Westminstenders: The wheels on bus start to fall off, start to fall off…

[RedToothBrush]

The wheels on bus start to fall off, start to fall off…

Since Article 50 has been triggered – 8 days ago:

1. A week after a terror attack in London, the government threatened to stop co-operation over security issues with the EU. This was quickly retracted as ‘not being a threat’. Except it was.

2. The ‘Great’ Repeal Act White Paper was published. Its vague, lacks detail, does not have a draft bill and there is no plan for a public consultation over it. It proposes sweeping powers for the government without parliamentary scrutiny using Henry VIII powers.

3. HMRC have said the new computer system planned for launch in 2019, won’t be able to cope with the additional work which leaving the Customs Union would produce. It would be five times the work load which sounds like a lot more red tape.

4. Spain have said they would not oppose an Independent Scotland being in the EU.

5. May’s article 50 letter did not mention Gibraltar and after the publication of the EU draft document on how the Brexit process would be handled, this looks like a massive error and oversight. One of the clauses was that any future arrangements with regard to Gibraltar had to be settled with Spain bi-laterally rather than by the EU and the UK’s agreement with the EU would not apply to Gibraltar, unless Spain agreed. This has been taken as an affront to Gibraltar’s sovereignty, although the document says nothing about sovereignty. Michael Howard, however, decided this was sufficient grounds to threaten our ally Spain with war.

May has not condemned his comments, and laughed it off. Though she was happy to get worked up about the word ‘Easter’ a couple of days later.

Of course, this situation was entirely predictable and was predicted yet this situation seems to have taken the government by surprise. Our reaction, in the context of everything else, has made the UK look like a basket case.

6. The government’s plan to run talks on the UK’s settlement on leaving the EU in parallel with talks on the UK’s future relationship with the EU has been rejected by the EU. Instead we must do things in stages, with advancement to the next stage only possible after completing the last: Stage 1 – Exit, Stage 2 – Preliminary agreement on future relation, Stage 3 – Exit/Transition Deal, Stage 4 – As third country status enter a new deal.

The effect of this also means that deals we currently have with counties like South Korea through the EU need to be revisited. There is no guarantee these countries will want to continue trading with us on the same terms, if they do not want to.

7. The EU has set out its own red lines. Our deal 'must encompass safeguards against...fiscal, social & environmental dumping'. Our transition deal must not last longer than three years and individual sectors, like banking, should not get special treatment.

Donald Tusk has said we don’t need a punishment deal as we are doing a good job of shooting ourselves in the foot, whilst Guy Verhofstadt said Brexit is Brexit is a 'catfight in Conservative party that got out of hand” and hoped future generations would reverse it.

8. May has admitted that we might well have no deal in place by the time we leave the EU. Until now we have been told we would have a deal in two years. She has also admitted an extension of free movement of people beyond Brexit.

9. The Brexit Select Committee published their report which warned about the dangers of exit without any deal, as well as talking about problems relating to the ‘Great’ Repeal Act, Gibraltar and NI. This is sensible and you’d think uncontroversial, but the Brexiteers threw the toys out of their pram saying it was too pessimistic. The government’s job is, of course, to plan for problems no matter how unlikely – such as disasters – and to hope that never happens. It seems that these Brexiteers don’t want to act responsibility or do their job.

10. Questions at the WTO have been asked about how Brexit will affect them. Interest in the subject came initially from Indonesia about Tariff Rate Quotas, but other parties who were watching closely were Argentina, China, Russia and the United States.

11. Phillip Hammond has openly said that there are a number of Tory MPs who want us to not make any agreement with the EU and to crash out in a chaotic exit.

12. Polling has suggested that people want Brexit to be quick and cheap. Not only that, but the word ‘Brexit’ has started to poll badly. Instead the Brexit department are advising officials to use the phrase “new partnership with Europe”. Lynton Crosby, the mastermind behind 2015’s Conservative victory has also warned that the Tories would probably lose 30 seats they gained from the LDs at an early election.

Of course, even a 2020 election might prove challenging with a transition deal still likely to be unresolved as Brexit drags on. Government strategy is, apparently, to hope that Remainer's anger will have dissolved by 2020.

Eight days in, and the Brexit Bus looks like it strayed into 1980's Toxeth and got torched, its wheels nicked, and graffitied with obscenities over its £350million pledge.

Yes, good theory Kaija.

Yep Hilton opportunistic total tool - and I say that as a Brexit supporter. Given he lives in the US what difference does it make to him anyway?

Just researching his current thinking and found this on different types of Brexit. Apparently Open Brexit as supported by SH and Times readers just like him and is the one where people just like him get to carry on just as before and never mind everything else.

inews.co.uk/opinion/comment/many-faces-brexit-stupid-brexit-dirty-brexit/

This is from October so I would be interested to know how much flip flopping he has done since.

I agree Kaija

Ha, I came on here to post that Steve Hilton interview!

He came across as a total and utter w*nker. I don't actually care about how much money he has. What would really work to alleviate poverty in this country? Social housing, decent schools for all, secure employment. If I thought that Brexit would have provided these I'd have voted for it myself. Instead people like Hilton and his mates want the sell-off of public assets, grammar schools for the lucky few and a de-regulated labour market. Meanwhile pretending that somehow they are "for" the people and against the elite. Leavers and Remainers ought to be able to unite in calling out this sort of shte.

Howabout EU students don't have as much reason to leave for the USA:

Fees at UK universities are much much higher in the UK than in the E27, so students have little or no debt.

Also, the Uk has much worse social immobility and inequality, so many who haven't inherited wealth, privilege, or posiitons in the family firm feel they need to get out of the stultifying UK to improve their chances of a really good carer.

For decades now, the science base has been sold off without regard for the future, so for scientists in many fields - like mine - it is difficult to find intersting and wellpaid UK jobs.
The EU has many opportunities for scientists, but many Brits prefer the common language and familiar culture in the US.

Bigchoc that is why it kind of amazes me that EU students come to the UK in the first place, let alone stay.

HowAbout The wealthier students can afford it and / or or those that want the prestige of those UK unis that are world-class.
Plus several organisations give grants to study in other countries, not just ERASMUS.

I know some on science courses received NATO grants to study in the UK, even though their studies certainly weren't weapons research.
Maybe retaining a strategic tech base.
Other NATO grants were for international studies, PPE etc.
So, influencing future E27 leaders

EU students don't have as much reason to leave for the USA

They often have more choice within the EU, because of the language issue. It's hard to emphasise enough how weak the UK's language teaching is: a science graduate may well not have studied any MFL since the age of 14, and almost all will have dropped languages at 16. I don't know about Germany, but in France and Spain, at least one if not two MFL are usually compulsory to age 18, and in my daughter's science baccalaureat class some of the curriculum is taught entirely in a MFL. And most selective post-18 courses in France require students to continue with at least one if not two MFL during the first 2-3 years of higher education, regardless of which subject they major in. I think most of the best European science graduates (except in medicine) would come out of higher ed with at least the equivalent of an A level (European level B2) in at least one MFL. My DD will finish her education with three languages at European level C1-C2, and while she's good at languages I doubt she is unusual among European high flyers. My Netherlands friends' kids all seem to speak 3-4 languages.

Plus as BCF observes, they often have much less debt since usually they are just paying living expenses for the first 2-3 years of higher ed (annual fees for the course that DD wants to do, including live-in expenses and cantine fees, should come in at less than €3k).

Many of the rich Brexiters and Tories are very racist & nationalist
That is what they have in common with a certain section of Leavers, who did indeed just vote aganst immigrants and against being in an organisation with non-US foreigners

Those 2 groups will happily continue in alliance, blaming the E27 for any Brexit downside and blaming non-EU meanies like India for not rushing in to sign brilliant new trade deals.

However, other Leavers, who voted positively for a change - one they thought would help the left behind - will feel cheated if the vulnerable become even worse off, regardless of whatever immigration number May plucks out of her arse.

It will be interesting to see if they blame the UK Tories for promising but not getting a special deal, or the nasty E27 who always said such a deal was not on the table.

Where will they direct their anger if Brexit doesn't deliver, or only delivers for the rich again ?

Misti I've worked on and off in Germany since the late 1980s.
All the graduates, of all disciplines, could speak, read & write English.
So could the secretarial and admin staff; maybe only half the foremen on the shopfloor / production line though

A few colleagues had a 2nd MFL, usually French or Spanish.
One current Rumanian colleague speaks 6 languages and a Belgian specialist who visits speaks 5.

I've always had Indian, Korean, Vietnamese colleagues as well as E27 - I've noticed more non-EU colleagues in Germany than in England, but I don't know if that's just my field.
Anyway, maybe why English has usually been my work language, but not yours.

Those brought up in the former DDR are less fluent in English, but that was because they were taught Russian as the main MFL.
English has been the 1st MFL there too, once the wall tumbled down.

Even at my various gyms, the staff all seem to talk reasonably good English once they heard my accent.

I've heard Brexiters claim FOM is not fair because people from the UK can't take advantage of it and work in the E27, whereas the E27 workers can come to the UK - all because of language !

It's not an evil conspiracy against Uk workers !
Or at least not by the E27
it's total inadequacy of UK MFL education, due to national apathy / chauvinism and dreadful strategic decisions at the highest levels of UK govt

Won't the Uk public ever hold the ruling classes to account for how poorly they have equipped the Uk to face the world ?
Education, modern infrastructure ....

Whether the UK focuses on the EU, or on the counries outside, the time is long past when we should expect all foreigners - customers - to always speak English.
The US as the world's only superpower can get away with this. The UK can't.
It's discourteous, disrespecful and hampers the UK economically

At the risk of being accused of invoking Godwin, Hilton should be reminded that Hitler pursued and gained power through "populism", succeeding by "othering" sections of the population: the Jews, the Roma, the handicapped....

I would be really interested to know how languages are taught in schools in Europe - especially northern Europe where so many Germans/Dutch/Scandis speak impeccable English - and why similar strategies can't be adopted in the UK. At my younger children's school, the staff have gone mad for various initiatives such as Singaporean maths but they still only teach French as a FL and so badly that I don't think any of my children would be able to count to ten by the time they leave .

Incidentally, my cousins' children in Italy who are late teens/early 20s have had to study English to a high level as those of them going to university now find that part or all of their degree courses are taught in English. I am sure this wasn't the case a generation ago.

"it's total inadequacy of UK MFL education, due to national apathy / chauvinism and dreadful strategic decisions at the highest levels of UK govt"

I'd say it was the apathy towards languages that is the issue, more than MFL education, the government could try to start it younger, but there is a lack of teachers. However it did try to make MFL compulsory for years, this failed as many students and their parents thought what's the point?

"I've heard Brexiters claim FOM is not fair because people from the UK can't take advantage of it and work in the E27, whereas the E27 workers can come to the UK - all because of language !"

But on the opposite strand they also complain that EU 27 workers have a poor command of English or don't speak the language at all. As usual with Brexiteers they argue both things at the same time.

lala the main difference in much of Europe is that you don't drop languages if you study maths/sciences post-16 - which means that degree-level courses typically can and do require a good standard in at least one MFL.

In France all students doing a general or technological bac (about 2/3 of students) do two MFL until age 18, and all of the most able students continue a MFL for much of their higher education. Many state schools offer bilingual teaching (DD is in a French-Spanish programme that leads to a double diploma, the French bac and the Spanish bachillerato - this is in a normal state school not an international or private school). We have hosted a few Spanish high school students as part of exchanges, and they all have two MFL too.

I wouldn't say language teaching is always marvellous here - the demand for English teachers in particular is so high that not all of them are any good - but the teaching on DD's Spanish bilingual programme is fantastic (all by native speakers) and I gather that in higher ed it tends to be good too.

I've heard Brexiters claim FOM is not fair because people from the UK can't take advantage of it and work in the E27, whereas the E27 workers can come to the UK - all because of language !

The irony being that the prevalence of English is a result of the heady days of empire.

The (excellent) German comedian Henning Wehn makes a point that one of the best things about losing WW1 was that Germany was forced to give up it's colonies, with the result that when he calls his bank he doesn't get an offshored call centre ...

It's amazing the suspicion foreign languages can raise in the UK.

I know a lot of expats obviously and with very few exceptions their French is appalling even those who have been around for a few years. These are often older adults, so poor MFL teaching isn't a new thing, but it has got worse, since children were able to drop all MFL at 14.

Here you (theoretically) have to reach the A2 level in two MFL to pass your school leaving certificate. (I'm a bit sceptical because I think most school qualifications, here and elsewhere, vastly overestimate their equivalence in the European language level framework.)

Enjoying a Starbucks earlier today, I had the mis good fortune to flip through a Daily Mail.

There was an article on North Korea, with the screaming headline:

"WHY I FEAR KIM JONG UN MIGHT BE WILLING TO DESTROY HIS OWN COUNTRY"

If Daily Mail "journalists" are worried about leaders that are willing to destroy their own country, they don't need to look too far.

(As always after reading the Mail, I felt the need to wash my hands).

I'm really disappointed that I couldn't generate a love of languages in ds (I started doing a French & Russian degree at Uni, changed course after 2 years and did a French & Economics degree)

But part of that does indeed go back to a culture where MFL aren't seen as necessary

I did manage to get him to study French to Nat 5 level (equiv of GCSE) but he only got a C for it. As I said to him, I wasn't annoyed at him for the result (he was just pleased he passed), I was more disappointed that he hadn't been more enthused by the subject as I knew he was capable of an A (he gave me a day to work with him on his Oral - made a lot of progress but there's a limit to how much can be done in such a short period ; he wouldn't let me help him in the run up to his Aural).

At least he'd studied 2 MFLs for 2 years at secondary (S1 & S2, equiv of Y8 & Y9), so at least he has the rudimentaries of MFLs, so should he ever need to do, he can begin learning again. I know that's not really good enough

What's shocking that even in the broader based Scottish education, he could have dropped English after his Nat 5. Fortunately he knew that not doing it for Higher wasn't an option in this household! (So he's doing a mix: English, Geography, Maths, Physics & Chemistry).

He's planning on doing Maths/Physics/Astrophysics (or any permutation of them) at Uni - so at less that's one more doing STEM subjects in a country that needs more STEM graduates! even though he wants to be a pro rugby player

To be fair, when it comes to languages there is an asymmetry. If English is not your first language, it does make sense to learn it as a second language. But if English is your first language then it's not obvious if you'd be best served learning French, German, Spanish, Mandarin or something else - and one can make good arguments for any of these. Which is not to say one shouldn't try.

For some balance both my DDs have studied a MFL at uni alongside their degree, for one of them it was compulsory in the first year, for the other freely available as an extra for those who wanted it (and she was picking up Mandarin again so they were catering to all levels. Universities were increasingly aware of the need to prepare graduates for global careers, just one of the many frustrations felt with Brexit.

Although I can see studying a MFL for a longer time would make you better at it, I'm very sceptical that anyone in the UK being taught French or Spanish or German until 18 would have a sufficient knowledge of that language to be able to study an unrelated course at university with that as the teaching language. The only British children I know who have good additional language skills have parents who speak to them in that language. Even people who take A levels in a MFL are far short of fluent, ime.

Or encourage kids to work in Europe? As a teen I worked in Switzerland and France, it's the only way I got to up my German (Aber Schweize Dutsch ) and French. Too late for that now for the current crop, I guess. . I did it pre single market, with ease. I also was happy to work in a hotel and 'au pair' to do so, is there too much snobbery about work, for youngsters to be open minded about what they do and why?

The British seem to have been becoming more and more culturally insular. How can one live in Europe and not absorb all or some of European literature and art without learning a little of some foreign languages? Being scared of people speaking other languages seems to be amongst the most regrettable of Brexit British characteristics at the moment; and somehow it's been encouraged.

Remember Blair speaking reasonable French? Matt Fry on Channel 4 speaks English after German and other languages. Urdu seemed pretty useful too, as it seems to cross over with other Arabic languages. Obviously Mandarin is imperative. I went to Mandarin classes a few years ago.

It just seems polite, to me to attempt to speak others' languages, and with t'internet, there seems to be no excuse not to learn, at any age.

Annoyingly Boris' French and Italian are at least as good as his Latin ...

I'm very sceptical that anyone in the UK being taught French or Spanish or German until 18 would have a sufficient knowledge of that language to be able to study an unrelated course at university with that as the teaching language.

It's very possible with good language teaching, at least for students with some aptitude for languages. DD has classes in Spanish language, Spanish lit, History and Geography all taught entirely in Spanish, by native speakers. The class will all reach B2 (which is a level that would enable you to function without difficulty in a uni class) and the best students will get to C1 (DD can't be far off this and she has over a year to go). Only a couple of the students have Spanish speaking parents (my Spanish is rudimentary - I can read it well enough to understand a newspaper article but that's it).

I don't see why this wouldn't be possible in the UK, especially as the A level system means that many hours can be devoted to each subject. DD has four hours of Spanish Lang/lit and 4 hours of history and geography in Spanish; surely A level MFL students have at least 8 hours of lessons a week?