http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36537180 Nigel Farage and Sir Bob Geldof have traded insults in a nautical battle over the EU referendum. Mr Farage led a flotilla of fishing boats up the Thames to urge Parliament take back control of British waters. But his Brexit armada was greeted by a rival Remain fleet carrying Sir Bob. The rock star yelled that the UKIP leader was "no fisherman's friend". Mr Farage accused Sir Bob of "mocking" impoverished fishermen. The UKIP leader's flotilla, organised by Fishing for Leave, left the Kent port of Ramsgate early on Friday and reached Westminster during Prime Minister's Questions at 12:30 BST. A handful of dinghies and other vessels bearing In flags sought to "intercept" the Leave flotilla as it passed under Tower Bridge, with the vessel carrying former pop star Sir Bob playing the song "The In Crowd" over loud speakers. There were reports of brief, light-hearted skirmishes, including the exchange of hose fire and a police launch got involved to keep them apart on the Thames outside Parliament while Prime Minister's Questions took place inside. Addressing Mr Farage over a PA system as his boat, the Sarpedon, pulled alongside the boat carrying the UKIP leader, Mr Geldof called Mr Farage a "fraud". "Here are the facts about fishing. One, Britain makes more money than any other country in Europe from fishing. Two, Britain has the second largest quota for fish in Europe after Denmark. Three, Britain has the third largest landings. Four, you are no fisherman's friend. "You were on the European Parliament Fishing Committee and you attended one out of 43 meetings."
That Bob Geldof who had one very small hit in the 70's and he has made millions from it - or is it because like his good mate Bono he avoids paying tax in the country he lives in? One for the Green types on here:- Why does the EU spend millions every month to move wagon loads of paperwork from Brussels to Strasberg and back to work in a huge building that stands empty 317 days a year. Stay for 4 days then move all of that paperwork back in those same wagons not to mention the bus loads of staff explain to me how that is 'environmentally friendly'? I suppose it's justified on the grounds that the French have to be kept happy!
As the leader of the SNP in Westminster said today, staying in the EU is vital for the Scottish economy. Scottish salmon is nearly always available in the supermarkets here and sells better than the French fish that are farmed up north because of the better quality. Some is available from time to time from Norway, but it has to pay tariffs, so it is priced out of the market. This is just one small thing, but fish from Scotland is very popular here.
1) yes.... but I love the humour 2) agreed outragueous.... mind you MPs expenses are too.... For me it is a bigger principle than that that I will vote on
Michael Gove’s father has contradicted claims made by his son that the family’s fish processing firm in Aberdeen was destroyed by the European Union’s fisheries policies. Ernest Gove said that he sold the business voluntarily because the fishing industry in Aberdeen was being hit by a range of different factors. These included competition for space in the port from North Sea oil vessels, the Icelandic cod wars, dockworkers’ strikes and new 200-mile limits to control over-fishing. Michael Gove told reporters on Monday that it had happened while he was sitting his school exams. That timescale puts its closure in the early to mid-1980s – before strict fishing quotas were introduced under the CFP. Says it all about him, but the BBC clearly didn't check out the facts before they broadcast this fictional piece by him.
Something similar has already been mooted here - although without Wales & Northern Ireland - Scotland remaining in EU as rUK, but renegotiating membership terms for themselves. Of course Wales & NI would be welcome to remain, but the feeling is that they would both depart on England's coat-tails. And before anyone poo-poo's the idea as fanciful & impossible, it wasn't the Scots who suggested it.
My sister has lived in Germany for almost 40 years now - married a German, raised a family there and worked for the bulk of that time. She has no entitlement to the UK state pension, having never worked there, and was recently told that she would have to wait until she turns 69 before being eligible for a German pension. So yes, it could be difficult...
Ironic and somehow sick that the Brexiters have taken over the Union Jack and tried to make it their own - whereas if Brexit happens then Scotland will, almost certainly break away, and the flag will be a thing of the past ! Also, Brexit is the most anti British movement we have seen in a long time - they want to damage contacts to the main customers for our exports, deprive our country of much needed EU. research money, reduce the international influence of our country, damage the economy to the tune of 70+ billion pounds per year, free ourselves of those troublesome environment controls and safeguards for workers rights which the EU. has achieved, and lose millions of British jobs - how dare they use the Union Jack as if it were their own ! Brexit wants to lose all of that under the pretext that, by some miracle, Britain can continue with tariff free exports to our biggest trading partners without also allowing freedom of movement - If you want to retain free trade with the biggest market in the World then free movement is an essential part of that. How can it be that immigration has become the biggest theme in this debate when EU citizens amount to only 3.6% of the population ? How can it be blamed on the EU. when Britain opened its doors to immigration from Eastern Europe before anyone else did ? If you believe that free movement within the EU. is a potential problem for some countries then the best way to stop this movement is to join with the EU. help to make it strong, which in turn raises living standards in Eastern Europe. Brexit will bring us to the sidelines of Europe, like Norway or Switzerland, governed by their rules - but with no voting rights. In short, they will reduce Britain's sovereignty. For them to use the Union Jack as their symbol is an insult.
Because the average Brit has an innate sense of superiority over every other race/country and a xenophobic dislike (I won't go so far as to call it hatred - but it's not far off) of everyone that is "not like them". I had a vigorous discussion with a Brit "Leaver" who actually thought that reinstatement of the British Empire would be a good idea! I'll qualify those outrageous statements - it is the average English person not the average Brit. Note the qualifier "average".
80% of people surveyed by a national newspaper in Holland believe the UK should take back control from Brussels. Top Dutch MP Harry Van Bommel, from Holland's socialist party said the European Commission is a bureaucracy not a democracy. 88% surveyed also want their own referendum on membership. The cracks are appearing.
I can't get past the first page without paying - although I understand sufficient Dutch to be able to understand it I am not doing that. Either give me a proper link or I must assume it to be another figment of your imagination. According to other sources the European population which most wants the UK. to leave is France at 44%.
Did you copy that tripe from the Remain website or did Cameron give you a call and told you what to write? The EU is the only large market in the world that is in decline, overall it has not grown in years. Unemployment in Southern Europe is rampant, with 50% of young people in Greece having no job! What at the EU leaders dong about it? Absolutely nothing apart from encouraging economic migrants from the Middle East to travel to Greece! Britain has not encouraged immigration from Eastern Europe, if you care to remember Britain delayed allowing free movement from Bulgaria and Romania for a couple of years after they joined - and Blair had to lie about the scale of immigration from Poland. How will we lose millions of jobs by leaving a archaic, corrupt, inefficient political system that only really looks after the political elite? Why does the EU have lower emission standards than the US? - is it because of all of the lobbyists from the Gwrman car industry in Brussels smoothing the way and greasing a few palms. Why the need to decamp to Strasbourg each month - what about the impact of that on the environment? How can you justify countries receiving EU grants to set up new factories that are just taking the work from other EU countries - they are just driving down wages for all. But just keep repeating the scare stories as you seem to be very scared
I am not copying 'tripe' from anywhere - my 'tripe' is my own. In fact I don't think I have ever brought external material onto these boards (possibly because I don't know how to do it). If by 'tripe' you mean that I am not repeating the jingoistic, flag waving, nonsense evident in some parts of Britain then I am pleased to be doing that. The adjusted GDP of the EU. is bigger than that of both the USA. and China - and, if that is a failed model then there is something seriously wrong with the mathamatics of more or less every economic study. It is also fact that Britain will not have tariff free access to this market without playing by the rules of the EU. on freedom of movement (whatever rubbish is being pedalled by Brexit to the contrary) - rules which we would no longer be able to influence. It is also fact that the Brexiters have made the theme of immigration to their central theme, although the actual numbers involved are by no means dramatic (3.6% is not a figure I simply invented). It is also a fact that Britain opened itself up in the 1990s to East European immigration (because we had 500,000 unfilled jobs) well in advance of Germany and France, who delayed unrestricted access for much longer than Britain did. It is also fact that 25% of all research money paid by the EU. goes to Britain. I am not picking facts out of the air W_Y. I have seen lots of accusations of scaremongering coming over from the Brexiters - but is pointing out economic reality scaremongering ? Can the accusation of scaremongering really be used by people who, themselves, are trying to give out the impression that all of Britains social fabric is threatened by about 600,000 Poles ?
