Posted on 03/23/2017 4:05:04 PM PDT by Olog-hai
Brussels last night made an extraordinary threat to disrupt flights to Europe and hold British goods at the border if the UK refuses to pay a £50 billion Brexit divorce bill.
The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the UK would pay a heavy price if it tried to walk away from the EU without paying for its “responsibilities”. In a mocking speech, he quoted Winston Churchill, saying: “The price of greatness is responsibility.”
Government lawyers have told Theresa May that the UK has no duty to pay a penny towards the EU’s ongoing costs after leaving. A report by a House of Lords committee this week reached the same conclusion.
Ministers privately accept they could end up making some form of payment in return for continued access to services we wish to remain a member of. But Theresa May has ruled out paying “large sums” to Brussels.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said the Government will not pay the EU’s demands, and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has branded the demand from Brussels as “absurd”. …
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Another reason to invoke rebus sic stantibus versus Article 50, if only May would have the spine to do it; Barnier is openly threatening trade war.
Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of hard drives.
People think I’m insane (well..) but the possibility of conflict in Western Europe is not impossible.
Greece wanted money for WWII a while back.
Germany wants to run the show on everything, once again.
England is going their own way and the Germans don’t like it one bit.
Do I think it’s good chance? No. But never say never.
Who thought in 1918 Europe would be at war again 20 years later?
I, for one, blame the long response times of FR....
Well, the obvious response is to identify what will hurt the EU the worst and let them know that Britain can play hardball, too.
England is seeing the true purpose of the EU...give us your money for nothing in return.
pure extortion by the EUSSR. please call their bluff UK. tell them you’d be glad to talk treaty with them.
This is the EU “playing Trump.” “We’re going to build a wall, and Britain is going to pay for it.”
More goods for US and Japan
Good example of how to make California pay off its share of the national debt during Calexit.
FUEU
... sounds more like jizya, seeing so many muslims driving the EU decisions and the recent spontaneous invasion including mother Merkel.
Marshal Ferdinand Foch -he said of the Treaty of Versailles, "This is not a peace. It is an armistice for twenty years"
If England were to simply cut off the EU connection altogether, it is highly likely that the British economy will turn up even more sharply than it did following Brexit.
Wow!!
That would be interesting. After Calexit and the Californian assumption of its share of the Debt and the following Default, Washington might just have to foreclose and confiscate all the Californian assets, like land and stuff. Then it could all be auctioned off on the courthouse(USSC) steps.
Britain could just as easily shut out Europe and join a trade agreement with North America.
The U.S. should withdraw all military bases from Europe. Enough with these a-holes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.