Off Topic UK / EU Future

“We believe it is necessary to agree the terms of our future partnership alongside our withdrawal, reaching agreement on both within the two years allowed by Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union”

Why are the government trying to separate them when this was one one of the manifesto pledges?

 

It's the only way of getting it through I guess. I'll be happy with any deal as it means we avoid no deal and I can have a holiday!

 

Maybe the Telegraph is right in the editorial today when it calls for the whole thing to be allowed to die. "The Tories cannot legislate by chicanery, manipulating convention or repackaging motions," it says. A general election is looking closer as a means to break the deadlock Downing Street sources have told the paper.

 

Anyone else slightly irritated with interviews outside parliament having revoke signs in the background, that blue starred brand image and that idiot shouting stop Brexit. TV is supposed to be politically neutral, apart from the BBC as Jacob pointed out last night on Newsnight.

 

It's nothing to with neutrality. For the last two years the green on Westminster has been ringed by EU flags and people shouting stop Brexit. As a remain voter I can assure you it gets massively on my tits!

 

Where else would they do this other than on the green before Westminster ? The same action would be wasted on the green in Croxley. There can be no getting away from the fact that millions of people are probably having their EU Citizenship forcibly taken away from them, through no fault of their own, and against their will. All of the waffle about trade flows tends to forget this fact - this is all about fighting back against those who feel the need to build walls around themselves (and others).

 

I have no problem with where they demonstrate or their point of view, just that it is the background to numerous interviews on TV - which should be neutral.

 

Yeah sorry Cologne. My post was initially intended as a response to Scully and then rounded off with a selfish rant. Let me explain.

Of course it has to be in Westminster green and they won't be the first or last set of protesters / campaigners and neither should they be. Peaceful protest has seen many changes brought about in the UK over the centuries and I'm certainly not suggesting it be stopped - I think it's great.

My issue with this one is I have to walk past it every morning and when you're trying to gather your thoughts at 730 AM hearing the same people bellowing the same messages for two years is a tad irritating. It's worse at 7PM when I leave the office as there's more of them and the pavements are almost impossible to walk on.

So - the executive summary - protest all you like but just not anywhere near me

 

I take your point but you want to see what it's like round there. Would be hard to find anywhere close to the studio without that backdrop and it's where they always carry out the interviews. Shall I see if I can hang a Watford flag up just for you?

 

Think I might have to dig out my voting card for the EU elections after all.

 

Nigel Dodds says the UK should stay in the EU if that was only way to preserve NI’s place in UK. ‘I would stay in the European Union and remain rather than risk Northern Ireland’s position. That’s how strongly I feel about the union.’

No matter what you might think about this political party that he is a member of, surely he is saying what the Tories should be saying. After all it is the Conservative and Unionist Party.

 

I assume there are no Brexit demonstrators there? They are probably all at work as the Remainers should be, unless they are being subbed by some organisation (the EU perhaps?).

 

Take a look tonight Scully, and the whole area is filled with UKIP flags.

 

Frenchie, this is a rather different theme but I have a question which, possibly, only you can answer. Up to the beginning of last year there had been 22,000 ex pats who had taken citizenship of other EU countries (discounting Ireland for the moment). For Germany the figures were 2015 - 622, 2016 - roughly 2,600, and for 2017 around 7,500. Germany appears to make up around 40% of all cases of naturalization. Judging from all the figures I have seen around one in six of British people here have taken German citizenship to date (also including those who did it prior to 2015, and those from last year). The French figure appears to be only a small fraction of that, although, from what I have seen, the conditions for getting French nationality do not appear to be any more restrictive than those in Germany - in fact the necessary time of residence is 5 years as opposed to the 8 years here. So why is the take up so small in France compared to here ? France appears to have about twice the number of ex pats as Germany does so this puzzles me. When I took German citizenship it took about 3 months to get all the documents together - but once the application was sent I ceremonially received the certificate of naturalization only 5 weeks later. Are you thinking about doing the same, or have you applied already ?

 

I think that the simple answer is that to obtain a card to prove your right to be a resident is a quicker and cheaper option than to go for citizenship. Due to the deluge of applications it can take nine months to get your card, which is free, but the citizenship is longer, eighteen months, and will cost quite a lot depending on the individuals circumstances. If a couple have had a divorce in their past for example, copies of the paperwork, all translated have to be provided by an official translator, which is expensive. What I hear a great deal, is that many people do not want to be a national of one country, but they have a different outlook of being individuals. We can all be proud of some things from the country of our birth, but equally proud of other things in the country that we have chosen to live in. As someone who is retired it would be fairly easy for me to apply for nationality here, but I would still like to be a person of the world, or if that is not possible a citizen of Europe.

 

For me the actual processing of my application cost € 255, the language exams around € 150 and the only additional costs were in getting documents out of England. The German authorities accept documents in English or in French as well as German. The actual ceremony of naturalization involved nothing more than taking an oath to live by the laws of Germany - nothing more, nothing less. Compare this to the process in the UK. where Germans that we know have been required to pay 1,350 pounds for the same process in the UK. In addition they were required to take an oath to the Queen - something which only high ranking members of the civil service normally have to do in the UK. and which about half the population would decline to do anyway. I too would rather be a citizen of the World (or failing that just Europe) but I'll settle for dual nationality for a start - it just gives me more options.

 

I've just discovered, that in the event of a no deal exit, I need 2 IDP's (Spain and France) at £5.50 each, and my town doesn't have a post office that can supply them. (You need a third if going to Liechenstein) Perhaps someone who voted 'leave' would be kind enough to go a and buy them for me. I'll pay the postage. I had thought of asking my MP to do it as her party is responsible for ruining the Post Office - as well as everything else.
Another thought. Perhaps there is a glimmer of light for remainers. The Tories are, it seems, so terrified of holding an election (an arrogant attitude considering they are so determined to honour the referendum, but ignore that for now) that they might abandon Brexit instead.
Probably wishful thinking, but it's all I've had to sustain me for 3 years.

 

If you buy some of my Conservative Party raffle tickets in aid of its election fighting fund you might win a prize that will pay for your IDPs, worth a try?

 

Perhaps your 'will of the people' party would be better of finding services for the people.. Schools, hospitals, children's centre's, local postal and banking centres etc etc..

Sent from my F8331 using Tapatalk

 

Agreed, the Tories are by far the best option to provide proper public services. Probably why the electorate keep them in government and do not trust the opposition.