Brexit Arms - Out with the old and in with the new

[time4chocolate]

It’s time again for another Brexit Arms thread to see us into Christmas and beyond.

Well what a week it’s been!!

Boris has now completed his first week and he’s been busy. New conservatives have been sworn in, the Queens Speech yesterday shows promise (aware that the proof of the (Xmas) pudding is in the eating) and Boris’ Deal is going to be voted on today with the results being around 3pm I believe.

Meanwhile, on the other side all four wheels have definitely fallen off the red bus and were very nearly joined by a garden gate and a car door. Oh dear!!

Anyway, I have added a few more Christmas decs to the pub and popped the fairy back on the tree (it took a nasty tumble)

We are now good to go.
Cheers all 🍷🍷

Ps. If anyone wants to volunteer for outside catering that would be👍🏻

Happy New Year Everyone.

Wishing everyone a Happy, healthy 2020.🥂🍾☕️

Here's to the Roaring 20s 🍾🥂🎉

Happy New Decade to all ❤️❤️❤️

Even those memes seize the day, Dusty!

We are at the beginning of a seismic change in this country. I can feel it. The electorate has shown once again that it knows its own mind, that it will not be messed with and it will not be ignored.

Margaret Thatcher won her first election in 1979 with a majority of 43 and saved the country from ruination under the combined rule of Labour and the unions. Boris has no excuse with a majority of 80. He's grabbed the ball from the scrum and he intends to run with it. Moreover, he intends to take us with him. I am convinced he wants to be up there with the truly great reforming Prime Ministers and he will govern accordingly.

The FTPA will be gone by this time next year and the government will then stand or fall on its performance. As it should. And the electorate will once again have the final word. As we should. The proper balance of power between the people and Parliament will be restored.

Bring it on!

We are at the beginning of a seismic change in this country. I can feel it.

In what direction though lily?
For me, the biggest change in the air is clearly the environmental crisis. I do feel it's a terrible shame we are taking ourselves out of the European Green Deal (as this would mean aligning ourselves with EU standards).

This is worth a read, these two points among others:

By adopting a long-term vision for the environment, industries and business will get more regulatory certainty so that they can make significant investments in modernising and reducing their environmental impacts. The innovations and solutions that businesses develop first in the EU will provide a basis for commercial success internationally. Such a transformation will make the EU's economy more resilient to climate and environment-related risks in the future. and
An action plan to promote a more circular economy that will address more sustainable products and accompany the new industrial policy strategy.

ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/QANDA_19_6690

Happy New year by the way!

I wonder if the answers to environmental challenges will start to be driven increasingly by local factors. I am not convinced that Supranational co-ordination is the best approach at all.

In any event anything done in Europe will be dwarfed by developments elsewhere.

Coppersulphate - stay in the Brexit Arms, there’s no bullying here - and if there is you’ll have plenty of support.
If they want to slag us off in the Other Place - well, let them get in with it.

Happy New Year, Songs.

I'm feeling positive about the return of accountable government. Without that, the country's problems cannot even hope to be addressed - and there are many. Politicians can no longer hide behind the inefficiency of the EU and evade their responsibilities. There will have to be UK-specific solutions to UK problems. That's what I think will change.

As far as the environment is concerned, there is no reason at all why an independent UK could not choose to emulate or better anything the EU proposes. One size does not fit all - you only have to look at the stresses and strains of the Eurozone and Schengen to see that. In any case, the EU is great at words, has laudable intentions, churns out action plans easily and then...throws up its hands when all goes wrong. A bit like Nicola, the one who has the bagpipes playing constantly in her head and thinks the answer to everything that ails Scotland is "IndyRef2", the EU's answer to every problem every time is "ever closer union".

Meanwhile, here in the UK, I'm also hopeful that joined-up thinking will finally be allowed to prevail in terms of national infrastructure and an increased emphasis on levelling up the areas of the country so long neglected. Even if these were the sole changes, they would still amount to seismic.

We have no way of knowing but I'm betting that the Ten Year Plan is already taking shape. We've spent so long drifting from one quick or temporary fix to another that the whole country has suffered. A clear vision and the political will to see it through will make all the difference.

With a majority of 80 and the official opposition still trying to work out why no one bought what they were selling, Boris has a head start and a fair wind. He'd better make good on it or he'll have the electorate to answer to in five years time.

And that passes the Benn Test. Which is just fine by me.

Coppersulphate - stay in the Brexit Arms, there’s no bullying here - and if there is you’ll have plenty of support.

Dapplegrey, I'm very glad you said that. Copper, we have your back so you post as much or as little as you want in here.

I made the mistake of reading the ‘what are you looking forward to after brexit’ thread. Full of the usual nonsense.
Why do remainers think everything they lost they actually won?
😂

Coppersulphate - stay in the Brexit Arms, there’s no bullying here - and if there is you’ll have plenty of support

Defo

The bullying has all but gone in here now - the odd twat pops up now & again but nothing like the days of yore 🍷

The bullying has all but gone in here now - the odd twat pops up now & again but nothing like the days of yore

Yes, very true. I wonder why that is - maybe some of the worst offenders were given a warning by mn HQ.
Some months ago a poster was complaining about the bullying and some other posters denied it happened so I copied and pasted a few examples which were absolutely vile.
Maybe it will start again around the departure date.

The bullying really has calmed down, I think a lot of them had warnings or possibly even banned.

Happy New Year all!

Hello fellow Brexiteers,
Yes I will stay. I have been reading and the worst bullies seem to have left.
It seems a long time ago the Bear would pounce on each and every one of us and demand answers and reasons.

Glass of white wine please and a seat by the fire.
I voted for Boris in the leadership elections and it is so,good to see him trying to bring everyone together.
Have just visited the other place and am amazed that nobody is prepared to compromise even a little.
Cheers.
Means I can come here for breakfast every morning.
The advantage of the Brexit Arms breakfast is that it is entirely calorie free. And I can secretly drink here despite dry January.

“Coppersulphate - stay in the Brexit Arms, there’s no bullying here - and if there is you’ll have plenty of support”

This! 🍷🎊

George Osborne reckons that the New Year wish of most Tories is that Rebecca Wrong Daily becomes leader of the Labour Party. Because she will be a disaster.
I am torn.
I think we need a good opposition, a party waiting to be elected, and I don't think she would supply that.
However, I also want BJ to have 10 years so I am conflicted.

People say KS will hold BJ to account at the dispatch box but I don't think that is important.
I believe that the vast majority of people can't be bothered watching PMQs. They are much more interested in what's going on in their own lives.

And KS is a metropolitan elite remainer so would be unlikely to win hearts and minds around the country.

I am tempted to join the Labour Party and vote. But who for? 🤷🏼‍♀️

“The bullying really has calmed down, I think a lot of them had warnings or possibly even banned.”

There’s only one individual on another thread who persists despite the above, but they clearly have a sad miserable little life, and are even rightly ignored now by those whose side they claim to be on.

The batshittery is strong, and just makes me laugh now, it’s kind of entertaining, in that special way ‘clowns’ can be tbh. 🤡🤣😉

Songs Germany says it will close it's coal plants, will be interesting to see if acions match words. Poland is heavily reliant on coal and won't be changing any time soon, as they are blocking an EU wide declaration post Madrid.

In Brussels we had smog days, when you couldn't see much for the haze. There were days when you were forbidden from having an open fire burning, and on smog days they tried to stop cars inside the Ring.

However, I think the problem isn't so much in Europe as outside..dh had to go to Cairo for work and found it very difficult with the smog...you get special payments if posted there becuase of the air quality. China isn't too clever either.

European standards actually don't mean much, as you will have seen from the emissions scandals with the German car makers. I was ROFL with the new laws coming into Flanders for rented and private houses:

'Smoke detectors become obligatory

From 1 January 2020 smoke detectors will become obligatory in all residential properties in Flanders. Since 2013 smoke detectors have been obligatory in all rented properties and all newly-built homes. This is now being extended to cover all homes in the five Flemish provinces. The extension of the rule to cover all properties has come about due to the relatively high number of fatalities in house fires in our region.

However, no checks will be carried out to ensure that the rule is being respected and the presence of smoke detectors will also not become a condition for being able to get fire insurence.

Roof insulation and double glazing mandatory

From Wednesday good roof insulation and double glazing will become mandatory in all Flemish homes. Properties that have no or insufficient roof insulation can be declared unsuitable for habitation.

Roof insulation must be a least 3 to 4cm thick. In houses in which the attic is not being used, the floor of the attic must be insulated. The rules apply to both own-occupied and rented properties.

The grants given by utilities network management companies for the installation of high-efficiency glazing are to fall from 10 euro/M² to 8 euro/M². The grant given to those installing a water pump boiler is also set to fall from 400 euro to 300 euro. Other grants from the network management companies will remain unchanged.'

They bring in rules, but they are not enforced. It's all window dressing, and as someone who spent the last 2 years in a Flemish property built in 1774, with some single glazing, and no insulation whatsoever in the roof (as the attic was a polyvalent room, designed to be another room for the building), it's a load of cock.

Copper Dan Jarvis, ex military, knows what leadership entails (talks the talk and walks the walk imo) and how to deliver a clear, consistent and precise message. Shame he's not a Tory.

“it's a load of cock.”

🤣🤣🤣🤣

George Osborne reckons that the New Year wish of most Tories is that Rebecca Wrong Daily becomes leader of the Labour Party. Because she will be a disaster.
I am torn.

Gideon, bless him, has never really known what most Tories wish for, so don't pay any attention to that, Copper. I'm like you - I'd like to see a credible leader of the opposition too. It's the only way to keep any government honest and to stop it from hubris. Speaking of which, Gideon has oodles of it. His too-clever-by-half innovations such as reducing the lifetime pension allowance directly led to doctors and consultants going part-time or retiring early, and stamp duty revamp clogged up the housing market in London. He has much to answer for.

Love the practical view of Brussels' de haut en bas approach to higher standards, Scary. Hope you are over the lurgy too? And that DS delivered a perfectly cooked Christmas dinner?

Happy New Year everyone. Hope you all had a cracking Christmas.

I've been reading around all the excuses for the battering at the GE from the labour party leadership contenders. My conclusion: they just don't get it AND there's just too much to go at for any credible excuse.
Lisa Nandy and Dan Jarvis are the only candidates I could begin to believe in.

Coppersulphate I am so looking forward to parliament and PMQs reconvening. Enough already of all this adventure music, animation and old films on TV.

The problem for the Labour Party is that voters want an Opposition holding the Govt to account on their priorities. Labour appear to have no idea what those priorities are.

Their traditional electorate have judged them to be on the wrong side.

Still not seeing any sign of listening, reflecting and rebuilding links with voters.

Hello All - I hope the New Year finds you well. I'm looking forward to how Brexit, and all it's stages, further transpires.

There was some mention of 'bullies' upthread; most have gone because their persistent posting from a purely 'Leave-critique' perspective came to naught. Then those that came from a politically driven perspective that was also anti-Leave, pretty much fell at the first fence in the GE.

My own perpective of Bullies is that they are only so if they have Victims; by refusing to be A Victim, either the Bully gives up or they move towards criminal behaviour, which is policed and enforced by the Law. As an example.

Many thanks to all the Landladies, Managers and Staff who have kept The Arms open with all the things that everyone, everywhere basically needs and also desires.