Westminstenders: The Final Week

[RedToothBrush]

Our final week in the EU...

They're starting early March.
Only 4 months to negotiate a deal, in light of the deadline.

There will be no deal. Can't see how it can be avoided.

brits on the train were stopped at the boarder and taken off the train to check their paperwork. Those without were presumably turned around back to sweden

were they non-white? When we went to Sweden from Copenhagen on the train, there was a cursory check of our passports but I couldn't help noticing that the black people on the train (who I don't think were British) had their passports looked at far more closely. They weren't taken off the train though. They only checked in the direction of Sweden, there weren't any checks coming back.

Not sure why the Swedish or Danish authorities would treat British passport holders any differently before the end of this year.

"It would make sense for the UK to undercut EU on emissions rules etc"

It would be surprising if any manufacturers wanted to produce to 2 different standards;
it usually brings a lot of extra costs, so companies normally choose to prodice to the higher standard
Where they go for lower standards are in developing countries such as India, which have a lot more potential consumers if the price is much cheaper
I'm not sure if it would work for the UK's 67 million market

It would be surprising if any manufacturers wanted to produce to 2 different standards;

The article about the EUs moving towards a single charger connector highlighted that. No one is going to make a "Britplug" just for the UK. We'd get the EU standard one and that's that. Without any say in it.

And so it begins. The willy-waving.

“There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment, or anything similar any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules.“

To some people, not following EU rules on environmental / social protection would, for some reason, sound attractive. It fills me with apprehension.

How did we get to where people may worsen their own lives just to give a rebellious finger to the EU? (Don’t answer that - I know it’s largely the poison media.)

To be fair, he does add:

“The UK will maintain the highest standards in these areas – better, in many respects, than those of the EU – without the compulsion of a treaty and it is vital to stress this now.”

... but for some reason, I don’t trust him.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-eu-boris-johnson-speech-trade-talks-brussels-environment-canada-australia-a9313876.html

Express: Britons blame remainers for Brexit division in the UK

www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1236752/br
exit-news-boris-johnson-latest-brexit-speech-remainers-responsible-brexit-division-UK

Actually, don't click on the link in case they get revenue.

But, colour me massively unsurprised. As we've been seeing on the MN Brexit threads passim and all over social media. Why, it's almost like for some things, Remainers do have a crystal ball.

Express: Britons blame remainers for Brexit division in the UK

Leavers blame remainers etc etc ....

No surprise. He needs a scapegoat, which is why the best strategy for the opposition would be to NOT use the word Brexit anymore, just hold him to account relentlessly every week on very precise measurable issues linked to brexit.

Cheering follow up on the Norwich Nasty letter story

www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/crime/winchester-tower-brexit-poster-protests-1-6495125

'I hope they can see this' - 'Happy Brexit Day' tower tenants gather to protest against poster

(contd)

fashion is a powerful thing - why else would David Bowie write a song about it? I suspect a lot of the anti-racist sentiments of the 70s and 80s may have been driven by fashion rather than ideology. It was "cool" to be anti racist. Let's hope this recent fashion for revived racism goes stale again.

Express: Britons blame remainers for Brexit division in the UK

Leavers blame remainers etc etc ....

Good catch DGR - that's insidious. Remainers are no longer Britons. Not enough to take our EU citizenship, they are now going for our national one as well.

Of course the question has to be asked: If brexit was such a good idea, and they're so happy with it and now it's done ... why are they laying the groundwork for the blame game? That sounds like the sort of thing you might do if you knew failure or disaster were just round the corner. Surely not.

norman smith @BBCNormanS
UK wont insist EU shd match UK standards. So why shd UK have to follow EU regulations asks PM.

Oh for gods sake this is ridiculous.

If we want to sell a product to someone else's market then every company from that country having to supply to their own country has to meet that standard, so why should we be failing to match that standard???

The absurdity of this logic is incredible.

Its almost as if he doesn't WANT a trade deal with the EU.

I am starting to suspect this, at this point.

Express: Britons blame remainers for Brexit division in the UK

Leavers blame remainers etc etc ....

Exactly this ^^ was called out in the Barmy Arms after one of the “regulars” claimed that after 31/1 there would no longer be Leavers and Remainers, just “British people and Rejoiners”.

Then cue lots of back-pedalling and claims of Remainers wilful misconstruction of what was actually meant.

"Britons" blame "Remainers."

What nationality are Remainers?

What nationality are Remainers

Is traitor a nationality?

Cos that was bandied about A LOT

I suspect the whole attempt by Leavers to try and claim the "Remainer" epithet is intended to confuse search engines and the less bright. (Although in order of intelligence it's less bright then search engines).

It's a sort of acceptance-by-imitation that fucking around with language has done so much for the alt-right in the trans debates.

Of course, Douglas Adams warned us what happens when "black" becomes "white" ...

Peering into the future, you wonder how it may be possible that if you can persuade the pig thick Brexiteers to call themselves "Remainers" as a first step, how far you could push that narrative ? Would it be possible to get the "new Remainers" to accept BRINO ?

Pretty certain a few degrees and doctorates have been earned by people picking over the language of the US Civil War and how it was used.

Then, of course, you have Churchills mastery.

It's almost as if he doesn't WANT a trade deal with the EU.

THIS is what is worrying me.
I know he is basically saying he is posturing to make the EU 'crack' and get his own way.
But I am worried that, by taking that stance and going right to end with it, he will put the UK in a No Deal situation. Even if iit's by 'mistake' iyswim.
Or, as you say, he has always wanted No Deal (just looking at his attitudes/comments when TM was PM) and is just making it look like it's the EU's fault so he can get away with doing something that will only benefit a very small minority whilst giving the imporession he has done his best.
I'm wondering if/when people will finally realise the sort of game he is playing though....

Nom & Red re; pp I think this may be the plan don’t hold out much hope though that many people/MSM will believe this.

Her Majesty's Press left baffled by BJ's latest claim that if we can't get a Canada-style deal, we shall have "An Australian Trade Deal."

Australia has no trade agreement with the EU. Is this No Deal, asks HMP? Much Johnsonian waffle results.

I realised this morning why they are rushing to get the trade deal into the public now rather than later in the year.

At present there is no Opposition leader in Parliament.
From April its likely that there will be one who can slice and dice Johnson

We can live in hope Listening as that will be the only possible way to expose this bunch of self serving charlatans, not holding my breath though unfortunately.

I posted upthread about EU deals / relations with Australia

https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/610/australia-and-eu_en

No FTA, but several trade-related agreements with the EU, plus political declarations.

That is sufficient for Australia, which is a much smaller and less complex economy than the UK
and which does have FTAs and other trade deals with its nearest geographical neighbours

Unless BJ plans to massively shrink the economy and tow the UK to the Pacific Ocean, an Australian-type deal with the EU would be totally inadequate for the UK

Oh dear, I may have stumbled on BJ's cunning plan

Wait...tow us to the South Pacific?

I might be onboard with that