Sorry, I just assumed from your screen name you were British, I suppose one should not assume in this day and age! It's the effect of a war; the UK suffered massive price hikes in both domestic and industrial energy costs as well as petrol etc. following the Russian invasion of Ukraine which has caused issues with the UK economy. As with most European countries the UK imported a reasonable amount of gas from Russia which became a sanctioned country.
I am a Brit, Grandson of a coal miner, we have our own energy sources untapped, notably your side of the border. My opinion, unfortunately is that due to Brexit/COVID and a few other issues, we have a ‘false economy’ almost, where there is an excuse for businesses to charge ridiculous stupid prices for commodities. However, that’s just an opinion
ha...same here...my grandad was at Elsecar Main he was one of the last handlers of the pit ponies underground he had to leave the mine at 16 (thankfully) when one of the buggers kicked him and broke his leg... if I've got you right....I didn't think coal has any use as a fuel anymore in terms of cost and efficiency - for major power stations I mean? Personally I'm hoping to still be alive when Tokomak Energy bring on line the world's first commercially viable fusion reactor...that'll be a thing worth seeing
Not at all regards to coal, useless now you are right. I was trying to put across that we have our own oil, especially in Scotland, also I’m not 100% against fracking in certain areas of the isles if it helps with self sufficiency. I do believe we have the means to be self sufficient, even just for a little while, “until all this blows over”. It’s an annoyance that Russia, or people believe to be the case, can hold the world to ransom in terms of oil and energy.
yeah with you now.....I'm actually 100% for fracking.....great idea and as I understand it we've got some pretty big reserves....but banjaxed by Grauniad readers...."I say chaps you can't do that in our village!!! Well....I say it'd be the end of civilisation!!!" Not sure about the oil do we have the refining capacity anymore? Aye...the Scots and their oil...this bloody SNP con about oil funding SNP wet dreams....anyway.... last I heard Ineos was shutting down most of Grangemouth...? As I understand it oil is sold spot and loaded offshore at SPMs so it's sold before it's even out of the ground and not even within territorial waters thus it's not UK oil it belongs to the oil companies who can do with it what they please. As I understand it no...well...pretty much no oil reaches UK shores now? Gas is another matter though lots of that in UK waters just sod all storeage...we should build our own liquification plants...or get the frogs to build us nuclear plants....
If you're talking about the cheaper priced things the UK imports from other countries, most of those things would not come from other countries in the EU, I would think.
Wouldn’t have thought they would no, however the EU free market did benefit the UK in terms of price of many things in the economy, for the business and the customer.
To repeat again, Brexit was not exactly the same thing as leaving the EU free market. Most Brexit supporters would have preferred to stay in the EU free market. But that's probably a complicated and long discussion for another thread.
Ok so what did Britain leaving the EU actually change then? Freedom of movement? If so that’s a joke because the British channel has never before seen the level of ‘Freedom Of Movement’ as seems to be hitting new highs in that regard towards the port of Dover, from the EU, albeit the people travelling are technically not from EU countries. Maybe it is for another thread but is undeniable that Brexit has changed the UK and not entirely positively and as further devolution of Wales, Scotland and a rise of rhetoric for a United Ireland start to form… We could end up dissolving our own union anyway…..and then what?
There are several countries that are in the European Economic Area (EEA) but which are not in the EU. (These include Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, for example, and additionally Switzerland is in the Schengen area, without border checkpoints, and is a member of EFTA which coordinates open trade with EEA countries) The European Economic Area is like EU's Free Trade zone. Being pushed out of the EEA was more like an indirect outcome of leaving the EU, one that was not intrinsically necessarily connected. Many believe EU officials kicked the UK out of the EEA as a form of retribution for leaving the EU, and to try to set an example to discourage other countries from leaving, but it's also true the UK government was trying to push for some special improved terms of trade, which they were unable to reach an agreement on with the EU (or actually EEA). In this thread we're focusing on just the plausible economic effects.
...I thought it was due to Theresa May's unrealistic negotiation time frame following the absurdly early triggering of article 50 - she basically ballsed it up by thinking it would be easier than it was?
