That's crazy negotiating tactics, though. If you have something the other party wants, and they have something you want, you negotiate a reciprocal agreement, you don't enshrine into law that you will give them what they want regardless - then there's simply nothing you have to offer them to get the reciprocal part (and you end up giving ground elsewhere).

I'm all for the rights of EU citizens currently here and UK citizens currently there, and would be happy to reach that agreement now for the sake of the security of all concerned (of course the EU will refuse to do that until article 50 is invoked, so we have to wait until then)

This "issue" is not high up the list on EU's negotiating wish list. The vast majority of UK migrants to other EU countries are high skilled workers or retirees who spend money and pay taxes in those countries. Spain, Italy and France won't want to get rid of Brits living in their countries so affording them the same rights that we guarantee their nationals before even coming to the table, will be straightforward. It may even buy us a bit of goodwill, something in extremely short supply among the other EU nations who, let's face it, are in a much stronger bargaining position than us anyway.

More importantly though, people are not bargaining chips and the Government's thinly veiled threats to use them as such is deplorable.

They are already playing hardball, and seem to wish to make the process as hard for the UK as possible to discourage others flying the nest. We will get no favours in this negotiation (they can't afford to, or there will be a flood of other nations leaving and the whole thing will disintegrate), and far from using people as bargaining chips, not guaranteeing EU rights without a reciprocal agreement is protecting UK citizens living in the EU.

You are right, of course, that we could repeal the law later, but why enshrine it now? Seems totally pointless - either reach an agreement now (the EU won't, of course) or leave it to the negotiation period

We have a strong hand:

[Link]

Negotiations involve carrot and stick.

The Lords failed to get this yesterday.

Besides the '27' you speak of are not a united body and they will not act together in some instances because of self interest.

This set of negotiations is not as straightforward as you think it is.

"That was fun and to round off the day, I am off to steal a charity collection box and then desecrate a place of worship.” - Smokey, The Selhurst Arms, 26/02/02

Rule one, never underestimated the naivety of the liberal/left.

We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. [Orwell]

Theresa May had proposed that EU workers currently living in the UK be allowed to remain in exchange for an agreement which gives British expats in the European Union the same rights. Angela Merkel said 'nein'!! [Link]

So the Lords' grandstanding will really help the UK's negotiating hand... c***s!

Edited by Penge Eagle (02 Mar 2017 10.27am)