Breaking On Sky News: 1.7 Billion Bill To Be Paid

[ChillDoubt]

over 2 installments apparently.

[Svejk]

Do you mind, Blackadder, I've just eaten. ;)

[tonyav]

Ah the old smoke and mirrors trick !.
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/osborne-accused-of-%E2%80%98smoke-and-mirrors%E2%80%99-over-eu-bill/ar-AA71eb1

[BlackadderV]

That was rather mischievous of me, I must admit.

[EDDIE51]

The reality is that Cameron has been offered a way to 'save face' we are paying 1/2 the bill £850 million in 2 instalments. BUT we are losing the rebate of £850 million which we would have got under the original plan.
So net result is that Cameron can claim to have won when in reality all that has happened is we are being allowed to pay in instalments, 2 payments of £425million plus not getting the £850million rebate. Total to EU £1.7 billion as before but spread over a year rather than in a lump sum.
Rather like a person who is fined by a court asking for time to pay.
Plus he has been told in no uncertain terms that his idea of limiting EU migration is not even up for discussion. Notice how he is very quiet about that!

[ludwig]

It looks like alot of tough talking from all sides (for the benefit of the various electorates involved) and then smiles and handshakes behind closed doors.

'Tell you what, we''l let you pay half up front but get it back later from the rebate' - 'Great, but we said we wouldn't pay straight away' - 'Instalments then, so you can say you delayed it like you promised' - 'Briliiant, sounds like a plan' - 'Yes, if no-one rocks the boat we could all come out of this looking like winners. The common people are idiots - by the time of your election no-one will remember any of this'.

[EDDIE51]

Ludwig ^^ you are frighteningly close to the truth!

[BlackadderV]

If Ludwig's analysis were correct it would frighten me. Unfortunately I think that it IS correct.

[tonyav]

So do I.

[ChillDoubt]

My own tkae on political matters is that government and opposition are closer to The Thick Of It/In The Loop than we would ever dare imagine.

To digress a tad, the events of the last 18 months must be manna from heaven to Armando Ianucci and his team and another one-off/special must surely be in the offing, fingers crossed.

[ChillDoubt]

Take, even...

[EDDIE51]

It IS correct it has been confirmed ( EU spokesperson) that the rebate will not now be paid . So as Ludwig and I said in the end the EU still get their £1.7 billion but spread over 2 payments totalling 50% with the lost rebate making up the other 50%.

[ChillDoubt]

I believe I said as much in my post at 14.39 EDDIE!

[Gromit]

There is a silver lining to all this.

Our rebate from the EU is based on a percentage of our annual payment. Because our annual payment has gone up, so will our rebate.
Look forward to Osborne claiming to have clawed back a bigger rebate.
I would guess he will be shouting this sometime around next April/May ish.

[ToraToraTora]

lets stop paying altogether, what would they do?

[Gromit]

^

Get along fine without us.

It is not so certain that we would get along fine without them.

[Quizmonster]

Strangely enough, Ed Balls summed it up succinctly by describing the Cameron/Osborne claims as 'smoke and mirrors'. The only problem is that much of the UK's electorate is regularly taken in by smoke and mirrors! As has been made clear in answers above, we taxpayers will be paying the full amount demanded and the 'conjurors' already named have saved us not a single penny.

[Svejk]

You obviously didn't bother reading 'the answers above', QM, before making your comment about the gullibility of your fellow ABers. I see nothing but scepticism, although most of us didn't wait 3 days to make our mind up. Or need Ed Balls to point our opinions out to us.

[Quizmonster]

What are you on about this time, Svejk? For a start, I read all the answers, I referred to the gullibility of the electorate as a whole, not specifically AB members, and this is the first time I set eyes on the thread, so your comments on my offering are, as so often, absurd.

YOU wrote, “Yes, lot of 'double-talk' coming from Osborne & Cameron, imo.”
ED BALLS said Cameron and Osborne’s claims were “all smoke and mirrors.”
I wrote about, “the conjurors' already named”…in other words, the smoke and mirrors and double talk men, Cameron and Osborne.
The three key phrases, double-talk, smoke and mirrors and conjurors, ALL relating to Cameron and Osborne, seem to be saying exactly the same thing!
It seems that, even when I agree with you, I’ve got it wrong! Don't expect any further contribution from me here.

[Svejk]

calm down, calm down. I misread your comment as saying ABers had been taken in along with the electorate. Re-reading I can see you only think the electorate are fools.

[Zacs-Master]

As this has been brewing for 3 days, are you sure it's News Svejk? Wouldn't want you tarnishing your reputation for only discussing things which happened in the last 24 hrs.