It is not arrogance to assume that a continent of 400 Million inhabitants has enough space and resources to take in 2 million refugees who have no homes left. Also she was not 'hammered' at the last election because of that - 3 of the opposition parties, namely the SPD, the Greens and die Linke all supported her refugee policy and together those 3 plus her party made up 74% of the vote. I'm looking at this from a humanitarian angle, not a German one.
Pure comedy gold in the Commons this afternoon. As the PM came to inform them of the great deal she had struck, slowly it started to fall apart. As she tried to reconcile the different views about what the agreement meant, she was pleased to see that some of the most rabid brexiteers came to her aid. Slowly though it started to be come clearer that what they thought she was saying was only part of the story. She agreed that £35 -£39 billion was the figure that had been sorted, but we would be paying it off for many years. Some of the rabid ones then found out that there are many agencies of the EU that we would need to forge arrangements with, and that would cost money every year into the distant future. They began to cotton on that we would be paying into the EU for many years ahead as it would be sensible to buy their services. So just how much money would we be saving to use on the NHS? No answer as it was one of those assessments that don't exist. The final straw came from a Tory who wanted to have the figures to show his voters who wanted to leave. A glare from her as she didn't expect one of her own to be so awkward.
Well most of us know it has always been a story of the emperors clothing..... all hype and confusion and nothing there.. For me thankfully we are lurching towards a soft Brexit which I believe to be the only option we could live with and benefit from
If this isn't the most accurate summation of Brexit possible, then I don't know what is. ".. fallen victim to political crooks." - so very true.
Tonight we have seen Parliament take back some control as the Government was defeated on the most important vote to take place so far. To allow Ministers to have a blank cheque was never on, and when you see die-hard Brexiterr MPs such as Dennis Skinner voting against the government you know they have got it wrong. Indeed Rees-Mogg was unhappy with the bill, but couldn't bring himself to vote with his conscience. A good day for the country as some democracy has been returned to the place where we should be able to place our trust, but we must now wait and see what will come up next. Tomorrow as the PM goes to the EU summit the question will come up does she have a stable government, and there has to be some doubt about what she says as the head of a minority government, that cannot be certain of getting important bills through Parliament.
I'd like to think that she'll be quizzed about her intentions for the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales after yesterday's vote on the EU Withdrawal Bill left both at the less-than-tender mercies of Westminster.
As I watched the proceedings in Westminster, I was struck as usual at just how many MPs spoke with passion and knowledge about the problems that this whole exercise in withdrawing from the EU creates. There were some really good contributions from all around the house, including a very reasoned speech from a SNP member. I am afraid I do not know her name without going back, but what she had to say made perfect sense. Those who made pro-Brexit speeches looked very light weight by comparison, and the usual suspects such as Redwood looked quite out of touch with what was going on around them. The Government completely misjudged the mood and resolution of the house, and to be quite honest the fool Dominic Rabb was only able to read his prepared brief, something that anyone of us on here could have managed.
I'm glad that there is some recognition being given to the Party's more-than-capable members. Sounds like it may have been the admirable Joanna Cherry QC? On another note - the mystery of the non-existent EU impact assessments deepens... Some fairly stringent security measures there for something that wasn't needed, existed, didn't exist and now apparently exists again. How paranoid are this mob of incompetents?
I know Joanna Cherry BB and it wasn't her. A rather larger lady, but of a similar vintage. I am surprised that Stephen Gethins bothered to go and read them, as it has become quite obvious that you could have picked most of what was in them online. I hope that the government department sent a donation to Wikipedia.
Philippa Whitford was the name i was looking for BB. A surgeon I gathered, and an impressive speaker.
Ah - Dr Whitford. She is indeed impressive - and dignified, as well as an acclaimed breast cancer surgeon. She was the target of a Daily Mail SNPBaad campaign a couple of years back, but managed to respond in such a way as to put the rag in its rightful place. One of their so-called journalists discovered that she had worked a few days as a locum during two holiday periods, and accused her of having a second job, neglecting her constituents, lining her pockets at the expense of a cash-strapped hospital etc. No thought given to the truth - that she was simply doing it to ensure that urgent operations were carried out in a timely manner when other surgeons at the hospital were on leave. Or that the GMC requires surgeons to do this or be struck off - she normally meets this requirement by doing volunteer work overseas in poorer countries.
She also admitted that her husband was German. Enough to cast her to one side in some peoples opinions.
Reading the news today it looks as if open warfare has broken out again in the Tory party. The right wing have thrown their toys out of their prams with the news that the UK will still have to follow all rules and regulations from the EU for another two years until 2021, despite having no say in forming them. We are now slowly getting back to the situation that we have had for years with these oddballs complaining at every opportunity about the relationship between the UK and EU. Unless they choose to bring the government down, which they could, they will just have to keep sniping from the sidelines. Maybe next week the cabinet will finally get round to discussing what sort of deal they wish to have with the EU, but reports now coming out that this discussion has been put off until next year.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/b...n-to-axe-working-time-directive-a8116381.html 'Taking back control' 'British laws for British people' At least they were honest
