Off Topic UK / EU Future

The tea boy Raab actually makes David Davis look intelligent. He gets himself into a tangle, and instead of trying to unravel it just ploughs on making matters worse. Is this really is the best the country has to offer?

 

I know I can make a case for what I've written. Are you going to substantiate your claim, SH? Probably not.

Usual drivel from SH.

 

I'm sure you spend hours talking to the mirror.

 

Are you going to substantiate your claim, SH? Probably not. #2

 

I realize that you would prefer to spend your time in this way rather than debating seriously SH. but I would draw your attention back to my last text (2537). I appreciate that it was long and that Brexiteers often don't get past the headline, or the first sentence but questions remain. How do you envisage things developing if parliament votes down TM's deal ?

 

Tonight I have watched the PMs statement to the Commons. As is normal she didn't wish to answer questions. Leave with no deal, ask the people, join the EEA, all came from around both sides of the chamber. As in the country as a whole there is no answer as to how we get out of the mess that the referendum has dumped us into to. What will you do if you cannot get this through Parliament? No answer. Just a vague notion that that the deal would be so good the whole country and MPs would fall in behind it.
This was followed up by the foreign secretary making a statement on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. He admitted that as a single country the UK would not have a great influence on the affair, but with the backing of the EU, particularly France and Germany, the Saudis could be brought into the modern world. So an admission that the UK is happy to see its role in world affairs become marginalised. No longer the Great Britain that so many believe in, but a small island outside of the major players in world affairs. Forget it exists and who wants to trade with it?

 

The convention in the commons re asking questions is really stupid. A member (apart from leader of oppostion) can ask 1 question. If the minister (usually) to whom the question is addressed answers by avoiding/ignoring/answering a dfferent one, there is nothing that the member can do, and we are all none the wiser. It seems to me that the speaker should be asked to rule on whether there was any attempt to answer the question., if not, the minister should be made to answer again. It has actually got to a ridiculous farce with Brexit, whereby TM in particular, but not just her, makes no attempt whatsoever to address what has been asked. It couldn't be that they have no answers, could it? Judging by the stream of non responses we get from our resident Brexiteer I think I might have a clue.

 

Very important point ... one of so many.
...
Real concerns in just about every area of our activities ... except i guess border control and some aspects of fishing... I guess the price of cod will go down ( of course not)....

 

You will often find far more out by watching select committees quizzing Ministers where if they don't get an answer they can come back at them immediately. I do think that the reports that these committees compile should carry more weight in policy making. When one is being proposed by government, and is shown by the evidence to be unwise, it can be ignored. Most of the media simply report, if at all, on what is said in the Commons, and that is not a good place to obtain real information.

 

The EU and Singapore have signed a FTA .
"This FTA will give Singapore companies greater market access to all EU member states, and the Agreements will boost confidence for investors and entrepreneurs. It can also be a pathfinder towards an eventual EU-ASEAN FTA.
We have been negotiating this agreement since 2010, and look forward to its ratification by next year. As ASEAN-EU coordinator, we will continue to find opportunities to strengthen the economic ties between our two regions, and to highlight the continued benefits of regional integration to our people. As two of the world’s most successful regional organisations, we look forward to working closely with the EU to continue strengthening our partnership!"

Once again we see regional agreements being made rather than between individual countries.

I wonder why James Dyson is choosing to set up his car making factory in Singapore apart from the fact that he says it will be easier to be certain of supply chains, and have access to the EU market?

 

I fail to see how anyone can see how the UK would get a better deal. EU interests are worldwide... we will be reduced to dealing with suspect and marginal states etc... oops we do already

 

Agree with all that.

 

Spot on and some excellent work done in committee

 

Indeed - and as a civil servant I find those far more challenging as people have actually done their homework!

 

We can see just how safe our withdrawal from the EU is in the hands of this government by looking at some stats on what is actually happening in Westminster. Government ministers have regularly said that they expect to lay between 800 and 1,000 Statutory Instruments (SIs) to prepare the statute book for exit day. These are vital if the country is not to grind to a standstill on 1st April 2019 should there be no deal, therefore no transition period. On the 26th June 2018 the date that the withdrawal bill received royal assent , if you take the lower number of SIs that had to be dealt with, then the government had to pass 20 every week in the 40 weeks available.

So how are they doing. As of yesterday out of our 800 only 71 have been laid, or 9%. Not once has the target of 20 been reached, and today to be ready the number to be passed each week is now 33. Of the 71 that have been laid just 2 have completed their passage through Parliament. Take DEFRA as an example, and you will find that this one department is believed to be producing 86 SIs, some are 150 pages long because of the technical complexity of them. To date they have laid just 5.

Those who said this would all be so so easy should be taking note of what is actually happening and apologize for misleading the country.

 

Once again the brexiteers have been shown up to be all mouth and little more. All the noise about replacing the PM once again comes to nothing. As has been said before there has never been a different plan to the one that is being discussed with the EU.
12 vital systems need to be in place come next March to ensure that traffic will not come to a halt because of checks at the ports. How many will be ready? Just 1. Still we shouldn't worry, Grayling is organizing the transport. It was also pointed out today that rail also transports goods in and out of the UK. How long would it take to check the contents of a train pulling 40 wagons? Long enough to cause problems on the railways.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...cretary-never-requires-help-make-fool-himself

 

Jesus Christ I had no idea... what a weapon!

Sorry, "good grief, I did not know about this... another complete idiot in government!"

 

John Crace is a brilliant writer, he manages to make depressing political news funny. He's not anti-Tory, he attacks general incompetence on both sides. His latest piece on the Health Secretary Matt Hancock was great, and his breakdown of Brexit talks is the only funny thing about this whole ****show.

 

A tragi comedy eh.... Whatever your political or EU view...

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