Westminstenders: Following the EU lead

[RedToothBrush]

Coronavirus poses a particularly Irish shaped question. How the UK responds to Irish plans for ending lockdown and whether Arlene continues to back an all Ireland plan will be fascinating to watch and see justified regardless of which way we go.

The UK for all its new found independence is looking very closely to the success / failure of EU strategies before making our own plan public. Mainly because we've yet to write one.

Johnson hasn't led much. He's delegated. Yet he gets all the praise for doing the sum total of fuck all and never being the bad guy. There always another fall guy to blame.

Economically we are stuffed and promises of a very quick bounce back don't look likely based on public confidence and willingness to return to places like pubs restaurants and shops.

Our ability to adapt to new conditions at short notice has been tested and businesses can not afford to do this again soon.

This is the background to which we go into talks. Both sides need an extension to serve their best interests. Johnson is determined to cut our nose of to spite our face for the sake of his legacy and to keep those paying the back handers and dodging tax happy.

Our first peonies have bloomed!

Auld. -that does sound grim. We were talking to the kids last night about school - what they are missing. DS is 15 and has always been on the solitary end of the social spectrum (dyspraxia doesn't help this - or is maybe the reason for it) and he is really missing the comradery of lessons, sport - hanging out in the house ( he boards). Trying to keep DD at distance from her friends would be impossible..... they are constantly doing each other's hair etc....

Gah, I meant prettybird's garden, though I'm sure pointy has a lovely garden, too.
Plot being lost here...

My dog enjoying a picnic in the garden. Should I move her on?😂

Countries are generally held to be feminine, hence Britannia and not Britannicus.

The interesting divide is between those people that speak of a fatherland and the ones with a motherland.

There is patriotism, but not matriotism.

Louise - tulips are dead easy, it's just a case of remembering to order them and then remembering to plant them (I'm always really late planting them) And the. Ignoring them In theory, I'm supposed to plant this year's tulips in the rest of the flower borders toget better value from them , but I never get round to it so the bulbs go to waste

...And then ignoring them In theory, I'm supposed to plant this year's tulips in the rest of the flower borders to get better value from them , but I never get round to it forget so the bulbs go to waste

Countries are generally held to be feminine, hence Britannia and not Britannicus.

Brittunculi ?

Still bright and colourful though which for a couped up BH weekend is very welcome. Somewhat sad to see that the VE Day 75 has been mostly scotched by Coronavirus but entirely understandable in the circs.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/08/revealed-uk-scientists-fury-over-attempt-to-censor-covid-19-advice

Peregrina
Clavinova - you weren't actually called stupid
"you obviously don't know what you are talking about and are just making yourself look stupid."
in respect to posts about the Chinese language, which unfortunately subsequent posts rather bore out.

Sigh - only just noticed your post - enjoying my garden.

Sorry, but I object to 'making yourself look stupid' as well. Chinese as as a blanket term seems perfectly acceptable everywhere else;

www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-chinese-syllabus-changed-back-to-school-10664986

www.cambridge.org/core/books/teaching-chinese-as-an-international-language/5B9E0039ABCEB99FD27DC51FDBFE4F11

Obviously as typo with 'as'.

Not going well - two glasses of Pimm's!! -

DGR - now that's real censorship and a concrete example of refusing to accept criticism.

My garden is embryonic, having been redone from scratch and not completed due to lockdown. But the veggies are coming up a treat.

Just brushing up on my German ...

"large blocks of text in the report, produced by SPI-B, the Sage subcommittee providing advice from behavioural scientists on how the public might respond to lockdown measures, were entirely blanked out."

The Guardian likes behavioural scientists when it suits them - at other times they are an unnecessary addition thought up by Dominic Cummings.

Grim news from Italy . I think they are a little behind the UK on total deaths now. The wording of this headline really did grab my attention. This is the first one I can recall being phrased like this. Maybe the Beeb are finally beginning to publicly acknowledge the reality of Brexit in their reporting.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-52594570

My garden. Has definitely benefitted from me being in lockdown.

I am not sure what significance a trade agreement (or lack of it) has here Louise. Are we going to start talking about weather in the EU, fashion in the EU, gardening in the EU? Is "Europe" not a thing anymore?
What is the "reality of Brexit" in a pandemic in a geographical area?

I think I know what Louise means. I did double take and think "oh, have they adjusted their numbers?" before realising it said EU, not Europe, and we're not in EU anymore.

Res ipsa loquitor

I certainly hope “Europe” is still a thing! That the EU became for some a synonym for Europe is greatly to be regretted in my view.

I think you make a good point about the trade agreement thing missclimpson lots of “EU-27” has been referred to in the negotiations, understandably. I hope an agreement will be struck, btw.

I was getting at this being the first time I’ve seen a report headline so boldly saying “in the EU” and taken the implication and thought “that’s not us anymore”

I was getting at this being the first time I’ve seen a report headline so boldly saying “in the EU” and taken the implication and thought “that’s not us anymore”

You're a bit late to the party. Some people were thinking that since 1973