The Brexit Arms: Are We Nearly There Yet? 🇬🇧🚗↩️🇪🇺

[SingingLily]

No, not yet, but soon. Just 24 more sleeps until we legally leave the EU at 11pm on 31 January and finally enter the transition period after what seems like centuries of argument, dither and delay. We do so with hope, optimism and a determination to be a good friend and neighbour to the EU, but for now, no one said it better than Winston Churchill.

“This is not the end, this is not even the beginning of the end, this is just perhaps the end of the beginning.”

The Pub Rule is the same as it always was: all welcome but only if you leave goadery outside. The first drink is on the house.

Update:
the refusal to fund students on Erasmus mobility beyond Jan 31st is not general.
It's my university.
They had to set aside emergency funds last year in case students needed to be repatriated in case of No Deal and, in a context where they can't afford to pay enough admin/academic staff, they are not prepared to do that again. The students who sent me panic-stricken emails had misunderstood and I should have checked before posting. My apologies.

That's okay, Auld. You were clearly concerned and were just trying to seek information. It was another poster who used the opportunity to come in and have a snide, not you.

You will have picked up from my first post this morning that the HoL are proposing to put Erasmus in the WAB. I have my own views on the matter but at the least, it will give the government the opportunity to think again.

Morning all
Thanks for clarifying Auld. I have student DDs. They are very prone to panic.

Scary that is very much how I view the situation with Financial Services. See also Mark Carney et al commenting that divergence is preferable for London.

Fishing Rights I see as somewhat of a symbolic red herring (pardon the pun). The UK doesn't have the fleet capacity to fish its own waters and so will continue to licence access rights. It is then more a political question how this is characterised and how the industry responds going forwards. I do wonder if we will start to manage the North Sea more jointly with Norway to the exclusion of rEU though.

Morning all. So the HoL stick on some amendments, Boris says no and kicks them back. Would the HoL really hold out and risk a no deal in 2 weeks. I think not.

Bit of light relief.

The Guardian is more confused and upset than usual. The complaint seems to be that Boris is doing exactly what he should do to address the concerns of WC voters and he might win the battle for hearts and minds. (according to them the WC stopped voting in 2000 - can't think why and have had the temerity to start voting Boris now)

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/14/the-guardian-view-on-boris-johnsons-policy-divide-and-rule?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Buffer

Walking I agree. I don't see Boris accepting any HoL amendments as most have already been rejected by HoC.

So the HoL stick on some amendments, Boris says no and kicks them back. Would the HoL really hold out and risk a no deal in 2 weeks. I think not.

The HoL will be overruled anyway and they know that but they are still fighting a desperate rearguard action to either hollow out Brexit (the insistence on close alignment with the single market thus hobbling non-EU trade agreements) or to keep us in a state of non-voting-quasi-membership (Clause 33).

It's how the EU27 responds that matters and they really do face that choice - ratify the WAB or it's No Deal and we're off.

In the end, I think the money will do the talking.

Will read the Guardian article next, Howabout - I always enjoy seeing the Guardian wringing its hands when someone they don't like gets something right.

I couldn't care less about Big Ben ringing out but it seems to be something of a sore point for that small number of Remainer Spartans still fighting the referendum result so here is today's Telegraph cartoon.

The cartoon does the job already

Christopher Meyer on twitter:
"There's an awful lot of misinformation doing the rounds on fish. Brexit means we leave the CFP and decide ourselves who has access to fish in our waters. It doesn't mean EU27 boats have no access at all. That would be silly. Quotas will be negotiated when we are ready to do so".

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/15/boris-johnson-uk-us-trade-deal-under-threat-unless-iran-stance-changes-says-trump-ally

This is unacceptable, isn't it? We can't be bullied in that way!

Who'd have predicted that, eh?

Sounds very much like so-called Trump Ally quoted in the article has just been sacked by the White House. He also looks pretty young and naive and was appointed by John Bolton. I'll take his opinion with a pinch of salt Songs.

The Guardian is outdoing itself today.

Even taking this statement with a massive pinch of salt and acknowledging the source was very undiplomatic, is this not the direction of travel and the true price for a FTA? Strategic alignment for trade?

Not that I can see Songs. May of course be proved wrong.

Will be interested to see how the narrative changes if the Democrats manage to beat Trump - admittedly not looking that likely atm and could get less so depending how much dirt on Sleepy Joe emerges from Trump Impeachment hearings.

Shouldn't even need to be a discussion tbh, as far as I'm concerned. Strategic alignment should be the default in our dealings with the USA.

Just watched PMQs.

Corbyn is still doing a sterling job of making Boris look like an intelligent statesman who is taking being PM in his stride and bossing it.

I wonder if it will be different when/if ever Labour get a decent leader?

Hello, after briefly considering DryJanuary and dismissing it, I'm now on countdown to 31 Jan with a bottle of champagne in the fridge, after which it will be English sparkling wine because obviously the French would prefer to have vast wine lakes and huge cheese mountains rather than contemplate trading with the UK.

Big Ben has certainly whipped up some remainers into an hysterical state - no change there then. Love the cartoon.

I see the Brexit Celebration event in Parliament Square has been approved on January 31st. Anyone going?

I wish I could be there but I no longer live in London and am disabled so it's not feasible. Will you be going?

Strategic alignment should be the default in our dealings with the USA.

Why?

I am thinking about it. trying to get a few friends together first.

Here is what happened at PMQs when Ian Blackford started to speak 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Watched him get up to speak, Walking, and we both groaned, "He'll be whinging on about Scotland's voice being ignored", but the camera didn't show the other side of the House.

Love it.

It's what I was doing at home Walking

Britain Elects @britainelects

Labour leadership voting intention (first preferences):
R. Long-Bailey: 42%
K. Starmer: 37%
J. Phillips: 9%
L. Nandy: 7%
E. Thornberry: 1%

Labour leadership voting intention (after second preferences):
R. Long-Bailey: 51%
K. Starmer: 49%

Loving Lady Nugees support. Continuity Corbyn is stepping up a gear to make sure Boris gets the next 15 years in power.

Continuity Corbyn is stepping up a gear to make sure Boris gets the next 15 years in power.

Do you suppose she's one of Dmitri's sleeper agents?

It's the only explanation that makes any sense.