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...

@ListeningQuietly - I am the bagel queen at ours, especially when the eldest is here as two bagels and half a dozen eggs counts as a light breakfast.

This predicts how the Tory party will split. For me the answer is Bring it on, but it's a pity the split couldn't have happened 5 years ago, before they damaged the country.

@Peregrina

VAT is an EU tax, so the UK could abolish and bring back a Purchase tax if they wanted.

Er, I don't think that was the idea.

Seems there's a notion that VAT could be scrapped to be replaced by nothing at all.

However, the great thing is it most certainly wasn't ever mentioned as official Leave policy, much less Tory 2019 manifesto (not that counts for much).

@Jason118

Well, I was planning to take Dobbin with me on holiday, but not now.

[[https://www.gov.uk/guidance/export-horses-and-ponies-special-rules?utm]]source=c9e49615-8251-4ff9-8b09-8e6712dcbcc1&utmmmedium=email&utmcampaign=govuk-notifications&utmmcontent=immediate

It was going to be even more complicated before the EU formally recognised the General Stud Book.

Equines covers horses, ponies and donkeys.

Funnily enough, when Thatcher won in 1979, and immediately VAT became a flat 15%*, my DM approved. The offset in lost money being made up for by the reduced complexity - as she was doing DFs accounts at the time.

*I know.
*Showing my age there. Who only remembers VAT as 17.5% ?

For the 2nd year in a row....

Not sure whether to be or (or both) at that, as that's only half the tea we drink: we mix it 50:50 with the Sainsbury's own brand loose Darjeeling tea

www.thenational.scot/news/18986276.wee-ginger-dug-tories-made-choice-now-scotlands-turn/

I agree with this:

The Tories had a choice between Brexit and their “precious Union”, they chose Brexit. In 2021, it will be Scotland’s turn to choose.

It will be interesting if Scotland does perceptibly less worse ("better" would be to ignore reality) than England out of Brexit. Thus further stoking the fire of English nationalism that I suspect will be the push (not pull) that sees Scotland independent.

Needless to say DGR I remember.

From the link I posted above, it looks like the Tories are going to be banging on about Europe for some time, and as pointed out, no Brexiter should be blaming anyone for the Deal has been implemented. We hold all the cards, remember.

Since they have helped to make my families lives difficult, I am enjoying them squabbling.

Equines covers horses, ponies and donkeys.

Semantically and grammatically yes. But it still sounds clunky. Maybe it's because it's the less familiar plural form ?

"Animals" also covers horses, ponies and donkeys ...

Maybe it's just me not being a horsey type ?

DGR
Showing my age there. Who only remembers VAT as 17.5% ?
3/23 for 15%
and then 4/47 for 17.5 %

@ListeningQuietly

DGR Showing my age there. Who only remembers VAT as 17.5% ? 3/23 for 15% and then 4/47 for 17.5 %

And there was an 8% rate too in 1979.

If my memory is correct, the budget where Norman Lamont raised it to 17.5% was the same one he bought in a tax on mobile phones ? And insurance policies.

And they say Labour is the party of taxation.

Maybe it's just me not being a horsey type ?
Saves writing out “horses, ponies, donkeys, donkeys, onagers, asses, mules” etc every time.

And forgot to add zebras in as well.

It’s guidance specific to equines, so that’s why they use “equines” as the overarching term.

@Peregrina

Needless to say DGR I remember.

From the link I posted above, it looks like the Tories are going to be banging on about Europe for some time, and as pointed out, no Brexiter should be blaming anyone for the Deal has been implemented. We hold all the cards, remember.

Since they have helped to make my families lives difficult, I am enjoying them squabbling.

Suits me

The non-abolition of VAT seems a fair topic to push up the trending charts. I look forward to how the MSM tries to strangle it. After all, there's only so much newsprint you can devote to how shit Boris is as a distraction.

(I know for a fact that abolishing VAT is not and has never been on any Tory Brexiteers agenda. So seeing the Deadwoods and IDSs and JRMs swerve the topic could prove amusing)

DGR
I vaguely remember the jump from 8%
but its before the days when I was extracting net from gross

Funny how these stories seem to need to slide south. Maybe it's a news-gravity thing ? England being under Scotland and all that ?

www.thenational.scot/news/18987739.wales-scotland-lose-mps-england-gains-10-westminster-shake-up/

Wales and Scotland to lose MPs while England gains 10 in Westminster shake-up.

Do we export zebras from the UK ?

Won't be for meat, I suspect. It's ... well zebra much like horse.

They could have used "equid/equids".

The phrase "the equid" does occur in legislation - use 'Advanced search' on legislation.gov.uk if there's nothing on telly tonight.

Wales and Scotland to lose MPs while England gains 10 in Westminster shake-up.

For Scotland - little difference, very rarely do Scottish MPs make a difference. Besides which - potential Independence, which is an issue which is not going to go away.

Wales - it depends. Some of the Red Wall seats were in Wales. Johnson might find that he loses some of the seats he wanted to keep. England - I will need to look at the map.

Who knows though with young people being shafted, whether southern England will be wall to wall safe Tory seats. Much work to be done by all the Opposition parties, I think.

The Boundary review should never have been shelved
boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/2018-review/

And the size of the House of Lords has become offensive
www.electoral-reform.org.uk/campaigns/elected-house-of-lords/

@Chersfrozenface

They could have used "equid/equids".

The phrase "the equid" does occur in legislation - use 'Advanced search' on legislation.gov.uk if there's nothing on telly tonight.

Equidae is the term the EU uses, as equine is the anglicised version.

This is just 🤦

And in a move that will shock you all, one of the first post Brexit acts of the government is to relax the EU rules on cross border tax avoidance.

Shocked I tell you, shocked!

Hannibal
As is always the case .... Follow the money

Brexit really is the gift which keeps on giving a football manager who voted Leave can't sign the players he wants.