The UK Politics and EU Referendum thread - merged

[TightEnd]

ICM/Guardian:

CON 44 (+1)
LAB 41 (-1)
LD 8 (+1)
GRN 2 (-1)
UKIP 1 (-1)

16th-18th Mar (Changes from 2nd-4th Mar)
N=2,013

[MintTrav]

Oh dear.

The new/old blue passports are going to be imported from the EU cos the current UK supplier won't be able to match the EU supplier's prices after Brexit.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/22/post-brexit-passports-set-to-be-made-by-franco-dutch-firm

[TightEnd]

Nigel Farage has thrown some haddock in the Thames.

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/nigel-farage-brexit-fishing-protest-westminster-a8266651.html

[Woodsey]

Oh dear.

The new/old blue passports are going to be imported from the EU cos the current UK supplier won't be able to match the EU supplier's prices after Brexit.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/22/post-brexit-passports-set-to-be-made-by-franco-dutch-firm

Probably some dickhead remainers deliberately wanting to cause mischief involved in the decision. PM should get involved and fk them off....

[kukushkin88]

Oh dear.

The new/old blue passports are going to be imported from the EU cos the current UK supplier won't be able to match the EU supplier's prices after Brexit.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/22/post-brexit-passports-set-to-be-made-by-franco-dutch-firm

Probably some dickhead remainers deliberately wanting to cause mischief involved in the decision. PM should get involved and fk them off....

A fairly wise man said: Never suspect conspiracy in something that can adequately explained by incompetence.

Two caveats:

1: I'm paraphrasing, can't remember the exact words.
2: It's not conspiracy or incompetence of course but you can see how it could be mistaken for either by people who are sad that their Brexit dream is a crumbling shambles.

[rfgqqabc]

Oh dear.

The new/old blue passports are going to be imported from the EU cos the current UK supplier won't be able to match the EU supplier's prices after Brexit.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/22/post-brexit-passports-set-to-be-made-by-franco-dutch-firm

Probably some dickhead remainers deliberately wanting to cause mischief involved in the decision. PM should get involved and fk them off....

Sutherland acknowledged that his firm had been beaten on price in an open competition, but he said that was unfair. He said that in France, as a foreign-based firm, De La Rue would be barred from bidding to produce the French passport.

The Labour MP John Spellar said “no other EU country behaves like this”, claiming others “support their industry”. Such decisions had driven the Brexit vote, he said.

He must be fucking stupid. How is it the EU's fault if France has barred foreign competition? Putting power back into the hands of incompetent British politicians. Why blame the EU for your own mess. I don't think any person would have a problem with a British company making British passports but it really highlights the stupidity of this whole mess when the EU is yet again blamed for a decision our politicians have made.

[StuartHopkin]

To be fair it is the EU regulation that states these public contracts tenders have to be open to any EU business.

I believe we are just following the rules where as France are obviously bending them somewhat.

Bending said rules is pretty easy and worthwhile from my limited understanding.

[EvilPie]

Oh dear.

The new/old blue passports are going to be imported from the EU cos the current UK supplier won't be able to match the EU supplier's prices after Brexit.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/22/post-brexit-passports-set-to-be-made-by-franco-dutch-firm

How can brexit possibly have anything to do with it?

They mention Brexit to stir up shit but that's nothing to do with it. They can't match the EU suppliers' price, simple as. It has sod all to do with Brexit other than possibly the knock on effect of the exchange rate pushing up prices of their imports.

Once we're out of the EU presumably the whole European Journal bollocks where these public contracts legally have to be posted can be restricted to whoever we want. Bit like the French are somehow doing now.

[nirvana]

Oh dear.

The new/old blue passports are going to be imported from the EU cos the current UK supplier won't be able to match the EU supplier's prices after Brexit.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/22/post-brexit-passports-set-to-be-made-by-franco-dutch-firm

Probably some dickhead remainers deliberately wanting to cause mischief involved in the decision. PM should get involved and fk them off....

Sutherland acknowledged that his firm had been beaten on price in an open competition, but he said that was unfair. He said that in France, as a foreign-based firm, De La Rue would be barred from bidding to produce the French passport.

The Labour MP John Spellar said “no other EU country behaves like this”, claiming others “support their industry”. Such decisions had driven the Brexit vote, he said.

He must be fucking stupid. How is it the EU's fault if France has barred foreign competition? Putting power back into the hands of incompetent British politicians. Why blame the EU for your own mess. I don't think any person would have a problem with a British company making British passports but it really highlights the stupidity of this whole mess when the EU is yet again blamed for a decision our politicians have made.

tbf, notionally, it's an exact example of something they are supposed to regulate on, clamp down on etc. Competition rules are, again notionally, extremely strict and a cornerstone of any set of trade policies and regulations.

Haven't read the detail but it would also be a surprise to me if it was as simple and open as France prohibits any foreign bids - perhaps there are specific exemptions for Passport manufacture and they do devolve it to a national decision but I would be totes shocked if that was the case

Perhaps I should research before posting also

[RickBFA]

This is a classic situation and one of the reasons joe public voted to leave the EU.

We play by the current rules and accept bids from all EU businesses and others just ignore the rules and find ways to do wtf they like with no consequences from the EU.

Apart from joe public being sick of told how to think and how stupid they are, there is a desire to be able to control our own destiny (with good or bad consequences).

The remain side still don’t understand the strong attraction to people that this has. You might call it insular or little Englander mentality but it’s a big emotional pull for a lot of people.

I did smile at the usual suspects on here trying to link Brexit as a cause of the passport situation when the opposite is the case, it is us playing by the EU rules.

[Doobs]

I must have misses something, because I assumed post Brexit..

1)  We were going to still trade with the EU
2) The Government were still going to run tenders for big public sector contracts like this one.

Surely it doesn't take more than a nano second to see the game the De La Rue fella is playing?

[doubleup]

This is a classic situation and one of the reasons joe public voted to leave the EU.

We play by the current rules and accept bids from all EU businesses and others just ignore the rules and find ways to do wtf they like with no consequences from the EU.

Apart from joe public being sick of told how to think and how stupid they are, there is a desire to be able to control our own destiny (with good or bad consequences).

The remain side still don’t understand the strong attraction to people that this has. You might call it insular or little Englander mentality but it’s a big emotional pull for a lot of people.

I did smile at the usual suspects on here trying to link Brexit as a cause of the passport situation when the opposite is the case, it is us playing by the EU rules.

So basically this post can be summed up as:

The EU knockers completely make up stories,

people like you believe them without bothering to independently verify

and when your told you are an idiot you take umbrage

[neeko]

 So just to clarify then when the UK buys passports from France we are getting a good deal at a low price, but when France buys them from France they are cheating the rules 

[MANTIS01]

Funny to read in press the British being critiqued for having 'an island mentality'. Not sure what it really means but sounds a bit racialist. Doesn't surprise though because we live on an island.

[nirvana]

So just to clarify then when the UK buys passports from France we are getting a good deal at a low price, but when France buys them from France they are cheating the rules 

Both can be true I think