How wide those open arms will be post March 2019 is the issue. We don't know yet. So far we seem to have made no progress on the matter.

Using your logic, you may have thought that we would welcome some of our European friends with open arms, as they have some medical skills that are severely lacking amongst our "own" population ??

What does your pal think will happen to his house post Brexit and can he be certain of spending time there if he wants to visit.

Dont you think it's strange that your pal is welcomed in France but if a French guy comes to England, he is less than welcome ?
Many would even say he would be unwelcome, along with any of his fellow Europeans ?

I am completely mystified by your logic, prior to us joining the ecc Britons traveled throughout Europe without any problems.
Each year I spend several weeks in the USA without any problems. I have met plenty of Brits who have villas in Florida and have no problems whatsoever. It's not true we don't welcome the French , London has a large French population. I note that several large British companies don't like brexit. This because it may dry up the influx of cheap labour, step forward Mike ashley and take a bow. If per chance we suffer a short fall of unskilled labour it may make the Mike Ashley's of this world pay decent wages. As for any high skilled professionals who are working here, simple just issue them with a five or ten year visa.
Or better still give them citizenship. My pal is working full time in England, his building work in France is ongoing. He employs a French builder and a French farmer to keep his land tidy. Are you seriously suggesting that these people will refuse to work for him.

Citizenship of an EU country is likely to guarantee more employment rights than British citizenship post brexit so I expect that there will be fewer prepared to go for it. I'd expect more visa applications. Also parity between Euro and Pound is likely to put the brakes on a lot of immigration too. I hope that free trade is sorted out since having cheaper exports will be nullified if trade barriers come up.

It all looks increasingly like no deal is on the cards, this seems foolhardy. Better to have a compromise to buy time to sort things out. The sheer complexity of leaving is incredible so why rush into anything?

Which ever side you prefer, remain or exit ,it's split the country and political parties down the middle. Probably take a generation for the political dust to settle on everything. As I have previously stated we haven't even started on the real negotiations yet. Political careers will be made and broken as this whole drama unfolds.

Absolutely right Backwoodsman.

Think negotiators need to be pragmatic (on both sides). Don't see why the extreme Brexiteers are wanting no deal when it could poison our relationship and bargaining position with the EU for years to come. Both sides are going to have to agree at some point. Think the ideology should be given a rest for a change or it'll do far more harm than good.

The split in opinions goes back to the original vote to join the "Common Market".
There were plenty of older voters who "never voted to go in" have certainly enjoyed their moment of redemption.
The situation in Ireland is by far the most intriguing part of the divorce and the hopes of a "free" border between North and South have been scoffed at this week, and if this issue cant be resolved, there will be trouble ahead for both the British and Irish governments.

If arguing over Brexit causes a revival in the Troubles it will be another nail in the Conservative coffin. Dogma will be their undoing.

Ireland is a particularly difficult conundrum to solve.
"Our" wishes to have an open border between the North and South just seem like a pipe dream and it would make the border towns extremely prosperous.
There was always a flow of goods on the black market over there to avoid taxes and to take advantage of cheap fuel (in the South) and with any kind of open border, there would be fleets of vehicles lined up, in both directions, to gain best advantage of any differentials inn trade/ tax or tariffs.
However andy forced "separation" could lead to some type of return to the troubles.

IF you could take away the politics and religion, a United Ireland would be the most obvious answer but, this would come at one hell of a cost and would need Westminster to hand over their power etc.

It will not happen, there isn't the appetite in the south to deal with thousands of heavily armed loyalists.