Westminstenders: Summer Season

[RedToothBrush]

No its not the weather making your brain rot and stop thinking.

Thats just Brexit.

MyBrexitUnicorn, Yup. I get so cross when people shrug their shoulders and say “it will be fine we’ll just trade on WTO rules.” Especially if they add, like loads of other countries do.

Me too. That is why it is a vindication for the facts when an experienced trade negotiator is finally doing some rounds and immediately exposes the Brexiteers who lie while doing their propaganda guff.

At ca. 1.14 in, Jonathan Isaby launches into how the UK trades with other countries around the world on WTO terms. The bold Jason Hunter, who was a trade negotiator, clears that one up. Leaving Isaby speechless at one point because he can't bs this guy, or he will be exposed on air.

soundcloud.com/bbcradiokent/nodealbrexit-heated-debate

Just imagine the lies that would have caught on DP, SP and QT.

Yes, we are living to a surprising extent on what the Victorians built - were they the only UK generations to seriously plan & build infrastucture to last since the Romans ?

Yes ?

I think, sadly, it seems England can't do "peace" very well.

Or we are now in the "decline" part of Empire ? As happened to the Romans.

I especially love near the end when Hunter said that the EU could take issue with Japan giving preferential trade terms to the UK. Isaby goes apoplectic and waffles on about Japan being an independent country and the the EU won't have any business in a deal between Japan and the UK. Hunter asks him has he read the 1,000 pages. He does kindly explain to Isaby how it could effect the EU if parts manufactured in the UK might be used in products destined for the EU.

Isaby was so obviously ignorant about trade deals, the EU and the WTO. Yet, he happily went onto a live radio programme and pretended to be knowledgeable and informed. Otherwise, he would have told the truth and said he knew nothing about any of it, but if he had to pluck an opinion from his ar*e, he could do that.

On the basis that Westminster can't even hold it together with Scotland, NI, Wales or really anywhere outside the M25 I think 'declined' has it.

I wasn't very clear on that. Hunter refers to the 1,400 page trade deal between Japan and the EU. Hunter is talking about items which could in theory be exported from the UK to Japan and then subsequently be contained in products then exported from Japan to the EU.

Much of the old railway network was built to last, with the obvious naming of the trackbed being the 'Permanent Way'.

Was that the railway that Brunel wanted to built with a much wider gauge to be capable of faster speeds when they inevitably became possible, and the moneymen said "no, we want them as cheap as possible now" ?

The (admittedly disputed) comment by a Chinese official in the 1970s on the effects of the French Revolution spring to mind ...

If only they had got the foundations right at Pisa things would have gone a lot better!

On the basis that the 'usual' railway gauge is sufficient for the TGV at over 200MPH (I forget the actual velocity) which is a bit faster than Mr Brunel's offering I think for that one the money men might have been (probably accidentally) correct.
The problem with Mr Brunel's 6 foot gauge is the poor quality of the steel available for the track which fractured under the weight.

Interesting Green Party story developing this evening here and elsewhere.

There is a distinction between the track gauge and the 'loading gauge'. The latter is the distance between the stuff like lineside signalling posts. The continental gauge and therefore HS1, is wider than the standard UK loading gauge. An old LNER(?) line was built to the continental loading gauge but I believe suffered under the Beeching axe.

What would really help this country would be to scrap HS2 (or build an additional freight line only), and invest in routes like the cross-pennine ones. This would be perfectly within the capacity of Westminster to do, if it chose.

Poor old Bazalgette and Brunel, (both descended from French stock) and all those other eminent Victorian engineers who built stuff - they must be turning in their graves.

Obviously a diversion but the distance between rails is (I believe) 4 feet eight and a half inches. Mr Brunel's track width was 6 feet. The sheer weight of the locomotives proved too great for the track, which may have been iron. I am not old enough to have been on Mt Brunel's trains and not inclined to rush out with a tape measure to check current track width. Yes the loading gauge is the height from the track to the maximum height of carriages, funnels etc, defining the minimum clearance for bridges etc.
I agree that HS2 is a 'white elephant' as although it might be nice to get from somewhere into London a little quicker, (getting me OUT of London to somewhere nice would be my choice) the sheer expense can hardly be justified, especially when existing train companies are claiming they can't make a decent profit on the system they have already.
Meanwhile, what more news on the Brexit front?

Wrt preparations for Brexit in Ireland -

Irish Department of Finance on Brexit:
www.finance.gov.ie/what-we-do/brexit/

Enterprise Ireland:
www.prepareforbrexit.com/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_Ireland
EI is an Irish state economic development agency focused on helping Irish business develop export sales, with antecedent bodies going back to 1959.

Irish companies supported by Enterprise Ireland
Enterprise Ireland provides financial support and advice to Irish technology companies. It helps them in promoting goods and services to foreign markets. The Irish software sector is one area that Enterprise Ireland is focused on.

Applied Research Enhancement Program
Applied Research Enhancement (ARE) Centres are funded by Enterprise Ireland with the purpose of providing specialised expertise, research and development capabilities and access to state of the art equipment to companies. Companies may engage with AREs under a number of EI funded opportunities including EI vouchers and Innovation Partnerships.

The AREs are divided sectorally into:
ICT and Software
Bio-Life Sciences and Pharmaceuticals
Bio-medical Devices and Materials

EI co-ordinates with various third level educational institutions.

Sad to see the announcement of the death of John McCain just in the past hour.

Sorry, I know this is way off topic but Mr Brunel's tracks were not 6 feet wide but 7 feet and a quarter of an inch wide, (2.140 metres).

Go Tom Watson.

Bad news about McCain. He did fight until the end.

A sad loss to the USA.
John McCain was a decent old-fashioned US Republican
(apart from his brain-fart in choosing Sarah Palin as running mate to be POTUS)
He was the most prominant Republican to tackle some of Trump's murky actions

There are some great tributes being paid to him today. Very sincere.

I like this one:

Tim shipman @ shippersunbound
I’ve met politicians I’ve agreed with more, I’ve met politicians I’ve liked more, but I’m struggling to think of one I’ve respected more or who had better stories at the end of a hard days campaigning than John McCain

Says much about politics today generally.

STimes seems to be pushing the idea that May is intending a no-deal and fighting off any moderates trying to stop this

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/no-10-calls-brexit-crisis-summit-on-no-deal-87fgmh2st

Could she be that stupid / determined to put party unity before the nation, even if it means a recession at best ?
Is no deal now the favoured option, or just a negotiating ploy to scare the EU ?
I expect it will scare foreign businesses in the UK, but not Barnier & co.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/no-10-calls-brexit-crisis-summit-on-no-deal-87fgmh2st

Theresa May is to hold a cabinet crisis summit to prepare for a no-deal Brexit
amid fears that a cabinet row between remainers and Brexiteers will stop Britain going it alone, and undermine her negotiating position with Brussels.

No 10 has ordered cabinet ministers to clear their diaries for September 13 to work on a plan to pump fresh cash into critical areas not yet covered by disaster plans.

The instruction was sent on Friday morning after Philip Hammond reignited the cabinet’s Brexit civil war by warning that Britain would be £80bn worse off if the UK crashed out without a deal.

The row escalated last night as Dominic Raab, the Brexit secretary, questioned the Treasury’s estimates.

Just saw the news on McCain. DH and I were both struck at how sincere the words were from his running opponents, yet only a drab expression of sympathy from the President who is meant to be his own party. The words shit show may have been uttered. Along with not much better over here.

I do get the impression that she is now deliberately going for the "Being forced by the nasty EU into No Deal" approach, given that the Chequers "deal" was dead in the water before they even left Chequers, as it was never going to be accepted by the EU and she knew that

Dh still thinks that Brexit won't happen.

Hazardswan - as it happens, dh used to head up the highly successful team that promoted Glasgow as a location for inward investment See all those Glasgow and Scottish call centres? His fault! So I know all the arguments for Glasgow as a brilliant location (He had a regret that they chickened out of one of the ads in their "No mean city" campaign: "Another night of violins in Glasgow" with a picture of an orchestra. We have the mock-up framed )

I do get the impression that she is now deliberately going for the "Being forced by the nasty EU into No Deal" approach

It is very anecdotal but DH's colleague commutes with a civil servant working quite high up in a

Department with lots of work on Brexit not DexEU. She says 100% it's a very hard Brexit ( don't know if she meant no deal) as there's definitely no time for anything else now.

Heck, Chequers wasn't even being accepted by her own party. She lost the cream. Only kidding. She has so many more of their wonderful calibre to sail the Con ship. You'd wonder where they were lingering without everyone realising their genius for the last decade or two.

In terms of unpreparedness, this is what a telecoms lawyer friend said last night about his dealing with the Government. He's freelance now though now, so he's getting lots of air miles and payment for his work

"In the telecoms industry we still have no idea what laws and regulations we will need to obey after brexit day, not a clue. All we know is that government have asked why we're not keen on "US style" regulations."