Westministenders: BAH HUMBUG said Mr Rees-Mogg

[RedToothBrush]

"At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge Rees-Mogg, ... it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir."

"Are there no prisons hostels?"

"Plenty of prisons hostels..."

"And the Union workhouses foodbanks." demanded Scrooge Jacob. "Are they still in operation?"

"Both very busy, sir..."

"Those who are badly off must go there."

"Many can't go there; and many would rather die."

"If they would rather die," said Scrooge ^Rees-Mogg, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

He continued "Besides I do not believe that anyone would die without them. I think Theresa is right, there are many complex reasons why nurses go to food banks. The real reason for the rise in numbers is that people know that they are there and Labour deliberately didn't tell them. To have charitable support given by people voluntarily to support their fellow citizens I think is rather uplifting and shows what a good, compassionate country we are"

------------------------

This thread is dedicated to Mrs8 and anyone else who is working to make life just a little better in the difficult circumstances that ALL politicians are currently doing their best to ignore (despite what they profess).

No Deal = even more poverty and destitution.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HERES HOPING FOR A HAPPIER NEW YEAR
especially to those of you, who might be having a tough time or facing real uncertainity.

I haven’t seen sneering, particularly from the named posters.

Well that's pissed on my strawberries. WTF am I doing wrong ?

Richard Northh@RichardAENorth*

… if disruption through one, or the other route (or both) occurs over an extended period, solutions are not easily found.

For the purpose built Dover ferries and for the Freight Shuttle trains there are effectively no alternative options.

Defra 2012 < so NO excuse for this being news to ministers >

DEFRA report: Resilience of the food supply to port disruption

http://www.eureferendum.com/documents/dover%20freight.pdf

If you think we are sneering, try reading foreign media, not just in the EU, but the US, India too
(Maybe no coincidence that LeClerc & I live abroad, so are immersed 24/7 in those public attitudes)

We rely mostly on German media for information. There have been one or two articles in the FAZ which had a superior tone, just as there has been in UK press too, but most really haven't and there is no way UK is a "laughing stock". The comments by FAZ readers are in the main supportive, some extremely so. DH's family (European) have been concerned but sympathetic, no sneering tone at all (as I write this I realise how childish it would be to sneer). Most are just interested to see how one of the big players deals with the EU on their way out - the EU is viewed with great suspicion even by those who love the European concept.
I also don't recognise the comments about the German healthcare system mentioned on a previous thread, although obviously there is a healthcare lottery in UK, but my DH (who admittedly only knows London and home counties) has been very impressed with how much better his (NHS) care has been versus his experience in Germany. My SIL is a German healthcare professional so this is something we often discuss.
The SNL clip is just normal political satire, far less cutting than sketches they do about Trump.

Well OK, no sneering except from that supercilious bastard DGR.
He’s a real piece of work. I bet he’s a right Grinch as well.

Ah, thanks

I was worried I was mellowing ....

{Well that's pissed on my strawberries. WTF am I doing wrong ?}
If that's what you do with your strawberries do need telling?

Britons living abroad are entitled to be angry, as they're the ones who have been abandoned by their national government and their fellow citizens. Sneering is rather mild compared to what I personally wish on brexiters

The French press is by turns amused, bemused and bored with Brexit.

I'm very happy to have my health insurance on this side of the channel.

Place marking

www.heraldscotland.com/news/17311344.ecj-ruling-to-revoke-article-50-rubber-stamped-by-the-highest-court-in-scotland/?fbclid=IwAR0awFKogH6BtF7VOQXjnOwXwyWBFD_VsPSy0w5h8O3teZIXZCx-Sm1vFRM

SCOTLAND’S highest court has rubber-stamped a ruling confirming MPs can halt Brexit following a year-long legal action by a group of Scottish politicians.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) found the UK can unilaterally revoke Article 50 – which triggered the Brexit process – without the agreement of the other 27 EU member states.

If you think the French are sneering about Brexit that is as nothing compared to the stuff they say about Macron. They're just a bit like that ime.

megan I live in Hessen, Germany and mix a lot locally and further afield.
My experience

Noone thinks the EU is perfect, or doesn't need to develop further,
but the few German people who view the EU with "great suspicion" tend to be AfD supporters, generally in the East

Even they seem to have ended their aim of leaving the EU, or even the Euro
They blame Britain for that, for making those aims seem ridiculous

The neofascists in Hungary & Poland feel the EU is trying to frustrate their aims, which they are indeed.

Brexit has actually increased support for the EU in almost all member countries

Quite a lot of laughter that I come across, living here, but toward the UK govt
absolutely nothing but sympathy towards me or other British expats

However, when people meet me for the first time and realise I'm a Brit, there are some stifled giggles and I get asked what is going on

There have been some very indignant questions after stupid Leave politicans making stupid insults, e.g. comparing the EU to the USSR and the Nazis
The UK's image plummeted after that.

Jokes by comedians in shows
One-off jokes jokes on TV
Articles in the press
even carnival floats

Then there's abroad:
I've colleagues from India, China, S Korea - who I'd thought would have little interest in Brexit -
but they report it's light relief when reported in their countries
India seems to be getting quite some amusement at the mess their old masters got themselves into

The US of course - many scathing articles in the papers there
In business calls, chatting afterwards, casual remarks about what kind of mess are you guys getting into.

Healthcare:

I'm really surprised anyone was lucky enough to find the NHS superior.
I've had various contracts in Germany since the late 80s and my experience has been totally different

NHS incompetence let a dear friend die unnecessairly of cancer
while my late mum and especially an elderly friend had humiliating experiences and poor care in hospital

In Germany:
I've always managed same day GP appointments

None of the depressing dowdy & crowded NHS type surroundings at specialist clinics, but

With my current job, my GP in Germany carried out some standard wellness tests my previous UK GP hadn't even suggested and found 2 issues that should have had treatment before 😡

When I bust my ankle ligaments falling down the stairs, I had superb followup care throughout the next several weeks, as standard, to get full use of the ankle again

Oh and I had to pay for some operations for my mum, to avoid NHS waitlists of 2 years,
but that was back in the Thatcher years

Non-healthcare things I like in Germany:

Great security when renting and freedom to do up the place as I want - so no need to buy
Cheaper and more reliable public transport
Other public services which are adequately staffed and work
My colleague pays only 110 Euros per month per child - for ft childcare

John Rentoul@JohnRentoul

Facts of the Year: 1997-2010 is the longest the Tories have been out of office since 1762

< I wonder how long Brexit will keep them out

DG: did you say before that destroying the Tory party permanently would be worth Brexit

• were you joking ? >

ThereWillBeAdequateFood

I can't say I noticed what I'd call sneering to be honest. But in Ireland complaining about politicians and the state of the country is a national pastime, so I may not be the best judge.

I find these threads very informative though as I get to 'know' the posters I get increasingly upset for you all. I don't talk Brexit with friends and family in the UK but I'm very worried about them - economically and in case things get really nasty.

For Leavers everywhere!

I have to say I have always been laughing at people who are convinced eu immigrants are coming here for the NHS, the benefits and all the advantages you get in the uk.
They clearly have never experienced something else.

Knowing what I know now, I dint think I would ever have come to the uk (but then I was in love etc then so maybe I would still aybe done it...)
I have no doubt it’s much safer to live somewhere else (eg if you get ill, have an accident and can’t work etc etc)

BigChocFrenzy
I agree with you about childcare and dingy NHS surroundings.
IN Germany, my dh waited over a month to see an eye specialist and had to have an operation on his heel done as an outpatient (as an "experiment" we were later told, when we complained) even though he was in lots of pain and was immobile for about three weeks after. He can still barely walk on the foot 9 years later. He has blood pressure and thyroid medication which was not monitored for over 10 years - German doctor just kept writing the prescriptions. Both are monitored by the NHS regularly now we are here.
We always get same day appointments here (we are in home counties) but had to wait about a week in Germany.
We've had walk in appointments for x rays (dh's hip) and scans (gynaecologist stuff) within a day of recognising a problem recently, here. DH and SIL both convinced the wait would be far longer there.
I'm not disputing what you say, but our (anecdotal) experiences are very different.
I first lived in Germany in the early 80's (no work here) and it was back then a much better place to live than UK in terms of living standards, but by late 80's in my view this had totally reversed.

We considered sending ds2 to international school in Frankfurt but he is at a much better school in the UK.

I hope the Gilets Jaunes have gone now, does anybody know

I don't know about Paris but the fuckers are still out in force down here in the south. I've taken to making a mental note of gilet jaune displaying vehicles, in a completely unscientific personal survey of the movement.

So far my "research" suggests that your average gilet jaune is a lone white bloke driving a large vehicle (my favourite so far was the gilet jaune in the brand new merc ).

I'm expecting chaos in Toulouse again tomorrow, I am replanning my DD's trip home from Paris for Xmas so that she doesn't have to cross the city in the afternoon.

On the subject of German infrastructure and public services I read an interesting article today about the crisis at deutschebahn and the wider lack of investment in public services, in pursuit of a balanced budget.

I can believe that health services are still better (for now) in the leafier bits of the Home Counties. My in-laws (not Home Counties, but Tory voting bit of middle England) gave very good health services still. Think it's a bit of lottery - services in my mum's West Country market town are pretty dire (GP services are terrible and she waited months for a cataract op that was supposed to happen today, but which has been put off for another 3 months). Of course regional variation is probably true for Germany too.

Health services still generally very good in France, but a lot of money is spent on them, and there are areas which are underserved especially by GPs. We are lucky to have a GP who gets a steady stream of trainee GPs so same day appointments are easy to get.

"few German people who view the EU with "great suspicion" tend to be AfD supporters, generally in the East"
my inlaws are neither AfD supporters nor in the East.

However, when people meet me for the first time and realise I'm a Brit, there are some stifled giggles
How rude and childish to visibly stifle a giggle just because you are British.

I pay more in tax in Germany, Misti
Is your tax higher too ?

but I support paying more for good services and less inequality
anyway, the equivelant of Council Tax is about 1/15 of whatI paid for similar in England, which reduces the difference

Childcare costs are ridiculous in the UK

• I am childfree, but I can see how unfair it is if ordinary people can't afford to work for years once they have kids,

or if childcare means they are working for buttons & pension

Childcare is heavily subsidised In Germany and most other EU countries
or the demographics would be worse

The UK needs to bring in laws to protect renters too, because many people can't be, or would rather not be, owners.
it's dreadful that so many renting in the UK live in fear of losing their home, or can't even paint or hang a picture.

No, it doesn't stop LLs letting their properties - more people rent in Germany than in the UK

Megan You probably wouldn't like my Indian colleague then
He seems to follow every Brexit twist and cracks jokes at every turn - gawd knows why, he's no British connection afaik.

I notice it, because being British used to carry quite a bit of prestige - which tbh was nice
Now it's embarassing sometimes

e.g. I met a US bloke this summer; he was just joining my gym and got talking about the classes I would recommend.
Once he realised I was a Brit - again a laugh and "wow, you guys have got yourself in a mess" kind of thing.