Well said, US Ambassador. We will do well from Brexit

It is a timely reminder to the gloomy parts of the UK establishment. Brexit is full of opportunities. The Chancellor tells us the Treasury is not against Brexit, so will they cheer up and stop trying to recreate every feature of our membership of the EU as we leave?

Lets speed it up. Some of us want things to be better and want to get on with the changes.  The Treasury should be leading the demands to get our money back as soon as possible, not saying we need to go on paying them.

45 Comments

  1. Bob Dixon
    June 22, 2018

    Are all Govenment Departments working flat out for leaving March 2019?

    1. onceuponatime
      June 22, 2018

      No Bob..most government departments are just ticking over hoping against all of the odds that the matter will be resolved by having some kind of a deal..which is most unlikely to happen now..the only group that are making plans for brexit is the EU itself. Dublin and Rosslare ports are going full steam ahead with their plans.. I hear that Brussels is in the same mode..In the event of a crash out with no deal then there will definitely be a hard border in Ireland..at the border and in the ports..Britain by now should be making similar preparations

    2. Stephen Priest
      June 22, 2018

      I think the Home Office has warmed up a bit this week.

      Too much of media and political class think Brexit is about the economy.

      Therefore if the UK’s growth in one quarter is o.2% slower the than the Eurozone it proves Brexit is a disaster. If it is growing 0.2% faster than the Eurozone it is because “Brexit hasn’t happened yet”.

      Brexit is about freedom to make our own democratic choices.

  2. Nig l
    June 22, 2018

    It is verging on the disgraceful that it needs an American to set out what our PM and Chancellor should have been saying for months.

    The reason? It has to be that they are against it and want to stay as closely aligned as possible. To say otherwise would be to give publicity to the majority who wish to leave.

    From an unscientific poll of people I know, they all think we are being deliberately sold out.

    1. Lifelogic
      June 22, 2018

      Indeed there would be even more benefit from Brexit if we had a rapid exit by T May and P Hammond (what tedious drivel from him and Carney last night). A real conservative party rather than May’s pale imitation of the Socialist Workers Party would also ensure that we did not have to suffer Corbyn/Mc Donnall/SNP. Giving a further massive benefit.

      Bigger government, more green crap, higher taxes, a Brexit in name only, more regulations and more employment laws are the exact opposite of what is needed by the economy.

      1. Mitchel
        June 22, 2018

        “May’s pale imitation of the Socialist Workers Party….”

        Should there ever be a biopic of Mrs May,perhaps we can get Vanessa Redgrave to play her!

    2. alan jutson
      June 22, 2018

      Nig 1

      Well at least Mrs may did actually mention a “Brexit Bonus” when we leave this week.
      Shame she has spent so long in trying to give most of it away for the last year, so much of “the bonus” will now probably be delayed.

      1. Sir Joe Soap
        June 22, 2018

        So why do they talk about raising taxes? It’s against the manifesto commitment. Another kamikaze mission by the Conservative Party.

  3. Peter
    June 22, 2018

    The Treasury should be ensuring preparations for No Deal are well resourced and going ahead at full speed.

    1. Sir Joe Soap
      June 22, 2018

      No, they are welcoming all the rubbish about all those jobs heading off to those well known EU countries, the US and China.

  4. Andy
    June 22, 2018

    Hear, hear!

    We should absolutely listen completely to the inexperienced representative of the worst president America has ever had.

    Friday 13th July – big protests against the arrival of the big orange goon. Come alone. Bring a cage for the kids.

    1. Sir Joe Soap
      June 22, 2018

      By your logic, Friday 13th will probably be your lucky day, so go for it!

    2. Edward2
      June 22, 2018

      You are getting to sound more like Dave Spart with every post Andy.

      .

    3. Brian Tomkinson
      June 22, 2018

      Andy, Pity you have nothing sensible to write.

    4. Christine
      June 22, 2018

      Andy is suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, poor chap.

    5. fedupsoutherner
      June 22, 2018

      Andy, I don’t know if I feel like laughing or crying over your pathetic rants. Maybe we should get a cage for you..

    6. ChrisS
      June 22, 2018

      Andy, do you ever have anything constructive and positive to contribute here ?

    7. Man of Kent
      June 22, 2018

      I would far sooner listen to a leader who puts their own country first than the pathetic devious pair of TM+PH who want to lock us into vassal state mode for ever and a day .

      Trump the ‘worst president ‘ – oh come on what about Carter , Clinton , Obama .

      He has already blown a hole through the scam of global warming , given the American people hope , cut taxes , called out the Iran ‘deal’ , seen growth rates climb and is attempting to do something the EU has signally failed to do – secure its external borders .

      Oh to have Trump here or someone who puts the British people first and we would have a Conservative landslide .

      As it is I cannot think of a single reason to vote Conservative next time round .

    8. Nig l
      June 22, 2018

      Thanks Andy. More of the usual playground stuff.

    9. Bob
      June 22, 2018
    10. ian wragg
      June 22, 2018

      Andy, you’re nothing more than a petulant child. Trump was elected on a manifesto of America first and what would I give for a leader in this country who put UK first.
      The treasury is the last bastion of empire and losing its beloved EU exposes it for the farce it really is.
      No longer will it be able to blame the UKs problems on the EU, for once they will have to step up.
      I’m not taking any bets though as I see now the Lib Dumb May wants to decimate our armed forces. She doesn’t have a Tory bone in her body.
      £billions in foreign aid, highest taxes for generations, £billions for an EU divorce bill and she wants to cut defence spending and increase taxes to pay for it.

    11. Woody
      June 22, 2018

      The worst president in your view has moved significantly to stabilise the korean peninsula and has put the protectionist eurocracy in its place. I think americans will consider him as doing ok.

    12. Anonymous
      June 22, 2018

      Again. Liberals caused this swing in politics by ignoring The People. Obama was useless.

    13. L Jones
      June 22, 2018

      And about whom are you speaking, Andy? Ah, yes. About the President of another country – that is, no-one whom you should be denigrating. But as you spend time denigrating people – mainly Brexiteers – perhaps you could now spend time telling us how you believe Ms Clinton might have improved the lot of the US. And what special nickname you’d have thought up for HER, had she come into power.

      How CAN you be so utterly naive, discourteous and short-sighted?

  5. Sir Joe Soap
    June 22, 2018

    Your party seems to be on a kamikaze mission. How stupid is it to cheese off Remainers by one-off quips about Brexit bonuses, and stating that we will be leaving the CU and SM, then at the same time acting against Leavers by being so anti- and gloomy, and frankly screwing the whole thing up? For goodness sake, they should either come down on the side of Remain, and let more committed and competent folk run the thing, or PACK IN the gloom and doom.

  6. formula57
    June 22, 2018

    So “The Chancellor tells us the Treasury is not against Brexit..” – just not in favour of it though!

    How much more damage is our maladroit Chancellor to be allowed to do before someone puts a stop to it?

  7. stred
    June 22, 2018

    Today we hear that EU citizens will still be able to stay automatically if they have arrived after the referendum decision, after the leaving date and after that into the extendable transition. While the EU has still not made clear the position for UK citizens in the EU, having reacted to a matter already made clear in the referendum by all the Leave campaigners, but turned into a bargaining chip contest by Mrs May, as advised by her Remain civil service.

    The chairwoman of the Business Committee, one of Monsieur Grieve’s Reversettes, thinks we have to best impartial civil service in the world. (Ian Dale yesterday). How do you pick em?

  8. NigelR
    June 22, 2018

    Is this US Ambassador Mr Trumps appointed ambassador.? .if he is..then we would do well to listen to him..there is a lot of down to earth sensible policy changes coming from North America these days that we would do well to pay heed to..we should maybe follow the US and pull out of some of these international agreements as well

  9. Denis Cooper
    June 22, 2018

    Could it be that Theresa May, most of her ministers, most parliamentarians taken across both chambers, almost all senior civil servants, and the great majority of journalists, all share a similar defeatist attitude to Brexit simply because they were all defeated?

    There are attempts by some Remoaners – extraordinarily brazen attempts even by the standards of these totally unscrupulous people for whom any convenient lie will always do – to redefine Theresa May as a “Brexiteer”, as somebody who campaigned for Brexit and who must now deal with the awful consequences.

    But of course the truth is that she was a supporter of EU membership, albeit a lukewarm supporter, for many years before the referendum, and in her heart she is still a supporter of EU membership now.

  10. Bob
    June 22, 2018

    Mr Redwood,
    Guido is saying that “no deal” has be taken off of the negotiating table by the PM.
    Is this true?

  11. Chris
    June 22, 2018

    We need not only the ambassador but the President himself here to sort out the disastrous handling of Brexit by our PM. He would know instantly what needed doing and how to achieve it, and most importantly he would win.

  12. APL
    June 22, 2018

    “We will do well from Brexit”

    It’s a pity our Prime minister goes out of her way to snub the President of what may be our largest single trading partner post BREXIT.

    If instead of her knee jerk mindless comments, she refrained from commenting on the internal affairs of the US, it might go some way to promoting good relations between the UK and the largest single market in the World.

    1. L Jones
      June 22, 2018

      Obviously, Ms May has people like Andy (who posts here) on her team. ”Let’s insult the President – he’s nothing to us”.

      We should be fostering good relations with the US (and the opinion of those who dislike their choice of President is irrelevant) so that we can move away from the execrable EU with friends at our back.

      1. APL
        June 23, 2018

        L Jones: “We should be fostering good relations with the US … ”

        And I’d go further, we could foster good relations with Russia too. But May’s and the fellow Johnson’s hysterical attitude to Russia smacks of infant school, rather than a mature experienced politician.

  13. Donna
    June 22, 2018

    It’s beyond disgraceful that we have to have the American Ambassador spelling out that Brexit presents us with many opportunities and we should be positive about it ….. instead of our own Prime Minister, Chancellor and most of the rest of the Cabinet.

    Having Theresa May foisted on us has been the worst decision the Conservative Party Grandees made since they decided to rid the party of the most successful post-war Prime Minister (from either main party).

  14. mancunius
    June 22, 2018

    Ambassador Johnson has thirty years of experience as a successful NY asset manager growing a business. The government should be pleading with him to advise them on how to cut through the jungle of civil service inertia to reach our goals. Or better still, put him in charge of the process.

    1. Sir Joe Soap
      June 22, 2018

      Indeed – if we can pay Carney a small fortune, then this chap deserves a place at the Brexit table on twice Carney’s salary.

    2. Jason wells
      June 22, 2018

      Yes mancunius..put Johnson in charge..but know this that he’s very likely under Trumps orders to speak out like he did..so in this case it’s probably all only fake news i’m afraid..better to put Boris Becker in charge.. he’s got years of experience ad well

      1. mancunius
        June 23, 2018

        It was most refreshing to hear Woody Johnson speak out. If Trump has the same view, that is very good news. Many Americans are as frustrated as we are by the timid and fearful way the government is negotiating, and we can learn a lot from them.
        The Australian ex-High Commissioner Alexander Downer also gave us some tactful pointers. These are our well-wishers. While those in Brussels are…the opposite.

  15. Adam
    June 22, 2018

    The Treasury may not be against Brexit, but the Chancellor acts as if he is.

  16. Annette
    June 22, 2018

    One post exit thing that there appears to be absolute silence on, particularly from the Treasury, is VAT. VAT is an EEC/EC/EU construct which replaced Purchase Tax when we were ‘signed up’ to the project. After a percentage for ‘admin costs’, the balance is remitted to Brussels. I believe that the UK accounts for about 20% of VAT ‘income’ in the federation.
    Why am I not hearing that VAT will cease to apply in the UK on 30th March 2019, & is being replaced by a Purchase Tax or similar?
    It would be disingenuous for any Govt to continue to refer to a foreign tax when the UK would keep the net contribution – oh look, a ‘Brexit’ bonus. At the very least, the name should change. The VAT replacement tax could immediately not apply to utilities & other ‘essentials’ (such as those items that caused such angst, like sanitary towels). This would have an immediate impact on the poorest in society in terms of bills. It should not have a negative impact on Treasury income as it’s currently sent to the EU anyway, & the Treasury benefits from the other receipts after we’ve left.
    Why am I not hearing such proper planning for our leaving? Anyone might think that May the remainer & co were intent on trapping us into this dying cabal.

  17. Model T Paine
    June 22, 2018

    I still think Trump should somehow work it for the UK to have representation ( if only non-voting) in the US Upper or Lower Houses. If we can have representation, though ineffectual in the EU, we should have at least the same over the Pond. Americans like our accents too . Juncker doesn’t like ours, he’s said so.

    1. Sir Joe Soap
      June 22, 2018

      Even better, the Mini plant could be in a position to avoid tariffs into the USA from Trump, in new hands and with us outside the EU. BBC seems very confused that Mini plant will have problems with its JIT supply after Brexit. Savour the irony that outside the EU, having replaced some of its EU suppliers with UK/USA ones, Mini might be in a better place than now (and JLR and many others).

    2. L Jones
      June 22, 2018

      I like that, Model T. Simple but true.

  18. a-tracy
    June 22, 2018

    The Tory treasury is still aiding the higher end German car industry by changing the taxation rules that affect Japanese hybrids shame on the government.

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