Merkel Threatens UK, Securing Borders “Will Have Its Price”
German Chancellor threatens “consequences” if UK caps EU immigration following Brexit
In a rare move, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has threatened the British government with “consequences” if it were to restrict immigration from the EU member states after the country formally breaks away from the union. “If the British government says that free movement of people is no longer valid, that will have its price,” German Chancellor said. “Merkel threatens the Brits,” reported the leading German newspaper, Die Welt.
If Britain were to put a cap on the number of EU immigrants allowed into the country, “we would have to think about what obstacle we create from the European side,” Merkel warned. German Chancellor’s latest threats came in the backdrop of recent reports that British Prime Minister Theresa May was planning to end the open immigration from the EU countries, once Britain leaves the union following the Brexit negotiations.
In a “barely veiled threat”, as The British newspaper The Telegraph described it, Merkel told the May government that the “British car industry relies on supplies from continental European countries. It is up to the British side, who say they want minimum disruption.”
Thanks to Brussel’s open borders policy, millions of EU immigrants have been claiming welfare benefits in Britain. These benefits often cover their extended families living in EU countries. Many British taxpayers see this as a misuse of their welfare state.
Surprisingly clear words from Angela Merkel aimed at Great Britain. If the brits consider restricting the free movement of people than the European Union must consider consequences.
“If the British government says that free movement of people is no longer valid, that will have its price,” Merkel said on Wednesday (…)
The EU, in that case, must consider restrictions aimed at the Brits. You can’t preserve the good aspects of the EU without ensuring the free movement of people. [Die Welt, May 17, 2017; author’s translation]
Merkel’s new-found bluntness could be attributed to the pro-EU candidate Emmanuel Macron’s victory in France. With President Macron in place, Merkel can forcefully assert her agenda on the European stage. The German establishment sees itself as the biggest winner of the French election. German newspaper Die Welt, described Macron administration as “Germanophile government.”
This weekend, Merkel’s Christian Democrats defeated their Social Democratic rivals in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state. This state-level victory further boosts Merkel’s chances ahead of the September general election.
According to leaked EU documents published last month, the EU wants Britain to surrender parts of its judicial and national sovereignty as a penalty for quitting the union. Furthermore, the EU would like to impose a ‘penalty‘ of €60 billion on Britain, calling it the ‘exit-bill’. “Britain will have to pay off obligations to Brussels for years after Brexit, remain subject to European Union courts and continue to let relatives of European immigrants settle in the UK,” wrote the British newspaper The Guardian citing leaked EU documents.
Returning to thuggish rhetoric, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker threatened to make an “example” of Britain that “will make everyone (other EU states) realise that it’s not worth leaving.”
While Merkel refuses to put any limit on the refugee crossing the EU’s outer borders, Prime Minister Theresa May’s government does not want to surrender its sovereign right to regulate immigration as part of any Brexit deal. Earlier this year, British Home Secretary Amber Rudd confirmed that Brexit will “end freedom of movement as we know it.”
Either Merkel’s toughened stance is just posturing ahead of the Brexit negotiations or she has lost touch with reality. Germany is running an annual trade deficit of €50 billion with Britain. Is Merkel willing to erect ‘obstacles,’ as she herself puts it, in the path of British automobile makers opting to buy German car parts?
As Brexit negotiations start next month, it might be time for Prime Minister May to call German Chancellor’s bluff. As British politician Nigel Farage puts it, “No deal with the EU is better than the rotten one we already have.”
Video: Nigel Farage, “Britain will not be bullied”:
[Cover image courtesy Bundesregierung, YouTube]
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Comments
Open borders is the hill that the left is willing to die on. Interesting to know.
May they find that hill soon and permanently.
Boot Hill.
Without an ignorant underclass, the left has no constituency.
I literally hate the EU…
So the EU is going to treat the UK like everyone here treats Trump. The Brits voted Brexit mainly to stop the endless inflow of hostile immigrants. We Yanks elected Trump explicitly to deliver on what has been the official GOP platform (for seemingly forever).
So the global establishment’s determined efforts to frustrate the will of voters has crossed the pond. Let’s see how this works out. It could be that we are setting up for an epic “citizens of the world unite” historical moment. Not exactly what the NWO communist globalists had in mind.
“…the EU wants Britain to surrender parts of its judicial and national sovereignty as a penalty for quitting the union. The EU also wishes to impose a ‘penalty‘ of €60 billion on Britain, calling it the ‘exit-bill’. “Britain will have to pay off obligations to Brussels for years after Brexit, remain subject to European Union courts and continue to let relatives of European immigrants settle in the UK…”
In other words, the EU wants to keep its open borders, globalist boot on the neck of Britain and negate Brexit.
Bitte, Mutter Merkel, aber ficken sie!
Does Frau Merkel not realize that her declaration is a de facto campaign commercial for the Tories?
TOUCHE!
But don’t expect Dictatorina Merkel to have common sense of a goose.
Free movement of people or giant welfare state?
Choose one, Angela.
Merkel wants a giant slave state just like our Uni-Party……
Way to go, Merkel. You just confirmed the wisdom of “Brexit”.
So you folks somehow believe that it is illegitimate for Merkel to say “If the UK imposes restrictions on immigration and travel from the EU, the EU might have to impose the same sort of limits on UK citizens”? That isn’t all that outlandish — it is a statement of common sense.
Next thing you know, countries are going to inform Trump that setting up obstacles to imports into America will result in similar obstacles being placed on American exports abroad.
Oh I think it is legitimate all right. I think the shocking part is that she thinks that this issue is so important to her that she needs to threaten the UK. It completely exposes her ideology – if there was doubt – there should not be now. She inspires the left.
Merkel and the Germans can do it, but it has nothing to do with “common sense”. Currently there are a myriad of economic links between Germany and England, and both countries benefit – when looking at the trade deficit, it’s not hard to make the argument that German companies (and the German Economy) benefit far more than GB does.
Merkel is threatening to blow all this up just to try to force England to take middle eastern immigrants that England doesn’t want to take.
Suppose Germany does this threatened economic retaliation – do they think that England won’t simply stop its imports of German goods (Like Mercedes and BMW’s) and replace them with American goods? We’ll be glad to oblige them with anything they want. Germany will suffer far more, since American (and I’m sure Chinese) suppliers will be happy to replace any German goods at comparable or lower costs. There will be a temporary disruption for English companies who have German operations, but they’ll survive.
This isn’t “common sense”, this is political idiocy of the First Order, and Merkel is betraying her old authoritarian Stasi roots on this one. You can almost hear her shouting “ACHTUNG!!! VE VILL HAFF NO INDEPENDENT THOUGHTS AS LONG AS I RULE!!! YOU VILL OBEY!!! HEIL!!!!”
Not to mention that Poland – a member of the EU – absolutely refuses to take any refugees at all. It makes her look like a dictator as you so sublimely referenced.
The market will decide that more then Merkel. They can cut off German car parts and other tech and put a ban on selling to Britain. Any enterprising company or country will just act as the go between instead. Look how Iran and Iraq got around sanctions. Germany will be more than glad to sell to a partner that is on their list once Britain gets black balled. I’m also sure that American car plants can tool up for right hand drive vehicles in no time while Japan and Korea make healthy profits.
Her threat would have worked really well in the 40’s and 50’s but today it’s really almost as simple as redirecting packages or ships.
Not allowing a country to control it’s borders is insane. Yes Merkel can say “well we won’t give you free access to all EU states” but once you cross the border into any one of the states you have access to all of them. Seriously if you can’t control your own borders then you’re not a sovereign nation.
“Germany is running an annual trade deficit of €50 billion with Britain.”
A confusing sentence. I think you mean that Germany has a 50 billion Euro foreign trade surplus with Britain.
Shorter Merkel: “A no-deal Brexit is better than anything we’ll let you get at the negotiating table”.
May can just walk away and go “Bye, bye” and it’s the EU that will suffer more.
Resisting progressivism has always “had its price”, Ms. Merkel and we in the conservative movement pay it all this time.
From IRS investigations here to the rest of your regulatory and PC nonsense everywhere. We are prepared to deal with it because we have for a while.
A strange statement by Merkel.
Lacking specifics, it sounds like simple whining. It doesn’t even rise to the level of a decent bluff. What is the threat here? That Germany won’t let residents of the UK move to any EU country and suck off the local welfare system? Not a lot of leverage there, so that’s probably not it. She’s going to cut off Britain’s supply of German car parts? That’s better, maybe, but still not very good.
All very odd.
What will she do? Shee hass VAYZ uff makingk der UK cooperate?
I think it behooves Frau Merkel to look at the streets and motorways of Britain. A good portion of Germany’s new vehicle market is to the UK. If the British consumer stops buying them in any great percentage, it will make Germany’s present trade position an uncomfortable one.
Germany threatens the UK? Never heard that before. Wait – we HAVE. Thanks for showing your hand there Adolph Merkel.
Sounds more like Merkel is the one feeling threatened.
Because of course her open borders policy hasn’t forced anyone in her own country to “pay a price”.
The #1 resonsibility of any government is to protect its citizens.
You’re a complete failure Angela just like your pal Obama.
Congrats!
Sure it will, Herr Merkel, sure it will.
Perhaps put them at the back of the queue, a la Obama?
Well we already know that the consequences of open borders in the EU these days is guerrilla warfare. So what trumps that?
I think Nigel has it right when he says that Frau Merkel should be very careful or Britain will simply cease to be a member of the EU and Brussels can go pound salt.
What is she going to do…send out the Luftwaffe?
If Britain stupidly allows unlimited immigration for EU citizens after Brexit is completed, expect the EU to organise fast-tracked EU nations’ citizenship for Syrian, Iraqi and African immigrants. EU would then have some of its immigrant problem sorted out by allowing them to legally travel to welfare-generous Britain without them being stopped at Calais.
Essentially this is what Turkey is doing to the EU itself, demanding that in return for stopping immigrants from travelling through Turkey to the EU, Turkey would gain visa-free entry for its citizens into the EU. If that arrangement is agreed to, expect Turkey to provide instant citizenship for many of the immigrants so they can continue their migrations into the EU. Turkey has already offered some Syrians temporary Turkish citizenship; expect that to become an avalanche if all Turkish citizens get visa-free travel to the EU.
Why is it every generation or so we have a German leader threatening a neighbor. I thought we fixed this at least twice. Merkel is an old East German. One would think she knew better. Geez