Westminstenders: Off he pops to Brussels

[RedToothBrush]

Alex Andreou @sturdyalex
There's no way Johnson has not already decided whether or not to concede on Level Playing Field. Which makes the trip to Brussels dressing. Whether it will dress a concession as "I have saved us" or No Deal as "I tried my best" remains to be seen. But the choice is already made.

Amanda Cole @amandajanecole
What's your gut feeling, will he put his job ahead of the country? Given his past self serving form?

Alex Andreou @sturdyalex
I think he is so cornered - and has done so badly on Covid19 - his instinct will be one last, double-or-nothing throw of the dice. Only no deal does that.

The issue is that coming back with a deal will earn him much heckling and zero back-slapping from his peers. But no deal will earn him just as much heckling, but also plenty of back-slapping. What I don't know is just how ominous the departmental briefings he's getting are.

Its also worth noting the following:

Mujtaba Rahman @mij_europe
I understand @BorisJohnson wanted @EmmanuelMacron & Merkel to join his phone call with @vonderleyen last night, but she rejected the idea

So even yesterday he was STILL looking to undermine the EU and split its leaders. After all this time and the number of times he's tried this on.

Have no doubt that a) everything will be blamed on Macron (probably personally, with Conservative hardliners coming out calling for the public to boycott French cheese and wine - I'm serious btw) and covid b) covid provides a handy distraction at least for the moment. It will be used accordingly - that means its possibly now not in Johnson's interest to stop a spike in January. All efforts will be put into the vaccine rollout for PR but thats going to hit the breaks fairly soon. No doubt the EU will be blamed for that too.

What I'm not anticipating is another full lockdown. I think at least parts of Greater Manchester will now get out of T3 on 16th December. Traffords numbers look exceptional and I think it politically impossible for Johnson to keep it in T3. Its Graham Brady's patch and Manchester as a whole looks far far better than T2 London.

Anyone who gets out of T3 before Christmas won't go back into it. I'm not anticipating London to go T3 unless No Deal turns really ugly and its useful to quell civil unrest.

I think if we head into no deal then tight restrictions won't be used for covid reasons no matter how bad the hospitals get - it will only be about civil unrest, it will all be about keeping the economy going - backbench revolts are what scare Johnson most, and he's already said no more Tiers after the start of Feb.

We shall see what the day brings...

What is wrong with me? I keep coming on here, looking at news sources, hoping that there will be some good news. That it won't be so calamitous after all. Feel like a child that needs to be reassured after a nightmare 🙄

Same @tobee ...... and it just keeps on getting worse .
The debt - saving industries that wouldn't need saving , if they had not perused this lunacy

@tobee

What is wrong with me? I keep coming on here, looking at news sources, hoping that there will be some good news. That it won't be so calamitous after all. Feel like a child that needs to be reassured after a nightmare 🙄

You are human? You recognise a a corrupt arse of a disaster capitalist puppet as PM?

Worst is still to come as the shit actually hits the fan.

Lots of people won't understand what the fuck is happening because they aren't paying attention. Just like they didn't in January and February.

I just feel like a helpless child

I'm with you tobee and frankly after the year I've had I can't take it. I am actually scared now.

Psychologically at least we're prepared for it to be utterly shit. This will blindside people who don't have a clue it's coming. I did my crying over Brexit in 2019 - distinctly remember a session sobbing on a bench in the garden, and my DH bringing out a cup of tea. I'm not resigned to it now, but I think I've done my grieving, ifyswim?

Now the government are briefing the Telegraph that they will bail out industries fucked by their own policy

Dare I be the first to mention the phrase “Magic Money Tree”? Farmers voted for this en masse for some reason. Although I am glad that our local food sectors are mentioned.

I'll probably start having no deal dreams now. I've been having (relatively mundane) Covid dreams. Mostly around being out and about amongst loads of people and suddenly thinking "fuck! No one's social distancing and I'm not wearing a mask!"

There you go, I've made your Saturday night - talking about my dreams

If the vaccine is a success then the Covid excuse will also disappear.

I would be perfectly happy to see the Tories start bailing out industries - a nice bit of Keynesian economics, but I think the current batch of Tories would find this hard to do. They would rather die in ditches. Although the man who was going to die in a ditch is still alive and kicking.

I don't feel like a helpless child. Thats part of my current problem. Having seen the housing crisis of 2008 play out and knowing it was going to happen (and factoring it into how and what we bought in 2007) and having listened to 'well no one could have predicted it', to seeing the same pattern playing out in 2016 with the ref and how thats gradually unwound and then seeing it again in 2020 I'm more in the 'adult who is almightly cheesed off' camp.

I have not been right on everything but i do know and recognise a major incoming problem. I don't know exactly how it will play out but i can take some reasonable guesses. And right now i know the next two to three weeks are going to be a car crash and I'm already pissed off with all the people spouting bullshit about 'we couldn't have know / planned for / its not our fault crap'. I just want to scream at people 'pay more fucking attention'.

I feel like I'm waiting for the kids dicking about at the top of the cliff to fall off, and i can't get there in time, but as the sole responsible adult for miles i have to keep watching and trying to stop it happening even though its an exercise in utter futility. But i have to do it anyway for my own sanity.

I know how the next few weeks are going to go to a degree with delivery and supply chain but i don't know to what extent. Just that will be a problem and lots of people are going to get very upset. I can only hope that the last few years have been worthwhile and that i may have helped someone avoid a different situation to the one they may have been in on the first.

I know bad things are going to happen. Just not exactly what or to the extend.

And the irony is if im wrong thats the best news of all. Being right means, i laugh, because its sure a bittersweet hollow feeling to be a witness to a multi car pile up knowing the debris in the road coming for avoid. Its a feeling like "i told you kids this was a bad idea and you'll hurt yourself" just before they crash onto the rock below. And it isn't that nice.

I am rapidly running out of patience with people intend on ignoring the 'danger high cliffs, risk of falling' signs.

It's annoying me because it's making me selfish because when it comes down to it I'm just worried about the fact meds may not be available. Which could make me ill. My 85 year old father very ill. And kill my 58 year old husband very quickly. I don't want to be a selfish arsehole thinking about me and mine. I know others will be deeply affected in similar ways. But this is going to be very, very personal.

Annoying might be an understatement

I could do without the possibility of the population going apeshit and rioting etc ad well. We saw what happened with the 2011 riots which could be nothing in comparison in terms of the effects.

@RedToothBrush I know what you mean about seeing what’s going to happen but not being able to do anything about it. The unknown to me is how much the general public buy the total bullshit that’s being pedalled. As an aside it’s very hysterical which always has an air of desperation to me., don’t know if that means there’s a worry people won’t fall for it. Thank you for keeping these threads running over the past 4+ years. Insightful and informative

The Mail on Sunday headline is just batshit.

Completely irresponsible batshit at that.

So a typical one then?

@RedToothBrush you have definitely helped me! I wouldn’t have a clue what was going on or what was about to happen if I’d relied on the MSM for info. The idea of not being able to feed my family terrifies me, but thanks to you I have been able to prepare sufficiently to be in a state of relative calm at the moment.

The Mail headline this morning is awful. Also the Express is blatantly lying about us being ready for no deal

And sooooooo the day is heeeeere 🎶 (sung to the tune of My Way)

4 years of this bloody nonsense and today is likely the day the chickens come home to roost. I can't believe we've been talking about this for 4 YEARS (well longer, if you count the 'time before')

I reckon we're about 99.3% on for no deal now.

For now I shall busy myself with questions like: What time are we going to find out? Shall I take the dog out early so as to be able to give this joy my full attention later? Are they going to say that's it, finito, or is it going to be that painful/putting off the inevitable phrase that they'll keep talking (and get nowhere)

It's going to be quite the day. I'll be here to provide the trivia alongside your insightful and thoughtful commentary.

I have an angry knot in my stomach because people still don't know that the shit hitting the fan is about to become an uncontrollable volume.

On a personal level, I feel I've done the best I can to mitigate personal impact. This year I've been learning to accept that I simply cannot control everything in my life and we will just have to deal with any nasty surprises as they arise.

Raab is on Sky News just now, he sounds like a surly teenager 'they won't tell us what we can and can't do' he categorically doesn't seem to understand that if we want a trade deal with them, then it's rather (to continue the teenager analogy) 'their house, their rules.'

After this performance, I increase my 99.3% to 99.7% 🙄

Tokyo if you are trying to think of important life changing questions for the day, here are some fun ones to consider:

I hear there will be a thriving black market in and around around Popular 2000 Services in the weeks ahead. Think of the Brexit opportunities and come up with a suitable business plan. It could be people smuggling Brits to Ireland.

Or important questions like how the fuck do I do the shopping if I can't use the car due to the traffic at Bridgefoot which is avoiding the M6 jams? Will i need to go to alternative town in the opposite direction instead?

Or how many people does it take to hijack a lorry full of food supplies?

Or will Bents still have enough pitchforks in stock on the 4th January?

Or how can me and my street defend itself from hoards of looters looking to burgle freezer in search of pizzas?

Or will catering supply companies be as screwed? Could i bulk order products and then flog em to the neighbours at an inflated price? What will be in short supply?

How many frozen pizzas from Tesco can i fit in my car? Is there still time to hook up my shed with electricity and power 8 freezers for my new planned 'business venture'?

Or equally good questions like what is your zombie apocalypse plan? Do you have an emergency box which is fully stocked with batteries, torch, water purification tablets and axe for lobbing off zombie limbs? (this made for an amusing night down the pub in early March btw. It is surprising how many people have an emergency box in case of disaster and how many people who have actually considered what they would do in the zombie apocalypse!)

That should keep you busy and entertained for the day.

Just went and looked at the Daily Fail. That lead headline plus all of the other headlines.

ffs- 10 ways to make no deal a success. Including such helpful hints as buy a second home, and that Japanese food such as Udon Noodles will be cheaper. Great

Oh @RedToothBrush I love you just a little bit more after that post!

@TokyoSushi I refuse to watch any of them on TV - I can't be arsed listening to the excuses (plus it's terrible for my mental health)..... however DH and I were discussing last night as we hopped into bed that Johnson and has cabal are behaving exactly like teenagers.

I unpacked a supermarket order this morning wondering at the purchase of lentils and pulses ..... as my kids are not fans.... then thought "well if they are hungry enough, they will eat them"

I cook a lot with ricotta...... do you think I can freeze it?