Westministenders: Reployed back to No Deal Planning

[RedToothBrush]

Now Covid-19 is over (yeah I know right) lots of civil servants who were switched from brexit no deal planning to covid-19 planning have been switched back to their original remit.

For some reason this doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

We've also seen yet another doubling down on the EU not being flexible and how they need to make a deal. And lots of rhetoric about being serious about no transiton planning.

Remember we have something of a deadline looming at the end of next month.

So before we are even out of this crisis, the government have lost interest. Today's press conference was an eye opener - Van Tam openly said that the time taken to get test results was too long and wasn't good enough yet and meant track and trace wasnt still operational despite it being such a crucial factor in being able to go into the next phase as planned on 1st June.

Another deadline we won't make - the Manchester Nightgale still has patients and the local authorities in the NW are going mental. So the government is playing more silly buggers over blame and villianising the evil workshy teachers. Noting the government guidance for teachers on how to teacher children at home says fuck all and the guidance on reopening schools makes a Theresa May dog ate my homework style document look positively well thought out, in terms of practicality. (Not even going to touch on the question of whether its safe - the whether its workable one is more important).

I guess that means things are getting back to normal at least.

A recession looms, but workers rights are now fair game and fully in the government cross hairs - as we see from a lack of PPE for the 'heroes' and the attacks on the teachers. As well as the carers who were sold down river. That'll be the ununionised carers...

Taking back control.

There seems EU to be a growing revolt of northern councils (NW in general and the North East around Tyneside). These are the areas the virus is still most prevelant.

Lots of people are going to go bonkers when 1st June doesn't happen cos psychologically they've pinned hopes on it.

But it is unrealistic and unreasonable in some places.

There will be fallout from it.

There is some discussion online over whether you can or should have a 'troika' of four. I think no on both counts. I'd call it a Tcheteerka, and note that we have one, with Gove, Raab, Hancock and Sunak running the country. This is one more than in 1955 when Eden, Macmillan and Butler took over from the indisposed Churchill and clean forgot to tell the nation the PM was halfway to being a vegetable.

Pmk once again.

That's more like a Gang of Four, Mockers.

I wonder if the previous owners or their sons and daughters actually want to buy their fishing boats back? Or is it all talk by the Brexiter lobby?

I'd either go back to the troika leaving out Raab from that list OR go for the Gang of Four by replacing Raab with Cummings.

My best friend's FIL died this morning in a nursing home in Wales from Covid pneumonia

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Hmpph - what is wrong with that cat? He just needs to take himself off to a new family, if the current ones are unsatisfactory.

pmk

Pmk. Thanks Red.

The level playing field also stated no state aid. Germany is giving state aid to its aeroplane industry but UK are not. Surely that is Germany breaking EU level playing field rules.
After December 31st I don't see what business it is of EU what UK decide to do.
Surely the reason for leaving is to become autonomous.

The level playing field also stated no state aid.

Did it really ? That must be one of the shortest clauses in any international agreement for a long while.

I wonder if there were a shedload of "ifs, buts and maybes" around that statement ?

I say that, because it was often claimed it was the EU that prevented the UK from nationalising the railways. Which was bollocks.

caring it's their business if we want a trade deal with the EU. Why on earth would you want a deal with someone who will lower standards and undercut you for everything, destroying your own industry?

Something farmers are currently rather pissed off with Liz Truss about, now I mention it...

PMK

Something farmers are currently rather pissed off with Liz Truss about, now I mention it...

However, given their overall support for Leave, it's hard to really find too much sympathy.

Indeed. But do we know if it's tenant farmers who are the Leave voters, or the land owners?

DGRosetti
I had an email from LeClercasking how you got a picture of his cat.

<span class="italic">Semi Random thought about Brexit / COVID</span>
The shops have been able to restock because the international food supply chain has been able to use the existing highly efficient free trade and tariff arrangements to flex and adjust supplies to meet needs
BUT 
On 31st December we close ourselves off from that <img loading="lazy" class="inline-flex mumsnet-emoji" alt="Sad" src="https://www.mumsnet.com/build/assets/sad-q5SIe0Cq.png">

Lockdown Update
The Grockles are back in the Forest.
car parks and picnic areas were full of groups and families
(all spaced out but a LOT of people)

Indeed. But do we know if it's tenant farmers who are the Leave voters, or the land owners?

Pretty certain - in the SW at least - it was the farmers. Besides, isn't the point of democracy that 1,000 farmers votes outweigh 10 landowners votes ?

PMK

The intersection between Brexit and COVID is interesting as regards Erasmus+.
UK universities are starting to contact us saying they cannot accept incoming exchange students for Sept and suggesting we postpone till the second semester in the hopes travel, etc. will be possible then.

But there is no certainty the UK will still be in the Erasmus+ programme after Dec 31st. Indeed, it seems unlikely, TBH, given how well everything is going thus far.

Leaving the whole issue, and a shedload of students, up in the air...

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PMK thanks as ever Red & all other contributors, I’m totally throughly utterly fed up if I hear one more person on my local radio say Boris is doing a good job, I may smash the radio into smithereens then dance on it just to make sure it’s dead.

and ...

DGR guess 'LeaveAlliance' should've been a bit more explicit in their 100's of articles/threads over the last 20 years. Somehow the message that brexit means no trade arrangements with the EU has superseded anything more subtle. Come to think of it, do Brexiteers do subtle?