Leaving the Customs Union?

Question:  Will the UK leave the Customs Union in 2020?

I shuffled a deck of ordinary playing cards, drew six and laid them out  as shown below.

Picture this spread as a storyboard, reading the top row left to right then the bottom row from left to right. The answer to the question as stated is contained in the two cards of the central column, i.e. the 6 of Hearts and the Ace of Spades, and this answer hinges on the card bottom right, The Joker.

I have programmed myself to count red suit cards as a yes, and black suit cards as a no, regardless of which cards actually appear.

By this reckoning you can see how tight this looks (I understand others have their own view of this situation and its likely outcome. I am neither claiming to know better, not expressing an opinion, simply illustrating a divination of topical interest for those interested in cartomancy at work.)

So, what have we got? Three red suit cards and two black, while the central answer column reads as a 50:50 and hinges on The Joker which is neither red nor black, so that this battle, for such it is, looks set to continue sticky as hell but  the short answer is yes, the UK will leave the Customs Union in 2020.

The ‘yes ‘answer is reinforced here by the fact that one of the ‘no’ cards is the Ace of Spades. This is a card of Law, of clean cuts, of deaths and of endings, and here that would imply the ending of the customs Union. It may possibly suggest a power play or coup before the ‘close of play’ while The Joker says a wild card or surprise will be critical.

Let’s take a quick look at the cards one at a time.

The Nine of Clubs is about journeys, physical and symbolic, and refers to the journey of the UK on its new trajectory.  while Theresa May is represented here by The Queen of Diamonds; a quick, clever queen, shrewd and honest in intention, actually, but shown under threat, as we all see she is, squeezed between Parliament, the people who voted Brexit and also many now of those who did not, who just want to get on with it, and conflicting factions  within her own party and even the Cabinet.

The Six of Cups is about all things masculine, suggesting that a male colleague has been/will be hugely instrumental in helping ensure implementation of the referendum decision to leave the customs union. This masculine element may also represent a personal or political challenge to Theresa May, underscored by that Ace of Spades.

The Five of Diamonds is about the home environment, property. Speech, the act of speaking, an argument, a legal judgement or court case. City life. London.

The Queen of Diamonds. This represents Theresa May; a quick, clever queen, shrewd and honest in intention, but shown here under threat, as we know she is, sandwiched if not squeezed almost breathless between the 5 of Diamonds and that Ace of Spades.

Ace of Spades
Traditionally the Death card, though this is rarely physical death. Death and rebirth, an ending and new beginning,  transformation,  a major life change, the skull, the mind, an important decision that brings change, worry and anxiety.

The Joker  Not every reader uses their joker, but I equate it with the Tarot’s Fool card, the most numinous card in the deck, equating to the number zero. The Fool or the Joker is anything but a fool, and signifies BIG change and new beginnings.

But which of these options look more likely?

1. streamlined customs arrangement – which involves minimal customs checks and the use of new technology to enable as frictionless trade as possible. This option would allow the movement of goods between the UK and the EU to be monitored and recorded, with traders paying duties on a monthly or quarterly basis, rather than paying duties on every shipment or service traded. This is the option currently favoured by ‘Brexiteers’.
2. A customs partnership with the EU – which involves the UK acting as a tax collector for the EU whenever goods enter the UK. If the goods are bound for the UK, and if the UK tariff is lower than the EU tariff, traders could claim any difference. This was the option reportedly favoured by Mrs May, although it remains unclear whether she still supports it following the Cabinet meeting this week.
   

   See Here For Source

 

I’ll take a look and report back soon. Of course it might be neither.

Until next time 🙂