Brexit benefits – lets start a list

Any benefits yet?

Got my GHIC, thought it’d be an upgrade from the EHIC, being “global”.

It’s got a Union Jack on and…

Before Brexit, an EHIC was also valid in Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland. That has now changed, so you can only use a GHIC or existing EHIC in the EU.

Any benefits yet?

Yes, less silly politicians making important decisions.

UK already have the fair share of silly politicians and the same goes to EU. You want to add more to the silliness?

Just by having less politicians to deal with is already an instant relieve for mental health of the population.

Yet, you want to have more politicians to participate in making the decision for you?

Not me. Silliness should be confined to their own country rather than spreading them around.

Yes, less silly politicians making important decisions.

Our politicians don’t seem to be any less silly than before we left the EU. I don’t rate the decision making abilities of those that have been empowered by Brexit at all.

Our politicians don’t seem to be any less silly than before we left the EU. I don’t rate the decision making abilities of those that have been empowered by Brexit at all.

Regardless, they have all been getting rather silly in the recent decades, hence we are where we are nowadays.

A benefit is an “improvement”. Are we being governed better in the UK because of Brexit…? I’ll leave you to try and persuade people that we are…

A benefit is an “improvement”. Are we being governed better in the UK because of Brexit…? I’ll leave you to try and persuade people that we are…

Another way of looking at it is to avoid “contaminating” those in EU.

As the usual ruling party has purged a large part of their meagre “talent” pool and we had to put up with people who thought that monster a suitable Prime Minister, I would say that that stupid policy has had a damaging effect on the quality of Government.

Ah you’ll like this about a certain individual and a certain TV show.

Farage said: “Well, you’ve got about 10 million young people who watch that programme.

“These are people who don’t really watch the news or read newspapers, but they still care about the country they live in and their futures.

“And actually, in many ways, the futures of young people in Britain had been blighted.

“They haven’t got the same opportunities that their parents and grandparents had and they’d love to look for solutions.

“So in my mind, if I was to do it, I might be able to connect with that audience because goodness me they all watch I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!”

They haven’t got the same opportunities that their parents and grandparents had

Cheeky ****.

Cheeky ****.

I thought the same as I was reading it. Then move on to your insightful outburst…

“So in my mind, if I was to do it, I might be able to connect with that audience because goodness me they all watch I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!”

I’ve never watched that programme, it’s just car-crash entertainment, but, and it’s a very big but, I could almost bring myself to watch it, just to watch that steaming pile of excrement be repeatedly humiliated on public television.

So Farage is basically only going on I’m A Celebrity as a public service to the blighted younger generation? A generation he’s done nothing but diligently fight for to expand their future opportunities. What a selfless man, what a humble hero.

I wonder which charity he’s handing his handsome pay over too as he’s not in it for the money?

How many times have The Mail and Express told us we are getting a Brexit Boost?😁

Given all the “boosts” we’ve had we must now be the worlds leading economy, surely?

Yes, the ever-reliable IEA straight-outta Tufton Street comparing export figures over 3 years without adjustment for record levels of inflation. Like for like it’s a flat-line at best.

If we want a *real* Brexit bonus, there’s this poorly thought-through legislation coming down the turnpike in the EU:

https://last-chance-for-eidas.org/

As far as I can make out, it requires everyone’s browsers to completely trust some certificates issued by the EU, so they can intercept any and all traffic. Ostensibly it’s to track CSAM and terrorists, but all sorts of stuff will get hoovered up.

The UK is trying to do something to poke holes in end-to-end encryption but it seems somewhat less all-encompassing.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/end-to-end-encryption-and-child-safety/end-to-end-encryption-and-child-safety

I don’t know how we’re planning to uninvent encryption (although having people intentionally develop weakened encryption algos is always popular).

So… tracking without opting in…? So a weakening of current EU data privacy laws? Presumably the tools that people use outside the EU to block this stuff will be just as hard for EU states to deal with if the legislation passes as they are for RoW bodies currently?

Anyway, came here to post about drug supply chains still be borked…

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nhs-brexit-medicine-supply-shortage-b2442211.html

So… tracking without opting in…? So a weakening of current EU data privacy laws? Presumably the tools that people use outside the EU to block this stuff will be just as hard for EU states to deal with if the legislation passes as they are for RoW bodies currently?

Not tracking.

Any EU member state has the ability to designate cryptographic keys for distribution in web browsers and browsers are forbidden from revoking trust in these keys without government permission.

As I understand it, every browser in the EU will be required to accept as valid *any* root certificate signed by any EU government.

So….you’re sitting at home in the EU doing your online banking with your US bank (or talking to your family in the UK, or… anything inside or outside the EU), and someone who can bribe the right people in any other EU government can arrange to see everything you are doing.

You could try using a VPN, but those *also* rely on the same public key certificate authority stuff, so will also be vulnerable.

It’s hard to see how it won’t be massively abused.

I think you’ve misunderstood it a bit, but it is poor legislation that is proposed that will be easy for those that need to be investigated to circumvent and a security risk for everyone else. Much like our own government’s proposals. No one will benefit from either accept well resourced and highly motivated criminal and foreign organisations. The EU & UK won’t be made safer, and using the internet fully will become less safe for all.

Don’t worry people. We’re going to have an amazing transatlantic trade treaty that will make up for any losses in trade with Europe.

Oh.

Wait.

https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/2023/dec/18/joe-biden-signals-he-has-no-interest-in-signing-us-uk-trade-agreement

A trusted root certificate has nothing to do with hacking your traffic by a central all encompassing eye.  It just means that when you visit a website with a .eu domain name the traffic between it and you is properly encrypted and that encryption is certificated correctly, your browser trusts the certificate and the person registering the website address under that domain name has, in theory, been checked out.

in exactly the same way .co.uk addresses all hark back to a root certificate issued by nominet and .com addresses go to the ICANN root.

and we still have not yet had two really damaging things yet

1) fingerprint and facial recognition crossing into the EU – that will cause huge queues
2) checks on incoming foodstuffs – which will again lead to massive queues and also some stuff simply will never be sent here as its too much hassle / more profitable to sell into the EU

1) like the biometric gate on the UK side that massively speed up the process? 🤔

2) great! 😂 Not sure why you think food miles are a Good Thing?

A trusted root certificate has nothing to do with hacking your traffic by a central all encompassing eye.

It’s everything to do with hacking your traffic when EU security services have access to the private key though. That’s the point of this stuff.

that will cause huge queues

Have you been to Malaga airport recently, or Schiphol? Both are understaffed with border patrol following the pandemic. Malaga needs you to turn up 3 hrs before a flight if you’re a UK passport holder. There were many, many triggered gammon irate at not being allowed in the EU passport line.

Schiphol, depending on the arrival time, can see queues for 3rd country residents transiting to Schengen destinations extend from the transfer border check all the way up to arm E and beyond. Biometric checks are going to really stuff that up – flying into Schengen will become like arriving in the US for Brits. Now most of the time I can stroll past this lot with my Irish passport, but because of the staff shortages they occasionally make EU citizens join the 3rd country queue. That’s not going to be tolerated for very long by KLM who thrive on their ability to transfer long haul passengers to within europe flights very rapidly. 

zilog – its estimate that for a car getting on the ferry the time to process will be 3 – 5 mins rather than under a minute

You do realise we import a lot of food?

You do realise we import a lot of food?

”we” do a lot of things that really need to be cut down on to live more sustainably before the planet is totally **** (if it isn’t already!!)

I agree with that sentiment but the UK has not been self sufficient in food for a long time nor even close – and a lot of what we eat simply cannot be grown in the UK.  You want a return to rationing and root veg being the only fresh veg in winter?

The private key only gives them access to the traffic encrypted below that domain – it won’t let “them” traverse domain traffic, not without issuing their own malicious certificate for that top level domain. Even within the domain it’s a right faff on to get the info out as the certificate encryption will be melded with your own workstation / phone’s private key. Its not a true back door. Its how certificates have always worked. Now the certificate revocation issue highlighted in what appears to be a mozilla foundation article (but doesn’t actually appear on the mozilla foundation page, which has its own much less alarmist article ) I can see as a problem, but its not a malicious one, it’s technical issue with the legislation that needs addressing.

Somehow the link failed.

Immigration from all countries is now treated equally – whether or not it should be treated differently is another matter, but it is at least equal.

One thing that bugged me and would make me vote for Brexit is how people who had come here from countries outside the EU, such as to work in hospitality or care, had a much harder time to come and stay working in the UK, particularly financially, compared to people from the E.U.

Why should we favour countries in the E.U. – some of which we have more cultural differences with than many other countries in the world, particularly those in the former commonwealth?

Seemed a bit rascist to me.

You want a return to rationing and root veg being the only fresh veg in winter?

why do people insist on extrapolating every argument to it’s (il)logical conclusion 🙄

Go on then.  Tell us how else the uk would feed itself without imported food?

Seemed a bit rascist to me.

I don’t necessarily disagree that it’s unfair that people from outside the EU were treated differently as a general principle but I think it’s more to do with countries being aligned and therefore having reciprocal agreements in place.

People forget that migration goes both ways.  Within the EU any citizen can travel to any other country and know that they will be afforded certain rights.

Brexit is always framed around a ‘people coming over here’ argument but it ignores that fact many people are ‘going over there’ as well.

Or at least they were.

Tell us how else the uk would feed itself without imported food?

You said – and I quote “some stuff simply will never be sent here” (with my emphasis on some), I said “great”, as less food-miles is what we need to aim for – suddenly we are at NO FOOD AT ALL BEING IMPORTED, RATIONING, GO ON WHAT’S YOUR ANSWER TO THAT THEN???
errrr, I have no answer, as I never suggested that, you are arguing only with yourself here.

And with the correct investment the UK could feed itself a lot more than it does today.   Food currently not grown in UK could be grown in UK using modern technology and materials but it would cost more than shipping it across the world which highlights where the priorities are I suppose.  Also not much to do with Brexit is it.

had a much harder time to come and stay working in the UK

And and even harder time now.

Trying to address the problems of UK policy by withdrawing from the EU was never going to end well.

Sure, we are still getting the “numbers” of people coming here, but they all (including those from non-EU countries) now have fewer rights and higher additional costs while they live and work here.

NO FOOD AT ALL BEING IMPORTED, RATIONING, GO ON WHAT’S YOUR ANSWER TO THAT THEN???

TJ didn’t say that. Higher costs, smaller package sizes and shortages are already a thing. But instead of “rationing” we just rely on poor people not buying the food, and rich people shrugging off the costs. This will get far worse once we introduce full import controls. So… what’s the plan…? What are we onshoring? What’s the carbon cost of doing so? Is it more or less than growing in other close by countries and shipping here? Who’s paying the bill? What are the health costs coming down the line as people without the means change their diet?

The private key only gives them access to the traffic encrypted below that domain – it won’t let “them” traverse domain traffic, not without issuing their own malicious certificate for that top level domain.

That’s kind of the point – the EU will be able to issue certs for other people’s domains. That then lets them setup a MiTM attack – e.g. they could create a spoof singletrackworld.com which would have a certificate that *they* issued but which any EU citizen’s browser would trust. Now if they can mess with the routing (very easy) they can see (or change) everything that any EU citizen sends to STW.

So for now I actually think this is a real Brexit benefit worth having, even if it means I’ll have to eat kimchi in the winter rather than lettuce grown in giant greenhouses in the Netherlands.

My daughter want’s to work in the travel industry (just left college) – now loads of jobs require you to have an EU passport – not very helpful if you’ve only got a UK one.

another Boris Brexit Benefit is another one for the not column.

Coombe Castle, which received the King’s award for enterprise in international trade in April 2023, has already had to set up a Dutch company in order to sell into the EU and is paying taxes in the Netherlands. “Brexit has not brought any opportunities – no good has come of it,” Larvin said.

sums up this thread 😕