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0 pointsgaius9y ago0 comments

Not true. Article 50 stipulates the maximum negotiating period, not the minimum. T-May could quite legally declare Article 50, negotiate for a day, then join NAFTA the day after...

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TillE9y ago

There are many many thorny issues to be untangled. It's not as simple as saying "we're leaving"; Britain's membership in the EU is a complex thing that's going to take a lot of work to dissolve. The Article 50 negotiations are about those issues, not a future trade deal.

If you just walk away, you leave a mountain of chaos that would have to be handled in courts.

gaiusOP9y ago

Sure, but it takes two to tango. The EU can't force the UK to wait two years because the UK can simply walk away. This is a loophole that the writers of Art 50 didn't consider.

andyjohnson09y ago

Theoretically true, but extremely unlikely in practice.

As for the UK joining NAFTA: politically impossible.

toyg9y ago

> for the UK joining NAFTA: politically impossible.

Maybe not Nafta, but TTIP could probably be signed the day the UK leaves. Whether that's a good thing for the UK... eh.

andyjohnson09y ago

TTIP is a proposed agreement between the Us and EU. Why would the UK want to ratify it, or even be invited to do so?

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antientropic9y ago

No, the UK cannot unilaterally withdraw before the end of the two year period. An earlier withdrawal is only possible if the UK and the EU both agree.

gpderetta9y ago

well, technically as long as it is aiming for an hard brexit it can withdraw unilateral whenever it wants. The two year period is a safety blanket to negotiate a better deal while still enjoying the existing rules.

pmyteh9y ago

According to the text of Article 50, a withdrawing state remains bound by the Treaties (and thus by EU law) until either (1) an exit agreement is made and enters into force; or (2) two years pass after Article 50 is invoked.

So the UK can't 'withdraw unilateral whenever it wants' without creating a giant legal problem as its erstwhile partners attempt to enforce its (still extant) obligations.

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TillE9y ago

If you just walk away, you leave a mountain of chaos that would have to be handled in courts.

gaiusOP9y ago

Sure, but it takes two to tango. The EU can't force the UK to wait two years because the UK can simply walk away. This is a loophole that the writers of Art 50 didn't consider.

andyjohnson09y ago

Theoretically true, but extremely unlikely in practice.

As for the UK joining NAFTA: politically impossible.

toyg9y ago

> for the UK joining NAFTA: politically impossible.

Maybe not Nafta, but TTIP could probably be signed the day the UK leaves. Whether that's a good thing for the UK... eh.

andyjohnson09y ago

TTIP is a proposed agreement between the Us and EU. Why would the UK want to ratify it, or even be invited to do so?

1 more reply

antientropic9y ago

No, the UK cannot unilaterally withdraw before the end of the two year period. An earlier withdrawal is only possible if the UK and the EU both agree.

gpderetta9y ago

pmyteh9y ago

So the UK can't 'withdraw unilateral whenever it wants' without creating a giant legal problem as its erstwhile partners attempt to enforce its (still extant) obligations.

1 more reply

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