Westminstenders: Break Up or Make Up?

[RedToothBrush]

The next week or so appears to be yet another crunch point (not that any of these crunch points have actually resolved anything so far).

The EU is set to outline the plan for Ireland. Which everyone thought had already been outlined and agreed already. And it had been admitted was legally binding.

Except apparently we don't want to do that, and we are now crying about how the EU want to break up Britain (nothing to do with England wanting to leave the EU and Scotland and NI wanting to stay in it of course).

Jeremy Corbyn has now apparently decided that the customs union is a good idea. David Davis and Liam Fox have responded by saying that this would stop us making our own trade deals. Yes this has obviously stopped Turkey, and why aren't we doing as much trade with China etc as Germany anyway? A vote in the HoC looms before Easter. Will Tory rebels support.

Will Jeremy Corbyn bow to pressure over the single market too? The customs union alone does not stop the border issue in Ireland. Nor does it stop ridiculous queues at Dover. I'm not sure Corbyn is one for listening though. He's got a whiff of power and democracy and reality is just a hindrance to utopia.

As for the Great Repeal Bill. Word has it, its not going too clever in the HoL. The conservatives had something of a show of strength with an unusual number turning up for the debate. But few on the backbenches were willing to speak in favour of...

It all feels like we are making no progress at all. We are still bleating on about cherry picked deals as if this is a negotiation. Its not.

[Globetrotter100]

[Motheroffourdragons]

Thanks Red . Another new thread, wow

[BigChocFrenzy]

Thanks, red

Ireland is one of my main concerns over Brexit, along with the rise of a nasty triumphalist English nationalism
English nationalists can bugger up their own country if they want - which may spur Scotland to escape too.

[Dobby1sAFreeElf]

thanks red

[OnTheDarkSideOfTheSpoon]

Thanks red

The bullshit carousel keeps turning

Boris Johnson promises to release 'very positive' Northern Ireland border letter

news.sky.com/story/amp/boris-johnson-promises-to-release-very-positive-northern-ireland-border-letter-11270575?__twitter_impression=true

[lalalonglegs]

Thanks, Red, I hope things are settling down for you.

Pain - my bullshit-o-meter just took readings completely off the scale after a Today interview with David Jones MP who kept insisting that the EU were in danger of breaching the Good Friday Agreement and that EU proposals - that would keep the border invisible - were no acceptable to the majority of people living in the province. Oh, and it was up to the EU to come up with solutions since they were the ones causing problems.

[WifeofDarth]

Thanks Red I hope all is ok with you

[woman11017]

Thank you red hope all or most is ok with you too.

[HesterThrale]

Thanks Red and best wishes to you.

lala I'm glad I wasn't listening to Today. That interview would have raised my blood pressure.
How long before people see through the lies?

[Cailleach1]

Posted this on end of last thread. It is Pascal Lamy at Dexeu.

www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/8b00ce90-e83d-4f76-8c87-b0d2d2174af7

[lonelyplanetmum]

Profound Thanks, Red 

My flippant thought for the day is if Boris is so dismissive of history on the island of Ireland, and so casual about the ease of borders,perhaps we really can take his analogy of
the congestion charge zone.

We can have numerous internal EU and non EU boundaries if they are so simple to implement, including one surrounding London with separate administrations, shopping and travel permits and trade rules.

Boris, Gove,Rees Mogg etc would be banished to one of the Leave zones outside the M25.

I'd happily relocate to within an EU zone.

[Cailleach1]

Around 10.30ish. Explaining borders to Sammy Wilson. Takes Macau option as possible option for NI. To be a WTO member, you don't need to be sovereign. Macau is and has an autonomous trade policy. Doesn't mean they don't belong to China. Sour faces to that.

Takes Norway and Sweden as an example of where there is a physical border. If a virtual border were possible, it would be there now.

Also electronic checks are still checks. And the phyto sanitary, safety and origin grounds. Aside from the smuggling. Mentions people. Wilson mentions the common travel area. Lamy says 'So far'.

[DGRossetti]

.

[Cailleach1]

If there are WTO tariffs necessary, the UK will need to know origin. There are quotas. So will need to checks.

[Cailleach1]

Reminds me of someone telling me their divorced brother was not really a divorcé. His spouse had divorced him but he didn't want the divorce. Ergo, she was divorced and he wasn't.

[Cailleach1]

Referring to the brexiteers on that panel. When they talk about the border being put up by the EU and the UK itself wouldn't have a border.

[prettybird]

Going back to the Ryanair loss of jobs at Glasgow Airport, I don't think that it can be laid at the door of "Scottish Government taxes" given that they are increasing operations at Edinburgh, with a net increase in jobs and flights

Ryanair did comment that Brexit uncertainty was making some routes unprofitable Dh says it is because Glaswegians refuse to fly Ryanair

APD was due to devolved to Scotland in April: Holyrood voted last year than when they did so, to reduce them, by half initially with the ultimate intention of abolishing them entirely. However, there appears to be a snag, as an exemption is required from the EU in order to continue to have zero charges for flights to the Highlands & Islands - and this needs to be asked for by the UK Government which of course really wants to help the Scottish Government with the EU That's apparently why the process has been delayed for a year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-41509650

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15677669.Devolutionoffairpassengerrtaxdelayeddatleastta_year/

[prettybird]

(useful place mat king and many thanks for the new thread Red Succinct summary as always )

[SnowCats]

Many thanks for new thread Red

[thecatfromjapan]

Thanks Red.

[Motheroffourdragons]

pretty - interesting.

It is a right pain for us, here in Belgium. My OH had to get back quickly last month to see one of his elderly parents and because Ryanair really cut back on flights last year anyway, there are only 3 a week from Brussels to Edinburgh at the mo and the times didn't work for him. He nearly ended up paying €800 (nearly fainted at the cost) for a Brussels Airlines flight to Edinburgh! Because it was last minute as these things tend to be.

Fortunately whatever the drama at the time was, was averted and he could go the following week at a much reduced cost of €250.

When we were living in Glasgow (admittedly 25 years ago) there were daily flights to Brussels from there. Times don't always change for the better.

I would hope to see a forward thinking Scottish government trying to sort these things out so that we improve connections with the outside world.

But to be fair I absolutely detest Ryanair.

[Somerville]

Boris Johnson's perfidy shouldn't be a shock at this stage, I know. But the text of that leaked letter left me spluttering.
And watch out for the reaction from SF - they've been purposefully playing things close and tight to this point, but some sections of their support are now up in arms. (Hopefully not literally.)

Hope things settle down for you, Red.

[prettybird]

On principle, I refuse to fly Ryanair - Michael O'Leary's attitude towards customers (let alone his staff) is abominable. So I am amongst those Glaswegians who won't fly Ryanair.

Glasgow Airport has never really recovered from the cutbacks in flights after the financial crisis 10 years ago Although Edinburgh Airport has benefited from Holyrood and financial services business but was still not unscathed. Lots of the direct, low cost flights to major destinations (like Paris, Geneva and Brussels) have been cut back - and are now timed for weekend breaks or ski holidays Even flights to London have been reduced

[OnTheDarkSideOfTheSpoon]

I can't listen to the Today programme any more either. It's too infuriating.

Laura Kuenssberg
‏@bbclaurak

1. Draft treaty from Brussels will ruffle feathers today, no doubt about that - crucial to see whether EU has actually dropped the language that fudged it in December
   
2. DUP are scheduled to have two questions at #PMQs today so May v likely to have to respond BUT.....
   
3. Govt expected to dismiss today’s draft as being just that and Brexiteers have been given private assurances that govt position hasn’t and won’t change - and about speech on Friday
   
4. Worth noting ERG Brexiteer meeting had record turnout last night including visits from Steve Baker and Michael Gove, I’m told, who just happened to pop by

[OnTheDarkSideOfTheSpoon]

Press statement from Julie Girling MEP & Richard Ashworth MEP