Big J

I don't think that the majority of Brexit voters could actually name anything that they specifically objected to, as regards the EU. There were some quite comedic series' of interviews with the public where immigration was the most oft stated reason, but that's higher than ever now. More and more and more people feel that Brexit was the wrong decision. It's not far off double as many that think it was wrong to those that think it was right (if you disregard those that say they don't know). https://www.statista.com/statistics/987347/brexit-opinion-poll/ I have very few chips in the game now (apart from exporting the odd machine from the UK), but it still affects all my friends and family.

The main benefit, as far as I'm concerned, was the freedom of movement. That didn't actually cost us anything. Quite the opposite - the exodus of EU migrants has left a hole in the workforce, pushing prices up for everyone. And it's in the news that the year to June 2022 saw the highest ever recorded net migration number for the UK. I know that Ukraine and Hong Kong were factors, but this notion of Brexit being a route to 'taking back control of our borders' is a fallacy.

I appreciate the analysis, and as you say, it's wasn't a landslide, but democratically, NI didn't vote for Brexit. Which ever way you look at it, the situation in NI is not as good as it was pre-Brexit. Unless you are one of the businesses that is capitalising on being within the single market and the UK. But then that is disadvantageous for any other business in any other part of the UK. I agree with your overall sentiment. We were once part of a large and powerful club. We now aren't, and we're paying for that, without actually seeing an tangible benefit. The loss of freedom of movement for UK citizens cannot really be overstated. I don't think that any country in history has ever voted to so radically curtail the freedoms of it's citizens.

I wouldn't say that the North is being abused by non-UK interests. It feels very much to me that they are being thrown under the bus by the Tories. In all honesty though, what did we expect would happen? The situation in Ireland is fragile, volatile and intractable. Pre-Brexit, the situation was a lot more stable. By the English and Welsh dragging the Northern Irish out of the EU, they'd inadvertently jeopardised the NI peace process and for no good reason.

What other option is there though? Given that the UK will not agree to regulatory alignment with the EU, having a soft border would effectively give a back door into the EU trading block. The UK has been trying to have it's cake and eat it, insofar as divorcing itself from any regulatory commitments but maintain full access. It can't really work.

At the moment I'm not really working. This is as a result of sorting out our new business, tax status and immigration status. That's all about done now, we've bought a machine and a lorry and we're going to be starting work in a couple of weeks. I've gone into partnership with a machine operator friend here as we have a good mix of skills and it splits the base costs and risk. We will be operating the machine for 60hrs a week between us. We'll each do two long days and one normal day a week, staying in the lorry overnight. The start of the week stint will be 07:00 Monday until 14:00 Wednesday. The back end of the week 12:00 Wednesday until 19:00 Friday. That gives us 60 billable hours a week, with each of us working 34hrs a week including breaks. We each get 4 days a week off, and we plan to work 42 weeks a year. It should give us a good standard of living, leave time for family and other projects and be sustainable in the long term. I've got no interest in trying to make a lot of money, expand the business or anything like that. I want to live modestly, well within my means, enjoy life and stay healthy. On the question of whether I'd work if I won the lottery? Absolutely not. I enjoy forestry work, but I have a million other things I'd happily do if I wasn't working. I always think that people that say they couldn't envisage not working lack imagination!

Norway has far closer ties to the EU than the UK does, or is seeking to have.

It's 9.3% here in Sweden, down from 9.7% the previous month. The difference is that the cost of living crisis isn't really talked about, with the notable exception of electricity. I think that people aren't as close to the bread line here. Maybe it's better hidden though. Who knows!

A ten second Google search suggested 7.5% for Norway, which is a lot lower than the UK. I don't think either of these numbers are truly reflective of the situation though.

OK, that as the case may be..... The UKs economy is being widely reported as performing worst of any developed nation in the world. All other countries are dealing with the ramifications of covid and Ukraine, but only the UK has Brexit too. Correlation isn't necessarily causation but perhaps in this case it is? The difficulty is that you are shielded from the economic effects of Brexit because your income is principally drawn from overseas work. For most people in the UK, this isn't the case. Now, as an outsider looking in, all I see is the systematic and systemic removal of benefits and support that was once taken for granted, whilst the tax burden shoots up. Some people will scarcely notice (you being one, I guess) but most will.

There wasn't a post Brexit, pre covid period. They overlapped. There was a post Brexit vote, pre covid period. Maybe I'm just being pedantic. On the topic of reasonable sources of information as regards the benefits and detriments of Brexit, I would think that the least impartial source of all would be the government that campaigned on the promise of Brexit being a good thing for the UK. Their entire mandate is reliant on them making a success of it. I would be looking at the various independent sources that have studied the effects of Brexit, which seem to be (in a great majority) negative.

Citing a Tory government paper which attempts to shine a positive light on Brexit is a bit like asking Hitler about the benefits of Fascism..... 🤪

Oh how the tables have turned! I think you've argued against your own point though. You're citing the fact that the UK's relationship with Europe having changed being a reason you would vote differently now. That's very much the case for many people in Scotland, I imagine.

The Scottish Independence problem is a question with no palatable answer. I voted No in 2014. Felt strongly about it too. People in Scotland were told that voting No was the only way to ensure continued membership of Europe. And then England and Wales dragged them out in 2016. Constitutionally, the UK is undergoing a massive and hugely consequential constitutional shift. It's erected a wall of trade barriers around itself and is suffering as a result. Given these fundamental changes to the very fabric of what constitutes the United Kingdom, it is only fair that membership of this club can and should be evaluated by it's subjects. So, I feel that Scotland ought to be given the right to once again as the question.... But... The separation of England and Scotland would make Brexit seem like a cakewalk. 315 years of integration, a massive land border and each reliant on the other for all manner of things. Scotland would inevitably come off worst, but the ramifications would be widely felt in England too. This intractable political clusterfudge is one of the reasons we left Scotland in 2018. That being said, moving to England was, in retrospect, jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire! 😆 In conclusion, whatever happens, the Scots are shagged (politically and constitutionally speaking) and are likely to remain so for generations.

It's just above freezing now, and sadly our snow is starting to melt a little. But before it got above freezing, I managed a couple more hours out on the bike on excellent hard packed snow.

Lake effect snow. We actually get that here (to a lesser extent) off the Baltic. Some of the coastal areas close to here had over 50cm this weekend. Lovely morning here. Minus 7.3c and a beautiful mist rising off the lake (which was a balmy 4c). So a short swim was called for. The water actually felt pretty reasonable - I'm amazed that my body has adapted to this without any protests. It doesn't actually feel cold getting in and I've got no gasp reflex anymore.

VID_20221120_082615.3gp This morning, on the way to my daughter's gymnastics competition.

Having technical issues with my rain gauge.... We have a gymnastics competition tomorrow morning for one of our daughters. The driving will be an experience if it snows much more!

I think that the current mess is best described as a combination of all of the above. Brexit, covid and Ukraine. Each exerts it's own unique pressure and cost on the UK economy.

There really isn't much difference between Scandinavia and the UK. In our municipality, if you earn over about £43k, you get an additional 20% tax ontop of the 32% you pay on the income below that. The tax free allowance is only a couple of grand, but on the whole, there isn't a big difference. The UK is rapidly becoming a Scandinavian tax level society without any of the benefits associated with high taxation.

Left the kids at home to do a proper test of the snow tyres. It was much fun, but I did get proper beard ice! VID_20221119_142601.3gp

The first few centimetres of snow. Another 20cm forecast. Cycling to table tennis 😎 In shorts 😁 VID_20221119_105400.3gp

Her indoors isn't best pleased about the weekend forecast! That's after snow that's forecast on Saturday, so should be a nice weekend of sledging and snowy cycling 😎

Well the house is a lot warmer, so perhaps the missus is more likely to get her kit off! 😆

That weather station on Skye has now exceeded 600mm. We've had 22mm so far this month here in Sweden. I don't think we'll get much more falling as rain as the temperature is dropping now. Several rounds of snow and down as far as minus 7c next week. Exciting times! By contrast, it's presently pissing it down in Devon, and a weather station 500m from my old house has recorded 135mm of rain so far this month. I really don't miss the British climate! I'll post photos of the snow as it comes