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👍🏻

Isn’t Boris back today too?

I wonder if the EU will evolve in some way that would make it useful to rejoin? Or maybe there will be no lessons learned..they could certainly have done themselves some good before and after the ref in 2016 by accepting their share of the blame for people's disenfranchisement.

Always a possibility but no sign of it so far.

I think it may be more interesting to see how individual countries rather than the EU itself start to manage their relationship with the UK as a non-EU country. Impossible to predict atm and will be in limbo for some time because priorities for them will be 1) managing the EU/UK trade negotiation as a block and 2) negotiating their new position within the
EU.

However it is possible that links with the UK will become points of leverage within the EU.

Also, did anyone catch the story about the Toronto clashes? Between Pro and anti Solemeini protestors? That was a tad disturbing I thought.

Also apparently Iran have made allusions to potential attacks against US military targets tonight..

Trump promising tit for tat + in response to any of this. Game theory for #classicdom fans

That Field of Fucks thing is brilliant. Is it available to buy, I wonder?

Parliament reconvene on Tuesday and I wonder what they will talk about.

“Game theory for #classicdom fans”

Me no likey this game. 😞

Epic thanks for alerting me to that.

“That Field of Fucks thing is brilliant. Is it available to buy, I wonder?”

I once worked with a historical embroiderer and assisted her in embroidering costumes for Hampton Court palace. I reckon I could have a bash as a side hobby...

Not read the article but The Times reporting BJ looking at proposals to replace HoL with a House of Regions. Interesting. I am not a fan of elected 2nd chamber, because I think it risks demoting the HoC, but injecting more regional analysis / checks and balances would get my vote.

Taking orders now...

Not keen myself Epic but Hannah Fry gives quite a convincing mathematical explanation for why if someone is aggressive towards you the best response is to hit them back just hard enough that they get the message. She even managed to fit it into her Royal Institute Christmas Lectures - one of our Christmas traditions since the older DC were small.

I have a cross stitch pattern for the Field of Fucks thing. It is on my list of things to stitch this year. The one I have to do before all else now I am back in Cornwall, is St Piran's Flag with' jam first' stitched across it!

Oooh Scary, I do love a bit of subversive needlework! Although I have to say, cross stitch never really captured me, I’m too lazy. I prefer freehand!

I never got around to watching the Christmas lectures this year How, wishing I had now!

I am a fellow needleworker. Careful or you'll have me telling you everything you never wanted to know about the Great Tapestry of Scotland.

My problem is I love the design but get distracted before I finish things. We have a local group but I don't have time to join in regularly atm.

Needlework sounds like a hobby I should get into...

I wonder if the EU will evolve in some way that would make it useful to rejoin? Or maybe there will be no lessons learned..they could certainly have done themselves some good before and after the ref in 2016 by accepting their share of the blame for people's disenfranchisement.

Not at present _ France mired in strikes and stuff afoot to dilute Macron. King of Spain forcing through a government as they have to be at Barnier's 'high table' for trying to get their mitts on Gib, ditto Cyprus with the Sovereign Base Areas.

Austria about to collide with the EU on its increased budget contributions post Brexit; Poland unhappy along with the rest of the V4; Belgium still only has a caretaker government; Italy still wobbly with Salvini possibly to force another election in April; Spain also in conflict with the EP, as they want Puidgemont back, and the EP is sheltering him (he's been in Brussels for a while anyway); the GroKo in Germany about to falter, and Angie hanging on by her fingernails.

Rutte sounding the only reasonable note in wanting a deep understanding with the UK. Denmark seems increasingly disenchanted too.

Worth finding on iplayer Epic especially if you have a 10-20 year old to watch with. Better than the last couple of years.

Yep, all that too Scary

I used to run a group on a Monday afternoon for like minded people. We had everything from cross stitch to felting going on, via quilting, crocheting, knitting, and a friend who makes textile dioramas of fruit and veg.

One Estonian lady did the most beautiful Nordic knitting - like lace. It was gorgeous.

Ghost I have a book called Subversive cross stitch - it's great (but I wouldn't make any of it for my mother!)

I once worked with a historical embroiderer and assisted her in embroidering costumes for Hampton Court palace

Epic, you do have some interesting skills. I'd loved to have seen those.

In addition to Scary's list of increasingly pressing problems in the EU in-tray, here's a reminder from Dominic Sandbrook of the consequence of David Cameron's rubbish negotiation skills and the EU's equally rubbish failure to take rising Eurosceptism in this country seriously. I've bullet-pointed his article for clarity.

"On 31 January, the EU will lose:

Its second-largest economy; also the fifth-largest economy in the world
About 13% of its total GDP
About 10% of its annual income
About 12% of its population and its third most populous state
Its most important military power and a significant source of diplomatic and cultural influence
Its single largest, most dynamic city — London"

I think even a half-decent negotiator could work with that.

Didn't the EP recently confer MEP and therefore diplomatic status on Puigdemont and a couple of others? Or have I misunderstood?

Yep they did, after some wrangling, as he won a seat in the May elections, which is why the EP is head to head with Spain. The EP will not let him go as he will be tried and imprisoned (which Vox wants to happen), and Belgium have been in no rush to extradite him.

www.euronews.com/2020/01/02/carles-puigdemont-belgian-judge-suspends-arrest-warrant-for-catalan-leader has a bit more on it.

Ah, they can't afford to set a dangerous precedent.

I dabbled with cross stitch when pregnant with my eldest as I'd stopped smoking so needed a distraction - I managed a few things for his nursery then promptly lost interest once he made an appearance

With my youngest I became a soduku fanatic for the same reason (still love a soduku now)

I am not a fan of elected 2nd chamber, because I think it risks demoting the HoC

This is my problem wrt an elected Lords howabout - I like that the HoC has supremacy overall & don't want this to change