Brexit

[silverfrost]

Do not get me Started on that little attention seeking Scottish witch !

[Chillidoggy]

The more she rattles on about independence, the more the English will get pissed off with it, and support will wane for the UK to remain intact. I still think that that Scotland is better off in the UK, but it's like having a terrier attached to your trouser leg that refuses to be shaken off.

As for any special EU deals, it won't make any difference to my purchasing of goods made north of the border: I don't buy ships, shortbread, or anything tartan and if push comes to shove, would switch from single malts to Jack Daniel's Single Barrel.

[PaulCP]

I am constantly amazed on how long and how often the SNP have conveniently misunderstood the true meaning of "independence"

Why aren't they upfront with the Scotish people and state their real intentions which appear to be "we want to be independent from rule by any other body associated with the UK and favour being ruled by unelected bureaucrats from Brussels"

You can probably count on one hand the number of politicians who are in politics to serve the good of the population rather than to serve their own ego and the wannabe a Queen Nicola is a classic example of the latter

[C8RKH]

The mistake we are making with the SNP is that after Indyref was won, the "No thanks" campaign has largely fallen silent and we have slipped back into party politics.

If we really want the union to remain then "No thanks" needs to be campaigning now. Bleating on about the benefits of the UK Union and the value and benefits it accrues for Scotland. Whilst at the same time then holding the SNP to account for their performance in Government and their blustering nonsense re Europe etc.

Without this counter, the SNP just get to steam roller their message along.

I do feel that Sturgeon is in danger of whipping up anti-Scottish feeling in England. It worries me as it may hasten Independence and my view is that Scotland right now needs the rUK more than the rUK needs Scotland. Without rUK the short term economic outlook for Scotland could be grim indeed through the alienation of our biggest trading partner at a time of increased costs through the need to setup national institutions and services that are currently shared. To put it another way, at a time when the 5.5m of us who live in Scotland will be trying to negotiate the best settlement for ourselves with 59m of the people who do not live in Scotland on the other side of the table. Where do you see the balance of power sitting?

[Chillidoggy]

Looks like the Spaniards have just torpedoed Queen Nick's EU proposals.

[ChrisJ]

[MPx]

Big up to Mervyn King on the national news tonight.  A proper economist allowed on the BBC who says better off getting out of the EU completely, EU performance has been poor - especially economically, we need out of the single market so that we can do better elsewhere - and would people on both sides please look at this opportunity for what it is and more positively than they've managed so far.  Well said that man - I'm amazed the Beeb gave him the platform.

What many seem to ignore is that economics is a behavioural science not pure logic.  Its easy enough to talk things up that shouldn't be up and down that aren't inherently bad.  The herd follows -  resulting in huge unjustified swings that require uncomfortable adjustments to correct.  If we stopped talking everything into a crisis or streets of gold we would probably stop the herd from stampeding there quite so readily...

[Andyww]

MK was spot on. The problem is, the way things are going, the EU will call the shots because we are weak. Its likely too late already. If we end up with a half-baked arrangement whereby we are neither properly in the single market nor able to negotiate trade deals of our own it will be a disaster.

 

[Andyww]

Looks like as expected they are rolling out the next step in the plan:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4069150/Theresa-face-legal-challenge-campaigner-Gina-Miller-refuses-allow-House-Lords-vote-Brexit.html

 

[C8RKH]

And all done under the guise of democracy. How ironic.

I really do think Gina Miller needs to have a long, hard look in the mirror. I'm not into cyber bullying and believe everyone should have their say, but unfortunately, that takes money when courts and barristers are concerned and Gina Miller is using considerable funds to force her views and points over the many normal, decent people in the UK who also wanted, and did have their say, through the referendum.

She can dress this up and try to justify herself anyway she wants. The point is she did not like the decision so she is doing her level best to stop the people getting what they voted for. of course, the quote will be "yes, but the people who voted for brexit did not really understand what they were voting for". How very condescending and thank you for implying I am a half wit!

Here we go again.

On 12/26/2016 at 23:43, Andyww said:

MK was spot on. The problem is, the way things are going, the EU will call the shots because we are weak. Its likely too late already. If we end up with a half-baked arrangement whereby we are neither properly in the single market nor able to negotiate trade deals of our own it will be a disaster.

 

What the remoaners, Corbyns and Millers of this world singularly fail to be able to grasp is that THEY are actually weakening our position every day with this stuff as the disunity fuels the belief in the EU's power base that we are in disarray and they have the upper hand. In the end, if we get a "rubbish" deal it will, in no small part, be down to their "well intended" actions. Like many a middle class hipster do-a-gooder, the agenda is often fine the way of going about it causes chaos, division, etc. But will they take responsibility. Oh please, do not make me laugh, my sides are already splitting with the excesses of Christmas as it is....

[Andyww]

7 minutes ago, C8RKH said:

 

What the remoaners, Corbyns and Millers of this world singularly fail to be able to grasp is that THEY are actually weakening our position every day with this stuff as the disunity fuels the belief in the EU's power base that we are in disarray and they have the upper hand. In the end, if we get a "rubbish" deal it will, in no small part, be down to their "well intended" actions. Like many a middle class hipster do-a-gooder, the agenda is often fine the way of going about it causes chaos, division, etc. But will they take responsibility. Oh please, do not make me laugh, my sides are already splitting with the excesses of Christmas as it is....

Exactly. These actions are making us a laughing stock in the eyes of the rest of the EU.

The most annoying part is that there are very powerful rich people behind the action, who are financing it. How is this democratic? They have conned people into thinking they are acting democratically, by saying that the first action was to comply with legalities and not about nullifying the leave vote. This was a blatant lie. The whole point is to throw out the referendum result. The house of lords move is the next step as they know they might well vote down the result. 

[Barrykearley]

I reckon the Russians will start to assassinate them soon !!

[pete]

the "brain stain" sums the year up rather well:-

http://www.brainstain.co.uk/2016/12/20/brexit-jo-cox-gina-miller-re-moaning-left-wing-british-politics/

[Kimbers]

So the Ambassador for the EU has quit!..................We had an Ambassador? What a waste of money!!! We have several hundred MEP's in the EU parliament, why did we need to pay someone half a million a year to be ambassador?

[C8RKH]

Apparently they stopped his Ferrero Rocher allowance and he took his ball home!

[Chillidoggy]

£170,000 a year, a big fat expense account and all the Ferrero Rocher he can get down his neck just to listen to other member states bitching about Brexit.

I'm thinking of applying.

[Andyww]

This was obviously a non-job because how can we have an ambassador to an organisation we are a member of?

When we leave he would have had some work to do and evidently didnt want that unpleasant situation.

[march]

His resignation letter has shown him unfit for the job anyway. The Ambassadors (civil servant) role is to be neutral and to follow the wishes of the government of the day without personal bias, something it does not seem he was able to do. It seems Yes Minister's Sir Humphrey Appleby may have been more fact than fiction.

[Barrykearley]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38511058

come the revolution...... it's gonna fall like a pack of cards. Just needs a gentle shove from Brexit I reckon. Let's just walk away on WTO tariffs and see what happens

[Kimbers]

It makes you wonder how many Civil servant roles abroad are really required! For example, do we really need embassies and staff of hundreds in certain countries? 

Heres an example. We have an Embassy in the USA! Fine. However then we have 10 Govt Offices and Consul Generals in otherr states like Atlanta, New York, Chicago, San Fran etc etc. What a waste of Money!!!

[march]

19 minutes ago, Kimbers said:

 

It makes you wonder how many Civil servant roles abroad are really required! For example, do we really need embassies and staff of hundreds in certain countries? 

Heres an example. We have an Embassy in the USA! Fine. However then we have 10 Govt Offices and Consul Generals in otherr states like Atlanta, New York, Chicago, San Fran etc etc. What a waste of Money!!!

 

Yes - I had to use the one (Consulate rather than Embassy in this case) in Italy many years ago and they were very helpful. It was the day the war started in Yugoslavia (we were one of the first at the border post the morning the border was closed) and we were trying to drive to Greece. The Consul was a very worried man as he was being sent into Yugoslavia to recover thousands of British tourists who had been flown to their holidays and then just abandoned by YugoTours - he stated they would be lucky to get out with any possessions at all. They may not seem useful most of the time - but when things go wrong and you need them you will be very grateful they are there!

As a note - telling the Italian army that 'It's OK , they won't shoot at us as we are British' does not endear yourself to them. To be fair when we left the UK it was just a few villages taking pot shots at each other.

[Andyww]

The British Embassy in Bangkok is one of the last big embassies left but thats on the way out:

http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/08/30/british-embassy-quietly-trying-sell-their-downtown-home-thb18-billion

There used to be other regional consuls in Thailand which they have got rid of. There used to be a guy in Pattaya called Barry Kenyon and being the den of iniquity the place is, he wrote a book about his exploits there!

[C8RKH]

What is really telling is that the Ambassador has been replaced immediately by an experienced, hard nosed negotiator used to dealing with the Russians.

Coincidence? Or smart move by someone who had the answer lined up in advance?

[pete]

So now the economists have admitted they may have been wrong

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38528544

[Barrykearley]

But the BBC will still put a doom and gloom spin on it all.

cant wait till march