DOVER AND OUT:
Time to reflect on trip from White Cliffs & back
On a clear day the residents of Calais can see the White Cliffs of Dover glinting in the sunshine across the sea. The Strait of Dover is just 21 miles across and an easy hop for the birds, blue or otherwise, who soar above the coastline.
But yesterday a heavy mist shrouded the 350fthigh cliffs which have become the most iconic symbol of our island nation.
And as the P&O ferry set sail for France it was soon enveloped in a dense grey fog and pitching on the waves in high winds.
The captain of the
Pride of Burgundy clearly knew where he was heading, but I, and the BACKING Mrs Thatcher in pro-Europe jumper in 1975 other queasy British passengers aboard, hadn’t got a clue about the direction of our latest stormy European journey.
And so on Brexit Day, the middle of the English Channel proved the perfect place to reflect on our relationship with the EU and the future, post-divorce.
“Do you think they’ll let us back in next week?,” joked Barbara Thomas, 62, of Chelmsford, Essex, as she boarded, en route to see friends in Pas-de-Calais. “I voted remain, but I’m glad all the wrangling and division is over – for now – and we can finally try to move on. “Nothing’s going to change for travellers or tourists for at least a year, though. So I don’t feel any different and don’t expect to be treated any differently in France.
“We haven’t pulled up the drawbridge and become Fortress Britain... We’re renegotiating our place in Europe as an independent nation.”
But some things are starting to change in readiness for our new life outside Europe.
Like the ferry taking me to Calais. Last year P&O re-registered all its UK cross-channel vessels to Limassol, to maintain favourable EU tax arrangements. So now the
German-built vessel flies under the yellow and green flag of Cyprus, rather than the Union Jack.
Holidaymakers are also planning their last big booze cruises to stock up on cheap wine and beer in the Calais superstores.
When a no-deal Brexit was still on the cards last year there was panicbuying in some of the outlets, and many regulars still don’t seem convinced by assurances there will be no change in the rules during the transition period which lasts until
December 31 at least.
“I’ve lost all trust in politicians,” said Colin, 47, from Reading, Berks, as he headed to the Calais Wine Superstore.
“Look at the cock-up they’ve made of Brexit. So they may say ‘nothing will change for a year’ but I’m stocking up while I can. I’m not driving, though, so I might have a toast to our EU divorce before we head back. It’s the dawn of a new era, and I’m looking forward to having a blue passport and a GB sticker on my car again when we’re properly out.” Bad weather and ferry delays cut short my stay and I had to head back to Blighty – on the Pride of Canterbury. And gazing out at the English Channel, I – a staunch Remainer – suddenly felt it had always been inevitable Britain would one day break free from Brussels. Because we never really became fully European, did we? Forty-seven years ago we joined the Common Market with no great enthusiasm, thinking we had to keep up with the French and German Joneses. Two years later, we voted to stay in, but still shuddered a bit at that ghastly Ode to Joy, the starspangled flag and Margaret Thatcher’s hideous pro-Europe jumper.
We didn’t want the euro. We didn’t want to be part of that United States of Europe, even though war time hero Winston Churchill thought that was the only way to ensure peace.
But we did want all the benefits of trade and freedom of movement across the Channel and throughout Europe. So while many mourn the end of our first half century of European Union, others see only blue skies ahead from the top of the White Cliffs of Dover.
And if today dawns bright and clear we will all be able to look forward to a new European relationship of love, laughter and peace ever after. Just you wait and see.
What will change?
Initially, not much. That’s because we are in a “transition period” until the end of the year, during which the UK will continue to follow EU rules – although we won’t have any say in them as British MEPs have lost their jobs and the UK won’t attend any more summits.
It will also keep paying into the EU’s budget.
What happens next?
The UK can now formally begin trade talks with other countries, like the US and Australia, so they are ready to kick-in at the end of the year.
The Government will be hoping for some quick wins so it can show it is making a success of Brexit. world where the three major global hubs are the US, China and the EU. Our departure from the single market makes us less attractive to foreign investors.
What about travel to Europe?
UK nationals will still be able to live, work and drive in the EU until the end of the transition period. Future travel restrictions will be hammered out over the next 11 months. You won’t need a visa from January 2021, unless you’re staying more than three months.
Pact with Spain could be the first
Can the transition period be extended? The Brexit deal says the transition period can go on for another two years. The Government passed a law banning any extension, but it can still change its mind right up to the end of June. We will start paying our £39billion “divorce bill” to the EU, which stretches for several years.
Will the trade talks be a success? The Government hopes so, but they have very little time.
Any deals with other countries are likely to require controversial tradeoffs, such as any agreement with the
US over food standards and the NHS.
What will Boris Johnson do next? No10 is desperate to move on from Brexit and to focus on domestic policy.
The PM will have a Cabinet reshuffle and is expected to make announcements that benefit new Tory constituencies in the Midlands and North.
Will our economy be stronger?
Much depends on whether we get a trade deal with the EU.
Without one, the UK will “fall out” on damaging WTO terms. Even if Mr Johnson manages to strike a Canadastyle agreement with the EU, the Treasury’s own forecasts estimate Britain’s economy would be 4.9% smaller – more than £100billion a year – after 15 years.
What about our place in the world?
By leaving the EU we may have more freedom, but we will also have markedly less clout in a
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What if I’m ill on holiday?
You will be able to continue getting treatment in EU hospitals until the end of the transition period. After that, the European Health Insurance Card, which gives Brits access to EU healthcare, will no longer work.
It is up to the UK to strike “reciprocal” health cover with individual states. A pact with Spain is likely to be among the first to be agreed.
What will happen to EU citizens?
EU citizens can continue arriving freely in the UK to live and work until December 2020. But they must apply by June 2021 for “settled status”.
After the transition period, new EU migrants will be subject to a points-based system.
What about workers’ rights?
The Government will set its own workers’ rights after the transition, with many fearing they will be watered down – or dropped entirely.
Under threat could be limits on night work, requirements for rest breaks, the 48-hour limit on the working week, the right to four weeks’ paid annual leave, plus bank holidays and maternity rights.
Is the Union under threat?
Brexit may be the catalyst which breaks up the country, with nationalist sentiment on the rise in Scotland and a march towards a reunified Ireland bolstered by the limited border down the Irish Sea.
Can Brexit be reversed?
If we ever want to rejoin the EU, it will be under Article 49 of the Lisbon Treaty, a lengthy process that needs the approval of all 27 states – and would mean joining the euro.