For whatever good it will do...

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More than half a million march on London demanding a final say on Brexit

Thousands are marching in London on Saturday for a 'people's vote' on the final terms of the Brexit divorce bill. ... READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2018/...

Tens of thousands of supporters of the European Union have marched through London in the biggest demonstration so far to demand the British Government holds a public vote on the terms of Brexit.

The protesters waved the blue and gold flag of the EU and held up "Bollocks to Brexit" banners under sunny skies to call for another referendum on the eventual deal on how Britain will leave the world's biggest trading bloc.

The "People's Vote" march comes as pressure builds on Prime Minister Theresa May over her negotiating strategy with just over five months until Britain is due to leave.

 

There is, so far, no divorce deal and some rebels in May's Conservative Party have threatened to vote down a deal if she clinches one.

James McGrory, one of the organisers of the march, said the public should have the chance to change their minds because the decision will impact generations of Britons.

"People think the Brexit negotiations are a total mess, they have no faith in the Government to deliver the promises that were made, partly because they cannot be delivered," he said.

At the march, demonstrators carried placards saying "Brexit is pants" and "time for an EU turn".

Members of Parliament from all the main political parties are set to join the demonstration.

Organisers said about 700,000 people took part in the march, which saw 150 buses of marchers pour into the British capital from all across the country.

Police did not provide an attendance estimate, but the organisers' estimate would make it the largest march in Britain since a demonstration against the Iraq war in 2003.

The 2016 referendum saw a 52 per cent vote in favour of leaving the European Union.

But the past two years have been politically fraught as the Government has struggled to agree on a plan and there are fears that Britain might leave the bloc without a deal.

Some opinion polls have shown a slight shift in favour of remaining in the European Union, but there has yet to be a decisive change in attitudes and many in Britain say they have become increasingly bored by Brexit.

The Prime Minister has repeatedly ruled out holding a second referendum.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/could-brexit-bring-new-troubles-to-northern-ireland/2018/11/06/31adbb9e-d7a5-11e8-8384-bcc5492fef49_story.html?utm_term=.298644772a96

Isn't democracy a wonderful thing?!

Listening to her speech (which was quite good) it sounds very much like Labor wants the negotiations to fail in the hope it means they stay in the EU.

Then they can blame Tory incompetence and win the next election.

But what the hell will actually happen if the bill is not voted through and the deadline passes?

The EU could just kick them out and they would have nothing!!

Clusterfuck!

Brexit: What would a no-deal look like for Britain?

With cabinet ministers resigning in the fallout of her draft Brexit deal, British Prime Minister Theresa May is battling for political survival.

Hostility to her draft agreement could see it rejected by Parliament, potentially casting the UK out of the EU without a safety net in a "no-deal" Brexit.

But what would a no-deal Brexit look like for Britain?

Medicine supply under scrutiny

Pharmaceutical companies and the National Health Service (NHS) said they were stockpiling medicines in Britain to prepare for supply disruptions.

Photo: Protesters rally against the possible stockpiling of medicines in the event of a no-deal Brexit. (Reuters: Peter Nicholls)

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has expressed concerns over the flow of medicine into Britain following a potential no-deal Brexit.

According to The Times, Mr Hancock reportedly told cabinet he could not guarantee people would not die as a result.

He later told UK radio station LBC that he remained confident of medicine supply.

"Now if everybody does the things that they needed to do, including us in government but also the pharmaceutical industry, then I'm confident that we can deliver that," he said.

"But there's a lot of work that needs to happen to ensure that we have that unhindered supply of medicine."

Watch out for the carpark to Dover

Maritime UK — the organisation representing Britain's shipping industry and ports — warned that Dover could face permanent traffic jams stretching for kilometres out from the port, which takes in millions of trucks a year.

Photo: Martime UK fears truck drivers could be stuck on roads to Dover for up to two days. (Reuters: Neil Hall)

The organisation's chairman David Dingle said truck drivers could be stuck on roads to Dover for up to two days if there was no deal.

The potential delays would not just affect food supply — a huge portion of the UK's food comes from continental Europe — but also owners of Japanese cars, with manufacturers relying on quick delivery of parts.

Already work has begun on the M26 motorway, with a 21km stretch of road earmarked as a holding park for thousands of trucks.

Truck drivers on the Kent motorway would be diverted between 10:00pm and 5:00am, which would double the length of their journey.

Continued

Food could rot, prices could rise

The long wait on the roads for trucks could see food stocks rotting in storage.

Photo: Outgoing Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab suggested grocery chains stockpile food in anticipation of a no-deal. (AP: Sang Tan)

A no-deal would see existing regulations vanish, and with no more free trade with the EU, goods flowing in and out of Britain would need to be tracked.

The resulting spoiled food would see diminished choice and higher prices for the British consumer.

Outgoing Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said there would be "adequate food" if grocery stores stockpiled, but quickly drew the ire of critics who said there was no space to implement this plan.

Ireland's economy could suffer amid hard border

Ireland's Government said it would not countenance a return to a hard border on the Emerald Isle under any circumstances, but a no-deal Brexit might very well make that unavoidable.

Photo: A hard Irish border would spell political and economic difficulties for the Republic of Ireland. (Reuters: Clodagh Kilcoyne)

With the United Kingdom — including Northern Ireland — leaving the EU and assuming World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, the Republic of Ireland may have little choice but to reimpose a border, conducting checks on goods entering the EU market to control smuggling.

It is one of the most contentious issues surrounding any deal struck over the UK's withdrawal, with potentially tens of thousands of jobs on the line in Ireland and the country's Department of Finance calculating a no-deal Brexit could lower Ireland's GDP by 4.5 per cent in 10 years' time.

The sensitivities over the Irish border remain, with Northern Ireland's ruling DUP party insisting it must not become a catalyst for illegal activity nor an incentive for those wishing to undermine the peace process.

Good luck getting out of Heathrow

A no-deal would see Britain suddenly booted from a large swathe of regulatory agencies, and it would need to replace them with some domestic alternatives quick smart.

Photo: British pilots' licences would no longer be recognised by the EU. (AP: Frank Augstein)

This would impact a host of industries, including the pharmaceutical industry, but would also have implications for aviation.

If the UK left the EU without reaching a deal, Europe would not recognise licences and certificates issued by Britain's Civil Aviation Authority.

There would need to be comprehensive contingency planning to avoid the sight of planes being grounded at Heathrow Airport, stranding incoming and outgoing passengers.

While the UK has WTO laws to fall back on when it departs the EU, there is no such equivalent for aviation regulations, with British pilots potentially having to seek out second licences from another EU state.

It would also potentially prevent aviation parts made by UK companies being put on EU planes.