Thread by @BrexitBin

Thread

For a German perspective on Brexit, it's well worth reading the following translated remarks from Ingo Kramer, the President of the Confederation of German Employers' Associations.
(source: Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung, 14.12.2018)
>

Ingo Kramer: “One or two German companies will suffer as a result of Brexit. But the German and European economies will cope. I hope the British economy will not collapse as a result of Brexit, because for the British the EU is the number one trading partner.
>

But as long as nobody in Britain wakes up, and realises that this will be a disaster for their own people, there is no rational, or even economically viable way out of it for Britain.
>

Airbus wings are assembled in the UK. And some parts for such Airbus wings come from Bavaria and Northern Germany. But when you say that to a Brexit fan, he just says that we Germans think too pragmatically.
>

I’ve met company representatives in England - from Mini, BMW, Airbus - and I’ve met politicians ...  And it shocked me! The hardcore Brexit fans don't care about such economic interrelationships. All they care about is independence and freedom from Europe.
>

Let's take the crankshaft of a Mini. It goes back and forth across the English Channel 4 times until it's installed, because the component is processed and refined by various suppliers. But if you give this example to supporters of Brexit they just say "That's not our problem!”
>

These people don't worry about such economic relationships. Instead, Brexit supporters refer to the Battle of Hastings in the 11th century, when French Normans achieved their first success in conquering England, but thus awakened the resistance of the Anglo-Saxons.
>

The Brexit followers insist on a position that they must not be regulated, not even by the European Court of Justice. These hardcore Brexit supporters do not understand the value of European cooperation as opposed to weakening fragmentation.
>

Of course, Brexit is also likely to have an impact on economic development in Germany, especially at individual companies. But not on the economy as a whole. For us, the UK is just one of many important trading partners."

(source: Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung, 14.12.2018)

@threadreaderapp unroll