andyofborg Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 and has grand plans on [reinvigorating the Commonwealth]. does the commonwealth need invigorating? either way, i'm not sure why we need to leave the EU in order to do it. as an ex colony, i'm sure the US would be quite eligible to join the commonwealth, though i doubt they would really want too. anyway, most commonwealth countries seem to want a free movement type of invigoration which might be a bit of a hard sell, maybe we need a referendum on our commonwealth membership too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puggie Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 does the commonwealth need invigorating Yes more than ever. In a post-Brexit world we've got to create our own club where UK acts as gatekeeper. It wouldn't surprise me if we see the Commonwealth rebranded or the creation of British "union" to bring other countries into the fold. We've got to play to our national strengths, protect what we hold sacred, and offer the world several 'tiers' of access with the UK being central to everything we do. It's an uncomfortable proposition for many because we've resigned ourselves to the status quo - a dormant nation state that's pre-occupied with the politics of the EU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altus Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Yes more than ever. In a post-Brexit world we've got to create our own club where UK acts as gatekeeper. It wouldn't surprise me if we see the Commonwealth rebranded or the creation of British "union" to bring other countries into the fold. That is then very reason why the Brexiters vision of a future based on a reinvigorated Commonwealth is going to fail. The other Commonwealth countries aren't interested in an organisation dominated by the UK - their reactions to talk of "Empire 2.0" show that. If it's not a union based on equals they'll just focus on further developing their relationships with China, the US and the EU and the Commonwealth will continue to wither. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairyloon Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 In a post-Brexit world we've got to create our own club where UK acts as gatekeeper... So why would anybody want to join our club after the way we are flouncing out of the EU? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puggie Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 That is then very reason why the Brexiters vision of a future based on a reinvigorated Commonwealth is going to fail. The other Commonwealth countries aren't interested in an organisation dominated by the UK - their reactions to talk of "Empire 2.0" show that. If it's not a union based on equals they'll just focus on further developing their relationships with China, the US and the EU and the Commonwealth will continue to wither. One of our many strengths is our understanding of the wider world because of our history. British diplomacy is respected the world over, and relationships centred on trade are often the most resilient. People are forgetting the exercise of 'leaving' is something we've done many many times over on a much grander scale! Our EU membership means we cannot tap the Commonwealth for trade that that is mutually advantageous. We cannot talk or enter into bilateral trade deals with individual nations or other existing trading blocs like the GCC (the Gulf Arab states). We understood all these limitations when we joined the EU but the world has changed and so has the politics of the EU. We're now in an unfavourable position where the EU is holding us back and preventing us from doing business and striking trade deals with countries and continents that are outpacing the EU. In a post-Brexit world doing business with Britain will no longer require the blessings of a Germanic union. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairyloon Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Our EU membership means we cannot tap the Commonwealth for trade that that is mutually advantageous. We cannot talk or enter into bilateral trade deals with individual nations or other existing trading blocs like the GCC (the Gulf Arab states)... What is it that you think we produce that these countries have to come to us for? If they can get it from somebody else, then why would they buy it from us unless it was cheaper? How is that advantageous to us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Shaw Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Yes more than ever. In a post-Brexit world we've got to create our own club where UK acts as gatekeeper. It wouldn't surprise me if we see the Commonwealth rebranded or the creation of British "union" to bring other countries into the fold. We've got to play to our national strengths, protect what we hold sacred, and offer the world several 'tiers' of access with the UK being central to everything we do. It's an uncomfortable proposition for many because we've resigned ourselves to the status quo - a dormant nation state that's pre-occupied with the politics of the EU. A good post. The first step might be suggest enlargement of the UK. Invite membership applications from: Channel Islands Isle of Man Falklands Gibraltar and all other UK-associated overseas territories of which HM is the Head of State. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzijlstra Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 We understood all these limitations when we joined the EU but the world has changed and so has the politics of the EU. We're now in an unfavourable position where the EU is holding us back and preventing us from doing business and striking trade deals with countries and continents that are outpacing the EU. In a post-Brexit world doing business with Britain will no longer require the blessings of a Germanic union. 'Germanic Union' - grow up. you do know where Angles and Saxons came from right? In the end we are all human, your fixation with Germany is pathetic. Second point - yeah of course the world has changed, that is why the EU has been negotiating trade deals with other nations for decades. More often than not these were scuttled because the UK didn't like it, or indeed because the people of the EU didn't like it. The EU Is swinging away from TTIP in a hurry, the UK is accelerating towards it. You guess who is going to gain from an agreement where US corporations can take the British government to court to force through legislation in their favour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 One of our many strengths is our understanding of the wider world because of our history. British diplomacy is respected the world over, and relationships centred on trade are often the most resilient. People are forgetting the exercise of 'leaving' is something we've done many many times over on a much grander scale! Our EU membership means we cannot tap the Commonwealth for trade that that is mutually advantageous. We cannot talk or enter into bilateral trade deals with individual nations or other existing trading blocs like the GCC (the Gulf Arab states). We understood all these limitations when we joined the EU but the world has changed and so has the politics of the EU. We're now in an unfavourable position where the EU is holding us back and preventing us from doing business and striking trade deals with countries and continents that are outpacing the EU. In a post-Brexit world doing business with Britain will no longer require the blessings of a Germanic union. Why can't we deal with the commonwealth? I've got loads of stuff direct from India - have done for years. Have I broken an EU law? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crookedspire Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Why can't we deal with the commonwealth? I've got loads of stuff direct from India - have done for years. Have I broken an EU law? We still trade with the Commonwealth ok it's not a lot now but new trade deals could be done also Crown dependents may have things to trade with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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