Westminstenders: Prepare for what we said would never happen

[RedToothBrush]

I think that there may be a run on tinned tomatoes and pasta coming. Pizza will no longer have mozzarella in 2021.

On the plus side turnips are in season.

Too right, pretty!

@prettybird I agree.
I wouldn't dream for the EU to go back in the rules of the single market etc....

But I am concerned that, for example, a border whithin the U.K. will lead to more issues than it will solve.

The reality is that the U.K. just could not get both the ‘complete’ freedom from the EU AND the free movement between NI and IReland. So it was always going to be a huge sore point.
I wouldn’t want the EU to put the UK into a corner where it gets the worst of all world iyswim.

The EU so far is acting as the adult in the situation. Always reliable, calm etc...
But it is also very able to defend its own interests very strongly. Barnier is a good and strong negotiator (hence he managed to get the agreement in NI). I somehow doubt he won’t jump at the opportunity to get more if he can do it.

My recollection is that when I was a child "English" and "British" were generally used interchangeably.

Not if you lived in Wales either.

I think though that this idea of British = English does highlight the English mindset. Then they wonder why Scotland in particular wants independence.

Agreed, Peregrina.

I wouldn’t want the EU to put the UK into a corner where it gets the worst of all world iyswim.

The UK have painted themselves into that corner. May's red lines, without any thought for the impact on the GFA, have meant the UK cannot get what they want without breaking the GFA. But breaking the GFA also prevents the UK getting what it wants.

I can confirm that British and English being used interchangeably really only happened/happens in England - within the UK, that is.
In France, it happens all the bloody time. I don't know how many letters I've written to Le Monde about it

And in my research group, where I'm surrounded by people who claim to be specialists on British history, someone once said, "England is surrounded by the sea."
I may have coughed quite loudly at that point.

When I was spending my year in France near Bagnols-sur-Cèze, as an assistante , I got that a lot . I had to explain that I was ecossaise et britannique those were the days mais je ne suis pas anglaise

I used to threaten to call them belgique if they continued to refuse to understand the distinction

Maybe it was because I mainly spent time in Paris, but every French person I met was able to tell that a girl in our group was from Glasgow. If she spoke French, they'd reply in French. If any of us did - immediate reply in English. A poster here would know why

I agree there's confusion; I've heard one or two Americans refer to the UK as England. Once I was even asked there if Scotland is in England.

I can only imagine how annoying that must be to people from Scotland.

Oh you're from England, is that part of Paris?
I love your accent are you Australian?
Can you say Harree Podder?

Count yourselves lucky dealing with Europeans

@HesterThrale

I agree there's confusion; I've heard one or two Americans refer to the UK as England. Once I was even asked there if Scotland is in England.

I can only imagine how annoying that must be to people from Scotland.

To be fair, a lot of Brits know fuck all about where things are in the US. And that's before they start confusing cities and states.

I wonder what the UKs new tought stance on Eu criminals will mean for UK tourists to the EU ? Assuming tourism becomes a thing again.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54639677

Many more EU citizens with criminal records will be barred from entering the UK from January, the Home Office has said.

People sentenced to more than a year in prison will be turned away, in line with other foreign nationals.

(contd)

I wonder what the UKs new tought stance on Eu criminals will mean for UK tourists to the EU ? Assuming tourism becomes a thing again.
TBH other European countries have always found it astounding that the UK, despite not being in Schengen, never properly recorded who was in the country and where they lived.

A British rough sleeper in Vienna would be given their marching orders EU or not because that is the Austrian rule.

And any rules applying to criminals will only hit poor ones.
Rich ones will still be welcome to buy property in South Ken

DGR you didn't post the crucial line from that article.

But there are concerns a no-deal Brexit could make it harder to identify foreign criminals, BBC home editor Mark Easton said.

Same thing May made a point about in the Commons this week. Thats former home secretary and architect of the hostile environment.

So the governments current policy is: 'We will stop more EU criminals coming into the country but we won't have any idea who these people are when they turn up at the border because we won't have access to records to identify who these evil foriegners actually are.'

Because obviously we have some really good joined up thinking going on as per usual.

I guess once they sort that out though, there will be a boom in black market passports for Brits with a criminal record who still wish to go to go on holiday Spain though. #BrexitOpportunities.

@HesterThrale

I agree there's confusion; I've heard one or two Americans refer to the UK as England. Once I was even asked there if Scotland is in England.

I can only imagine how annoying that must be to people from Scotland.

I think every American I've ever spoken / come across online to is in the habit of this tbh. I get the impression its an Americanism.

I guess once they sort that out though, there will be a boom in black market passports for Brits with a criminal record who still wish to go to go on holiday Spain though. #BrexitOpportunities.

With deeply rich irony, a Brit abroad almost invariably stands out like a sore thumb - so casually dodgy documents won't do. Whereas in the UK a foreigner is a foreigner - could be from anywhere.

DH has a thing where he's regularly mistaken for a local whereever we go on holiday in Europe. Its become a bit of a running joke. We must be doing something right to not stick out like a sore thumb and must look 'European' in some way. I wish I knew why we did.

I understand that Belgium can throw people out if they haven't found a job within three months- is that correct?

If so, Patel's scheme sounds like something we could have done all along if we chose to, and was nothing to do with the EU, but it plays well to the true BeLeavers.

I once enjoyed myself making 2 German play a guessing game about where I came from, as they couldn't place my accent (when I was speaking German). They gave up after they'd narrowed it down based on my responses, to somewhere 'north of England' and 'south of Iceland'.