Westministenders: Where's my milk and cheese?

[RedToothBrush]

The 'smooth' exit from transition now leads to a million and one little things that you can't get hold of or took completely for granted.

Why is sainsbury in NI selling spa milk? Why can't you get hold of your favourite food stuff?

Its a slow strangulation of the country.

In which you get to learn all about the merits of the EU and what a donkey Johnson really is.

I think Brexit issues are going to get serious this weekend, if logistics twitter is to be believed.

Auld - heavy snow on this side (maybe 15cm at the moment but still snowing hard - about 60km south of Toulouse).

This week, not weekend!

"Communist broadband" would be quite useful now though. I remember some centrists scoffing at that.

I remember that well too. Regarded as one of Corbyn's more lunatic ideas. Doesn't seem at all lunatic now.

I am pretty sure I know what Johnson's response to the SNP will be. But it's only going to play into the SNP hands.

To cheer us up a reminder of just how close leading Tories were to Trump and how keen they are now to distance themselves.

@MayYouLiveInInterestingTimes
"And at the bottom of it all, is overpopulation."

.... well the conservatives are certianly tackling that at the moment.....maybe not an intentional outcome of their incompetence.....

I remember that well too. Regarded as one of Corbyn's more lunatic ideas. Doesn't seem at all lunatic now

I tried. Various IT experts have been calling for public IT infrastructure for years. You’re having to fight against the carefully-ingrained neoliberal beliefs pushed through the media for 40 years though.

On Scotland, good on the SNP. The exclusion of seed potatoes did seem to be a tad aimed and targeted. Shades of the Normans showing again. It’s the normal attitude of southern Tories to dissenters trying to protect their livelihoods isn’t it, they don’t even need to pretend by digging out extra police and putting them through military manoeuvres any more.

@Peregrina

"Communist broadband" would be quite useful now though. I remember some centrists scoffing at that.

I remember that well too. Regarded as one of Corbyn's more lunatic ideas. Doesn't seem at all lunatic now.

Lets not forget the extra funding the NHS would have got and is sorely needing and I'm sure the more centralised form of education would have aided somewhat with home schooling right now and without a doubt the threat of evictions and benefits sanctions which the Tories were quick to get back on track would have been suspended, we could even mention the support Mc Donald would have given employees and business throughout this pandemic

Meh ...but Corbyn lets get Brexit done

PMK, lovely pic of snow in Provence, AuldAlliance

@Peregrina

"Communist broadband" would be quite useful now though. I remember some centrists scoffing at that.

I remember that well too. Regarded as one of Corbyn's more lunatic ideas. Doesn't seem at all lunatic now.

I voted Labour for the first time last election having decided that the LDs had lost their senses. The thing that turned it into a positive vote on my part was the broadband policy, probably the single most potentially transformative idea for individuals and society in the last 50 years.

@borntobequiet

I don’t do Twitter because I value my sanity but I’d imagine wholesale disappearances would be bots. You’d have to be a bot to follow Hoey.

Yes, I know they're bots. It that people like Fox, Hoey (and Kirsty Alley this morning) don't realise that's who lots of their followers are. And getting angry that a corporation providing a free service can shout "Get out of my pub" to them or their followers.

The UK desperately needs a new Political party [] I see the only way with a FTPT system would be for all the Opposition parties to get together for one election with the express intention of destroying Johnson's Tories. Otherwise, they get nowhere.

Now here's a dilemma - the new Farage party "Reform" has as it's main aim voting system reform. If there was a chance he could repeat his Brexit business with voting reform, who would vote for him ?

Seems we now have an English version of "Love Independence, Hate Sturgeon[SNP]" ????

Words cannot express how much I detest Farage - not as much as a nice warm dog turd slapped into that froggy face. However, it's arguable that it's emotions like that which got us here today ? Surely much better to use the twat for the one thing he can do and then dump him. Much as I think his Brexitty friends have ....

@Mistigri

I think Brexit issues are going to get serious this weekend, if logistics twitter is to be believed.

Auld - heavy snow on this side (maybe 15cm at the moment but still snowing hard - about 60km south of Toulouse).

I agree. I’ve been reading similar. There are already comments about empty shelves.

It seems NI is pretty bad too but I haven’t seen much in the papers yet. A (wilful) oversights, it’s actually not that bad or I’ve missed that?

www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jan/10/baffling-brexit-rules-threaten-export-chaos-gove-is-warned

Ministers must restart trade negotiations with Brussels immediately to sort out the “baffling” array of post-Brexit rules and regulations that now threaten much of the UK’s export trade to the EU, leading business groups have said.

...

That's not going to happen.

The thing that turned it into a positive vote on my part was the broadband policy, probably the single most potentially transformative idea for individuals and society in the last 50 years.

This ^ So derided in the media - not only by Tories - I spent many, many hours trying to explain to friends and relatives why this was a hugely beneficial proposal fir the entire country.

All my fresh fruit and veg arrived in my ocado shop this AM.

The roll out of broadband should have been viewed in the same way as the 1920s roll out of the national electricity grid. We take it for granted that it's available in our homes.

The supermarkets stockpiled like fury in December
and they are keeping things supplied by releasing stockpiles
and using what is coming in
BUT
I noticed yesterday at both Sainsburys and Waitrose that the "deliberate gaps" are getting bigger
and I saw managers removing labels from shelves rather than putting the "temporarily out of stock" tag on

Pretty much every basic product was in stock
but less options
(Mozzarella is the one I'm watching as it has v short shelf life and I do not believe ANY is made in the UK)

Basically all main supermarkets will come to resemble Lidl
and Lidl will come to resemble Netto

but hey, we voted for it

Keir Starmer has abandoned the commitment to free movement of people in the European Union he made to Labour members during the party’s leadership contest.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jan/10/keir-starmer-accepts-end-of-eu-free-movement-in-brexit-reversal

@ListeningQuietly

Glanbia makes mozzarella in Wales and in Northern Ireland.

Sabrina
Interesting, Northern Ireland with Irish milk may be a bit of an issue
and some of the Galbani stock is getting through
but Waitrose normally has about ten varieties and they had removed the shelf stickers of all but two ....

I suspect the phrase beggars cannot be choosers will apply to our shopping habits within a few months

I had discussions with family re free broadband - they couldn't see how it could be afforded given the sums they paid to broadband providers - not distinguishing the 'services' from the pipe.

The soundbite culture we have doesn't permit an explanation that you'd still pay for your mail, streaming etc - just not for the connection.

Starmer disappoints yet again. Why should people vote Labour if they agree with Tory policies? Why not vote for the real thing? Is it GhostofFrankGrimes who is the staunch Labour supporter? What is your opinion if so?

Someone talked about Farage's 'New' party, which is going to promote electoral reform. I want to see electoral reform but won't be voting for any 'party' (a.k.a. private business) led by Farage. I suspect that many would not because they want electoral reform but because he is Mr Brexit. They still haven't seen the benefits of Brexit, so they will still blame the EU for the benefits which are still being denied to them by Westminster, and will still vote for him. So in that respect the Tories are still vulnerable. We will only get electoral change when the Tories can't win.

Not sure where the milk is sourced for the NI factory, although it seems to give preferential pricing to Red Tractor assured producers, which is a UK only scheme? The company promo states it uses over 350 million litres per year, equivalent to 20% of NI milk output.

Having said that though, of the three brands of mozzarella in my fridge, one is made in Italy and the other two in Germany.

twitter.com/sebdance/status/1348255049399611394?s=21

That's really good point