Bad winners
SPITEFUL: EU set to scrap free healthcare for Brits abroad. https://t.co/vYuodpRj9U— Westmonster (@WestmonsterUK) July 20, 2017
I try to avoid too many visits to Arron Banks's Westmonster "news" site. It's not the subject matter, or the standard of writing, or the fact they can't really get beyond an opening paragraph. It's the fact he tries to sell me insurance every time, with one of the worst-looking adverts I've ever cut off after three seconds. This story, however, made me (and many others) chuckle.
Let's take it apart.
Free healthcare for British citizens in EU countries could be scrapped by Brussels after Brexit.
European Commission officials reportedly told the Government today that Brits will no longer be included in the European Health Insurance Card scheme after March 2019.
This comes from a Telegraph piece (hence the "reportedly") which tells us the "hardline proposals" were made in the second negotiating session in Brussels last week. The UK will be "thrown out of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) system" on exit day.
Currently, the EHIC sees foreign hospitals treat Brits and then claim costs back from the NHS afterwards – we do the same with EU nationals in the UK.
Note, EHIC covers Brits arriving in another EU country and all other EU citizens coming here (if they have applied for the card), not people resident there or here, who were the subject of the discussions. They have more permanent arrangements.
But in what appears to be a wholly spiteful move, this agreement is set to be scrapped.
David Davis said the government would carry on paying the £155m-a-year-bill, which makes the EU’s actions look even worse – it’s nothing more than a token two fingers up to Britain.
I thought these people wanted to be out of the EU and its filthy "reciprocal agreements" and I wasn't aware that EHIC was on the agenda. Davis seems to be offering to fund... what? Only what it costs to support Brits abroad? Only what it costs EU visitors to use the NHS? Both? What?
It’s especially bad considering Theresa May has already made a “fair and serious offer” to EU citizens living in Britain, allowing them to apply for settled status. But that was on the condition that British citizens living abroad would maintain their rights. So has the EU just kiboshed its own citizens getting a good deal too?
Here we get a bit confused. May's "fair and serious offer" (which was made three days late, to the wrong meeting, and was received as a "good start" but far short of what the EU27 had proposed weeks earlier) covers resident expats, not visitors. Page 5 does suggest in addition:
But this is "in the expectation that these rights will be reciprocated by EU member states", so it's a negotiating pitch. We'll "seek to" achieve a system like the one we have now, but Davis seems to have turned it into a vow, and with an unclear promise of money.
Remainers need to a look at this and realise what we’re going up against here – a spiteful, vengeful dictatorship that’s more concerned with political point scoring than doing what’s right for unwell human beings.
Say what you mean Westmonster!
This is actually quite a useful model. There's a scheme we rather like which is available to EEA members and Switzerland, we'd like to stay in it, and we'll pay for our membership. There are dozens of other valuable schemes, organisations and relationships we will lose unless we make specific arrangements to retain them. And pay for them. Will Davis propose the same solution for Euratom, the medicines agency, Europol and the rest?
Before he starts going into all that good stuff, though, Davis and his team of 98 should look at the work that's actually in front of them after two months of talks. Looking at the note the negotiating teams produced jointly on Wednesday, I find it hard to see anywhere they've done more than agree what the two sets of proposals are and where they differ.
Westmonster's new source of irritation might be represented by a yellow box on the last page: "UK seeks clarity as regards the entitlement and possible broader scope for those who exercised free movement in the past". But the issue of who can send child benefits to children living abroad, to which children, for how long will have to be dealt with as well.
Let's take it apart.
Free healthcare for British citizens in EU countries could be scrapped by Brussels after Brexit.
European Commission officials reportedly told the Government today that Brits will no longer be included in the European Health Insurance Card scheme after March 2019.
This comes from a Telegraph piece (hence the "reportedly") which tells us the "hardline proposals" were made in the second negotiating session in Brussels last week. The UK will be "thrown out of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) system" on exit day.
Currently, the EHIC sees foreign hospitals treat Brits and then claim costs back from the NHS afterwards – we do the same with EU nationals in the UK.
Note, EHIC covers Brits arriving in another EU country and all other EU citizens coming here (if they have applied for the card), not people resident there or here, who were the subject of the discussions. They have more permanent arrangements.
But in what appears to be a wholly spiteful move, this agreement is set to be scrapped.
David Davis said the government would carry on paying the £155m-a-year-bill, which makes the EU’s actions look even worse – it’s nothing more than a token two fingers up to Britain.
I thought these people wanted to be out of the EU and its filthy "reciprocal agreements" and I wasn't aware that EHIC was on the agenda. Davis seems to be offering to fund... what? Only what it costs to support Brits abroad? Only what it costs EU visitors to use the NHS? Both? What?
It’s especially bad considering Theresa May has already made a “fair and serious offer” to EU citizens living in Britain, allowing them to apply for settled status. But that was on the condition that British citizens living abroad would maintain their rights. So has the EU just kiboshed its own citizens getting a good deal too?
Here we get a bit confused. May's "fair and serious offer" (which was made three days late, to the wrong meeting, and was received as a "good start" but far short of what the EU27 had proposed weeks earlier) covers resident expats, not visitors. Page 5 does suggest in addition:
But this is "in the expectation that these rights will be reciprocated by EU member states", so it's a negotiating pitch. We'll "seek to" achieve a system like the one we have now, but Davis seems to have turned it into a vow, and with an unclear promise of money.
Remainers need to a look at this and realise what we’re going up against here – a spiteful, vengeful dictatorship that’s more concerned with political point scoring than doing what’s right for unwell human beings.
Say what you mean Westmonster!
This is actually quite a useful model. There's a scheme we rather like which is available to EEA members and Switzerland, we'd like to stay in it, and we'll pay for our membership. There are dozens of other valuable schemes, organisations and relationships we will lose unless we make specific arrangements to retain them. And pay for them. Will Davis propose the same solution for Euratom, the medicines agency, Europol and the rest?
Before he starts going into all that good stuff, though, Davis and his team of 98 should look at the work that's actually in front of them after two months of talks. Looking at the note the negotiating teams produced jointly on Wednesday, I find it hard to see anywhere they've done more than agree what the two sets of proposals are and where they differ.
Westmonster's new source of irritation might be represented by a yellow box on the last page: "UK seeks clarity as regards the entitlement and possible broader scope for those who exercised free movement in the past". But the issue of who can send child benefits to children living abroad, to which children, for how long will have to be dealt with as well.
