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Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Sat 16 Mar 2019 09:04
by Ted & Jemima
Hello

Local newspaper story today [machine translation]:
https://www.lindependant.fr/2019/03/15/ ... 070629.php
"Effects of Brexit in P.-O. : Customs officers sound the alarm
According to customs unions, Brexit is likely to have serious consequences at Perpignan airport and at the border with Andorra. In order to cope, they demand more means and salary increases.

For ten days now, the customs officers of the Pyrénées-Orientales have put pressure on the borders. By regularly organizing reinforced control operations that cause traffic jams at Perthus, Boulou and Porta, not far from Andorra. Through these actions carried out, according to them, "in compliance with regulations" , the customs officers, supported by a broad inter-union (CGT, Unsa, CFDT, Solidaires, FO), intend to denounce the consequences that could have the Brexit at local level .

"During five months of the year, in the summer, there are between one and three English flights a day at Perpignan airport.With the Brexit, we will return to the same situation as in 1993 with control of goods and passengers, " says Henri Mézy, Unsa. Problem: According to the unions, no additional human resources are provided to cope with this work overload.

"Bottleneck" at the airport
"The customs brigade of Port-Vendres, which is already the only one to carry out the controls of trains, will have to leave a part of its missions to send, from the month of April, reinforcements on the airport" , predicts Jean -Christophe Albrich, CGT. "Brexit will also have consequences at the border with Andorra, adds Grégory Gerbaud, FO.Many tour operators are looking for English tourists in Perpignan to take them to do their shopping in Andorra. have to check the papers of all the passengers of these buses and perhaps even have to stamp ... all without additional means! "

According to the unions, without increasing staff, there will inevitably be "bottlenecks" at the airport and at the border with Andorra. The organizations, which call for additional means and a salary increase, declare themselves determined to continue the movement until they have won their case."

Our comment.... Difficult to understand why any Brit living in Europe would have voted for Brexit!

Yours,
Ted & Jemima

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Wed 20 Mar 2019 21:47
by GrahamC
OK, I’bite.

I love living in Europe but I voted for Brexit. I voted that way in the full knowledge that it would make my life much more difficult. My wife did the same, also with her eyes wide open. But, for me at least, defending the UK first, and hopefully the rest of Europe next, from a newly emergent empire run by Europe’s greatest hegemon is much more important to me than mere personal convenience.

But, of course, being a Brexiter I'm not allowed to be credited with intelligence or the capacity for independent thought - so let the flaming begin. (I won’t bother replying). I’ve tried arguing with remainers here and elsewhere buts it’s pointless. Remainers have got religion and that, as we all know, is impervious to rational argument.

Oh, and by the way, it’s not Brexit causing the potential border problems, it’s the EU. Don’t see too many issues at the Swiss border, the Turkish border, or the Norwegian border. It’s all a matter of how much politicians want to make life difficult for ordinary people to suit their own agendas. And that is a game in which Europeans have no say.

So easy to virtue signal about being a good European. Much more difficult to be objectively analytical about the inevitable consequences of government without democratic assent.

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Thu 21 Mar 2019 08:35
by Ted & Jemima
Hi Graham.

Your fulsome reaction to our one short sentence is indicative.

Yours,
Ted & Jemima

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Thu 21 Mar 2019 10:13
by Gus Morris
I am nearly eighty years old. I travelled in Europe in the immediate post war era. I saw with my own eyes the devastation caused by two World Wars. I will never forget visiting the cemeteries where so many men, including some of my relatives, lie buried. They lived their short lives so I could live my long one.

The EU is not perfect. But it offers hope for my children and their children. We can strive to make it better.

Finally. Why is a United States of Europe so wrong but a United States of America is to be admired?

Gus

PS I know I swore i would post nothing further on here but - what the heck!

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Fri 22 Mar 2019 10:50
by ceret2018
The comments above illustrate very well that Remainers and Leavers each have rational arguments for holding the view that they do. Trying to genuinely understand why an intelligent reasonable person holds the opposite view to you can be a life enhancing experience.

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Tue 26 Mar 2019 19:36
by SteveB
I’ll try to reply to Graham without “flaming”. I’m genuinely interested to know why you think leaving the EU is a good thing, despite admitting that it would make life much more difficult for you. The arguments you come up with are (a) wanting to defend the UK and Europe from “a newly emergent empire run by Europe’s greatest hegemon” and (b) you refer to “government without democratic assent”. I’m not sure who you are referring to in (a) - did you mean “hegemony”, as I don’t think “hegemon” is a word? As for the supposed lack of democracy, any decision by the EU has to be endorsed by the European Parliament and elected national governments. If people don’t bother to vote in European elections, they can’t complain about having no influence over decisions.

Incidentally, I recognise that the EU is a highly flawed institution. but still believe strongly that our being a member is highly preferable to the alternative, given the pressures of a globalised economy and the various threats to our security. To me that seems rational and pragmatic.

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Tue 26 Mar 2019 20:02
by martyn94
“Hegemon” is a word, though more in Greek than in everyday English. So it’s not surprising that Graham uses it inaccurately. It refers to domination by one state over another: one thing that the EU has saved us from, whatever vices it may have. Even adopting Graham’s sense, you might think that Stalin and Hitler had stronger claims to the title.

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Wed 27 Mar 2019 14:27
by ShaneR
I also would like to respond to GrahamC. Leaving the EU is causing enormous amount of damage to the UK motor industry, one that I used to work in. Jobs are going, investment is down and production has fallen sharply. But as a retiree, Leaving the EU impacts my rights to healthcare through the S1, complicates living here (due to requirement to get Carte de Sejour) and makes travel more difficult. I resent my European identity being taken away from me against my will, my rights to live, travel and work freely (if I wanted to) in another European country. We must not forget we expats are immigrants in France and quite frankly we are lucky to be able to live here peacefully. The European Union is not perfect, but neither is the UK democratic system or governance. The UK leaving the European Union weakens it, a divided EU/weak EU plays into the hands of those who want to dominate our way of life. I strongly believe Britain should look to lead change and not leave. Leaving without a deal will impact the economy even more than it has done so far. It will also impact pensioners living here, making them poorer as the UK government has already said it will not guarantee pension increases beyond 2 years, i.e. the triple lock falls away. So Graham you talk about minor inconveniences for the greater good, but leaving is destroying unity, dividing the country and leaving us poorer than we were before. Remember, not one of the economic studies undertaken by the UK government said we would be better off, no we will be poorer for it. I love my country, but I don't love what I see today.

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Thu 28 Mar 2019 21:56
by martyn94
ceret2018 wrote: Fri 22 Mar 2019 10:50 The comments above illustrate very well that Remainers and Leavers each have rational arguments for holding the view that they do. Trying to genuinely understand why an intelligent reasonable person holds the opposite view to you can be a life enhancing experience.
You may find it life-enhancing: I just find it depressing. I can understand people voting Brexit because they were brassed off and found it a convenient way of expressing their brassed-offness. But the full-dress “ideological” case against EU membership just seems to me to be bonkers, and in a way that doesn’t flatter its adherents: sympathizing with it seems about as sensible as sympathizing with flat-earthers.

When I look back at my own experience of the EU, I think of endless working papers about noise-emission standards for domestic lawn-mowers. I am not sure how much democratic oversight that would have got in or out of the EU, but if it had really been run by “Europe’s greatest hegemon”, it would have at least been a hell of a lot quicker.

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Fri 29 Mar 2019 17:10
by Ted & Jemima
Hello again

'Brexit : quelles conséquences sur les entreprises d’Occitanie ?' local TV report today at: https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr ... 46964.html

[Insert comment here which supports whatever your existing opinion is about Brexit.]

Yours,
Ted & Jemima

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Sat 30 Mar 2019 16:53
by Helen
On a much more mundane level, I've just done my first 'post-brexit' admin.

Heading over to France on April 9th, I've been holding off from getting international driving permits. But after what happened yesterday in HoC, I decided to bite the bullet - just in case we crash out of Europe on the 12th!

So I now have two international driving permits - one for Spain valid for one year, and one for France, valid three years!

At least they weren't expensive and the Post Office had them in stock! Apparently the one for Spain is in short supply.

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Wed 03 Apr 2019 11:22
by ceret2018
Hi Martyn, I wasn't so much advocating sympathising with opinions that you totally disagree with or indeed giving much time to eccentric ideas such as a flat earth but more suggesting that two people with different values and beliefs will take the same evidence( if they could ever agree on that evidence) and come to completely different opinions of what the best course of action would be . In my view both are valid and worthy of respect. Both sides should campaign for their preferred course of action in the hope of persuading others of the merit of their cause but accept that some people just see the world very differently. Atheists and fervent believers are unlikely to change each others minds, but can accept each others rights to their beliefs

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Sun 07 Apr 2019 20:57
by Sus
Hi Helen,

do you mind sharing your experience of getting the driving licenses? Did it take long?

Thanks!

Helen wrote: Sat 30 Mar 2019 16:53 On a much more mundane level, I've just done my first 'post-brexit' admin.

Heading over to France on April 9th, I've been holding off from getting international driving permits. But after what happened yesterday in HoC, I decided to bite the bullet - just in case we crash out of Europe on the 12th!

So I now have two international driving permits - one for Spain valid for one year, and one for France, valid three years!

At least they weren't expensive and the Post Office had them in stock! Apparently the one for Spain is in short supply.

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Sun 07 Apr 2019 21:16
by Kathy
They cost £5.50 each. You go in to the post office with your driving licence, plastic one and a passport photograph for each. If you go with a paper licence you need to take your passport as proof of ID. They then do it there and then. Takes minutes. Someone can go and do it for you but they need to see the original driving licence.

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Mon 08 Apr 2019 18:36
by Helen
do you mind sharing your experience of getting the driving licenses? Did it take long?
It was very straightforward, just as Kathy says above.

It seemed to require a fair degree of detail checking/writing on the part of the Post Office staff, but I was walking out with the two licences within 10 minutes.

She did say they were having to limit the one valid for Spain to people who were travelling within a week or so, purely because they seemed to be in short supply. But more were on the way.

Have to say they are a horrible dull grey colour :roll:

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Tue 09 Apr 2019 08:14
by Merisin
Interesting reportage on FR3 local news yesterday . Nice to see native English speakers from this neck of the woods speaking French. But then why not? They are now French citizens!

Merisin

Re: Effects of Brexit in P.-O.

Posted: Tue 09 Apr 2019 16:10
by Sus
Many thanks, Kathy and Helen, glad to hear that it is straight forward!