There's no move from Austria to re-open the border with Italy - they're quite happy with having it closed - but the two nations announced yesterday that cowherds tending herds on the alm, the high alpine summer pastures that frequently straddle the borders, could cross at will. These almhutte high in the mountains are often popular with girl students spending a Summer away together, a group of five or six doing the daily milking and making cheese from May until September. Often connected only by steep cattle tracks, with no vehicular access, where everything has to be carried up and down, it's regarded as quality time away. When it's time to bring the cows back down to the valleys in Autumn,
The UK has announced that no quarantine will be needed for those crossing from France, only to earn a rebuke from the technocrats from their bunker beneath the Berlaymont. It turns out we can do it under their EU laws, but only if we say 'no quarantine for residents of France' rather than 'no quarantine for anyone entering from France'. Go figure. I suppose we must therefore bang-up Polish truck drivers for a fortnight if we pay any attention to the dreary officials in Brussels. Which I hope we won't.
Whilst the Germans won't be able to come to Austria, the Austrians won't be able to visit their own favourite destinations in Spain. I'm not sure where the Spanish won't be able to go - except Portugal, of course, which will also be missing the English. Meanwhile Croatia is planning an air-corridor to fly in their preferred Summer guests, the Czechs. Greece, like Austria a heavy-smoking nation with a low rate of infection, is ambivalent about losing her crucial Summer trade. Perhaps she should open only to Europe's smokers - each visitor having to drag deeply on a Capstan full strength at the airport on arrival to validate their status.
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have already opened their mutual borders, but with about a third of the population still working in the UK as bar-staff (now furloughed) there will be barely enough natives left to fill the foreign tourist restaurant tables. "What's the local speciality?" "Liver dumplings." "Oh that's strange. That's our speciality back home as well".
But remarkably, Europeans are reverting to a national border mindset more swiftly than I would ever have imagined possible after the Shengen experience. And that may be the biggest worry for Brussels.
26 comments:
I recall well in pre-Shengen days a hutte on the German Austrian border. The bar was in Austria for the low taxes, but the seats were in Germany, as was most of the rest of the structure.
Schengen allows for emergency closure. Some countries have erected further control points within their borders too.
They're quickly enough removed when the danger is past.
I commend the Continent on its generally heroic efforts to defeat this menace. Deaths per day in France are down to a few tens, and down to about a quarter of UK ones in Italy.
Soon it will be only the UK, and maybe Sweden which are quarantined, and to which borders are closed.
The nationalist mindset doesn't just apply to the EU though, Raedwald. Our own nationalists, the Scots, are (predictably) milking the crisis for all they can.
Following the balkanisation of the UK, the English won't be allowed to go to Scotland, but Scots are still be able to come to England - whilst the English will still be "allowed" (ie forced) to continue bankrolling the Not-So-Bravehearts north of the border.
We certainly are living in interesting times. And they're going to get even more interesting when Brexit is finally implemented.
I live in Scotland one mile from the border with England. My next-door neighbour decided to move to Berwick-upon-Tweed (in England) for work reasons. Before the virus struck she bought a house there and sold hers to English buyers. They have been in limbo ever since, and look like remaining so until the Scottish government falls into step with England.
The National Border mindset doesn't seem to extend to stopping illegals though - per all the European country calls for amnesty for them during this crisis ostensibly to provide labour for the fields due to lack of legal movement of the usual seasonal crop pickers.
Nice to know our leadership is always able to exploit a crisis - especially one they've manufactured themselves.
Note - any declaration of death rates from Covid will be announced according to the needs of the Government (given that they can manipulate them at will) to suit the current 'need' ie France wants free movement to the UK therefore their daily death figures are 'reducing'.
Sturgeon wants to show her control of Scotland so the figures here will be according to what SHE wants to project. Etc.
People need to know when they're being conned - too many don't.
Nice to see that Euphiles are as deranged as ever
"Deaths per day in France are down to a few tens, and down to about a quarter of UK ones in Italy."
Over the last 7 days, France has averaged 169 deaths per day. Italy 175. UK 374.
Dave_G: If the government can just manipulate death figures to suit whatever agenda they want, why do you think that the made up numbers put the UK in second place in the international death table (e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic). Only the USA has had more deaths, and that is for a country five times as big and led by Pres. Trump.
What possible purpose does that serve for politicians that want to be liked and re-elected?
And as much as I dislike Wee Nippy, she can't control death figures from the ONS.
So on the Euro titanic its time to repel all borders?
Mark - ;) actual chuckle
How's that "take back control" working out for you?
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/uk-accused-of-caving-to-us-trade-demands_uk_5eb16d59c5b60a9277823f3e
@DeeDee999 - what do you mean "when Brexit is finally implemented?"
We've left. Or didn't you get a slice of Boris' oven ready turkey?
Rather better than "European solidarity" I would posit.
@Mark ... won't be long before those German car makers come along with a deal.
Prosecco brigade also limbering up.
DD99
Ah an outbreak of sense...
Yes, borders are very artificial structures & getting rid of them is a good idea, except in emergencies.
As you noted.
When the English Juche happens, the UK will break up & we will all be poorer for it - i.e. even poorer & wrecked that Brexit on its own, difficult to believe though that is.
Graeme
BUT as you admit, the UK's deaths are still greater than Fance + Italy combined - not a record to be proud of
"When the English Juche happens".
Oh bless these trolls they try SO hard don't they.
That travel deal between the UK and France is going to let in other EU nationals. Somebody needs to inform No 10 about how the EU works.
As for the masses from Turkey, better ask Boris to quiz his relatives.
Mark
No, I'm serious
Brexit is the English Juche & equally disatrous
MEANWHILE
BoZo caught lying about irish border & controls
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-brexit-northern-ireland-border-checks-irish-sea-eu-a9513521.html
Totally untrustworthy - again
So you are comparing Brexit (Britain is leaving BTW, not England) with the isolation of North Korea?
The direct implication is that this country will become as depraved, deprived and desperate as same.
No, you are not serious. If this is something you genuinely believe I'm afraid that would put you up there with the flat earthers and "intelligent design" nutjobs.
Explain what the EU actually is and why leaving will be so bad. And I mean the real EU, the one that is tearing itself apart while sitting on an economic supetbolcano that is about to erupt beneath it. Not the fantasy one of the numerous vacuous powerpointesque puff pieces that are ten a penny on youtube.
Liz Truss is brilliant. What an opening gambit in trade talks with the US!
The opening offer to harmonize farming standards with the US means that GB farmers can take a huge cost element out of their operations and raise profits at the same time.
In parallel, GB can open up the health sector to US providers. There's a ton of disinfectant waiting to be imported. No need to chlorine wash your chicken when you can inject a bit of bleach.
Liz seems to have set up a pincer movement by getting Declan Kearney to confirm border checks down the Irish Sea. That should sideline the Irish naysayers in Congress.
Brilliant - trade deal in the bag by November. An oven ready Thanksgiving turkey in fact. What's not to like?
Could you give us some examples, some actual examples, of how EU farming standards are better than US?
Oh sorry stupid question, forgot you were just an attention seeking troll.
Would you explain to us again how we know the world is banana shaped?
Radders your blog has an infestation of euro obsessed cunts.
@Mark
The Liz Truss post is about US-GB standards, not equivalence with EU standards or whether any are better or worse.
In case you missed the banana memo ...https://www.europarl.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/en/media/euromyths/bendybananas.html
@Mark
What's wrong with the Liz Truss logic?
@Liam,
If you mean making concessions to get a trade deal, nothing whatsoever. Of course, it depends on the concessions and what is obtained in return. It is a negotiation after all.
Negotiations can be mishandled and fucked up, these are tories after all, but as these negotiations have just begun let's wait and see.
As for the EU, I'm still waiting for negotiations to start. Has there been any shift in their position since this circus began? We are a province of the empire and are to remain one.
If we acceed to their demands (that is to say, simple shut up and obey) there can be no trade deals with any other party, end of. With the EU there are no negotiation. Indeed, they seem completely unable to comprehend the concept. Least of all with the nation states they seem to think they control.
Why would anybody want to remain part of this? It is a clusterfuck of old testament proportions.
@Mark ... just want to check your understanding. Do you agree with the following description?
GB has left the EU. It is in a transition period to Australia (a.k.a. WTO) terms of trade by end 2020, by UK law. One consequence of leaving is that GB companies are no longer part of Galileo, to pick one example for illustrative purposes. Through the action of their government, they chose to depart.
Now, the Government is negotiating to participate in a few areas of EU trade. You can pick financial services (passporting) as an example. There are others. These negotiations are taking place against a backdrop defined by an international treaty (the Withdrawal Agreement). The problem is that Boris and co. did not pay attention to the fine print, witness the rowing back on the Irish Sea border.
There is no option to remain a part of the EU when GB is already out. That was the point of the oven ready deal.
No
You state that WTO - no deal - is the goal. No deal is a possibility (although a real one).
As far as galileo is concerned, UK companies will fulfill existing contracts of course. WTO covers IP among other things and the EU might want to check small print too as there are non trivial amounts of UK IP involved here (not the best example for you to have picked perhaps)
You are couching it all as the UK being supplicant. All is for us to want and for them to give. The fundamentally wrong mindset.
So what is being negotiated if we are definitively getting WTO (no deal). Doubly so if we have a withdrawal treaty ("oven ready deal") as a framework to get to no deal (which is how I read your comment)
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