Westministenders: Danger of "accidental" Brexit (whoops !) ?

[BigChocFrenzy]

i.e. Brexit without a deal - NOT intentionally so - due to UK govt incompetence and mutual UK/EU misunderstandings

The govt is proceeding from abysmal ignorance on a Brexit journey which may blunder into disaster.

Prominent Leave campaigner Richard North:

"The UK Government's narrative seems to rest on the belief that the EU will cave in under pressure, and is thus giving every sign that it is prepared to push negotiations to the wire.

If, on the other hand, the EU are determined not to budge, especially as, with their own White Paper on "The Future of Europe" triggering internal discussions unrelated to Brexit, they are not necessarily fully focused on the "British problem".

As a result, we could end up with an "accidental Brexit",
where the UK negotiators overplay their hand, ending up in the UK leaving without an agreement, forcing it to rely on WTO rules.

Most likely, it will take very little to convince the EU that Mrs May is bluffing – as the effect of the WTO option is likely to be disastrous for the UK economy.

We could thus have each side misreading each other, making the accidental Brexit all the more likely."

www.eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=86395

I feel a little torn on it, I appreciate that it highlights the multiculturalism of London and also that it wasn't just Brits attacked but it felt a little garish the way it was listed.

That may have been TM though, I found her way of talking about 'our values' almost robotic especially when she was responding to Corbyn who had been talking about embracing people and had used the word love.

She was reading a statement word-by-word - she is incapable of thinking on her feet or even expressing herself without some pat little pre-prepared speech.

I haven't seen May's statement (because I've been out buying another house, liberal elite that I am) but I think Londoners in general will be pleased that she acknowledged the nationalities of the victims, and I think it's also a sign of respect to the foreign governments concerned.

She's not a fast thinker but that's irrelevant really since I imagine that her response was drafted and discussed in advance.

Shit, the march has been cancelled (well - the European Movement is strongly discouraging people from coming as police do not want to divert resources ).

I love the idea that profiling might 52 year olds from Kent should be vetted before entering other countries.

British born is a phrase that tries to avoid saying simply British.

Arse, though in fairness to the Police I can understand.

Yeah, I do understand why but I'm bloody disappointed. Article 50 is going to be triggered without a whimper from the 48% and . My older daughter is just now making a placard, this morning I'd managed to persuade a virgin protester to come along.

I can't remember for same the french government ever specifying the nationality of the people who have died/been injured either in Nice or in Paris.
The information has been freely available in other context.

I think that highlighting that, in that way, is putting the emphasis of the number of foreigners that have been involved. So in some ways, it's highlighted how multicultural London is. But it's also highlighting how many 'immigrants' live in London.
Seeing the content of Brexit and the anti immigration stance (incl and esp TM stance on immigrants), I think the last message is the one that will stick.

That's why I don't think it was a suitable comment.

This is shame TBH. Because actually a lot of them were foreigners who were coming to London as tourists (not surprisingly given where all that happened) so they don't 'fit' the 'we are invaded by foreigners' speech.

British born has the nasty side of putting the emphasis on British vs people who have been naturalised and are therefore 'not really british'

Apparently there's a fake email going around about the March.

unite for europe are saying its confirmed as going ahead.

I think you're massively overthinking it tbh GreenPeppers.

Listing the nationalities pointed out that it was an attack on everyone, and that London/UK is a multicultural & diverse place that is open & free.

And 'British born' makes the point that it's not 'them immigrants' who are terrorists.

I don't think it's fake, has come to my personal email but hope you are right - maybe someone has hacked the European Movement database ? It would be horrendous NOT to march.

The "other" Twitter account is now saying the March is back on - twitter.com/UniteForEU
and say they're upset they were misinformed. I think it was a misunderstanding, not sabotage

British born has the nasty side of putting the emphasis on British vs people who have been naturalised and are therefore 'not really british'

Of course there's the old canard - satirised in Monty Pythons "News For Parrots" sketch - about news reporting on a disaster, and ending with "No Britons were involved". The rather nasty implication being that terrible events are only of interest if British people are hurt.

NO THE MARCH HAS NOT BEEN CANCELLED.

Furthermore, if people address you as Dear [FNAME] in an email - do you take them seriously? A cutting reply has been sent.

THE MARCH IS GOING AHEAD.
Shouting because it's important. (But someone somewhere is 'frit'.)

BTW when a tragedy happens whether 'man made' or a natural disaster, it's quite usual to say which Nationalities were involved. Similarly, I was talking to a friend this morning, whose son is a policeman - and she was relieved to find that he was nowhere near. It's natural to worry.

The rather nasty implication being that terrible events are only of interest if British people are hurt.

That was a bit like May and Johnson's belated response to Trump's muslim ban from certain countries: it doesn't affect us, they are not British, so it doesn't matter, was very much the tenor of their remarks.

I've yet to receive the cutting reply but, I have to admit, the European Movement from whom this fake email appeared to come (I checked the address) did send me an auto-reply when I first joined in about January this year, telling me all the reasons that I should vote Remain so I suspected administrative efficiency wasn't their top priority . Glad to have been proved wrong.

I seem to remember an old Spitting Image sketch in which a rubber Sandy Gall announces "Two Britons and forty-seven nonentities were killed today..."

Something odd is happening to the Economist.
www.economist.com/news/leaders/21719462-if-it-survive-european-union-must-become-lot-more-flexible-can-europe-be-saved?cid1=cust/ednew/n/bl/n/20170323n/owned/n/n/nwl/n/n/UK/9217796/n

One odd thing happening to the Economist is that they appear not to have proof read the article. Art 50 being invoked on 29th May?

Listing the nationalities pointed out that it was an attack on everyone

It also reduced them to "foreign".

www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39361079

They are really going after Sadiq Khan. It's as if they have identified him as a possible future PM or if not, a very strong voice in the wings.

....

There is a difference between 'British born' and 'British'. The nasty implication of the former is that although born in Britain certain people are not really British.

I thought TM was trying to make distasteful political hay out of her condolences - emphasising the multicultural, global aspect of London is pitching the UK as a place to do business with after Brexit.