a free trade area with 11 Asia and Pacific nations on Monday, a year after it officially left the EU.

Joining the group of "fast-growing nations" will boost UK exports, the government says.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership - or CPTPP - covers a market of around 500 million people.

But they are harder to reach than neighbouring markets in Europe.

Members include Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.

Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam are also founder members of the bloc, which was established in 2018.

Question is what the UK can add over Australia / NZ who is closer to China and how it is better than existing EU arrangements with those countries.

It’s purely designed to make us accept US food standards by the back door, there is close to zero economic benefit. Essentially it’s a ha-ha which prevents us making our trading relationship closer with the EU again by entrenching food standard differences, which is why all the culture way cunts have a massive hard-on for it.

In other news:

What are the housing associations mentioned?

US food standards won't be allowed in NI, so I suspect it'll complicate trade deals for us here.

Not that the current Tories care about NI voting for unification but even organising a poll is 10 years off...

And feck me it'll be 100x worse than brexit debates...

But part of the reason the partition happened was that then the UK was a huge market. If it's the reverse in 10 years with EU offering more...

Any one with a bond issue rated by Moody’s

Moody’s publicly rate 26 housing associations in the UK
Family Mosaic, Peabody Trust, Radian Group, AmicusHorizon, Notting Hill Housing Group, Together Housing Group, Genesis Housing Association, B3 Living

https://www.plsa.co.uk/portals/0/Documents/0302-Investment-Insight-Social-Housing%20b.pdf

Any reason why they would specifically call them out? Out of all the classes of org affected by Brexit, it seems curious to mention them. They are not - in the grand scale of things - important.

Moody’s concerns itself primarily with securities it rates (ie the housing association bonds), rather than making general macro pronouncements.

Ta!

what's Moody's doing when it give ratings to countries?

They issue securities as well? ie government bonds that have credit ratings.

that's what I'm getting at - they're rating a government's creditworthiness which seems pretty macro to me?

I think the point I was trying to make is that they aren’t macro forecasters per se, rather they comment on developments that are relevant to securities they rate?

I see - I think I misunderstood the point you were making

Some more about trading difficulties, posted because of obvious forum relevance.

FDF says some fresh food exporters are facing an existential threat. Cross-channel deliveries that used to take “a couple of days are now taking five days”, killing the shelf life of produce such as British sausage, said Goudie. “They may have to sell frozen sausages in future but the question is: will people want to buy frozen sausages?” said Goudie.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jan/31/brexit-trade-troubles-teething-problems-endemic-disruption

https://www.youtube.com/watch/N8VFecEzkgk

Brexit shortages? Seems to be a shortage of pet food in the local supermarket (a big Sainsbury’s) not just empty shelves but official signs in some of the shelves saying there’s a problem and no stock. Could be the usual Sainsbury’s supply chain issues but seems a bit odd.

Even on a period-correct TV too!

The websites I get the cat food from that my vet specified emailed people before Christmas to say “we won’t have some ranges available to UK customers from next year due to Brexit”

Just speculating: We may not be able to get lawn rolls from GB to NI anymore... no soil allowed unless it is turf only.

Frozen sausages, no lawn ;)

It's a mess though...and this new trade deal to far, far away the sausages have to be frozen anyway, even if this deal happens. The Rules of Origin rules for trading won't go away either with EU trade...

Oddly you can get home grown turf - it comes from Eglinton.

Another buying stuff question: I want to buy a new G plan leather armchair (made in the UK) and get it sent to the EU. Will I get rinsed on charges and everything?

Yup.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/feb/01/uk-government-use-of-henry-viii-clauses-to-be-challenged-in-court

Somewhat depends on how much of it is UK sourced- the leather, the wood or metal for the frame etc I think, although making the whole thing might mean it all counts as UK origin. But the seller has to get it certified as being above a certain % to qualify for the FTA, and they may not want to do that. What’s the duty on furniture?