Making the news today....

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

2 hours ago, Mark J said:

https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/13559/analysis-hotel-california-brexit-what-yanis-varoufakis-knows-about-how-eu-trapped-may?fbclid=IwAR2jYCz-nfuZ1ENx9vjvWLKhKONRDSr1dkspQOdvqlUZ-bMQTQpjqEZt8ZA

Good piece!  Thought it would be.  ??

 

There is, of course, always the option (which nobody seems to want to contemplate) of a re-united Ireland.

 

Despite the obvious contradiction (and irony) I rather doubt the Republic would have any appetite for attempting to manage the disquiet that might ensue.  Whilst not wishing to see a return to the turmoil of the past, I can't help taking some pleasure in imagining the possibility of giving them what they've always wished for and watching them try to 'handle' it..... 

 

[difflock]

As an Ulster born an reared, but well lapsed, Presbyterian I would have no issue with a United Ireland, subject to some constraints, one such being out of Europe, a statement I would not have made 20 years ago, when the RC Church had such insidious control, or at least appeared to have such control, over how the ROI was governed.

And I cannot imagine their political classes are any worse than our DUP/SF lot.

mth

[eggsarascal]

Misspoke again?

 

https://metro.co.uk/2018/11/19/donald-trump-visits-fire-ravaged-town-of-paradise-then-refers-to-it-as-pleasure-twice-8156362/

[Mick Dempsey]

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/business-39896838/a-cheaper-tastier-way-to-eat-lunch-at-work

 

Some wanker works out that sandwiches can be made instead of bought.

[john p]

I COULD GO FOR THIS 
Aussie (ex PM) Tony Abbott sums it up beautifully!-----
It’s pretty hard for Britain’s friends, here in Australia, to make sense of the mess that’s being made of Brexit. The referendum result was perhaps the biggest-ever vote of confidence in the United Kingdom, its past and its future. But the British establishment doesn’t seem to share that confidence and instead looks desperate to cut a deal, even if that means staying under the rule of Brussels. Looking at this from abroad, it’s baffling: the country that did the most to bring democracy into the modern world might yet throw away the chance to take charge of its own destiny.
Let’s get one thing straight: a negotiation that you’re not prepared to walk away from is not a negotiation — it’s surrender. It’s all give and no get. When David Cameron tried to renegotiate Britain’s EU membership, he was sent packing because Brussels judged (rightly) that he’d never actually back leaving. And since then, Brussels has made no real concessions to Theresa May because it judges (rightly, it seems) that she’s desperate for whatever deal she can get.
The EU’s palpable desire to punish Britain for leaving vindicates the Brexit project. Its position, now, is that there’s only one ‘deal’ on offer, whereby the UK retains all of the burdens of EU membership but with no say in setting the rules. The EU seems to think that Britain will go along with this because it’s terrified of no deal. Or, to put it another way, terrified of the prospect of its own independence.
But even after two years of fearmongering and vacillation, it’s not too late for robust leadership to deliver the Brexit that people voted for. It’s time for Britain to announce what it will do if the EU can’t make an acceptable offer by March 29 next year — and how it would handle no deal. Freed from EU rules, Britain would automatically revert to world trade, using rules agreed by the World Trade Organization. It works pretty well for Australia. So why on earth would it not work just as well for the world’s fifth-largest economy?
A world trade Brexit lets Britain set its own rules. It can say, right now, that it will not impose any tariff or quota on European produce and would recognise all EU product standards. That means no border controls for goods coming from Europe to Britain. You don’t need to negotiate this: just do it. If Europe knows what’s in its own best interests, it would fully reciprocate in order to maintain entirely free trade and full mutual recognition of standards right across Europe.
Next, the UK should declare that Europeans already living here should have the right to remain permanently — and, of course, become British citizens if they wish. This should be a unilateral offer. Again, you don’t need a deal. You don’t need Michel Barnier’s permission. If Europe knows what’s best for itself, it would likewise allow Britons to stay where they are.
Third, there should continue to be free movement of people from Europe into Britain — but with a few conditions. Only for work, not welfare. And with a foreign worker’s tax on the employer, to make sure anyone coming in would not be displacing British workers.
Fourth, no ‘divorce bill’ whatsoever should be paid to Brussels. The UK government would assume the EU’s property and liabilities in Britain, and the EU would assume Britain’s share of these in Europe. If Britain was getting its fair share, these would balance out; and if Britain wasn’t getting its fair share, it’s the EU that should be paying Britain.
Finally, there’s no need on Britain’s part for a hard border with Ireland. Britain wouldn’t be imposing tariffs on European goods, so there’s no money to collect. The UK has exactly the same product standards as the Republic, so let’s not pretend you need to check for problems we all know don’t exist. Some changes may be needed but technology allows for smart borders: there was never any need for a Cold War-style Checkpoint Charlie. Irish citizens, of course, have the right to live and work in the UK in an agreement that long predates EU membership.
Of course, the EU might not like this British leap for independence. It might hit out with tariffs and impose burdens on Britain as it does on the US — but WTO rules put a cap on any retaliatory action. The worst it can get? We’re talking levies of an average 4 or 5 per cent. Which would be more than offset by a post-Brexit devaluation of the pound (which would have the added bonus of making British goods more competitive everywhere).
UK officialdom assumes that a deal is vital, which is why so little thought has been put into how Britain might just walk away. Instead, officials have concocted lurid scenarios featuring runs on the pound, gridlock at ports, grounded aircraft, hoarding of medicines and flights of investment. It’s been the pre-referendum Project Fear campaign on steroids. And let’s not forget how employment, investment and economic growth ticked up after the referendum.
As a former prime minister of Australia and a lifelong friend of your country, I would say this: Britain has nothing to lose except the shackles that the EU imposes on it. After the courage shown by its citizens in the referendum, it would be a tragedy if political leaders go wobbly now. Britain’s future has always been global, rather than just with Europe. Like so many of Britain’s admirers, I want to see this great country seize this chance and make the most of it.
Tony Abbott served as Prime Minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015

That is one of the best things I’ve read about brexit. (Speaking as a staunch remainer!) reckon we should air drop a load of Aussie s in to sort it one way or another!

[WesD]

1 hour ago, john p said:

That is one of the best things I’ve read about brexit. (Speaking as a staunch remainer!) reckon we should air drop a load of Aussie s in to sort it one way or another!

 

just skip to 10 mins 20 secs to get to the Brexit bit, again we have an awful lot to offer but seemingly undersell ourselves! 

 

Why as as a nation do we undersell ourselves? On a political level it’s because they are all pissing in the same pot. I’d love to see a genuine 3rd viable option to vote for, instead it’s I vote for .... because my dad does. 

[Mark J]

 

[eggsarascal]

49 minutes ago, WesD said:

 

just skip to 10 mins 20 secs to get to the Brexit bit, again we have an awful lot to offer but seemingly undersell ourselves! 

 

Why as as a nation do we undersell ourselves? On a political level it’s because they are all pissing in the same pot. I’d love to see a genuine 3rd viable option to vote for, instead it’s I vote for .... because my dad does. 

I've no idea how my farther voted, I 'think' he was a Tory. Nonsense, Wes.

[WesD]

37 minutes ago, eggsarascal said:

I've no idea how my farther voted, I 'think' he was a Tory. Nonsense, Wes.

My sh1t humour Eggs lost in translation but the point is we only have 2 players p1ssing in the same pot, it would do no harm and shake things up a little if we had a 3rd viable option but the fact is we don’t. 

[Inoff the Red]

14 hours ago, john p said:

That is one of the best things I’ve read about brexit. (Speaking as a staunch remainer!) reckon we should air drop a load of Aussie s in to sort it one way or another!

It is becoming increasingly apparent that Appeaser Theresa has been planning this surrender from the start.