Westminstenders: The Final Week

[RedToothBrush]

Our final week in the EU...

Lizzie Truss

Maenwhile, this article confirms what I am currently experiencing:

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jan/28/too-much-risk-why-erasmus-students-are-shunning-brexit-britain

I'm not one to repeat the scurrilous rumours, but here's another:

That vacant smile...

This brought a tear to my eye. Several, actually.

We will leave a light on

lonelyplanetmum, I loved your post! It has cheered me up. Such good positive ideas.

Patiencethreadbare don't be heartbroken. There's nothing we can do about the trading bloc and EU parliament side of things as the small majority (that's no longer a majority) won.
However in a small personal way you can make links with the EU. We can keep social and cultural links alive. If you have any EU friends go visit! All sorts of other ideas including:
• Getting involved with twin town activities in there are any.
• Learn another EU language.
• Join a rejoin/ EU local group, the Lib Dem's, Greens, Labour ? A trade union?
• There are other collaborative arrangements and friendships to pursue European interests, such as music, art, photography , singing walking, cycling groups etc. There are social structures across Europe.
-Channel the sadness into productivity so that other links are retained.

WORTH A WATCH: There's a very similar message in this recent heartening Dominic Grieve speech. (He's really an intellectual titan compared to some in the current government!) Keep the links alive, keep telling the truth, keep building up what the EU achieves, and one day....

Remainers aren't going away: Conference hears how pro-EU movement will continue after Brexit

www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/grassroots-for-europe-conference-in-westminster-1-6487145

The Times editors think the ECJ is in Strasbourg:
twitter.com/davidallengreen/status/1222046062803922950

triumphalism delivered late
www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jan/28/got-brexit-done-tory-party-sells-12-tea-towel-in-celebration

Such a lovely idea, contender

From the EP Greens .....
(who know that being in the EU is the best way to tackle climate change)

pretty's favourite MEP AlynSmith said to the EU Parliament.

"I'm not asking you to solve our domestic discussions, I am asking you to leave a light on, so we can find our way home.“

So we did.

Such a lovely idea, contender

From the EP Greens .....
(who know that being in the EU is the best way to tackle climate change)

pretty's favourite MEP AlynSmith said to the EU Parliament.

"I'm not asking you to solve our domestic discussions, I am asking you to leave a light on, so we can find our way home.“

So we did.

ListeningQuietly - can't read the article; I'm not registered - the sub heading says: "But risks can be managed" - so I have to assume the article does not recommend avoiding Hauwei.

Hauwei make good kit, the technical people who have looked in depth say the risk is manageable. China, unlike the US, does not have a track record of armed intervention - economic intervention is fine by me.

This is only an issue because the US is trying to bully the rest of the world to join in its trade war. Why should we avoid the best 5g kit to support US policy?

Frankie
I read the print edition
the Economist has LONG had the view that they should be treated with extreme caution and never allowed near critical stuff

China, unlike the US, does not have a track record of armed intervention - economic intervention is fine by me.
Hmmm, we'll have to disagree on that.
I find the China 2025 programme very concerning

It is really lovely, that.
I have a soft spot for Alyn Smith.

Sorry, thread moved on suddenly.
That was about the posts by ICouldHaveBeen and BCF, not 5G and China, obviously.

So depressed about Erasmus. DD is talking about doing modern languages as a degree. I can see her having to spend her year abroad as an aupair, probably expected to speak English to the whole family.

Maenwhile, this article confirms what I am currently experiencing:

Auld, can you expand? (PM if you prefer). Daughter interested in Erasmus and would have considered a U.K. uni.

Torchlightt, I'm in a French university. We are lining up bilateral agreements with our UK partner universities, to be used if the UK doesn't commit to Erasmus by 31/12/20.
We did, in fact, sign several such contracts last year, but then our admin got a bit freaked at the legality of them as they were all drafted differently by the different partners, and they said they needed an approved document from the Higher Ed ministry, which we are now waiting for.
Our governing body has just changed following elections, so we have a new Vice-Chair for International Relations and she sent a message today saying we will send and receive students for 2020-21. The previous one was anti-English and basically said Good riddance when Brexit began to be an issue.

There may not be the Erasmus grant, but I'm hopeful there will still be mobility of some kind. If EU citizens feel the UK is at all welcoming, that is. The country's reputation has taken a beating...

I've PM'd you, Mistigri

Language students used to have a year in France or Germany or whereever before, so I imagine that something can be arranged again, but it won't be as easy.

I have said on a thread ages ago how a friend graduated (1972) and wanted to go to Germany to work for a year. After trying to jump through numerous hoops, he gave up. Meanwhile, my DD wanting to go abroad, to the EU, went, registered for the equivalent of an NI Number and got a job straight off. That is the difference.

Peregrina
Language students used to have a year in France or Germany or whereever before, so I imagine that something can be arranged again, but it won't be as easy.
Back when only 1 in 20 students went to University, predominantly from private schools and regulations on safeguarding did not exist.

We CANNOT compare University / Student experiences pre EU or even SM with what goes on today.

For a start there were rather fewer countries in the EU !!

There will be possibilities, but, yes, I think it may well get more complicated.
It's pretty straightforward now, especially for UK students AFAIK (they certainly don't hesitate to send us students whose language skills are really poor, whereas we try not to send students to the UK if we think their English isn't good enough to allow them to benefit from courses there).

And unless the UK signs up to be part of Erasmus (that could still happen, if BJ et al. engage their brains and stop posturing - it's one of the easier things they could do, compared with negotiating FTAs and trying to solve the insoluble Irish border issue they have created) there will most probably be less funding. And it will indeed be harder to get work in an EU country during/after mobility.

If the UK isn't in Erasmus after 31/12/20, students from the EU wanting to go on an exchange in the UK won't get Erasmus grants either, so many will look to Ireland or other destinations where funding will still be available.
In that case the number of places on exchanges for UK students in the EU will fall, as universities aren't that keen on taking incoming students if they can't send outgoing students in return.

But LQ that was the point I was making - illustrated by one of my own contemporaries having difficulty and subsequent generations having it much easier.

China 2025 - what is wrong with an ambition to be dominant in high tech manufacturing? Trade is the greatest peacemaker. Isolationism with a backdrop of MAGA concerns me rather more.

Trump's pressure on Google to withdraw Android support from Hauwei is just a driver for them to write their own variant - presumably that will be potrayed as another 'chinese' security threat - but at least it will smash the google/apple duopoly.

As for the UK - do we have any ambition that might inspire? (surviving another tory government isn't exactly inspirational)

China 2025 - what is wrong with an ambition to be dominant in high tech manufacturing?

Erm.... facial recognition to stop the next Tiananmen Square Massacre.

Oh wait, Tiananmen What? Nothing happened in China in 1989 did it?

I'd like to see us take back control of that one, if it goes tits up.