Space Cowboy wrote:So what are people making of the EU Commission President's calls for the UK to 'get started' with Article 50 as soon as possible?
Well, I did earlier suggest that the EU wouldn't be minded to be nice and friendly about this.
It's not just that we have, after all, just told them all to go fuck themselves, which is never the greatest prelude to amiable negotiation, but they need this to be painful for us. Because there are other EU countries who could follow with their own EU exit, so they need Brexit to look like a living nightmare as a deterrent. And, of course, they need to prevent the loss of more EU members, lest it provoke a haemorrhage, leaving the EU bleeding to death.
This does not bode well, mind you. Because even though I was predicting it wouldn't be nice and friendly, not even I was expecting to see Mr. Juncker saying "[we call for the UK] to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible,
however painful that process may be" merely hours after the result.
However painful it may be.
Because, indeed, from their perspective, if it's painful then that actually suits their interests. So, yeah, he's demanding article 50 be instituted right away, without delay, because that would help raise the pain levels. In fact, if Article 50 is invoked, then there's a two year time limit from that point - the clock starts ticking and, by default, you're automatically out within 2 years.
I thought this might happen, but was not expecting to have Juncker himself uttering "however painful it may be" on the very same day as the result, so maybe even I was underestimating how nasty things might possibly get here.
"Words ought to be a little wild - for they are assaults of thought on the unthinking."
- John Maynard Keynes
YAY
