Westministenders: Festive Edition

[RedToothBrush]

Good King BBBBaBoris looked out,
on the Port of Dover,
There the shit lay round about,
Deep around the stopover;
Brightly shone the moon that night,
Tho’ the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight,
Delivering stuff for Yule.

“Bugger SAGE and stand by me,
We've all stuff that needs selling,
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?”
“Sire, he lives a good league hence,
The other side the EU;
Though relations maybe tense,
He's trying to get goods through.”

“Oh god I need another wine,
I have many crisis to consider:
We must tell them its all fine,
I must not be seen to dither.”
SAGE and monarch, forth they went,
forth they went together;
Through the nation's sad lament
and really crappy weather.

“Sire, our plight is darker now,
And the covid transmission stronger;
Fails my heart, I know not how;
To keep Tier 2 much longer.”
“Soon we can drop their wage.
And treat them all more coldly
In Britain's new chrony age
A time to rob more boldly.”

In their master’s steps they trod,
On the quest to get minted;
Each and every last sod
Needs to be fingerprinted.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
DWP claimants are processing,
Ye who now will bless the poor,
God its all so depressing.

@Peregrina

Looks like good old Boris wasn't a terribly good negotiator. Who would have thought it? Still cue more EU bashing from the right wing press. How long will they be able to milk this?

After you and I are long turned to dust.

I guess they still want the right wing press to carry on with the them against us rhetoric, to enable them to continue to not deal with the genuine issues, and just give more and more lucrative contracts to their mates.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2020/12/28/objectively-the-brexit-agreement-is-an-awful-deal-that-were-going-to-long-regret/

Posted on December 28 2020

I posted this not long ago as a Twitter thread:

The more I read it the more I am perplexed by the Brexit deal.

It is an OK deal for trade in goods. Except for a mountain of very expensive and burdensome red tape, that is. And red tape and burdens on business are the thing the Tories always supposedly hated.

And the priority on the trade in goods also makes no sense for a service economy, which we are since the Tories abandoned manufacturing.

Plus, the deal leaves financial services, that are supposedly our greatest success story, and the biggest suppliers of funds to the Tories, in limbo.

The professions, barring lawyers, are meanwhile stuffed without mutual recognition. Many career paths will fall apart as a result of that.

And the progressions have been the backbone of Tory support for generations.

Most people have lost freedom of movement and have won in exchange riskier, and more expensive, holidays as a result.

Practically, we won nothing on migration.

We certainly did not seem to win on fish.

Students lost Erasmus.

And Universities will lose out on research funding.

We lost sovereignty in Northern Ireland. The UK is now in the extraordinary position of having an internal border and part of its territory within a trading bloc and the rest not.

Scotland has been alienated, I suspect forever.

International relations are weaker.

And what did we win for all this? Freedom from the European Court of Justice? Was there anything else?

Oh yes, there are going to be freeports, which are something we had within EU rules until 2012 and gave up because they provided no obvious benefits then.

And just in case anyone wants to know what a freeport is it’s a place where goods can move without tariffs and excise duties at its international border,

which is something we’re just giving up in the rest of the UK.

Why then is this a good deal?

Why is anyone backing it?

And why is Labour voting for it?

I wish I knew. But I don’t, because objectively it’s an awful deal that we’re going to long regret. And from that fact (for fact it is) it’s going to be hard to move on.

It is an OK deal for trade in goods

Except that it is missing things (on SPS, on short term visa free travel for eg) that are present in other FTAs such as CETA and EU-Japan. Which suggests that the U.K. was so busy defending its position on sovereignty that it forgot to make many "offensive" asks.

And what did we win for all this? Freedom from the European Court of Justice?

Only it seems we're not free of the ECJ, so they didn't even "win" that.

Is it any wonder that all the EU nations have been so quick to approve the deal? They've got everything they wanted, and probably even more!

"objectviely..." hee hee, DGR as you probably know this guy is a campaigner. There is nothing 'objective' about anything he writes.

For info:
www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/richard-murphy/

How very dare DGR quote an "anti-poverty campaigner". Disgusting!

Femi doing it once again. Showing how Boris Johnson doesn't agree with Boris Johnson...

.

Louise then find a reasoned poster on the Brexit side who can rebut these statements.

Not Johnson's bombast of how it's all going to be great, global, and whatever bollocks he spouts. One thing that any one who supports him should have learnt over his Covid handling is that he says one thing one day and then backs down and says the opposite two days later.

Louise
I am greatly relieved that we have a deal
because no deal would have been shit
but NOTHING I've read
uses facts to prove that this deal is actually good for the UK

if you can find it, I'd be delighted to read

1. I don't support Johnson and never have
2. Do your own research

I honestly can't say I "know" this deal will be good for the U.K. All I can currently say is that I'd rather have one than not have one. I am hopeful that as good things emerge I shall be able to post about them.

I think most of us think that a poor deal is better than a bad deal, despite the slogan parroted by the Leave side.

But I asked you to find someone to rebut those points because you couldn't say what was wrong with Richard Murphy except make an ad hominem attack.

Labour’s voting for it because what are their options now? It’s this or no deal, 3 days before the end of transition. It’s a sensible enough move under those circumstances. If they refuse Johnson can and will make capital out of it.

I’m puzzled about financial services too. They have prioritised that sector for so long. To prioritise removal from EU oversight perhaps?

Labour IMO are being stupid. When it goes tits up, the Tories will pass the blame to them.

All the Opposition parties should abstain. Johnson with his 80 seat majority would get it through even with the 40 odd ERG rebels voting against it. The rest can make it clear by their comments, which will get recorded in Hansard, that this is a poor deal which is only better than no deal, but that its a Tory project and they must own it.

All I did was point out the guy's background, that's hardly unreasonable IMO. If someone starts from the position that our EU membership was an ideal situation, it is unsurprising that the will assert that any other arrangment will be found unsatisfactory.

Did he start with the position that our membership was ideal, or did he start from the position that we already had a good deal, which at great expense we have swapped for a poor one?

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said they will vote against the Trade and Cooperation Agreement reached between the United Kingdom and the European Union

as the Northern Ireland Assembly is set to be recalled to discuss the Brexit trade deal. The DUP said they will vote against the deal "as a point of principle and not because

we supported a no deal option. A free trade deal is better than no deal but for Northern Ireland this deal does not undo the detrimental aspects of the Protocol".

DUP Leader Arlene Foster MLA said: “Whilst recognising this agreement brings about tariff and quota free trade between the UK and the EU and thus reducing the impact

on the Great Britain to Northern Ireland trade flows we still have many negative issues arising from the Protocol. On that basis we will vote against this agreement.

We will continue to work to mitigate the worst excesses of the separate Northern Ireland arrangements whilst exploring new opportunities for Northern Ireland.

"Our challenge going forward will be to press the Government to get a better outcome in those areas where more work is needed.

"These arrangements flowing from the protocol are of course temporary, in that the Northern Ireland Assembly will have the opportunity to revisit the protocol and vote upon it in four years time.”

The SDLP and Alliance have also indicated they will vote against the deal, while Sinn Fein do not take their seats in the Commons.

The Stormont Executive agreed the move in a special meeting which was held virtually on Monday afternoon.

It is understood the session will take place on Wednesday.

The House of Commons is also set to meet on Wednesday to discuss its reaction to the deal.

A spokesperson for the Stormont Executive said: “A special meeting of the Executive was held this afternoon to consider the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK and the EU.

“Ministers provided an initial high-level assessment of the agreement and officials will bring forward detailed analysis for Executive consideration.

“The Executive agreed that the First Minister and Deputy First Minister should write to the Speaker to ask for the Assembly to be recalled for a Take Note Debate on the Agreement that has been reached.”

The SNP are voting against too. I dunno, I think it’s one of those things that does not have a ‘right’ answer. Perhaps the - sorry, but - smaller parties dedicated to specific causes have the luxury of sticking to a point of principle, but, for what is the national opposition a bit more pragmatism is more to be admired? I’m trying to skirt around Scotland here and failing! When I saw SNP say they’d vote against I thought ‘oh, you’d abandon us to no deal would you.’

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said they will vote against the Trade and Cooperation Agreement reached between the United Kingdom and the European Union

As usual, Ulster says No

The Opposition and the SNP are in a real bind.
the minor parties are exactly that

TBH if I had Starmer's ear, I would encourage abstention
as then Brexit is purely a Tory project

I'll be honest that Sturgeon would be best to advise her Westminster team to also file out of the chamber and forget to file through the chambers

if the Vote shows that only Tories are for or against this deal
it will go into the historical record

overall positions on Brexit are now water under the bridge.

The vote on Wednesday is only about the deal on the table
NOT the history of the last five years

We have to look forwards not back.
This is Johnson's deal
his MPs should vote on it.

@KonTikki

God, I just hope Gove doesn't replace Bojo. In fact, I would rather keep the bumbling bafoon for now, owning Brexit and all that comes with it, than have him replaced by Gove. I really can't stand listening or seeing that man.

Having been exposed to a number of vile liars in my earlier life I now have a very low tolerance indeed. So my inability to listen to any of them is perhaps not typical. The one one I can currently tolerate is Sunak. I've a feeling that may not last though. I am battening down for an onslaught of that idiot 'The Boy Gav' this week. And more Gove. I am actually swerving the news at present I feel so sick about it all.

@ListeningQuietly

The Opposition and the SNP are in a real bind. the minor parties are exactly that

TBH if I had Starmer's ear, I would encourage abstention
as then Brexit is purely a Tory project

I'll be honest that Sturgeon would be best to advise her Westminster team to also file out of the chamber and forget to file through the chambers

if the Vote shows that only Tories are for or against this deal
it will go into the historical record

overall positions on Brexit are now water under the bridge.

The vote on Wednesday is only about the deal on the table
NOT the history of the last five years

We have to look forwards not back.
This is Johnson's deal
his MPs should vote on it.

Word perfect @ListeningQuietly

I wish 'Led by Donkeys' could project this onto the side of the HoP!

This is Johnson's deal his MPs should vote on it.

Absolutely. Like the vote when they tried to rip up clauses in the Withdrawal agreement. The vote for was wholly Tory (and DUP?). As it happened, that didn't come to pass, despite the Tory desire to break international law, because the wrong man won in America.

I have written to my MP to tell her that I would like to see her abstain.
The Tories need to own their shit. If they make a success of it, for the whole nation, not just a few cronies, then they can own that too.

No one I have spoken to recently, outside my own family, knows that this deal has to be voted on. They think it’s already happened because BJ said so on the telly. I have blown a few minds by telling them it’s not so, and that the European Parliament have to ratify it as well.