Brexit discussion thread XIII (Please read OP before posting)

yagan wrote: »

M&S closing their Chechia outlet citing Covid restrictions which do seem to affect other retailers there.


Was in a local Tesco earlier and all their meat and veg products were well stocked but solely Irish supplied, whereas their prepacked ready meals shelves were empty.

CelticRambler wrote: »

The same could be said about the British Right. The problem is with the political system (FPTP), not either party. Just look at current administration - all those on the right who would have compromised or taken a centrist stance have been purged, from within prior to the last election, or by the voters when they stood up to be counted.

Again I would say that the very fact that we, on this thread, have nothing better/more dramatic to discuss this week, than good ol' Labour vs. Tory headbutting means that Johnson's gamble paid off: Brexit is done and the sky didn't fall on anyone's head (or at least not that anyone other than a few truckers and Scottish fishermen and eel-exporters would notice).

In a way, it's almost reassuring (almost) that this thread has morphed into a tangent of the British Politics thread while the exciting stuff has now moved to the Ireland in the Single Market thread, and maybe the Scottish Independence thread. I reckon that's a perfect metaphor for the post-Brexit Britain - the rest of Europe getting on without them, the Scots making a concerted effort to plough their own furrow, and the English noisily squabbling amongst each other to no great effect.

Lemming wrote: »

Those responses from the blonde blob ... Jesus, that was something else to have the misfortune of watching. There's contempt and then there's contempt; he didn't even bother trying to dress it up and I'm [not?] surprised that the speaker didn't censure him for showing contempt for parliamentary proceedings.

As I've said earlier, the SNP don't need to do anything - the Tories are the gift that keeps on giving regards building a case/popular support for independence. An inanimate carbon rod could have mounted a better response.

A Dub in Glasgo wrote: »

Lochfyne Seafoods did not support Brexit. In fact, most of the processors and in shore fishing in Scotland did not support Breixt. The ones that did are the Tory families who run some of the major fishing out of Peterhead and the rest of Aberdeenshire. That is why every time a Tory came to Scotland to discuss fishing they went to Peterhead

The majority of people in Scotland did not support Brexit

Fishing minister Victoria Prentis, appearing before a House of Lords committee, admitted “things are tricky at the moment” but said her team is “working hard” to resolve issues as they arose.

During her appearance Ms Prentis raised eyebrows by telling peers she did not read the fisheries deal when it was published on Christmas Eve because she was “very busy organising the local Nativity trail”.

Enzokk wrote: »

Not sure what you are trying to say here. Are there different tables at the EU? Which table are we at? Will a similarly sized Scotland not be at the same table? There is one table and all EU nations sit around it. Scotland will take the seat left vacant by the UK if the SNP gets their way. Really unsure what you are trying to show.





Not the right thread. Not sure how a map showing the UK in green when they have had a head start in vaccinations is a way to prove a point.

CelticRambler wrote: »

If today's British papers (website versions) are anything to go by, that's exactly what I'm saying:
The Times (politics section) - one story amongst dozens, and way down the page: "Brexit challenges will transform City, says Sunak"
The Telegraph (politics section) - one story amongst dozens, and way down the page: "Speeding British drivers to evade fines in Europe after Brexit"
The Independent (UK politics section) - one story amongs dozens, and way down the page (seeing a pattern here?): "Boris Johnson dismisses post-Brexit food supply chaos in Northern Ireland as ‘teething problems’"
The Daily Mail (no politics section ): no Brexit story (or at least not as far as scrolled before my eyes started bleeding from CAPS-LOCK assault)

So yes, I would maintain my assertion that the Tories/ERG/Brexit Party have hit the jackpot with Covid happening alongside Brexit. The people who wanted Brexit "done" because they didn't want to hear any more about it on the news voted for the party that promised to get it off the front pages, and Johnson has done just that.

The majority of those voters are going to be at least one step removed from the direct impact of Brexit, so they are not going to put it back on the political agenda; and in this age of focus-group reactionary politics, it's going to be very difficult for any other party to get it back onto the front pages.