Commonwealth v EU
Nov 20th 2019, 2:10 am
#62
BE Site Lead & Admin
Joined: Oct 2003
Location: Below
Posts: 34,261
Re: Commonwealth v EU
Originally Posted by BristolUK
I think Elgin may have returned.
Originally Posted by namsbabe
I dunno what your issue is - but you're equating me with some random person named "Elgin"
FWIW I've done a bit of 'nosing' and this may be a case of mistaken identity. The poster may hold Elgin's views and maybe post similar to Elgin . May have joined the same time back in 2012 but from what I can see the similarities end there.
Time for the benefit of the doubt. Lets welcome namsbabe and see what she is made of.
Nov 20th 2019, 8:38 am
#63
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 12,868
Re: Commonwealth v EU
Originally Posted by namsbabe
The Commonwealth is just a goodwill organisation of ex-British colonies and one country that was never British but thought it looked good and asked to join (Mozambique).
It has never been a free-trade organisation. The only trading between them (or us) is cultural exchange, or student scholarships.
I doubt the bigger or smaller Commonwealth economies have a great clamour for a free-trade deal. I've never heard Modi nor Trudeau, or even the PM or President of Malta, call for this. And it's had decades to be a bona fide trading body, and hasn't taken that route. Most members have continental trading bodies anyhow - we have (technically since we haven't left yet) the EU. Canada has the new deal with the USA and Mexico that Trump struck. And India has many bilateral ties. Sinapore has ASEAN, and Australia has close economic ties with the Far East.
Nigeria and Ghana are prominent members of ECOWAS in West Africa.
This is a bit of a pipedream from Brexiteers, since they'ver never understood what the point of the Commonwealth was.
If anything, and rather ironically, it was Britain joining the EU under Ted Heath that killed the concept of trading Commonwealth. I know Australia and New Zealand were pissed off mightily about how their trading arrangements would get ****ed up from it.
It has never been a free-trade organisation. The only trading between them (or us) is cultural exchange, or student scholarships.
I doubt the bigger or smaller Commonwealth economies have a great clamour for a free-trade deal. I've never heard Modi nor Trudeau, or even the PM or President of Malta, call for this. And it's had decades to be a bona fide trading body, and hasn't taken that route. Most members have continental trading bodies anyhow - we have (technically since we haven't left yet) the EU. Canada has the new deal with the USA and Mexico that Trump struck. And India has many bilateral ties. Sinapore has ASEAN, and Australia has close economic ties with the Far East.
Nigeria and Ghana are prominent members of ECOWAS in West Africa.
This is a bit of a pipedream from Brexiteers, since they'ver never understood what the point of the Commonwealth was.
If anything, and rather ironically, it was Britain joining the EU under Ted Heath that killed the concept of trading Commonwealth. I know Australia and New Zealand were pissed off mightily about how their trading arrangements would get ****ed up from it.
It is the individual countries that trade.
India the largest has close relationship with the UK and FTD has been discussed since the referendum -----It is the finance Minister you need to listen to not the PM!!!
Read the other thread regarding the major investment and job creation in the UK.
Merkel only this month was in India trying to get FTD negotiations re-started as well as signing another trade deal.
Yes you are right, joining the EEC messed up the then trading relationships between Australia, New Zealand, Canada and UK.
