I was wondering when Brexit would come up. It has already and I am pleased to confirm the Brexit reversal idea is dead and finally buried. 
Not In His Lifetime
[Via Eurointelligence] Already assured of victory at today’s general election in the UK, Sir Keir Starmer has started to make manifesto pledges for beyond 2029. Yesterday he said that the UK would not rejoin the EU within his lifetime, nor would it try to become an associate member of the single market or the customs union.
We are not surprised, except that the issue came up so early. The reason to shut this down right now and as conclusively as he did is that keeping the door open for the future has policy consequences today.
To rejoin even in the medium-distant future would have required him to start closing the massive regulatory gap that has opened since Brexit almost immediately. Most of that gap was due to divergence by the EU itself. The UK did not mirror the 50 or so laws of the Green agenda. It adopted the data protection regulation – GDPR – in the last decade, and maintains its own version to this day. But the UK does not have the EU’s digital markets act, or EU regulation on AI and cryptocurrencies. Nor does have regulation on what is euphemistically called corporate social responsibility – making companies liable for human rights violations in their supply chains. For the UK to rejoin the EU even during a second term would require such a high degree of regulatory convergence that it would dominate all other policy areas.
We see another reason in the EU’s Luddite tendency, its attachment to 20th century technologies and corporatism. We always felt that the undoubtedly large economic gains from goods trade integration need to be set against the opportunity cost of the EU’s failure to partake in the 21st century digital economy. The single market, as it is constituted today, is very much a product of 20th century product-focused regulatory thinking.
The Right Decision
Who in their right mind wants to adopt the EU’s green agenda? The EU’s nannycrat legislation on corporate social responsibility? On digital rights? On cryptocurrencies? On anything the EU does?
Those nostalgic for the EU membership need to address those questions.
Congratulations to Boris Johnson for getting Brexit done. Few believed he would.
His problem was not knowing what to do with Brexit once it happened.
Simultaneous Burial
It’s always a mistake to let EU nannycrats set your policy. That’s why Brexit was smart policy even if takes a while to prove that.
Not only did Starmer finally bury EU membership (the Wicked Witch of the East), he buried an even worse customs union idea (the Wicked Witch of the West) in a simultaneous burial.
Congratulations!
Mish, Are your “congratulations” sarcasm?
If you read my post, certainly not
Sorry. I get it now. Duh.
Foreign press has best coverage:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13631849/Donald-Trump-shots-fired-Pennsylvania.html
God Bless America from the leftist loons.
No matter the politics, I’d drink at the pub with Farage and Galloway any day.
God Bless President Trump
When Trump turned to his left someone shot his face. One bullet buzzed his right ear. If the bullet didn’t penetrate his brain he will be ok. The shooter is dead. One
bystander is dead.
Brexit was the first in a string of victories against central planning nannycratic governments/ideas/thinking. It was the first shot! Then we had Trump winning in 2016 and upending the apple cart for a time as we watched #Resist(1.0) fight back hard. We have the Argentine. France. And hopefully 2024, although Resist 2.0 will be in full bloom but i have confidence we’ve learned and pray the VP pick is ready to carry things onward.
Good for the Brits to realize it was NOT the end of the world but a way to breathe the free air, even if there are setbacks and complexities. Freedom is hard won.
Concur on all your points. But the Trump VP selection is especially imperative now that the man is literally in the crosshairs. Someone will need to be in line to carry the torch, or in this case the plunger to drain the Swamp.
“Brexit was the first in a string of victories against central planning nannycratic governments/ideas/thinking. It was the first shot! Then we had Trump winning in 2016 and upending the apple cart for a time as we watched #Resist(1.0) fight back hard. We have the Argentine. France.”
And, in Every.Single.Instance.And.Mentioned.Country: Government is larger, more centrally planned, more nannycratic, more financialized, more totalitarian; as well as less free and less “capitalistic”; than was the case pre Brexit… In all the mentioned countries. None of which there is any indication will be changing anytime soon: Still all downhill, still at nothing but an accelerating rate…. Such that “we”, the UK, France, Argentina(duh!) are now not just generations behind China at pretty much anything. But increasingly behind places like Russia as well, wrt freedom, quality of life and wealth of the median resident.
It’s not enough to formally “Brexit.” Not when nothing meaningful changes as a result. The UK is still, even by the near nonexistent standards of the EU, nothing but a basket case (maybe not in Soccer…. We’ll see…..). The EU is bad. But the UK is, eh, nothing. As in, like, really: Nothing. And Argentina… Just say no more…. It’s just sad.