• Northern Ireland is still in the customs union, just with zero democratic representation and annoying customs forms when trying to trade with the mainland.

      Granted, I like it because it means we are strategically important. A business here can do business with both the UK and the EU. We also had the UK’s discounted tariffs for the USA. We’re kind of a funny special economic zone.

  • I would love it, but I don’t hold out hope. If we did, I would fully expect us to make plenty of concessions and agree to extra restrictions to stop us leaving the next time a prime minister wants to appease the eurosceptics. But I think what’s much more likely is continued re-integration into EU/European networks and systems from outside the EU at a higher cost than before. It might be humiliating to nationalists, but at the end of the day our future is bound to that of the rest of Europe and working together is a matter of survival, not principle.

      • Muehe ( Muehe@lemmy.ml ) 
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        9 months ago

        Several EU member countries never introduced the Euro, e.g. Denmark and Hungary, so I don’t see why the UK couldn’t keep the pound. Participation in the common currency has always been entirely optional.

  • Egonallanon ( Egonallanon@feddit.uk ) 
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    9 months ago

    If it is it’s probaly a long way down the line. The current poll leading right wing party has a very strong eurosceptic streak to it (well all the right wing parties do) and as long as they’re around in any capacity it will be hard to get that through. There’s the fact I think the topic is just a massive hot potato too. The political process that led up to brexit and the brexot process itself was a fucking mess and I think there is a level of national exhaustion over it despite polling long showing that everyone has worked out brexit was a terrible idea/ most the folks who voted for brexit are dead.

    You’ll see some closer relationship being forged in the form of some sort of trade deal or some kind of Norway like situation much sooner, indeed o think the current labour government are angling for something like that but not sure of the details.

  • Leraje ( leraje@piefed.blahaj.zone ) 
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    9 months ago

    Unofficially via trade agreements and defence agreements, yes - and that process is already underway. Officially as a full official member - not for at least a generation. The country needs its English Thatcherite Gen Xers - the flag shaggers and mini-roundabout painters - to die off before that can happen.

    And to be honest, given how much fucking stress this country caused the EU and also given we’re now about as powerful as a weak sneeze I’m hard pressed to think of a reason why they’d even want us back.

  • wewbull ( wewbull@feddit.uk ) 
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    9 months ago

    Yes, but we’ll be have a customs union first with a services agreement as well.

    I don’t see us taking the Euro. I just don’t think anyone wants to surrender economic policy to the ECB, and the last time we tried to go through the ERM process it ended very badly. The GBP is too heavily traded in it’s own right to maintain the exchange rates in a tight enough band for long enough.

  • jondale ( jondale@feddit.uk ) 
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    9 months ago

    I think the EU would need some sort of ‘Brenter’ poll first, to see if the spoilt brat of the family would be welcomed back, what with all our needy requirements about keeping our own currency etc. I can’t see it personally for a long time as there’s still that resistance to change things that are viewed as ‘ours’ and changing them to something viewed as ‘theirs’. We never really fully committed to it the first time. Hopefully we’ll see the need to join the ‘middle powers’ in some kind of alliance though.

    • Tuuktuuk ( Tuuktuuk@anarchist.nexus ) 
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      9 months ago

      I’d say, make it unambiguously clear that joining the EU means joining the Euro and joining the Schengen area. Then require at least 67,7 % “Yes” in a poll.

      I would prefer UK not joining us without these requirements fulfilled. And yes, other’s may join with just 50 % “yes”, but they don’t have a history of quitting the EU.

  • I actually think full membership is pretty unlikely, at least in the short to medium term. Well, unless we get a Lib Dem majority government (not going to happen). The far-right hate the EU because their brains have been cooked on Telegraph and Murdoch slop and the left is flirting with MMT, something the fiscal rules of the Lisbon treaty prohibits.

  • OhNoMoreLemmy ( OhNoMoreLemmy@lemmy.ml ) 
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    9 months ago

    Most of the country wants it but the politicians don’t want to give the far right any excuses. 

    What we’re seeing is closer and closer alignment until we end up as a defacto member of the common market, but without a say over the rules.

    If we end up rejoining it will probably take more than a decade and it will be under the default rules, just because the EU can’t be bothered to deal with British exceptionalism again.

  • ModCen ( moderatecentrist@feddit.uk ) 
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    9 months ago

    I think the UK could eventually rejoin the EU but it’s not going to happen soon. Brexiteers are probably a minority of the British population now (Brexiteers tend to be older, and some of those voters have passed away since the Brexit referendum). But the pro-Brexit camp has wealthy backers who will kick up a fuss.

    Maybe what will happen is more indecision and half measures for the next 10 or 20 years, perhaps followed by another referendum that would take us back into the EU.

    As for terms, it depends on what the EU would insist. Perhaps they would insist upon the UK adopting the Euro.

    • Tuuktuuk ( Tuuktuuk@anarchist.nexus ) 
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      9 months ago

      There’s no insistence on UK adopting the Euro.

      Any new member state adopts the Euro and joins the Schengen area. This is not something to insist, it’s just a rule that exists regardless of insisting or not insisting. Or insisting to not insist – whatever.

      If the UK ever joins the EU, it will also join the Euro. It’s not really something that is up for debate.

      • ModCen ( moderatecentrist@feddit.uk ) 
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        9 months ago

        You might be right, but if the UK did have to adopt the Euro like you say, I would guess that British support for rejoining would decline. If it really is a red line for the EU then it would probably lead to a lot of debate in the UK. Like I said though, for the moment the UK will probably just adopt half measures which bring the UK slightly closer to the EU.

        • Tuuktuuk ( Tuuktuuk@anarchist.nexus ) 
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          9 months ago

          Yeah, it should have caused that debacle before they elected to let go of all the concessions they had.

          But yeah, I think a lot of EU countries would revolt if UK was let in without having to join the Euro and Schengen. And yes, I believe this does indeed mean that UK is not going to rejoin within the next half a century at least. Also a reason it feels a bit stupid trying to integrate them into EU stuff – they’re going to prefer staying out anyhow (unleas they get concessions they won’t get) so why bother?

          Of course, if they want to follow some EU rules, why not? And for each EU rule they proactively and reliably implement, they should of course receive the relevant goodies, just like Norway. But, at least I would not want the EU to spend our resources trying to pull UK into doing anything it’s not motivated enough to do out of its own accord.

  • Caesium ( Caesium@lemmy.wtf ) 
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    9 months ago

    I doubt it will happen, but it would be a strong political gesture - a clear signal to those hoping to undermine our unity and the EU as a whole.