The Brexit Arms: Here it is! MERRY BREXIT!!!

[DustyDiamond]

We did it!!!

We saw off Jezbollah, Mao-ZeMcDonnell & Head-Girl Jo 🙌🙌🙌

✊🥀

We got Brexit! (...finally... 🙄)

The HoC is painted Blue for Brexit & it's oven ready 😍

Dominic Raab is looking sexier than ever & will be returning for my our viewing pleasure which is the BEST RESULT OF ALL! 🥰🥰

To the tune of Slade's 'Merry Xmas Everybody':

🎵 🎶 🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

IT'S CHRIIIIIISTMAAAAAAS!!!!!!!

So we booted John & Jez & head-girl Jo-o-o
And we gave our vote to Bo-oris & co-o-o

We can GET THAT BREXIT DONE now...
We can start to hope again!
Now the Marxists have been consigned to the biiiiin

So here it IIIIS - MERRY BREXIT!
Everybody’s having fun!
Loook to the future now, it’s only just be-gu-u-un

Now we’re laughing at the Corbyn Cult implo-o-ode
And we’re snorting as momentum start to fo-o-old...

Coz we’re on the Boris love train!
And it’s going full steam ahead!
How we CHEERED when all those seats flipped BLUE from re-e-ed

So here it IIIIS - MERRY BREXIT!
Everybody’s having fun!
Loook to the future now, it’s only just be-gu-u-un

🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

Much festive cheer to all in the Arms!
🍾 🥂 🍻🍷

As ever, all are welcome - only one rule:

DON'T BE A TWAT!!

Note: I am a shit host, and not a patch on previous Landladies - I don't cook, I don't clean & I don't prepare drinks. I am a selfish bellend. If you want feeding, there's a microwave in back & a shop down the road. If you want drinks just help yourself 😘 - it's a free bar 🎉🥳🎈

Thanks singing, also beautiful breakfast tray but I'm not touching it this morning.

I'll have a crumpet laters

Yolo it was me who posted about FOM, but you do have a point about short-termism and lack of planning. No government or opposition seem to think there are any votes in long-term projects – but that’s changing a bit, look what’s happening with climate change issues.

However, I will credit Labour in the 2000s for doing some planning for future increases in population – unfortunately, they only planned for a maximum of 13,000 E Europeans moving to the UK each year.

Walkingdead I'm self-employed so work doesn't follow a regular pattern.

Lily I've had those conversations too about trade!

Morning all - been a bit busy at work this week (when will it calm down for xmas) so have read but not posted.

Re isolationism - we have NATO and we also have 5 eyes (apart from when we nearly didn't because: Corbyn). Two members of which are geographically much more isolated and also have less people (Oz / NZ). I don't seem them having a fit of vapours because they are 'all alone'.

I only have one friend in RL who knows I voted leave. She voted remain and will freely admit that she a) knows nothing about the EU (whereas I have a degree in the subject matter - at the time I started uni it was one year after the signing of Maastricht and we had a lot of lectures about 'ever closer union'. I couldn't really get my head round why it was a good idea at the time) and b) she is risk averse so would never have voted for change.

I also have another close friend who now lives in Switzerland - voted remain but keeps explaining to me that it's great to be there because 'they want to be in Europe but not part of the EU, so they can do their own thing'. And that would be a little like? Er yes the post-Brexit position of the UK.

I have to keep my mouth v shut when she always brings the topic up when I'm visiting - she's furious with her parents for voting leave. They like to travel round Europe in a camper van for part of the year - apparently that won't be possible going forwards...FFS.

I'm starving are there any crumpets and butter left LL?

Oh dear. The Telegraph reports:

"Meanwhile, it has emerged that Sir Keir Starmer's Wikipedia page was edited this week to remove a reference to his being a "millionaire" ahead of an expected Labour leadership launch. As Henry Bodkin reports, the passage was excised from the online encyclopedia in the early hours of Tuesday from an internet address traced to north-west London."

Is Sir Keir "My dad was a factory worker" Starmer undergoing a working class makeover? Next, he'll be claiming his dad kept whippets and had an extensive collection of flat caps, so there.

Boris is most definitely not working class but that didn't deter voters in the North and Midlands from lending him their votes. But then, he didn't feel the need to patronise them by pretending to be something he was not.

Morning, Twattage and Limer, plenty of crumpets left. Yes, I've had those conversations with Remainers too. Heaven only knows how my parents were able to go on holiday to France before we joined the Common Market, never mind before the EU and freedom of movement.

Self employed now too.

Good morning!

Please ignore my shiny chin....it's not butter from the crumpets...honestly 🤤

I've been thinking about the angry people on the other threads. Before the referendum, when I thought remain would win....I researched ways that remain would actually benefit me on a selfish and personal level so that I could be happy with the result.

I knew we would leave one day, I am very patient, but if the rest of us weren't ready, then ok.

Where has the sheer refusal to accept it come from?

boswell as far as I can tell from my real-life chats, remainers believe that we are shooting ourselves in the foot and will be completely unable to manage in a country outside the EU.

Some of them have told me to my face that:

• all leavers are harking back to the days of empire
• they are stupid and misinformed
• they are responsible for destroying the children's future
• we have ruined our opportunity to study in europe (as far as I know erasmus will continue - I am a product of erasmus - it doesn't just cover the EU - I went to Switzerland for my year abroad)
• we won't be able to travel in europe

I don't think it's going to die down until they see for themselves that things are actually ok on these fronts because the belief is strong in people's heads that we are about to implode on many fronts.

I must admit even I had a month of regret earlier this year (around March time) when I thought we were never going to make a success of leaving and parliament was stuck. I've come out the other side ever since Boris has been back on the scene.

Where has the sheer refusal to accept it come from?

Morning, Boswell. That's the million euro question. I honestly don't know. It's not a generational thing - I had quite a heated discussion with an elderly lady who voted Remain because she was insistent we joined in 1956 ("Treaty of Rome!" she said triumphantly. At that point, my eyes might have rolled a little as I explained that we joined the Common Market in 1973 under Ted Heath. She refused to believe me, of course, because I'm a thick Leaver).

I don't pretend to be able to see into the minds of those who voted Remain although I've always been happy to accept that they had rational reasons for doing so. What does amaze me is how many know what was in my mind and those of 17.4 million others when we voted Leave. Even though the result came as such a shock to them.

It's a mystery.

Empire, Twattage. It's a word I've only ever heard from Remainers. And it's used in such a loaded way. Why are they so hung up on it? I genuinely don't understand.

Morning all!

Boris is most definitely not working class but that didn't deter voters in the North and Midlands from lending him their votes. But then, he didn't feel the need to patronise them by pretending to be something he was not.

This is key for me definitely

I couldn't give a toss what someone's background or upbringing is

I love a 'working class success' story massively - Alun Sugar & Keir being such examples

What I hate though is someone pretending to be something they're not
It's patronising, as you said

Alun Sugar has no shame or embarrassment about his wealth & position now - he's rightly proud as fuck over what he's achieved
Keir should be the same imo

To pretend otherwise is so shallow & self-defeating 🤷🏻‍♀️

Morning, Dusty.

Spare a thought for poor Emily. She can't pretend to be anything other than a wealthy privileged woman with a courtesy title so her line of attack is that she used to "pummel Boris every week" when he was Foreign Secretary and "he didn't like being challenged by a woman".

I can just imagine the rich comic material that would provide in my corner of the North.

I've just read that 40 bills will be introduced today, including the 22 in the last Queen's Speech.

I've also read that the ERG has been swelled by new members. Will read more later.

In the meantime, here is today's Telegraph cartoon, plus a list of reasons why Labour lost.

It's the hypocrisy that annoys me.
I was on a thread where one of the arch remainers admitted to having a huge income! But if I express worry about 400 applicants for one cashier job in Tesco, then I'm racist etc.
Why would tesco ever pay more than bare minimum when they have 400 applicants to pick from!?

It's an unskilled job, they could pick anyone.
They'll certainly not pick the ones who want a good wage, family friendly hours etc.

Where has the sheer refusal to accept it come from?

I think it's a very small number in the grand scheme of things who steadfastly refused to accept it tbh

They were actively encouraged to become increasingly entrenched & angry by the high profile people with power & capital (of all kinds) who did everything they could to keep the hope alive that the Ref result could be overturned & Brexit could be stopped

It's the hope that keeps people fighting, and for as long as they had that hope they didn't give up

Obvs there's still a hardcore of extremists in denial, that will be ever thus, but for most I think there was a feeling of relief on Friday - not joy, not happiness, but relief.
They'd fought as hard as they could & didn't give up, but there's now a tangible end point and the fight is done - now they can look forward
(But garbled, but hope it makes sense - I'm not trying to disparage those who refused to give up)

Re Emily Thornberry, I checked out her wiki ages ago, and she actually didn't appear to have had a massively privileged upbringing - I think she benefited from a middle-class mindset in her family background (iyswim), but was by no means gifted everything
She's earned everything she achieved & worked hard for it

Obvs still think she's a crashing snob though 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

SingingLily, I can't comment on why your conversations with Leavers don't follow the same pattern as those with Remainers.

However:

The EU has a trade deal with Peru
www.euractiv.com/section/economy-jobs/news/peru-eu-trade-deal-provides-boost-to-superfood-producers-other-smes/

The EU has a trade deal with Mercosur which includes Argentina
trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=2039

The EU has had a FTA with Chile since 2002
www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-a-balanced-and-progressive-trade-policy-to-harness-globalisation/file-modernisation-eu-chile-association-agreement

The EU is in talks with NZ to open a FTA
trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=2026

China called for a start to FTA talks with the EU on 16/12/19, and the EU is China's biggest trading partner
www.euractiv.com/section/economy-jobs/news/china-calls-for-opening-free-trade-talks-with-the-eu/

The EU and the US have hugely integrated trade and until Trump began whacking tariffs on EU goods, the TIPP talks were progressing ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/united-states/

Lily "I've just read that 40 bills will be introduced today,"

May I have some coffee please? I read that as "40 pills".

Twattage,
Switzerland is part of Erasmus+ because it pays its contributions separately. Several other non-EU countries do the same because they want to be part of Erasmus+.

The UK may decide to pay its Erasmus contributions in future, but it has not agreed to do so for 2020-21 although recruitment for Erasmus+ exchanges starting in Sept 2020 will begin in early 2020.

As a result, those exchanges are no longer part of Erasmus+ and students will not be able to benefit from Erasmus funding. The UK mentioned underwriting outgoing students from the UK for the academic year 2019-20 but made no mention of guarantees for incoming students and gave no information re possible visa issues, healthcare, etc.

The entire system is thus gridlocked for UK/EU exchanges after the forthcoming semester and after several years of uncertainty, many EU partners are looking to Ireland and elsewhere and the creation of 17 new alliances of EU universities offering funding for exchanges will further sideline the UK from such projects.

Morning all. I'm liking calling bacon sarnies bacon barms. Thanks for the morning goodies Lily. I'll do my bit by washing all the trugs out once emptied.

I second a pp comment about the quality of articulate discussion and knowledge on here. I can only look on in awe at the research and defence responses when it gets rowdy. Come back Epic. There will be many lurkers on here missing your valued input.

I'm still having reluctant (on my part) convos with some family members and friends re the result of GE. One is deeply bereft and it's getting awkward. It's almost as if they can't wait for it all to go down the pan. I feel like I have to apologise for Conservative victory.

I'm mostly happy that we don't have to return to the horrific scenes in HOC. It's going to be a bumpy road, for sure and I agree with PPs that we need a credible opposition ASAP.

auld - yes I'm aware that Switzerland paid in separately because it is not in the EU. I was aware of that at the time I went there - I remain aware of it now...on that basis there should be no reason that the UK wouldn't exercise common sense and pay in separately as well (it's not a closed shop for EU countries only).

Clearly the situation is not good but it's been gridlocked because we have not left and have been going round and round in political circles for the last few years.

We should be making every effort not to be misaligned and I would hope / expect now we have a functioning government, things will be moving again.

hospitality so what happens if you say you don't wish to discuss it?

my mum had some friends round yesterday and had the "do you think it was the dream of my life to have Boris Johnson as PM" conversation, but she's been having these conversations - bravely IMHO - since the referendum.

This from the Telegraph nails it for me, especially when considering the current Labour Party and stance of many remainers.

But then, he didn't feel the need to patronise them by pretending to be something he was not.

I so agree with this. I remember before David Cameron became Prime Minister the (privately educated) Jon Snow said with lip curling derision that surely the country wouldn’t vote for an old Etonian.
It’s an obsession with the left wing metropolitans and many on mumsnet - but evidently less so with the rest of the country.

Twattage
I must admit even I had a month of regret earlier this year (around March time) when I thought we were never going to make a success of leaving and parliament was stuck.

Very much my feelings at that time too. I absolutely thought the referendum was going to be overturned at that point.

Thank you, AuldAlliance. When I had those conversations with people who voted Remain, it was in the months after the referendum - Summer of 2016.

Has the EU/Peru trade agreement been ratified yet? I thought it was provisionally applied lending ratification.

There is still no EU/China trade agreement.

TTIP was knocked on the head. Unless you know differently, of course.

Me too Holly

(The snippet from the Telegraph re Labour rings true)