prawnsambo wrote: » No, that was much later. When he picked up the transport portfolio iirc.
Dominic Raab has come under fire for saying he "hadn't quite understood" how reliant UK trade in goods is on the Dover-Calais crossing.
BorneTobyWilde wrote: » A peoples vote if took again would be to Leave, I have no doubt. It's what the EU is hoping for, but it would be Leave. There is enough people who just don't care, and have nothing to lose, they will get their benefits regardless. Remain would need to gain 2m votes, I dunno where they get them, maybe from those who turned 18 since 2016.
Folkstonian wrote: » One could also argue that Scotland entered a union with England of its own accord, which has been overwhelmingly successful. One could also argue that Scotland played an incredibly influential role in the expansion and maintenance of empire. Further, one could argue that the heyday of empire was not the 1700s, but the decades between the world wars when it was at its largest territorially and economically. One can argue all these things if they study history and don’t fabricate a counternarrative. I’m becoming sick of this whole process. Sick of the EU pretending it has offered Britain a fair deal at any stage. You can’t put three lumps of **** in front of someone and condemn them for not choosing any of them. EEA - garbage, absolutely no say over the rules Britain would have to adhere to. Back down and remain - garbage, really scares me because it will cause so many people to disengage from politics for many, many years. I don’t foresee violence, just people justifiably asking what the point of participation in democracy is. Sick of the EU acting like it has to shoulder literally none of the responsibility for the vote to leave. May’s deal - garbage. basically letting Europe annex part of the UK. Obviously, obviously, this was going to cause loads of sodding grief. What a horrible time to live in. I feel so sorry for people on an individual level who are affected by this maelstrom of distrust and antsgonism. It was one of the key reasons why I was a remainer initially. But now, I have just had enough with it all. I don’t want anyone here to think I have any bad feeling towards Ireland or it’s people. I love this place and have had such a blast living and working here. I don’t excuse or try to justify the idiocy and ineptitude of May and her negotiating team. But my god, the likes of Juncker and Verhofstadt have shown themselves up to be insufferable twats. Europe can see fit to compromise when they want to. Look at the Swiss deal, look at Norway. Huge compromises. For Britain, because they have got the arse at the shock decision to leave, it’s just the take it or leave it off the shelf aforementioned lumps of ****. I really understand this will go down like a lead balloon here, but it’s not a post like many other ‘leavers’ (I guess that’s what I am now) intended to take the conversation down into the gutter.
prawnsambo wrote: » Yes, but they won't be offering them in a hurry. Far better to sit back and let all would-be protected industry and agriculture wither and die and then be faced with no protectionism to hold them back.
Charles Babbage wrote: DO you realise that one side up there call themselves nationalists?
ARNOLD J RIMMER wrote: » If there is No agreement by the 29th March. On the 30th I’m curious what the UK looks like with the “ WTF just happened “ head on there shoulders
micosoft wrote: » Let's not forget that both China and India remember the last "trade deal" they were forced at gunpoint to sign by the British. They have long memories and they have already made it clear that they don't care for May's red lines - they want visa's and one sided market access (see the awful Swiss deal with China). As for Trump. Lol. He needs a win. The greatest trade deal for America means crushing the UK. Chlorinated Chickens here we come.
Charles Babbage wrote: » No, it won't. It will lead to NI leaving the UK. In fact, likely there won't be a UK.
briany wrote: » Surely the solution, or compromise if you like, is to include in the withdrawal deal not a backstop outright, but a pledge to hold a referendum in Northern Ireland on whether to accept the backstop. In all the hoopla over the backstop, the voice of the Northern Irish people themselves has been kind of pushed into the background in the debate because all I ever see is politicians arguing on the matter. If we're going to undermine the GFA one way or another, it would be best to have the impetus come from at least some of those who voted on it in the first place. This would take the wind out of any political football being made of the issue. The only question would be getting cross-party support for such a deal, thereby nullifying the DUP's inevitable dissenting voice.
WomanSkirtFan8 wrote: » Also, does any brexiteer really think or believe that people in NI of both communities who suffered over 30 years of violent and brutal conflict would ever want to go back to those dark days again? I find it incredibly hard to believe that anyone who did would want that hell again.
downcow wrote: » This is a very fair little video I reckon. Worth a few minutes of your time if you are doubting that this is everyone’s responsibility to sort outhttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1cfI5on5n84&feature=share
eagle eye wrote: » Yes and I realise there are two sides or even three. The third side being ordinary decent people who want to live comfortable, loving lives and bring their kids up in a peaceful society. No border means peace, a hard border means troubles. An attempt to move away from the UK means troubles.
Larbre34 wrote: » I cant speak for 10s of millions of folk who apparently wished to leave, but what is evident from so many of the pro-brexit talking heads, politicians, columnists, business sector is that they neither know much about the troubles nor care about finding out or what the inextricable consequences of setbacks in N.I. Same goes for the right wing tabloids. In fact, they don't seem to give a **** for much beyond themselves. That kind of apathy is as dismal as it is frightening.
ARNOLD J RIMMER wrote: » Even at the end of your simple video is says that TM and the UK need to come up with a solution. Or did you not make it that far?
FrancieBrady wrote: » Because that in itself could become a bargaining chip. This needs to be sorted before trade talks begin. The 'people' have already said they wish to remain in the EU and there is no sign that has diminished.
downcow wrote: » Why do you feel the need to be so condescending?
downcow wrote: if you are doubting that this is everyone’s responsibility to sort out
Folkstonian wrote: » I’m becoming sick of this whole process. Sick of the EU pretending it has offered Britain a fair deal at any stage. You can’t put three lumps of **** in front of someone and condemn them for not choosing any of them.
J Mysterio wrote: » RE: Raab.. Apparently he accused the Taoiseach of 'directly' leaking to Daily Telegraph and Financial Times a conversation he had with Coveney. BBC article on this here:Leo Varadkar leaked Brexit conversation says Dominic Raab There is a more recent article in the Irish Times with this: A spokesman for Mr Coveney said Mr Raab is “badly mistaken”. “He was left in no doubt by the Tánaiste on the night that his idea for a time-limited backstop wasn’t a runner,” the spokesman said.“We made no details of the content of the meeting public and his theory of the Taoiseach leaking his bad idea to major British papers is off the wall.”
briany wrote: » The question posed to the people of Northern Ireland 2 1/2 years ago was whether they wished to leave the EU along with the rest of the UK. The question I'm posing would be similar, but different, because I'm talking about the people of NI choosing whether or not to accept staying in alignment with the SM/CU, in contrast to the rest of the UK which would be leaving those institutions. So, it would be asking the people of NI to accept a very significant state of otherness from the rest of the UK. Not a question that was posed in 2016.
Irishmale0399 wrote: » Why should the EU offer anything. The UK negotiated the WA....they already had their chance. Now its take it or leave it. As for people thinking London is interested in the GF agreement....cop on. They are so self centered in this that it was never an issue for them. They dont care about Northern Ireland and if May didnt need the DUP she would have binned NI already. Like the UK has nothing to offer the EU, NI has nothing to offer the UK.
re "Quite a coup, to turn a defeat by 230 votes into a victory by 15 votes in a fortnight " In an interview after the match she delightedly explained... "we were heavily down at half time, so after the break I changed shirts and played for the opposition. It's great to be on the winning team."
Gintonious wrote: » https://twitter.com/WyndhamWallace/status/1090688723371679744 The level of ignorance and stupidity continues to impress, and frighten.
downcow wrote: » I reckon the Eu will hold firm until after the 14th of feb and the next vote. If WM can hold its nerve in that vote then the Eu will start to shift on backstop.
downcow wrote: » Thanks that’s really helpful. All sound very reasonable to me. Certainly a lot more reasonable than a backstop
Midlife wrote: » We're now the only English speaking country in Europe. That's going to come in handy...until Scotland joins that is.
According to article 342 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, it is for the Council, acting unanimously, to determine the rules governing the languages of the institutions of the Union. Today, English is one of the 24 official and working languages of the European Union institutions. The Commission notes that, besides the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta have English as an official language.
