The British economy has lost out - and sucking up to Trump will only get Starmer so far

Dark money is involved with pushing the UK away from Europe, if Farage gets in during the next GE we're fucked as a nation. Try and talk to everyone you know to (especially at a GE) convince them to not vote reform, they wont solve anything and are far worse than the alternatives. I can see the Union breaking up if we go down that path as well. (Id get a Scottish passport anyways so not much complaining from me but alas its still not ideal).

Undoubtedly leaving the union has brought additional trade barriers and hassle for a lot of businesses including travel chaos and the indignation of queues at passport control. But I think this opinion piece is rather click bait and not exactly written in full seriousness.

Unwary travellers returning from the EU risk having their sandwiches and local delicacies, such as cheese, confiscated as they enter the UK.

Ahh the real blight of Brexit. No more cheese and wine runs into France. What on earth did we do to ourselves! Idiots 😉.

The new jeopardy has come about because last weekend, the government quietly "extended" its "ban on personal meat imports to protect farmers from foot and mouth".

Err I'm sorry but I'm old enough to remember being in the EU and having food items regularly restricted from being carried over and sold on the continent because of health and sanitation reasons. That's completely normal and being inside or outside of the EU isn't going to stop that. Unless the article is trying to suggest that the Foot and Mouth outbreak in the EU is a conspiracy from the British government? Is it? Oh shit reading a bit more it is suggesting a conspiracy. 😅

The UK's ability to impose the ban is not "a benefit of Brexit".

Has someone suggested that it is? I have obviously missed this. No-one is suggesting it is because of Brexit the UK can impose a ban on health grounds that they otherwise wouldn't have been able to impose inside the EU. At least not the news sources I have read. Maybe on Twitter and Facebook amongst the gammon legions?

Meanwhile, the UK and the EU are making travel between them more bothersome for their citizens and businesses.

This October, the EU's much-delayed EES or Entry Exit System is due to come into force. Every foreigner will be required to provide biometric information - including fingerprints and scans - every time they enter or leave the Schengen area.

I'll agree with this. A complete sham and I wish the world didn't use this systems to fleece travellers. However most of the world is now moving towards systems like this. We like to think it's just the evil US that have an ESTA style system but more and more countries have this now. Canada has one, New Zealand has one. The EU and the UK not having one is, frankly, weird given this. In my opinion 😊.

The British economy has lost out and British citizens and businesses suffer from greater bureaucratic botheration.

Let's not pretend that the UK economy inside the EU would be lightyears ahead of where it is now. It would still be flat lining and we'd still be bobbing in and out of potential recession. People speak like being in the EU we would be bucking recessions and world economic downturns and growing year on year by 3%+. If Germany isn't doing that, if France isn't doing that then what the fuck are people thinking?

Meanwhile, minister Nick Thomas Symonds and the civil servant Mike Ellam are engaged in low-profile negotiations with Europe - which could be of far greater economic and social significance.

The public will have to wait to see what progress is being made at least until the first-ever EU-UK summit, due to take place on 19 May this year.

Personally I hope these talks reduce the friction between the two unions. Improved travel arrangements would go an awful long way to promote more good willing. Realistically, and I've said this many times, Labour are not going to be the ones to promote rejoining. I would be staggered if they joined the EEA even. The UK needs PR and needs to use that power of PR to put both Conservative and Labour into a minority with pro European parties making up a coalition majority with the sole aim of either joining the EEA or full EU. Labour certainly aren't going to take us out again but they won't champion bringing us back in either. The unions have never liked the cheaper labour free movement brings with it and as long as they control the Labour party things won't change.

Starmer seems to have done an alright job in getting closer to Europe, and European leaders seem more warm to him than our previous few leaders (to put it lightly).

I just wish he'd been a bit bolder and not ruled out things like rejoining the Customs Union during campaigning. I get why it was done, the press would've called him undemocratic and other such nonsense, but in case Kier hasn't noticed, the press doesn't like him anyway, so don't pander to them!

I seriously hope Labour drop the "No rejoining the EU or CU" pledge for next election. It's only doing us harm.

As for the patting Trump on the head and offering state visits thing... Meh. I don't like seeing it either, but if gestures like that help avoid Trump having a hissy fit and economically destroying the UK, then I'm all for taking the pragmatic approach. If the choice is ever between the US and Europe, though, the choice is obvious 🇪🇺.