discomog wrote:

"It’s pretty hard for Britain’s friends, here in Australia, to make sense of the mess that’s being made of Brexit. ......... Like so many of Britain’s admirers, I want to see this great country seize this chance and make the most of it."
Tony Abbott served as Prime Minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015

It's not a little ironic that the most sensible things said by a politician about Brexit, was by a foreigner. I did think from the outset that bringing in an independent aribter of negotiations would seem a sensible idea. A third party with no agenda, no party or nation affiliation, no ego; just facts and (ideally) a prgamatic approach to the divorce. The peace we now have in Northern Ireland for example was chaired by an American. Likewise negotiations between Israel/Palestine, are never left to them, each party has too much of a vested, self-interest. I never wanted Brexit to happen, for obvious reasons that I live in France (and as pointed out by Leeds, this has cost Mrs Grenadier and I approx 30% of our wealth), but it has happened and my must negotiate properly. I, like Tont Abbott, feel that we can 'go it alone', if we fight for the right deal. But that is something we are clearly not doing. It won't be full membership, it won't be Norway, it won't be Swiss. An ex member will have a worse deal than all of those above, indeed a worse deal than even Canada and Japan, both thousands of miles away with no cultural or financial ties to the EU whatsoever. So I'd say get Abbott on a plane, get him into the negs with the (unelected) cabal of Tusk/Junker/Barnier and let's force their hand. Way too much pussy-footing around. Way too much give, not enough take. Way too much wet. We're being royally shafted by the EU Politburo and they're having a right laugh at our expense.  Monsieur Le Grenadier

I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list.....

2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey

Grenadier wrote:

discomog wrote:

"It’s pretty hard for Britain’s friends, here in Australia, to make sense of the mess that’s being made of Brexit. ......... Like so many of Britain’s admirers, I want to see this great country seize this chance and make the most of it."
Tony Abbott served as Prime Minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015

It's not a little ironic that the most sensible things said by a politician about Brexit, was by a foreigner. I did think from the outset that bringing in an independent aribter of negotiations would seem a sensible idea. A third party with no agenda, no party or nation affiliation, no ego; just facts and (ideally) a prgamatic approach to the divorce. The peace we now have in Northern Ireland for example was chaired by an American. Likewise negotiations between Israel/Palestine, are never left to them, each party has too much of a vested, self-interest. I never wanted Brexit to happen, for obvious reasons that I live in France (and as pointed out by Leeds, this has cost Mrs Grenadier and I approx 30% of our wealth), but it has happened and my must negotiate properly. I, like Tont Abbott, feel that we can 'go it alone', if we fight for the right deal. But that is something we are clearly not doing. It won't be full membership, it won't be Norway, it won't be Swiss. An ex member will have a worse deal than all of those above, indeed a worse deal than even Canada and Japan, both thousands of miles away with no cultural or financial ties to the EU whatsoever. So I'd say get Abbott on a plane, get him into the negs with the (unelected) cabal of Tusk/Junker/Barnier and let's force their hand. Way too much pussy-footing around. Way too much give, not enough take. Way too much wet. We're being royally shafted by the EU Politburo and they're having a right laugh at our expense.