Brexit discussion thread XIV (Please read OP before posting)

generic_throwaway

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118101177#Comment_118101177

Well they've probably realised the former narrative didn't look great and have had time to refine the message.

Seth Brundle

More Brexit fallout?

https://twitter.com/business/status/1455120598716321795

Sam Russell

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/bus-in-north-hijacked-and-set-alight-by-armed-men-1.4715946

Not sure how this will pan out.

Will Sir Jeremy flounce out of Stormont or disavow this terrorist action? Will SoS for NI bow to the terrorist pressure, or call Donanalson's bluff and call early elections? Or Will Johnson and Frost rebouble the determination to bin the NI Protocol or even collapse the whole agreement?

Or will the EU cave on this latest terrorist activity determined to collapse the GFA and Stormont?

Or will the EU take the gloves off, and tell the UK where to get off the bus?

We shall see.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118105565#Comment_118105565

Any chance he and his fisher buddies can relay this to the nation with a sail up the Thames like the last time.

I'm getting pretty sick of that little industry and its BS

Leroy42

I understand his anger, disappointment and it must be understood that he was lied to. And not such during the campaign itself, the lie was carried out over many years.

But I have little sympathy for these people who seem to be able to complain but do little about it. Why are they not marching? We are they not demanding action from their local MP? Where have the petitions (I know they are useless in terms of actual outcome but they do generate talking points and help drive the agenda).

Tories are happy to continue on in the knowledge that people want Brexit and those who didn't, or don't, won't ever do anything. Labour are paralysed into avoiding even mentioning the word for fear of the backlash.

People like Perkes, and other in the industry, farmers, exporters, manufacturers etc etc, need to stand up instead of sitting idly by and putting out 'poor me' pieces in the press.

I'm not blaming him directly, or solely, but someone needs to actually stand up and be heard.

Sam Russell

Thatcher introduced the Poll Tax, which was a tax on the poor and was a voter suppression tactic -if you did not pay, you could not vote. Now it was a measure that affected urban voters much more than the shire voters because urban councils, from the Poll Tax, had to support the poor who were more prevalent in urban areas. Poll Tax was squarely aimed at Labour supporters.

Now there is no Poll Tax currently - so what happened?

Perhaps Labour, and particularly Sir Keir should take note of - get out in the street and get heard. Get passionate. Get the message out - who is taking the costs of Brexit? - who is benefitting from Brexit? - who is getting the jobs that were in Britain? Why is Britain looking for trade agreements across the world when 50% of trade Britain does historically is now the other side of a trade barrier?

Has Brexit proved itself to be worth all this grim hardship?

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118105659#Comment_118105659

I think the key point here is the failure of institutions, abjectly so in the case of the media.

Due to government pressure, they cowered and refrained from pointing out what an abysmal idea Brexit would be. The BBC became obsessed with balance and allowed anyone on who gave any sort of fantastical or even deceitful reasons for supporting Brexit in the interests of "balance". The point of journalism is to analyse the facts. I don't want to watch the weather forecast and hear one analyst say that there'll be heavy rain while another says it'll rain elephants.

There's no solution to a problem most of the public doesn't recognize and until this happens, talk of Starmer shouting about rejoining is premature. Brexit is considered "done" by most people. Until they start attributing the faults of Brexit to Brexit en masse, there's no point in reopening old wounds. I think this process is gradually underway but I expect Johnson to call an election by 2025 and win it with a much smaller majority than he enjoys now.

The Raging Bile Duct

Morrisons making sure you're not getting any of that EU muck....

Padre_Pio

Probably coming from India or China.

"Certified Chicken" I'd hope so!!

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118105819#Comment_118105819

That analysis depends on the failure of Brexit to be a slow dropping disaster. Covid has masked much of the culpability of Brexit.

If the problems are a cascade of deprivations to most sectors of the economy, coupled with high inflation, and currency problems (always a British disease) that mean high interest rates and increased taxation, then a vigorous campaign by Labour could well be enough to turf this wasteful and corrupt crowd out.

We will see. Perhaps Climate Change might be enough to tip the balance.

ArmaniJeanss

Morrisons have quickly backtracked and withdrawn that packaging, though presumably the jingoistic message is now 'out there' which was the whole point.

Morrisons apologises after advertising 'non- EU salt and pepper' on its British chicken - Retail Gazette

fash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118105876#Comment_118105876

There seemed to have been a reasonable explanation that it was a mistake (& they immediately apologised) - and the "non EU" was a hangover from "EU" "non EU" descriptions which are required as an EU member.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118105897#Comment_118105897

I'm not talking about Brexit causing gradual harm, I'm talking about public opinion changing and this tends to happen at a glacial pace. Of course, Johnson could do something precipitous but even his latest stunt of allowing water companies to dump raw sewage in waterways seems to have had no effect.

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118106112#Comment_118106112

Well, Climate Change has been happening at a glacial pace, until the glaciers started to melt big time, causing a sudden and global change from a deniable effect to a disastrous effect.

Johnson is going for Global Britain, but the very term 'Global' is being tagged to 'Disaster' and 'catastrophic' so maybe the messaging is wrong.

It only takes a slow but relentless change in public perception to reach a tipping point. How far away is that from happening?

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118106228#Comment_118106228

I know but Johnson has at least made plenty of noise about tackling climate change. Sadly, he has no interest in leading by example but it seems fairly well cemented in the public consciousness now that it needs action. I see no sign of popular resistance to green measures outside of the usual quarters of whom I have no expectation for anything other than grifting anyway.

"Global Britain" is just as meaningless as levelling up. There won't be a tipping point on climate change because the public are already on board with climate change action.

Brexit is different. The problem there is that we see people who have spent their lives in particular sectors. They've as a result become experts in these sectors but for whatever reason, they voted to hobble themselves because politicians with a long and storied history of deceit told them to. Until we get to a point where more and more people identify Brexit as the problem, there'll be no change. I think this is slowly taking place and demographic change is accelerating this.

timetogo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118106067#Comment_118106067

I can't remember ever seeing something labelled Non-EU on the front of a packet. A quick glance in my cupboard doesn't show anything labelled as "non EU". I definitely have stuff produced outside of the EU. Labelling something Non-EU is obviously weird. Surely if there was an EU requirement it would be to identify where the food came from rather than where it didn't come from.

Morissons previously renamed their Brussels Sprouts to Yorkshire Sprouts. In that case the "reasoning" was that customers liked to know the county their sprouts came from. The customers didn't have the same requirements apparently for other vegetables :)

Padre_Pio

Honey is the only thing I can think of.

"a mix of Eu and non-EU honey".

Which I think is code for "EU honey and non-EU sugar syrup"

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118106338#Comment_118106338

Yep, but that's in the fine print at the back, not the front label as a selling point.

The Raging Bile Duct

Morrisons seemed to have gone full tilt with trying to wrap as much of their food with the union jack as possible.

https://twitter.com/MarinaPurkiss/status/1377992600020455425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1377992600020455425%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lincolnshirelive.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal-news%2Fmorrisons-union-jack-packaging-butter-5275028

breezy1985

I've shopped in Morrison's plenty over the years and I don't ever remember seeing anything like this written as part of the branding. In the fine print or ingredients maybe but never like this so I don't believe the excuse one bit.

serfboard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118105951#Comment_118105951

Don't believe that at all. British is on it twice, and there's a Union Jack on it too - it's all part of what they're all at. Tesco the same. Jingoistic, flag-waving nonsense.

Cassius99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118105876#Comment_118105876

I have found myself wondering about this recently. My local Aldi and Lidl sometimes have small stocks of Union Jack emblazoned flour/biscuits etc. next to the exact same products in non flag bearing packaging.

Now I understand if a product is undeniably associated with a certain country it might make sense and warrant a flag. Bratwurst from Germany, croissants from France, etc. But not on generic produce like flour and biscuits. And I've seen it on a lot of stuff recently.

These large companies obviously think theres a market for this flag waving Brexit nonsense and a quick buck can be made.

wexfordman2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118108537#Comment_118108537

I'd avoid it anyway, but is there not supposed to be some form 9f marking biw for UK goods for NI that are flagged or marked as nit for sale in the EU?

Sam Russell

As they say in NI, 'you cannot eat flags' but here is Morrisons trying to prove you can.

Well 'non-EU' lamb from NZ will be cheaper the 'non-EU' lamb from Wales. I wonder if covering them with flags will impact sales.

A Dub in Glasgo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118107122#Comment_118107122

I shop in Morrisons and the Union Jackery is going well overboard. In fact, in Scotland, the Saltire has been replaced by Union Jacks

kowloon

Flags are great when you can't rally around ideas. They were always more into plastering flags on things, they've just gone up to 11 with it. A friend of mine was showing me her health insurance card, entire thing was a union jack. I think there's still a way to go before we reach peak patriotism.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118109728#Comment_118109728

I'm reading that Tesco GB have a lot of union jacks as well. What's with all the flags?? I'm pretty sure the likes of Dunnes, Super Valu and Tesco Ireland don't have Irish tricolours plastered all over the produce and the shelves.

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118110186#Comment_118110186

Well they do have Bord Bia with the tricolour but it is tiny.

A Dub in Glasgo

Tesco do have a lot of union jacks on their products

Leroy42

Tbf, the likes of Morrisons are just giving the people what they want. They are doing what will sell best to their customers.

And like it ir not, the UK is now seriously wrapped up in nationalism, to the extent that it covers all ills and every argument can be reduced to whether you love GB or not.

Unfortunately, IMO, they still have quite a ways to go before any chance they might ease off. It will only get worse as the problems mount.