Westministenders: No Australia Don't Have A Deal

[RedToothBrush]

Since Friday, far from letting things calm down, Johnson has doubled down stating that if we can't have a Canada Deal (which the EU says wouldn't be equal because we are much closer than Canada geographically) we will go for an Australia Deal.

This is the latest rehash of a managed no deal package up as something else which the EU have already repeatedly said no to.

So we are on track for no deal.

At the same time Johnson has got very excited about American food and how its great. Almost as if he wants no deal wit the EU to force a shitty bad deal with the us through.

Johnson and his chronies have also been trying to undermine journalistic transparency by blocking access to the lobby to some media outlets in a move that makes us look like a tinpot dictatorship. Fortunately there was a mass walk out of journalists but it remains to be seen how long that can be maintained.

Far from being a clean slate to move forward from its already proving that nothing has changed and old divisions are as deep as ever, if not worse...

OK, breaks over. Back to work.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-51474001

EU Parliament makes tough demands for Brexit talks
The European Parliament has approved a tough opening position for talks with the UK on its future relationship with the EU.

MEPs called on the UK to follow EU policies in a host of areas as the price for an ambitious free trade deal.

These range from chemicals regulation to climate change, food labelling and subsidies for companies.

This should be with "a view to dynamic alignment" - code for the UK adopting European rules as they are introduced.

The wide-ranging resolution also called for measures to ensure that Brexit does not cause gender discrimination, for a crackdown on tax havens with links to the UK, and for a joint UK-EU position at the upcoming UN climate conference in Glasgow in November.
How the EU's language has toughened up

It's an attempt to influence the detailed instructions for the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier - "the mandate" - currently being discussed by the European Commission and the governments of the EU's 27 member states.

It's also the latest example of the mandate being toughened up as it passes from institution to institution in the EU.

When Mr Barnier published a first draft in early February, there was no mention of alignment and definitely not the automatic kind.

Then a new version emerged that had been tweaked by diplomats from national governments.

It had extra references to the need for a level playing field - commitments by the UK to fair economic competition to prevent European businesses being undercut by their British rivals. And those commitments would have to evolve over time.

Media playback is unsupported on your device
Media captionChancellor: 'UK trade will be better outside EU'

A reference to "building on" existing access to British waters for European fishing boats was upgraded to "upholding" it.

The UK's participation in the Galileo satellite positioning system was downgraded from "should" to "could."

And now MEPs have gone further than all of them.
What is the European Parliament hoping to achieve?

"It means we can be bad cop," said a senior MEP from the European Parliament's new UK Co-ordination Group. "Michel Barnier can say to London that he can't do certain things because the Parliament won't accept them."

That's a tactic Mr Barnier is virtually guaranteed to use. And he will have to take the European Parliament's views into account because it is likely to have a vote on whatever deal emerges from the talks with the UK.

MEPs were not willing to oppose the divorce deal, but will they be tougher when it's a free trade agreement that touches on Europe's values and social model?

For now the focus is on agreeing the EU's opening position to be finalised at a meeting of European ministers on 25 February. This is about the ambitions at the start, not the compromises at the end.

It's also about shaping the terms of the discussion with the UK before it's even begun.

MEPs and the entire EU know: if you don't ask, you don't get.

I remember they put jam on a CD on Tomorrow's World, then rinsed it and it played.

I remember thinking at the time you could do that with an LP, but you'd need to use deionised water, or ionised water, or water from the iron or something.

European Parliament sets up more Brexit drama as it backs 'dynamic alignment'

https://www.cityam.com/european-parliament-sets-stage-for-more-brexit-drama-as-it-backs-dynamic-alignment/

“Given the size of the UK’s economy and its proximity, future competition with the EU must be kept open and fair through a “level playing field”,
which means guarantees for equal rules on, among other things, social, environmental, tax, state aid, consumer protection and climate matters,”
the Parliament said today.
....
Yesterday Barnier made it clear that when it comes to financial services, the EU would also not play ball with Downing Street’s demands.

“I want to make it clear to certain people in the UK that they should not kid themselves.

There will not be general open-ended ongoing equivalence in financial services,”
he said.
“We will keep control of these tools and we will retain a free hand to make decisions.”

Barnier added:
“We are not negotiating on these topics with the United Kingdom, rather we are checking there is consistency
and wherever possible, we will grant equivalence on particular sectors of the financial industry.

That is what we do with Canada, with US and Japan, and it works,
so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work with the UK.”

Weird that so many of us probably remember the same episode of Tomorrow's World. I once had a conversation with William Woolard at work

Now I really fancy some bread and jam.

We are not negotiating on these topics with the United Kingdom, rather we are checking there is consistency

POW !

I was talking to a former Customs officer today.
They reckoned that all of the good staff are taking early retirement and getting the heck out before the border closes.

Which tallies with two other friends who have also left HMRC in recent months.

Steven Swinford @Steven_Swinford
Exclusive:

Hearing that Julian Smith could be axed as NI sec in reshuffle

As per @MrHarryCole PM felt 'blindsided' by power-sharing deal, which includes investigations into historic allegations

Senior Govt source says there is 'concern about the way he's been operating'

(RTB: Man does his job well, gets sacked?!)

It’s not a done deal - Julian Smith said to be fighting for how future tonight

Told that Cabinet was fully briefed on contents of power-sharing deal before it was signed off, including commitment on historic investigations

Other reshuffle moves:

* Anne-Marie Trevelyan becomes Dfid sec, replacing Alok Sharma

* Sharma becomes business sec, replacing Andrea Leadsom

* George Eustice becomes environment sec, replacing Theresa Villiers

* Oliver Dowden becomes culture sec, replacing Nicky Morgan

Both Liz Truss and Therese Coffey are expected to survive reshuffle

Ben Wallace, defence secretary, also expected to keep his job

(RTB: HURRAH Good news though. At long last someone has had the brains to get rid of Leadsome. She really is too useless even for Johnson. Thats a reshuffle thats been long overdue. Watch her get promoted now!!! )

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7997379/Prime-Minister-declares-millionaire-donor-New-Year-break-tycoon-says-Oh-no-wasnt.html
Boris Johnson's holiday freebie riddle: Prime Minister declares phone millionaire as donor of his £15,000 New Year break in Mustique with Carrie Symonds - but tycoon says: Oh no, I wasn't...

What the heck is going on here?

But last night Mr Ross – a Tory donor who co-founded the Carphone Warehouse chain – insisted he was not the owner of the villa and had not paid for Mr Johnson’s stay.

and

Mr Ross said last night that while Mr Johnson had asked him for help finding accommodation on Mustique, he had not provided the villa.

and

Downing Street sources insisted last night that Mr Johnson’s holiday had been properly declared.

Mr Johnson’s entry said: ‘Accommodation for a private holiday for my partner and me'

They claimed that Mr Ross was responsible for the gift as he had arranged the stay.

Hmmm....

What the heck is going on here?

Mysterious villa, owned by unknown person, and another unknown person just happened to not be able to stay there just as Mr Johnson was looking for a holiday on the island? And then its declared in the name of someone who utterly denies it.

Very strange.

Just been reading that - the most interesting thing to me is that it's the Mail breaking it. I imagine it will be met with the usual yawns of indifference from Johnson supporters

Johnson is talking about building a bridge between Scotland and Ireland. I saw this on one of my facebook pages and it's too good not to share.

Isn't George Eustace the bicycling Baronet? If so, perhaps not a bad choice for Environment.

I’m sure that anyone who serves time as a Tory whip is a pretty ruthless and possibly unpleasant person. But having said that, I thought Julian Smith one of the few sane, principled and competent people in Government. So not surprised if BJ wants to sack him.

Isn't George Eustace the bicycling Baronet?

No - that was George Young. Eustice has been at MAFF for quite a while though, so probably a good fit for Environment.

If the idea of the reshuffle is to move on to the implementation phase, then it would be odd to keep Truss and lose Smith, who is the only government minister to have achieved anything since the election.

FT reporting what is thought to be the first tangible impact of the U.K. losing its veto over EU policy: the Cayman Islands has been added to a blacklist of tax havens.

Cayman Islands blacklisted as a tax haven? A Brexit bonus at last, although not one which was expected!

"Predictable" more than "expected" I'd say.

Not the sort of Brexit bonus the Leavers will be celebrating, I expect.

I wonder if the Isle of Man and Jersey will be threatened with blacklisting too.

Smith has gone by the way. No room for a man of some ability in the cabinet of all the untalented.

It's probably not a Cabinet anyone would want on their CV

So does Smith going a punishment for failure, because really the gov wanted to prevent restoration of Stormont? Confused.

Also does the Cayman blacklist mean that British individuals and companies registered there will have to declare income & reveal information over the next 11 months before we leave?

Confused again as to the consequences but pleased we can no longer control the EU by preventing it from taking action against tax avoidance.

For someone who could make a success of the NI brief, it could enhance their reputation. It would have to be someone who believes in reconciliation and healing - which I suspect are qualities in short supply in Government at present.

Do we know who is replacing Smith - someone who will blunder around and make re-unification come a step closer?

McVey gone as well - so at least the loss of a fuckwit to counterbalance losing the competent Smith.

The biggest fuckwit of all is in charge