Westministenders: The Beginning of Negotiations

[RedToothBrush]

Transition has a few hours left.

Then negotiations start and trade stops.

Far from being over, there are huge numbers of issues that lay unresolved.

And businesses both now in the UK and EU will cease to trade with each other just because the red tape is such a pain.

So whilst people will celebrate and think things are 'done' that just shows how much people are paying attention.

It will be interesting to see people gradually realising what has been lost...

Neither is killing them when they arrive....

No, but if people do wish to eat meat, this has to happen, and if so it is best to do it in as humane and stress free way as possible.

DB, as a small boy seeing some poultry hanging up, pointed out to the butcher that it was cruel to kill chickens. The butcher's response is not remembered.

Thanks XingMing for the tip.
Rebanks is a wonderful read; both poetry and pragmatic. Highly recommended. And very moving.

I didn’t know he’d written books too. I see his new one is highly acclaimed - I might get it. It seems many landowners are getting the return-to-nature message. I was given ‘Wilding’ for Christmas and am looking forward to reading it.

There’s a new organisation in East Anglia of 3 landowner farmers who aim to return 20% of their land to wildlife. Promising moves, I think.

www.wildeast.co.uk/

Wilding is such a positive book - appreciate not everyone can, or even should, do what they've done - but how quickly the wildlife comes back is amazing.

No, but if people do wish to eat meat, this has to happen, and if so it is best to do it in as humane and stress free way as possible

I don't really get hung up live animal transport, abattoirs aren't great places and to feed 500m europeans, then by default they have to have automated methods of slaughter, which means bigger and less humane abattoirs.

It would be better to focus on the conditions animals are transported in 7 the breaks they have, whatever the distance, esp as we aren't banning the transport of stock or breeding animals.

www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/brexit-ferry-completes-first-rosslare-dunkirk-sailing-1.4449281?fbclid=IwAR3XrmCIM_BIH0boGeN-HuIlKKfFVOcbVsYvwUc_z4NQPBtlnDek4R3nrZM

"Ferry completes first Rosslare [Irl] - Dunkirk [Fr] sailing"
6 sailings a week projected, each trip taking 24 hours.

@XingMing, bluefin tuna, currently seen in greater numbers than previously in British waters, are a threatened species.

There is no reason at all to let the fishermen of Britain loose on them.

Farming subsidies are to be cut by a minimum of half by 2024. You’re obviously aware that many farmers are dependent on those subsidies to stay profitable. They face major cuts without any obvious way of developing other income streams.

This is going to hit NI like an intercontinental ballistic missile delivering assured destruction.

I still find it hard to believe that a Tory Government, which used to reckon it was the party of business, has put up so many barriers to trade by increasing the tax burden and bringing in barriers to the movement of labour. For me, this weekend has given me the same sense of loss as the referendum result did.

@RedToothBrush

news.sky.com/story/british-expats-barred-from-boarding-flight-to-spain-as-id-documents-not-valid-post-brexit-12178554?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter British expats 'barred from boarding flight to Spain as ID documents not valid post-Brexit'

Airlines reportedly claim their proof of residency documents were no longer valid after the end of the UK-EU transition period.

Is this a reverse windrush?

No, doesn't look like another Windrush, certainly not from what I've been hearing.

After I posted comment on this upthread I've again been reading and hearing more reports indicating that this problem may in the main have been been caused by a misunderstanding at a low level, possibly within the airline(s) involved, of the Spanish entry requirements. There may also be a few cases of people living in Spain and returning to the country not having realised the steps they needed to take, or what documents they needed to have on them post 31st Dec to gain entry post transition.

From what it's worth on Sunday the Spanish authorities and agencies tried again to clarify the paperwork requirement:

www.citizensadvice.org.es/important-notice-from-the-spanish-embassy-for-resident-uk-nationals-entering-spain/?fbclid=IwAR0thkNEb7Hbbtrb8k5uH2-m9iTkX9gCKlCMiN_Y2B1PwUuqcl4BSovxomE

As a heads up another issue that is also leading to travellers being denied for flights to Spain and elsewhere in the EU is that the pre-departure Covid testing requirements can differ significantly from nation to another.

Main problem seems to be the type of test which is allowable, and the time window during which the test is valid for travel.

From what I can gather, only going by British Airways flights, it seemed that they put a stop on on line check ins to holders of British passports, but then don't know enough about each country's Covid requirements nor what the residence documents look like. Then at the other end, the receiving country may not fully know what it's supposed to do. Hence yesterday's foul ups, which was relatively busy as people tried to get back to return to work.

If you ask why did people come back? For many, the Christmas holiday was the first chance in a year to get back to see families, so is it surprising that they took the opportunity?

For EU citizens in the UK it is IMO potentially a Windrush situation. An EU resident in the UK but trying to come into the country doesn't have a piece of paper to show their status, but is, I understand, dependent on the various officials having access to the Home Office systems. What could possibly go wrong?

From what I can gather, only going by British Airways flights, it seemed that they put a stop on on line check ins to holders of British passports, but then don't know enough about each country's Covid requirements nor what the residence documents look like.

I have some sympathy with the BA ground staff, whose numbers have been cut drastically over the last few years and who are quite possibly struggling with antiquated IT systems...

Over the last few months entry requirements (both in terms of documents and Covid testing) around the world have changed dramatically and thee workload on ground staff has increased exponentially.

As a result staff member may be required to check somebody flying to Spain one minute, France the next and the States the next so in theory they are supposed to be able to recognise documents various, or at the very least have quick access to a robust IT system that helps with verification...

Ground staff know mistakes shouldn't happen, when they do is often down to workload, due to decisions made on staffing levels and support (IT and otherwise) that were made some time ago by those in the higher pay grades.

I'll leave it there..

Hancock gaslighting again about the cause of the third wave:
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-schools-matt-hancock-lockdown-b1781868.html

But asked whether the government’s existing Tier 4 restrictions were working, the health secretary appeared to shift blame onto the public, telling the broadcaster: "It is down to people's behaviour, frankly. What matters is, yes of course, the rules that we put in place, but it is also about how people act.

They did tell people they could mix at Christmas. The schools situation is very worrying, I'm thinking they will have to close again soon.

DGRossetti If only you could have your schools.

Peregrina Glad your daughter is back now.

I would agree with you notimagain, so I don't really think I deserve the biscuit.The young lady checking my DD in was (as far as I could tell watching from the distance) perfectly pleasant and trying to do her job conscientiously,

or at the very least have quick access to a robust IT system that helps with verification..

Exactly what I said to DH as we drove home, knowing that the flight had taken off with DD on it. I lay the blame for this shit show firmly at the door of the Tory Government. A competent Government would have negotiated much much earlier so the airlines would have had time to get their IT systems adapted and up and running, and no doubt they will in due course. Although I didn't put it in such polite language!

All this bombast from Johnson about taking it down to the wire, because they EU cave in at the last moment, and who did cave in?

The fact that the other countries haven't a clue doesn't help either. But why haven't they a clue? Because of the fat lazy arse Johnson and his negotiating team blustering until the last minute.

I'd say it's much more because in the grand scheme of things they really can't be arsed. Worrying about UK citizens status vis-a-vis the EU isn't going to be too high on many peoples list of priorities. And this is British Airways. Imagine how few fucks ZlottyAir would give.

This article came up in my newsfeed this morning. I didn"t realise that the UK government were off loading responsibility for customs and excise charges to EU.companies. The knock on effect being EU companies no longer doing business with the UK. I don"t know why I'm surprised.

road.cc/content/news/brooks-england-stops-sales-uk-shoppers-because-brexit-279791?fbclid=IwAR01YTQdFSfORmx_rrN_q8BkN-T2e4cZn1VWgdAnURRN2oFoVWpVOsJo6SA

[quote FatCatThinCat]This article came up in my newsfeed this morning. I didn"t realise that the UK government were off loading responsibility for customs and excise charges to EU.companies. The knock on effect being EU companies no longer doing business with the UK. I don"t know why I'm surprised.

road.cc/content/news/brooks-england-stops-sales-uk-shoppers-because-brexit-279791?fbclid=IwAR01YTQdFSfORmx_rrN_q8BkN-T2e4cZn1VWgdAnURRN2oFoVWpVOsJo6SA[/quote]
I bet that won't get mentioned on the BBC.

In other news, Walsall saddlers became the worlds centre for ferret accessories after horse riding declined ....

DH will be very upset about Brooks saddles.

The Government will do the usual '"It's all the EU's fault" but sooner or later someone will say, "But we are not in the EU so why is this happening?"

It is exactly because this gov't is being run by dilettante scribblers who know jack all about business that we are in such a mess.

That article that FatCat posted notes how Brooks England is owned by an Italian firm. Most large firms have complex ownership patterns crossing multiple countries. Even SME's rely on a complex supply chain web across multiple countries.

Of course there will be some winners coming out of Brexit (firms handling customs documentation? Some types of farmers over other types of farmers) and for me that was the heart of the referendum problem.

Everyone was looking at their small piece of the puzzle. People spoke about making their decision on what was in it for them i.e. thinking purely as self interested atomistic individuals.

That was harmful on several levels.

For one they'd get that calculation plain wrong (vis Mr Glass Eels or the fish packing man) or make it out of spite (Dyson pissed off at German vacuum manufacturers) or even because of a belief that being out would be lead to better farmland management, but all of these reasons ignore how society ought to be is more than the sum of self interested individuals or one individual sector.

It is the gov'ts job to see the bigger picture across individuals and sectors and to make decisions in the best interest of the nation as a whole. Ours repeatedly fails at this job. Instead we are being governed by purely self interested atomistic individuals who are in the governing game for themselves.

The result is that the majority of us are the losers from leaving the CU/SM, greater cultural understanding and the peace and security that comes from close knit trading partners. And we are certainly all losers from having these inept career journalists in charge during a pandemic.

BBC fact checking Johnson
www.bbc.co.uk/news/55522329
snigger

It's a bit fucking late isn't it

Meanwhile, my astonishment knows no bounds...

www.timeshighereducation.com/news/doubts-raised-over-uks-alternative-toerasmus

"Turing scheme will not cover tuition fees, travel costs to the UK or staff exchanges, leaving UK universities to negotiate fee waivers"

Just for all those who claim/ed “the UK only joined a trading bloc in 1973”, DAG’s Law and Policy blog on:

The real origin of the European Union ‘supranationalist’ state – and why it still matters

davidallengreen.com/2021/01/the-real-origin-of-the-european-union-supranationalism-state-and-why-it-still-matters/

So what WILL the Turing scheme cover then?

@2magpies1pigeon

So what WILL the Turing scheme cover then?

Johnson's arse

^2magpies1pigeon

So what WILL the Turing scheme cover then?

Johnson's arse^