this post was submitted on 07 Apr 2025
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Summary

Keir Starmer faces growing pressure from Labour’s key financial backers, trade unions, and business leaders to forge closer UK-EU ties after Trump’s new tariffs sparked economic concerns.

The U.S. imposed a 10% tariff on the UK and 25% on key sectors, endangering 25,000 UK car jobs.

A TUC poll shows 66% of Britons now support stronger EU ties. Labour MPs and pro-EU groups argue Starmer’s Brexit red lines are outdated.

Critics warn ignoring EU alignment risks deeper economic damage.

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[–] [email protected] 58 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Referendums don't always work, so instead we should throw Nigel Farage into the sea.

If he drowns, we apply to join the EU.
If he floats, we fish him out of the sea and try and set him on fire. If he burns, we apply to join the EU. If he doesn't burn, we "nexit" him with a guillotine and apply to join the EU.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

This seems pretty one sided with various ways to control the system to get what you want. I propose adding external elements to make things fair.

Such as throw fartage into a lion's enclosure. If they eat him we join the EU.
If not then we find a pit of alligators/crocs and throw him into that.
If he survives that then it's to the tank of piranha and let him have a week in there etc etc until he pops his clogs and we join.

It's the only way for it to be fair and democratic.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

These are very sensible and fair plans - though you have to be careful not to make it too much fun, else people might be inclined to say "delay the EU application another month, next week they're throwing Farage in with some bears! I must see that!".

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Weren't such sacrifices traditionally done into volcanoes?

: p

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

By some traditions, yes. Volcanic sacrifice was particularly popular in the Victorian Era, for example. Unfortunately for fans of the method (and fortunately for those who live in these areas) most of the best volcanoes were in the outer territories of the former British Empire, which are now independent.

I'm sure Ben Nevis is due another pop any time now, but until then "1, 2, 3, into the sea!" :)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

What if he does a Harold Holt and mysteriously vanishes, never to be seen again?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

That's a very good question. I think in that case we have to assume "drowned: apply to join the EU". If he turns up mysteriously alive at a later date, we can set fire to him etc "in arrears".

[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 week ago (2 children)

But hopefully not enough to give them a ton of privileges if they join the union again

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

One of us, but for real this time.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Bingo, make the message very clear

If you leave you're in for a bad time (for a while, no one can tell the long term effect)

If you come back you're not getting the same privileges you had in the past

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They should be given the best of privileges, but on the EU's terms: everything that is beneficial for the people in the UK and their economy, unless that's harmful for the union (such as exemptions from fishing quota or whatever). A stronger member leads to a strong whole, generally speaking.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They already had tons of privileges that other countries didn't get the last time they joined, see how that went.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

I now see you meant we shouldn't give them privileges other countries don't have either, I do agree with that. I most of all meant we should create the conditions that make it as attractive as possible to rejoin the EU. In some articles about a multi-speed EU they say the UK could join at the lowest speed in a similar way Norway and Switzerland are 'members' of the economic area, I think it's more realistic the UK will first have an agreement like those two countries before they become a full/regular member again.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 week ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Not mine but one I really like is The Breversal. Although technically not as correct as breunification, breintegration, the brejoing or the brestoration.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You had me at brest...oration.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Oi mate, come and rest yer head on our European bosom hehe

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Brenter? Brundo? Brtl-Z? I know there's a gem of a name for this out there somewhere...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I like Brtl-Z written, but probably no longer once I hear a brit talk about Bontrol-Z lol

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Burtle zed.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Great Breturnia.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 week ago

if trump gets the uk back in the eu at least something good would have come of it.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 week ago

Literally the only good thing that could come out of this shit show.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago

Even digital goods like games via UK are taxed I just checked.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Any significantly stronger ties required Freedom Of Movement (basically to be inside the Single Market, even as a non-EU-member, means having all rules necessary for it to be a free and open market, which includes Freedom Of Movement), which was one of the main reasons the Brexiters won - like in the US now, Britain's very own rise of the Far-Right by taking over their mainstream conservative party some years ago was also mainly anchored on racism.

I'm quite curious how many of those 66% of Britons would still be alright with stronger EU ties if that meant that Poles could once again immigrate to Britain at will.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

The percentage of Brits that voted leave was much smaller than 66, but besides that a lot of them feel lied to, because none of the promises the leave campaign made were held up. For example when it comes to foreign workers, there was a huge shortage of lorry drivers and medical staff after Brexit because most of the eastern-Europeans left the country. So to mitigate that problem there are now a lot of south-east Asians and Nigerians immigrants doing those jobs and so the Britons that voted leave now live in a country with more immigrants rather than less. Thats not the only reason leave voters are disappointed, and I believe the fear of immigrants moving in is now much smaller than the fear of isolation and impoverishment.

Also the conservatives have lost a lot of credibility (and votes) because of how they got Brexit done, and the far-right lost a lot of credibility (and votes) because of their ties with Trump and Putin.

Polls show a serious majority wanting closer ties with the EU, militarily and economically.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I don't see them coming back if they can't keep the Pound

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Tbf we almost certainly can, just play the Swedish game of perpetually slightly not complying with euro requirements.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

There are ways to be part of the Single Market and all that goes with it without becoming an EU member, for example by becoming a member of the EEA like Norway.

They would be able to keep the Pound that way, as well as a number of other things such as controlling the fishing rights in their own waters.

They would however have to accept Freedom Of Movement, which was one of the main arguments for Leave during a Referendum which was very much a mix of racism and fantastical expectations of keeping most of the rights even after leaving the EU (Britain has major problems with widespread nationalistic delusions of grandeurs, so lots of people believed all the fantasies about "they will give us all we want")