Westminstenders: Put Your Faith In The Home Office

[pointythings]

Because there doesn't seem to be a new thread yet. I'm no RTB or any of you other experts, but these threads need to keep going.

Give me a couple weeks and I'll be able to post cat placemarks!

Yellow chokes on their Yorkshire Tea

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57407233

...
The UK began phasing out the sale of higher-energy halogen lightbulbs in 2018 under EU-wide rules.
...

btw, when are those EU-beating high power vacuum cleaners being released ? I'm guessing "never".

I've been on these threads under a couple of user names over the past few years.

Remember, Red, we'll always have Bercow.

Many thanks for the steadfast company and the insights during the highs and lows. See you soon.

Very regular reader on here but not a regular poster. I would also like to add thanks to Red for these threads and of course to the other wise contributors.
It appears banger, Bangor or sausages are the words of today's morning media! 🙄

Why has the sausage war blown up now?

@Peregrina

Why has the sausage war blown up now?

I think its just the govt trying to minimise the problems by making the NIP about sausages. Bojo got away with this with Kippers and bananas in the past and it goes down well with the newspapers.

Its come to ahead now because the EU is pissed off the UK is yet again going to act unilaterally extend, there's supposed to be full implementation in 21 days.

Newsnight was saying last night that every day in NI there are loyalist protests about the 'protocol.

I find it beyond belief that the fragile peace in NI has been put at risk by this buffoon and his supporters, then again, it wont be them being killed or blown up, they can just blame the EU and the UK, on the whole, will swallow this.

It ought to be beyond belief that the peace in NI has been risked as far as the Government is concerned - they supposedly govern for the whole UK. As far as the average English voter is concerned, they don't give a shit. At the height of the Troubles we only heard a one-sided viewpoint - the full horror of what people in NI were enduring was very rarely explained.

R4 Today this am - sounds like someone is briefing 'the ramifications of the trade deal on NI were not understood'

Interview with an ex negotiator? poo-pooing this idea - saying that pfeffel was there in May's talks so would have known - the intention was to get a deal through then sort out issues afterwards.

Ah - it was Frost in the FT saying
We expected to be able to operate it in a way which respected the sensitive politics in Northern Ireland — after all that was the point of making special arrangements in the first place ...

We underestimated the effect of the protocol on goods movements to Northern Ireland, with some suppliers in Great Britain simply not sending their products because of the time-consuming paperwork required.

and it was Gavin Barwell TMs chief of staff who was refuting this.

(from the Guardian blog )

@FrankieStein402

R4 Today this am - sounds like someone is briefing 'the ramifications of the trade deal on NI were not understood'

Interview with an ex negotiator? poo-pooing this idea - saying that pfeffel was there in May's talks so would have known - the intention was to get a deal through then sort out issues afterwards.

Yes i heard this too. But i m not sure Bojo or Frost have any real understanding of how the EU's SM and CU work. Let alone the complexities of NI, Peter Lily on newsnight tried to compare GB/Ni/ROI with Alaska and US goods via Canada.

I think its why so many previous brexit negotiators left the position?

Did anyone ask Peter Lily when Alaska had a Civil War, when parts of it wanted to be united with Canada? Or did parts want to go back to Russia.

In theses cases probably the best response would be to laugh out loud, to make them realise just how stupid they sound.

But i m not sure Bojo or Frost have any real understanding of how the EU's SM and CU work.

I sort of disagree: I think they knew full well how it works but either (or both ) thought a) don't "they" know who "we" are and assumed that the UK would get special treatment and couldn't comprehend that such treatment would breach the very foundations of the SM/CU and/or b) assumed that the UK could sign the deal, any deal, including the NIP, so that BJ could claim the credit and then blame the nasty EU after the event for the fact that the provisions of the NIP did in fact mean that there would be a border in the Irish Sea.

I'll almost accept that B I don't do detail J wasn't aware of the fine print but Frost et al (and the civil servants) would've known.

Actually, on reflection, perhaps the Brexiter negotiators were indeed aware that the "everlasting cake" deal that UK expected wanted to get would indeed destroy the foundations of the EU - and they thought that by getting such a deal, the rest of the nasty EU would come crashing down

prettybird - I think that initially, five years ago, they did think it was option a). We had whined and whined for special deals and got them, so they thought some more whining would work again. This time they had their bluff called. They also did think that other countries in the EU would follow the UK's example.

Now, I think it's option b) - it's all the nasty EU's fault, for which with the supine right wing press we have, is now the story which is being milked for all it's worth.

Will Gove resign? Will he feck.

BREAKIING: The High Court has ruled Michael Gove broke the law in awarding a contract to his associates at Public First. The Court ruled a reasonable observer would think there was a real risk Public First won the contract because of favouritism.

hannibal - that's exactly the problem - he won't resign, and there will be no consequences. I would dearly love to see them in a court of law, and because they are arrogant, go an perjure themselves, for which they can be handed a prison sentence.

Yes: I think b) was a calculated and cynical choice on behalf of the UK, who signed the agreement in bad faith

But I do still think that a) is still influencing their thinking

Which is why I added in "or both"

Lack of truck drivers to force up supermarket prices and cause food shortages.

Yay, go Brexshit!

Even the Daily Heil admits it!

Due to a Brexit HGV driver shortage, Britain's reliance on large numbers of EU drivers who have returned to their home countries instead of remaining in the UK, has left fresh food rotting in cold stores... Yes Brexshit going so well!

@HannibalHayeski

Lack of truck drivers to force up supermarket prices and cause food shortages.

Yay, go Brexshit!

Even the Daily Heil admits it!

He said the government has to change the tax rules and add foreign drivers to the skilled migrant list to help avert a crisis

I don't think he's been keeping up at the back. He can join the long list of people the UK government has told to fuck themselves.

Sideways.

The RHA have been saying this for months and months.

@redtoothbrush.

Thank you so much for all these threads, and for your incisive and helpful contributions. When the crisis was at its height, when unbelievable development followed unbelievable development; and for months after I would be glued to your threads, reading every single post on my commute to work each day.

I've learned so much, and will miss reading your contributions as regularly as once I did.

Thank you also to the host of regulars who make these threads such a beacon of informed debate, humour and sanity in a sea of chaos.

I do hope they can continue. I will certainly carry on reading them as avidly as ever, de-lurking occasionally as before.

Not sure Mr Poots has quite worked out how Brexit works...

I think Johnson's probably forgotten that he's PM of NI as well as southern England and the new Red Wall seats.

I also think it was a calculated and cynical choice on behalf of the UK, who signed the agreement in bad faith

Hence EU statements on trust and the need to rebuild it.

Westminster has basically done the DUP's bidding regardless of the effect on all other parties in NI and Ireland (and the EU) of being seen to do this.

I don't know but my own opinion is Bojo and Frost didn't appreciate the sectarian problems in NI and the intricacies of trading with the EU outside of the SM... why would they?
We had been in the SM for over 33 years, GFA for 24 years.

After all, Raab, as Brexit minister didn't know how import Dover was to UK trade.

The UK is now left scrambling around wondering what to do.

Westminster has basically done the DUP's bidding regardless of the effect on all other parties in NI and Ireland (and the EU) of being seen to do this.

Yes, but the DUP are idiots. And now they're complaining that they got what they voted for.