Westminstenders: Distract and divert. Just close your eyes.

[RedToothBrush]

This morning Jeremy Hunt declared that, 'With vision on both sides we can find a way through that has the support of Parliament and also works for the EU'

Of course this is 18th February 2019 and the UK has yet to demostrate they understand the problem, much less have the vision to solve it. And we leave the EU next month.

It needs to be stressed at this point: DON'T FORGET TO FOCUS ON WHAT REALLY MATTERS

Everything else is a tactic to make you close your eyes and miss what is really going on. Everything. Brexit looks increasingly like a hypnotist making their subject do ever increasing acts of ridiculousness on stage. Except I do not know if the public or the politicians are that poor sod. It is the magician who uses tricks of slight of hand to make you look the wrong way, whilst they makes all the big moves out of your vision.

There are so many stories that are coming out to try and make you miss what the government are failing to do. Stay focused. We can't ignore all these stories, but understand whether they are really important to the end game too.

A labour split, a march on the 23rd March, talk of a PV, the Brady amendment, the Malthouse Compromise, Cooper-Boles halting no deal?

No we need more than that.

The time for fantasies are gone. Its time to face reality and be pragmatic. The only thing that matters is the approaching cliff. Which we will go over not on the 29th March but in the next couple of weeks. We might not realise the ground disappearing beneath our feet at first. Our momentum as we go forward will carry for a short while before gravity kicks in.

But we can not defy the laws of physics and suddenly be able to fly because we develop magic superhuman powers of vision.

And no one will come to save us either.

Our national humilation will be total, if we don't acknowledge what is coming and stop.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eu_referendum_2016_/3492426-Westministenders-Abbreviation
Brexit Abbreviation Thread

whose not who's - metropolitan elite here.

Brexit crosses parties though doesn't it. Most tory MPs are remainers. Most people I know are conservative voters and I only know a couple of leave voters. One is lifetime labour party member FIL who is still a staunch leaver, the others are senior medics (tory) who voted on one issue (the NHS) as a protest vote and now regret it.

Excellent analysis of the state of the parties, Red. I have always voted Lib Dem, but they are now just a vacant space, devoid of leadership.

When I was at Uni in the 80s, one fellow on my course had to leave 2 weeks into the second year, because Liverpool council hadn't paid his fees.

Basically it is a petition to ask the EU to consider permanent EU citizenship

Any post-Brexit UK government will refuse to recognise that - cheered on by the "if you don't like the UK why don't you fuck off" brigade.

Good grief even Gove is being accused of project fear by Telegraph readers after he says in a speech that we will be imposing tariffs to protect our farmers and the Eu will do likewise and that there are going to be big problems at Calais (massively, but fairly paraphased)

My dad always said ‘never trust a Tory. They don’t have our interests at heart’

How right he was.

Quite a lot of the Leave voters I know were very much influenced by Gove's arguments in the referendum so it would be interesting to know what they make of his comments to the NFU. Our MP (in a rural Welsh constituency) is a keen Brexiter who favours "No deal" - I will be writing to him yet again, as Gove suggests.

Good grief even Gove is being accused of project fear by Telegraph readers after he says in a speech that we will be imposing tariffs to protect our farmers

Like a thwarted magic spell cast to injure, the Brexit monster will eat anything now it's been summoned - even it's owner.

Anyway, Michael Gove ? Cry me a river.

I know DGR - but as I said signing these stupid things is about the only thing I can do at the moment.

I signed too. But never underestimate the politics of spite.

Late PMK
Nearly missed a whole thread there!

I think the problem with that petition (which I signed a while ago) is that it needs votes from across the EU, but just the UK, to be considered.

But if we were allowed to apply and presumably pay for it, it would have to be a very vindictive UK government that didn't allow UK citizens to make use of it, as it would give us the FoM to live, work and love across the EU that we're losing. So we'd not the UK's "problem" any more (as pesky citizens of nowhere)

Unless of course, the UK Gov/Brexiters plan is to keep us trapped within the UK.

Don't answer that question

Any post-Brexit UK government will refuse to recognise that - cheered on by the "if you don't like the UK why don't you fuck off" brigade.

Yes, but the benefit of retained citizenship means that at least we will be able to fuck off relatively easily.

And if enough of us fuck off ... the govt may have to have a bit of a rethink.

Yes, but the benefit of retained citizenship means that at least we will be able to fuck off relatively easily.

I really believe any post Brexit government would simply pass a law refusing to acknowledge such retained citizenship - or try to. I also wouldn't put it past them to move heaven and earth to refuse to acknowledge non-UK citizenship. Just like "the old days".

Having watched Dereck Hatten on t.v. this morning I feel even more despair than usual.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/sarah-wollaston-blukip-conservative-party-split-brexit-independent-group-labour-mp-resign-a8785966.html

This is just more waffle and blah blah but it's the first time I've seen the word Blukip semi seriously.

It's fascinating (for me anyway) the buzz word use and word creation of current political times. Unicorns, comrades (barf inducing), cake, woke, brexit etc...

Goves full speech
www.gov.uk/government/speeches/a-world-to-win

As well as the tariff mega issue, what stands out to me amongst other things is

"A huge proportion of our food exports to the EU currently go through Calais. As I speak there are no Border Inspection Posts at Calais. None. The French authorities promise to invest in BIP capacity but with just six weeks to go we face considerable uncertainty over future arrangements."

So much for Calais being ready for no deal. If the EU are imposing tariffs and we are imposing tariffs (do we have BIP capacity at Dover?) how the hell is this going to be enforced?

If I was a farmer I would be packing up and thinking what is the point!

At least Gove is seemingly being honest. About 2 years too late...

If the EU are imposing tariffs and we are imposing tariffs

There's no "if" in the event of no-deal.

From the Guardian Gove's speech highlights "He later hinted that the tariffs would apply to beef and “particularly” lamb, citing livestock farmers as the most vulnerable in a no-deal scenario. He refused to reassure farmers who pressed him about protection for cereal farmers, suggesting zero tariffs were a possibility in some areas."