Westminstenders: Boom. The Brexit Backlash starts to hit.

[RedToothBrush]

So it turns out that immigration figures that stated students overstayed were wrong. The home office knew this. And sat on it. Since 2015. Under Theresa.

That smells a bit doesn't it?

Imagine it: "Let's do lunch Paul. I'll cover up and give you a nice immigration story for your front page. In return, crown me PM."

Then tonight BOOM. Labour look like they have made a move. Soft very swishy Brexit. Even less brexity than the Beano Brexit that the Tories have been trying to announce on the quiet over the summer whilst Brexiteers are on holiday.

amp.theguardian.com/global/2017/aug/26/labour-calls-for-lengthy-transitional-period-post-brexit
Labour makes dramatic shift on Brexit and single market
Party opens clear divide with Tories, with support for free movement and paying into EU budgets for up to four years

Labour is to announce a dramatic policy shift by backing continued membership of the EU single market beyond March 2019, when Britain leaves the EU, establishing a clear dividing line with the Tories on Brexit for the first time.

In a move that positions it decisively as the party of “soft Brexit”, Labour will support full participation in the single market and customs union during a lengthy “transitional period” that it believes could last between two and four years after the day of departure, it is to announce on Sunday.

This will mean that under a Labour government the UK would continue to abide by the EU’s free movement rules, accept the jurisdiction of the European court of justice on trade and economic issues, and pay into the EU budget for a period of years after Brexit, in the hope of lessening the shock of leaving to the UK economy. In a further move that will delight many pro-EU Labour backers, Jeremy Corbyn’s party will also leave open the option of the UK remaining a member of the customs union and single market for good, beyond the end of the transitional period.

Why would Labour suddenly do this? It's not just because of the youth vote. What about their leave voters?

Faisal Islam on the subject:
2. On Labour Leavers is very very interesting and involves quite the psephological judgement re the election....
...the calculation appears to be that Labour Leave voters had the chance to vote for Theresa May's brand of Brexit, and bar 5 seats, said No
Was that because Lableave voters were already signalled "hard Brexit"? Or many millions such voters much more concerned about other things?

Have Labour been polling their voters on this?

Theresa has also apparently set her sell by date: Friday 30th August 2019.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/theresa-sets-date-shell-quit-11061894.amp
Theresa May sets date she'll quit as Prime Minister - giving herself time to see Britain through Brexit

The longer the transition and the squishier it gets, the more the more you wonder.

Mr Barnier will enjoy his coffee and newspapers tomorrow as he prepares for round two of Brexit talks starting next week.

The question on his mind most: Will David Davis remember to bring his notes this time?

The EU-India FTA should proceed much more easily now.

It was delayed largely due to UK opposition to visas for Indian workers -

Cameron's govt was pressing for a "Mode 4" which would allow Indian workers to be employed and resident in the UK but operating under Indian employment legislation
i.e. far fewer workers' rights, treated as if they were living in India.

This could further weaken the position of UK workers in those industries,
or just be very unfair on the Indian workers, side by side with Uk workers on much better terms.

Reportedly, Fox and several other hard right Brexiters also want Mode 4 in their FTAs, part of their post-Brexit "Bonfire of Red Tape", aka workers' rights.

So, continuing immigration post-Brexit, but of cheaper and more exploitable workers.

An end to Freedom of Movement

And then Leavers wonder why they get tarred with the racist, bigot brush

How exactly will ending FOM benefit you or any one else that?

pointythings

bigly I have two teenagers so I get lots of 'yoof' memes in my life. So do they. They tend not to use them when they are trying to have any form of intelligent debate, however, Because they are, you know, intelligent

Leavers is fick. Remaimers are vair vair learned and vair vair intelligent. So glad this particular Remain argument has evolved and developed since being proven to be so incredibly successful in your Referendum campaign nearly 14 months ago.

Wait...what was that definition of insanity again?

I never said all leavers were thick. I know a lot of people who voted Leave - they are my friends and they are intelligent people. You are a different case, however - you have just spouted nonsense and memes instead of engaging with the arguments presented here.

I'm not a remainer, by the way - I'm one of those EU immigrants who didn't get a vote, despite having been here 20 years now.

that, could you prove that you're not thick and are actually vair, vair intelligent by telling us how ending FOM will improve people's lives?

Because, as it stands, you're living up to every stereotypical leaver that ever existed.

bear it makes sense if you don't understand fom

Looks like we need to wait a while until the next crib sheet arrives.

Meanwhile, in reality
@thistlejohn
Starting 3rd round of Brexit talks in Brussels, Michel Barnier says he is "concerned" at absence of UK position on #Brexit bill
EU27 are united and "won't accept" failure to stick to the talks timetable that has already been agreed. Day 1 deadlock #brexit
Barnier says despite flurry of UK position papers, "ambiguity" remains on the issues that matter. Basically, UK has done the wrong homework
Full statement attached

Not a surprise in any of that.

BigChoc - IIRC, countries such as the Netherlands count their immigration removals according to how many letters they have sent to people asking them to leave the country, whereas the UK only counts the number of people who have been put on a boat or a plane, so the numbers of removals aren't necessarily comparable.

I caught up with an old friend who has a long Immigration Service history, and he reminded me that EEA / EU migrants have almost always been at the bottom of the priority list for taking action. Essentially, it was felt that the unemployed SAHM without health insurance was a low risk case, so the limited resources were targetted at higher profile cases such as the groups of beggars / Big Issue sellers in city centres or visa nationals who were overstaying, working in breach or convicted of criminal acts. One big reason for this prioritisation was (and probably still is) the fact that unless convicted of a serious crime, there is little to stop the EU national from returning to the UK a short time to start exercising treaty rights again.

It's like banging your head against brick wall.

Yet again, instead of answering a question, a leaver resorts to 'why are you still here?'

It makes me truly sick.

Yeah bigchoc why are you here? Is it because some ignoramous can't tell the difference between their assumptions and actual reality.

Back on the old nationalism schtick as no other argument that can stack up. Not that that argument stacks up either. But let's circle round.

Bearbehind can I ask where you live?

why are you still here?

It's clearly considered to be the killer argument, isn't it?

BigChoc
If Germany, France and Belgium are so much more competent than us, why are you living here?

Snigger.

You could well ask why those europhobics didn't fuck off elsewhere in the last 40 years. But that argument would require basic logic.

When I see the 'why are you still here' arguments coming from a leaver I feel a warm glow of schadenfreude when I think of that same leaver in 2 years time whining about the wait for the GP and the cost of food.

It's a shame about the poor bastards who will suffer alongside, but that's what happen when the people speak.

Well, I'm still here because my DDs were born here. But believe me, I am looking for ways out of here.

What difference does it make where I live?

As it happens I live in the first place immigrants reach when they get to the Uk and I'm not a racist bigot.

Always fun to have visitors, and a sure fire sign that remainer David Davis is still on the case to ensure the whole pile of turdreich brexit collapses.
www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/aug/28/michel-barnier-concerned-about-brexit-talks-progress-third-round
I see Gideon's Democracy UK is doing good business too.

Instead of turning question on people, could you tell us how ending FOM will improve people's lives?

Pointythings
"I'm not a remainer, by the way - I'm one of those EU immigrants who didn't get a vote, despite having been here 20 years now"

So what's your problem? If you hate the UK so much and believe we're all so thick, for what we voted for, you have every freedom to go back to the country of your birth or 27 other countries if you still want to enjoy all the delights of the EU. Poland is suffering a catastrophic population depletion. Why not go and help them?

bear they need to know whether to ask why you're still here or tell you your opinion doesn't matter because you either left or are forrin.

I'm not racist, but do fuck off home love

When I see the 'why are you still here' arguments coming from a leaver I feel a warm glow of schadenfreude when I think of that same leaver in 2 years time whining about the wait for the GP and the cost of food.

We won't be able to use the term schadenfreude after Brexit - it will be verboeten forbidden to use any nasty European terminology.

that, your last post truly disgusts me.

There's clearly no arguing with such narrow minded outright racism.

All one can hope is the repercussions of leaving the EU bite you much harder than any imagined loss you suffer from FOM.