- Editorial by Bronte Aurell, Author & Owner of ScandiKitchen
Already as the first few words typed out onto the screen, this promise was broken.
Brexit is everywhere around us and still, three years on, overshadows everything we do here in the UK and divides so many people.
It’s not all about protest, proroguing and Prime Ministers, though.
Instead, writing-about-not-writing-about-Brexitgot me thinking much more about the roles we association members play in each other’s lives, especially during times of a somewhat uncertain nature.
Because it is not simply about Brexit as the political force but also very much about the division and confusion it has created along the way - and how we react together, as a community.
For the past twelve years, ScandiKitchen – the business I run with my Swedish partner Jonas – has sat alongside the lives of the Nordic ex-pats and immigrants in the UK.
As purveyors of remoulade and pickled herring to the people, we went from being the small quirky London café to a food importer supplying the bigger fish.
This journey went uphill and downhill as we survived the recession, rode the trendy Scandi waves and even plunged ourselves into the great ‘how to pronounce hygge’debate.
Just as we thought things were plain sailing, the UK voted to leave the European Union, changing everyone’s lives, affecting everything from the businesses that trade here to Mrs Jensen in Bournemouth who married her British sweetheart in 1984 (and never thought she’d have to question her cross-border identity).
Being a business that often exists to temporarily medicate people’s homesickness through food, we get a privileged look into what is going on in the heart of the Nordic community.
At the same level in business, the Danish UK association has the same opportunity together with its Nordic partners to tie us closer together when the outlook is less predictable.
From the brilliant meetings and conferences organised by all the various Chambers of Commerce on how to deal with Brexit, what to do about Brexit etc - to the smaller gatherings in churches and cafes such as ours where people can find help on how to move forward (importantly voiced in their own languages).
Every one of these meet-ups and groups have, in the face of a lot of division, served to actually bring us all closer and make us stronger.
Whether we were questioning the business climate or someone wondering whether it’s time to move on: the community support has been felt throughout, reinforcing a great sense of belonging when it was needed most.
At times like these, we feel extremely proud to be a Nordic company doing business in the UK, being supported by such a fantastic rich mix of organisations.
Despite the gloom predicted over the next while, we’ve still been left with a sense of optimism that stems from the unity and common goal in which our communities are working together, both across the business forums and in our personal lives.
From the Danes helping Danes, to all the pan-Nordic and UK organisations helping each other – working towards a common goal of making any Brexit landing as soft as possible, for the greater good of all of us.
Bronte Aurell, ScandiKitchen
Showing posts with label brexit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brexit. Show all posts
Friday, October 4, 2019
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Heseltine on Brexit.
Lord Michael Heseltine said Boris Johnson got Britain into the Brexit mess and he should be the one to negotiate our way out of it.
The Tory grandee wouldn’t say who he wanted to replace David Cameron as Prime Minister - but he was clear he wouldn’t be backing Boris .
He told the BBC: “It’s chilling really, because the British people have been sold a deceitful pup.
"We were told by the Brexit campaign that we’d be alright because the Europeans are desperate to keep us in.
“The truth is the Europeans have said “On your bike. You took the trouble to make this decision, we aren’t negotiating.”
Lord Heseltine for a second vote on whether Britain should leave the EU - either another referendum or a General Election - after we know what the terms of Brexit would be.”
Brexit. A single market and the free movement.
Mr Johnson has said in an article in The Telegraph that Britain will be able to introduce a points-based immigration system and maintain "access" to the single market.
"British people will still be able to go and work in the EU; to live; to travel; to study; to buy homes and to settle down.
As the German equivalent of the CBI - the BDI - has very sensibly reminded us, there will continue to be free trade, and access to the single market."
Brussels rejects Boris Johnson 'pipe dream' over single market access!
Deal on free movement while keeping access to single market is "out of the question"- Swedish PM
The European Union's (EU) internal market, or single market, also known as the European single market, is a single market that seeks to guarantee the free movement of goods, capital, services, and people – the "four freedoms" – between the EU's 28 member states.
Approximately 1.3 million Britons live and work in Europe.
Under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, Britain has two years to arrange new deals with EU member states - but in the meantime what should expats, both Brits abroad and EU nationals here, look out for, now the UK has voted to leave the EU?
The three million EU nationals living and working in the UK will also be affected.
The biggest group of Europeans living here are Poles, followed by Irish nationals and then Germans.
Some EU nationals could be left without the right to work in the UK - in which case they would have to apply for work permits or visas.
Britain already has a points-based system for non-EU citizens who apply to live and work here. That could be extended to EU citizens as well.
At the moment, part of the reason that UK pensioners in the rest of the EU see their pension go up every year is because the principle of the single market is applied.
That means pensions and other social security payments rise wherever you live.
Because this agreement is a mutual arrangement between the UK and the rest of the EU, it is now likely to form part of the renegotiation process.
The 3m non-British UK residents and 1.3m Britons living in the EU need to know what the result means in practice!
"British people will still be able to go and work in the EU; to live; to travel; to study; to buy homes and to settle down.
As the German equivalent of the CBI - the BDI - has very sensibly reminded us, there will continue to be free trade, and access to the single market."
Brussels rejects Boris Johnson 'pipe dream' over single market access!
Deal on free movement while keeping access to single market is "out of the question"- Swedish PM
The European Union's (EU) internal market, or single market, also known as the European single market, is a single market that seeks to guarantee the free movement of goods, capital, services, and people – the "four freedoms" – between the EU's 28 member states.
Approximately 1.3 million Britons live and work in Europe.
Under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, Britain has two years to arrange new deals with EU member states - but in the meantime what should expats, both Brits abroad and EU nationals here, look out for, now the UK has voted to leave the EU?
The three million EU nationals living and working in the UK will also be affected.
The biggest group of Europeans living here are Poles, followed by Irish nationals and then Germans.
Some EU nationals could be left without the right to work in the UK - in which case they would have to apply for work permits or visas.
Britain already has a points-based system for non-EU citizens who apply to live and work here. That could be extended to EU citizens as well.
At the moment, part of the reason that UK pensioners in the rest of the EU see their pension go up every year is because the principle of the single market is applied.
That means pensions and other social security payments rise wherever you live.
Because this agreement is a mutual arrangement between the UK and the rest of the EU, it is now likely to form part of the renegotiation process.
The 3m non-British UK residents and 1.3m Britons living in the EU need to know what the result means in practice!
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Monday, June 27, 2016
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Life after Brexit: what happens next.
EU referendum results and maps: Full breakdown and find out how your area voted
Life after Brexit: what happens next | News | The Times & The Sunday Times
Britain has voted to leave the European Union. The consequences are colossal and numerous, but what happens in the immediate aftermath of the vote?
When do we leave?
The first thing to say is that Britain does not leave the bloc immediately. This is just the start of a process that is likely to take years, according to constitutional experts. Even before any talks get under way, there are some immediate political and economic consequences to deal with.
Emergency EU meeting
There could be an emergency EU meeting, where leaders could begin to deal with Britain’s historic decision, which has huge knock-on consequences for the rest of the bloc. A major European Council meeting of leaders was due to take place at the end of the month but the world has now changed that it could be brought forward.
Brexit talks
The major step will be when Britain formally begins triggers negotiations about leaving the EU. This is known as triggering Article 50 and the government will have two years to thrash out an exit deal. If no deal is reached, Britain will leave the bloc with no deal and it would with have a trading arrangement with the EU under international rules set out by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Talks can be extended beyond two years, but any EU state can veto an extension.
When do Brexit talks begin?
One of the big questions is when Article 50 will be triggered. Those in charge of the Brexit campaign have said that it need should not be triggered straight away in order for informal talks to take place with EU leaders first. Britain’s trading relationship will be crucial.
Finding a model for Brexit
There is no one model for what Brexit looks like and the process for deciding it is hugely messy. Pro-Remain MPs could use votes in parliament in an attempt to keep Britain in the EU’s single market. That would avoid trade tariffs, but the UK would almost certainly have to accept the EU’s free movement rules, which drove many voters to back Brexit. However, whatever MPs want, it also depends on what kind of deal EU leaders are willing to give Britain.
Brexit talks team
The prime minister, whoever that may be after Mr Cameron’s decision to resign today, will have to appoint a team to oversee Britain’s exit talks. It is likely to have to be a senior supporter of Brexit – perhaps someone like Michael Gove. There may also need to be a swift government reshuffle as Brexiteers are put in senior posts. There are serious questions over the future of George Osborne, whose deficit-reduction plan will be in tatters as a result of the economic impact of Brexit.
Emergency budget?
George Osborne angered MPs during the EU referendum campaign by saying he would have to use an emergency Brexit budget to plug a £30 billion black hole in the country’s finances. Was it a campaigning ploy or will an emergency budget in some guise take place?
Second Scottish referendum?
With Scotland voting in favour of the Remain campaign, there have been calls for a second referendum on Scottish independence and Brexit has been cited as an explicit circumstance in which the SNP may demand one.
The Irish border
There have been suggestions that there will now have to be a hard border between southern and Northern Ireland as a result of the Brexit vote. Emergency meetings are already planned in the Irish government. Sinn Féin has said there is a “democratic imperative” for a poll over the border staying in place after Northern Ireland voted to remain.
Life after Brexit: what happens next | News | The Times & The Sunday Times
Britain has voted to leave the European Union. The consequences are colossal and numerous, but what happens in the immediate aftermath of the vote?
When do we leave?
The first thing to say is that Britain does not leave the bloc immediately. This is just the start of a process that is likely to take years, according to constitutional experts. Even before any talks get under way, there are some immediate political and economic consequences to deal with.
Emergency EU meeting
There could be an emergency EU meeting, where leaders could begin to deal with Britain’s historic decision, which has huge knock-on consequences for the rest of the bloc. A major European Council meeting of leaders was due to take place at the end of the month but the world has now changed that it could be brought forward.
Brexit talks
The major step will be when Britain formally begins triggers negotiations about leaving the EU. This is known as triggering Article 50 and the government will have two years to thrash out an exit deal. If no deal is reached, Britain will leave the bloc with no deal and it would with have a trading arrangement with the EU under international rules set out by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Talks can be extended beyond two years, but any EU state can veto an extension.
When do Brexit talks begin?
One of the big questions is when Article 50 will be triggered. Those in charge of the Brexit campaign have said that it need should not be triggered straight away in order for informal talks to take place with EU leaders first. Britain’s trading relationship will be crucial.
Finding a model for Brexit
There is no one model for what Brexit looks like and the process for deciding it is hugely messy. Pro-Remain MPs could use votes in parliament in an attempt to keep Britain in the EU’s single market. That would avoid trade tariffs, but the UK would almost certainly have to accept the EU’s free movement rules, which drove many voters to back Brexit. However, whatever MPs want, it also depends on what kind of deal EU leaders are willing to give Britain.
Brexit talks team
The prime minister, whoever that may be after Mr Cameron’s decision to resign today, will have to appoint a team to oversee Britain’s exit talks. It is likely to have to be a senior supporter of Brexit – perhaps someone like Michael Gove. There may also need to be a swift government reshuffle as Brexiteers are put in senior posts. There are serious questions over the future of George Osborne, whose deficit-reduction plan will be in tatters as a result of the economic impact of Brexit.
Emergency budget?
George Osborne angered MPs during the EU referendum campaign by saying he would have to use an emergency Brexit budget to plug a £30 billion black hole in the country’s finances. Was it a campaigning ploy or will an emergency budget in some guise take place?
Second Scottish referendum?
With Scotland voting in favour of the Remain campaign, there have been calls for a second referendum on Scottish independence and Brexit has been cited as an explicit circumstance in which the SNP may demand one.
The Irish border
There have been suggestions that there will now have to be a hard border between southern and Northern Ireland as a result of the Brexit vote. Emergency meetings are already planned in the Irish government. Sinn Féin has said there is a “democratic imperative” for a poll over the border staying in place after Northern Ireland voted to remain.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
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