BBC: What is the future for UK-US trade?

1898 Poster Promoting USA and UK Cooperation

The BBC reported the following:

TTIP: What is the future for UK-US trade?

April 24, 2016

US President Barack Obama’s remarks that Britain would find itself at the “back of the queue” when drawing up any potential post-Brexit trade deals with the US has also put the focus on Transatlantic commerce.It is not the first time the US has threatened dire trade consequences should the UK vote to leave the EU on 23 June.

Last year, US trade representative Michael Froman warned that if the UK left the EU it would face the same tariffs and trade barriers as other countries non-EU countries such as China, or Brazil or India.

The tariffs which UK exporters pay (as a company based in an EU member country) on goods sent to the US are at present relatively low.

Imports and exports

The heightening of the trade rhetoric seems unusual when one examines the current mutually-beneficial trading relationship between the UK and US.

While the EU bloc of nations is the UK’s largest export market, that is a large territory comprising of another 27 countries.

When it comes to British exports to a single nation, then the US is the UK’s biggest export destination, a market worth some £3.5bn.

The UK exports a huge variety of items to the US, from gin and industrial chemicals to live animals and vegetable fats.

Conversely, the US is the UK’s third biggest source of imports, after Germany and China, buying some £2.9bn in goods from America. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-36123622

April 24, 2016

The UK could take up to 10 years to negotiate trade deals with the US if it leaves the EU, Barack Obama has said.

In a BBC interview, the US president said: “It could be five years from now, 10 years from now before we were able to actually get something done.”

Britain would also have less influence globally if it left, he added.

His warning over trade has angered UK campaigners for leaving the EU – with UKIP leader Nigel Farage dismissing Mr Obama’s comments as “utter tosh”.

Mr Obama has previously said the UK would be at the “back of the queue” for trade deals with the US, if it left the EU.

When asked about the comments, he told the BBC: “The UK would not be able to negotiate something with the United States faster than the EU.

“We wouldn’t abandon our efforts to negotiate a trade deal with our largest trading partner, the European market.” …

But Mr Farage told the BBC: “To hear an American president coming to London to threaten us, I don’t think goes down very well.”

He said other countries including Oman and Australia had been able to negotiate trade deals with the US and the president had been “parroting” Downing Street.

Labour MP Gisela Stuart, who co-chairs Vote Leave, added that it was “extraordinary” the US should urge Britain to remain part of a “dysfunctional organisation”.

Tory MP Liam Fox told BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend: “People in Britain are fairly resistant to messages from outside.” Britain’s trade relations with the US would be “a matter for the next president, who may not be of his party, anyway”. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36120808

While Barack Obama threatened the anti-EU voters in the UK with intentionally delayed trade discussions it is more likely that his successor will take a different stance.

Notice also the following:

April 24, 2016

A US trade deal with Britain could take up to 10 years if it were to leave the European Union, President Barack Obama has warned in an interview with the BBC. In the event of a Brexit, the UK would lose much of the influence it has as America’s closest EU ally, he said. …

Some US politicians share Obama’s view that a Britain within the EU is able to exert more authority and apply more pressure to push through policies in line with American interests. The loudest voice in support is Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.

But the outgoing US president’s comments angered many in the ‘Out’ campaign in Britain, which believes the UK could strike deals just as effectively outside the European bloc as it could within. Leading Brexit campaigners London Mayor Boris Johnson and UKIP chief Nigel Farage weighed in with criticism of Obama’s intervention.

Johnson called Obama’s comments “hypocritical,” issuing the following comment earlier: “We haven’t had a trade deal with America for 43 years. Why not? Do you know why not? Because we’re in the European Union.

“The crucial point is that I’m a big fan of Barack Obama – I was one of the first people to come out in favour of him ages ago,” Johnson said on a visit to his constituency in Uxbridge, according to the BBC.

“But I think there’s a weird paradox when the President of the Unites States, a country that would never dream of sharing its sovereignty over anything, instructs or urges us politely to get more embedded in the EU, which is already making 60 percent of our laws,” he added.

“I think the issue really is about democracy – America guards its democracy very jealously and I think we should be entitled to do so as well.” https://www.rt.com/uk/340755-brexit-obama-trade-deal/

April 24, 2016

President Obama is still trying to influence the outcome of the upcoming British referendum on whether the UK should leave the European Union or not. Today’s installment is that he’s told the BBC that it would take up to a decade to negotiate a UK/US trade deal post that hoped for (hoped for by me at least) Brexit. This is just an addition to the usual FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) being thrown around in this campaign. Whether or not the UK has a trade deal, a new treaty, with the US is of very little importance indeed. The standard WTO terms are good enough and whatever happens in bilateral deals might add a little, but not very much, to those terms. …

The importance of trade is rather the rules that the UK applies to imports from the US. Those rules, of course, not being something that need to be negotiated with the US or anyone else. And it is exactly this which drives the varying estimates of how the UK economy will fare after Brexit. If we keep the same EU level tariffs and restrictions we already have and also apply them to EU imports then the economy will shrink a bit. If we move to more standard WTO restrictions on what we import then it will shrink a bit more. And if we, as Patrick Minford has pointed out, simply have no restrictions upon imports at all then the economy will grow.

That is, the only logical trade stance to have is one of unilateral free trade. At which point who cares how long it takes for the US to agree to anything? We can have unilateral free trade the day after we’re out of the EU. And we should do too: because that is what will make us richer. http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2016/04/24/obamas-decade-for-a-post-brexit-ukus-trade-deal-is-of-no-importance-at-all/#d2527bb44eab

As one who sometimes exports, let me state that it is easier to export to the UK than to most of the other EU nations. Despite the intent of the EU and TTIP, the reality is that there are still differences between the nations in the EU. And while TTIP might change that, the USA and UK will not stop doing business if the UK votes to leave the EU on June 23, 2016.

Notice also the following:

April 24, 2016

Boris Johnson, the mayor of London and a leader of the pro-exit euro-sceptics or “outers,” accused Obama of meddling in British domestic affairs, saying that Obama was advocating for Britain policies that the US would never accept for itself. He was sharply criticized when he cited “the part-Kenyan president’s ancestral dislike of the British Empire” and called his remarks “incoherent,” “inconsistent and…downright hypocritical.”

What exactly is Brexit and what does the upcoming referendum mean for the future of Great Britain and the EU and how could it affect the United States?

First of all the United Kingdom European Union Membership Referendum, popularly referred to as “Brexit,” a contraction of the words British exit, does not mandate an automatic withdrawal from the EU. Under article 50 of the 1993 Treaty of European Union (Maastricht Treaty), and the 2009 Treaty of Lisbon, a member state must first give notice to the European Council that it wishes to withdraw.

Once notice is given, negotiations would begin over the withdrawal. During this period the notice could be withdrawn if a new agreement is reached, although any such agreement would, from a political standpoint, necessitate another referendum approving it. If no other agreement was reached, the withdrawal would become effective on the second anniversary of the original notice to the European Council.

Moreover, even if Great Britain was to leave the EU, it could still opt to join the European Economic Area (EEA) or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The EEA allows for the free flow of persons, goods services and capital between the member states of the EU and Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway.

EFTA also allows for a free trade area and includes the members of the EEA, as well as Switzerland. Both organizations would allow Great Britain the benefits of a European wide common market and would still require some financial contributions to the EU, but the scope and reach of EU mandated legislation and administrative jurisdiction would be significantly curtailed. …

From the US’s point of view, continued UK participation in EU institutions maximizes British influence on the continent and in turn makes it a more valuable ally to America. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-v-micallef/brexit-what-it-means-for_b_9766090.html

Should Britain vote to exit (Brexit) the EU on June 23, 2016, it is not likely that the major US presidential candidates will publicly state that the UK will be in the back of the line for trade talks. It is more likely that they will want to make a deal with the UK as that would likely be a lot easier than making one with the entire EU as Boris Johnson indicated.

That being said, there has long been a ‘special relationship’ between the USA and UK (cf. Genesis 48; watch also Fraternal Relationship between the USA & UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand?). Barack Obama may have hurt it some, but he is a lame-duck president on his way out.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Fraternal Relationship between the USA & UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? Is there a special, fraternal relationship between the USA & UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? What did Winston Churchill say? What did Justin Trudeau say? What does the Bible teach? Are there prophetic ramifications with this ‘sibling’ relationship? Who are the “five eyes”?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous.
World War III: Steps in Progress Are there surprising actions going on now that are leading to WWIII? Might a nuclear attack be expected? Does the Bible promise protection to all or only some Christians? How can you be part of those that will be protected? A related video would be Is World War III About to Begin? Can You Escape?
WTO/TTIP and the Babylonian Beast Will international trade agreements like WTO/TTIP/CETA lead to the fulfillment of end time prophecies concerning the Babylonian Beast power that the Book of Revelation warns against? What does the Bible teach? A related video would be WTO Trade Deal and the Rise of the European Beast Power.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
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Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin?
Prophecies of Barack Obama? Reasons why Barack Obama is apocalyptic and reasons why Barack Obama is not the Antichrist. This
Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States This is a 188 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Hillary Clinton and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also discusses Republicans. The physical book can be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Hillary Clinton Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Hopi, and other America-Related Prophecies? $11.99.
Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version of the 188 page print edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Amazon Kindle edition.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition.