Brexit. Why do Brits want Out of the EU?

Protesters seeking a referendum on the final Brexit deal have attended a rally which organisers say was the "biggest" demonstration of its kind.

Young voters led the People's Vote march to London's Parliament Square, which supporters say attracted more than 600,000 people.

It was held at the same time as a pro-Brexit rally in Harrogate, led by former UKIP leader Nigel Farage.

MPs from the main parties backed the event calling for a fresh referendum.

This is something which has already been ruled out by Prime Minister Theresa May.

The People's Vote campaign said stewards on the route estimated 670,000 were taking part.

Scotland Yard said it was not able to estimate the size of the crowd.

I Didn’t Hate the English — Until Now

In which an Irish woman discovers how little the people who shaped her country’s fate know or care.

By Megan Nolan, Oct. 18, 2018

[...]Sure, there were occasional moments of idiocy, like when I made a mistake at work and a colleague responded by putting on a comic Irish accent and doing a bumbling-peasant impression. Sure, the English still loved to make the occasional potato joke. (You know the one: Ha-ha, you guys love potatoes — remember, the things that all rotted before a million of you died of starvation?) And yes, it was consistently surprising how many English people were shocked and offended to discover that an Irish person might feel some animosity toward their country.

But there was an idea not so long ago, even among many Irish, that it was time to move on. We were all going to be European together forever, after all, and we ought to at least try to smooth over our differences.

Post-Brexit, however, this relatively recent sense of equanimity is being put to the test.

The extent to which many English people are ignorant about Ireland has become painfully clear. Crucial questions about how to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic — a border abolished in the Good Friday Agreement, the reintroduction of which would be inextricably associated with the preceding decades of violence and unrest — remain unresolved, months before Brexit is slated to become official. [...]

Theresa May has sidestepped a Brexit rebellion from Eurosceptic Tories threatening to seize control of a key part of her negotiating strategy.

The prime minister said she would make the UK’s proposals for the Irish border after Brexit legally binding, claiming this would negate the need for the EU’s alternative which is hated by Eurosceptic rebels.

She also argued there had been a “substantial shift” in the EU’s willingness to engage with her ideas on the problem of the Irish border.

In a sign that her words had won at least a temporary reprieve, rebels withdrew a plan to forcefully cut off some of her negotiating options in a Commons vote later this week.

But rumours still circulated that senior figures in her party including ex-cabinet minister David Davis are manoeuvring ahead of a potential leadership challenge.

The prime minister was addressing MPs following the European Council last week, telling them a “considerable” sticking point remained over how to keep the Irish border open if, after the Brexit transition period ends in December 2020, no plan for future relations between the UK and EU are agreed.

She set out steps to break the impasse, the first of which would be to enshrine in law her UK “backstop” plan for that scenario which would keep the whole UK in a temporary customs union with the EU.

Ms May argued this would mean the EU’s alternative backstop – keeping Northern Ireland alone under Brussels’ customs union, with a customs border put down the Irish Sea – would no longer be needed.

The prime minister also repeated comments indicating the UK would consider temporarily extending the transition period to provide more time to negotiate.

The Independent understands that the government would seek to extend the transition if only a few months was needed to secure the final deal on future relations after December 2020, but would opt to move to the UK backstop plan if a longer period was needed – officials underlined that under the PM’s proposals both paths would be time limited to ensure the UK did not remain tied to EU customs rules indefinitely.

Ms May said: “Let us remember that all of these steps are about insurance policies that no-one in the UK or the EU wants or expects to use.

“So we cannot let this become the barrier to reaching the future partnership we all want to see.

“We have to explore every possible option to break the impasse and that is what I am doing.”

Ms May’s move to enshrine the UK backstop plan in law appeared to placate ex-Brexit minister Steve Baker who had planned to force a vote on a rebel motion on Wednesday, that would have effectively made the EU’s backstop plan illegal.

If passed it could have restricted Ms May’s room for manoeuvre in Brussels, but Mr Baker backed down on Monday afternoon.

Other Brexiteers did raise questions about her suggestion of elongating the transition period, with former cabinet minister John Redwood warning it could cost the UK up to £20bn extra on top of the £39bn EU divorce bill.

Ms May will meet the cabinet amid the high tension and give them an update on negotiations on Tuesday, with at least three of her top ministers said to have been considering quitting over her approach.

The prime minister also looked set to avert a potentially bruising meeting with the powerful backbench 1922 Committee, with Conservative chairman Brandon Lewis going to represent the leadership instead.

One Brexiteer had suggested that if she went to the meeting she should “bring her own noose” while an ally of former cabinet minister Mr Davis had suggested ahead of the meeting that she was now in the “killing zone”.

The unsavoury language was condemned in the house by many MPs, including Ms May’s critics, giving her another small victory over her opponents.

Mr Davis was however still said to be in the process of laying the ground for a potential leadership challenge, if Ms May’s unstable administration begins to crumble.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling reportedly discussed the possibility of hiring entire ships, or securing cargo space in vessels, to bring food, medicines and other supplies in through alternative ports.

David Lidington, the cabinet office minister, told his colleagues the Dover-Calais route could only run at a maximum of 25 per cent of its capacity under a no-deal scenario.

A department for transport spokesperson said: "We remain confident of reaching an agreement with the EU, but it is only sensible for government and industry to prepare for a range of scenarios.

"We are continuing to work closely with partners on contingency plans to ensure that trade can continue to move as freely as possible between the UK and Europe."

Labour MP David Lammy, who is pushing for Britain to stay in the European Union, said: "Brexit has become like a declaration of war on ourselves. Emergency ships will be chartered for food and medicine if we leave the EU with no deal.

"But at least when we're using ration books and running out of drugs, we'll have taken back control."

Theresa May has ordered weekly updates for her senior ministers on preparations for EU withdrawal either with or without a deal.

The UK is looking toward a "new partnership" with Europe after Brexit, the Queen has said.

Speaking at a state banquet for the King of the Netherlands, the Queen said the "enduring alliance" between the UK and Holland remained strong.

"As innovators, traders and internationalists we look with confidence to the future," she added.

Earlier, King Willem-Alexander said it "saddens us" to see the UK leave the EU but "Brexit does not mean farewell".

The king and his wife Queen Maxima are taking part in a state visit to the UK.

As UK politics continues to be dominated and divided by Brexit, the Queen touched on Britain's departure from the EU next March in her speech at Buckingham Palace.

She referred to the state visit of the king's grandmother, Queen Juliana, in 1972.

Recalling her speech on that occasion, the Queen said she had mentioned the two nations' relationship would become "increasingly important as a new configuration of Europe was emerging".

She then added: "As we look toward a new partnership with Europe, it is our shared values and commitment to each other, that are our greatest asset."
[...]
Earlier, the Dutch royals were escorted by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall from the Dutch embassy to Whitehall.

Speaking in the Palace of Westminster's Royal Gallery, to an audience including Mrs May, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary Sajid Javid, King Willem-Alexander said 100,000 Dutch citizens in Britain and the 50,000 Britons living in the Netherlands were valued as "employees, colleagues, neighbours or volunteers".

"They feel at home in their local community and their contribution to society is valued, whether as employees, colleagues, neighbours or volunteers," he said.

"Every day they prove how good the match is between the British and the Dutch.

"Yet all these individuals now live under the shadow of uncertainty about their future status.

"I understand how difficult this is for them and I trust this uncertainty will be resolved."

The UK government has promised to guarantee the rights of EU nationals after Brexit, even in the absence of a deal with the EU.