Brexit mega thread part 13: All eyes on Ireland

[SerendipityJane]

With the Windsor framework up & running, and the DUP having a "you could set your calendar by it" hissy fit, but Irish unification refusing to keep it's head down, what next in the long running sage of UK vs. the real world ?

"And that’s how the Tories adopted the topsy-turvy argument that the EU had ruined this country so much that everybody wanted to come and live here."

https://www.bylinesupplement.com/p/how-the-conservative-partys-dream

@HannibalHeyes - thanks for that link. Interesting article. Depressing, though.

After 1000km coach trip France to Northern Germany via Belgium of course, and back I am happy to report seeing only 2 English plated cars and NO UK registered trucks but plenty of Lithuanian, Polish and of course French/German, and Spanish fresh food deliveries. My French town has an 'exchange' with a town in Germany (Jumelage) and as a French resident I was THE 'Brit' but made to feel so totally welcome. My German CSE from 45 years ago is woefully inadequate but heck, Most Germans speak English better than many English anyway. The welcome 'get together' had several speaches and it was interesting to hear the calls for European solidarity among the EU 27 (thus neatly discounting Brexitland) although I may be oversensitive to this (unlike the Brexiteers who are so happy with their gradual EXCLUSION). The need for solidarity was expressed with the realisation that the war in Ukraine is having many 'side effects'. The visit to the border crossing museum where East Germany had access to the West during the cold war (post WW2) period was a good reminder of the horrors of the past, with PROPER customs control including strip searches of all people and checks for papers or magazines where even a brochure from a 'western' department store catalogue could get you arrrested. If anything remotely 'suspicious' was found in your posessions or car you were held in a room alone by 'security' until the police (Stazi) had checked you and your family's history. Carying 'banned' literature or trying to cross the border had a possible 5 year prison sentence risk, assuming you didn't try to just run where you would get shot. Yes they could and would dismantle your car if they suspected anything so the Sevington 'customs' area is just a joke.

In Georgia, people are fighting for their place in Europe

The protesters oppose a controversial foreign influence bill, described by critics as the "Russia law".

Protesters are concerned that the law would be used by the government to clamp down on dissent, and would harm Georgia's hopes of joining the European Union.

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1789906083324072048.html?utm_campaign=topunroll

The Columnist @Sime0nStylites
·
2hIf it turns out that Brexit has actually made it more difficult (if not impossible) to go ahead with the Rwanda scheme due to the NI protocol, this will be some kind of galactic level irony.

When the idea of Brexit was first floated, the GFA was the very first area of concern. That was back around 2007/8.

I presume the Windsor framework has a quick-release mechanism in the event of perfidious Albion rearing it's head.

It was raised many times on the Westminstenders threads. I remember one particularly delightful Brexshiteer saying "not my monkeys, not my circus"...

Ah, nostalgia for the Brexit Arms and cats and music suggestions on Westminsterenders. Before the referendum I was listening to qusetion time on R4 while driving on the A1 near Huntingdon and the issue of the GFA wqas being debated then and the sensible voices were saying it would be a massive problem to resolve.

GFA

And don't any Brexiter come on here and say it wasn't discussed. For me, that was the issue which swung it for me - I overcame my desire to give Cameron a kick in the teeth by voting Leave.

The government kept this little step back to the EU under the radar, hoping no-one would notice!

Britain to join EU supercomputing project

https://x.com/RichardGCorbett/status/1790288468687417805

Remainers should kick up an unholy fuss about this and force Brexiteers to justify it,

Is the Express a mouse or a shit rag ?

@Peregrina And don't any Brexiter come on here and say it wasn't discussed

It wasn’t mentioned in the booklet sent to all households in the UK before the referendum. So, maybe the remain supporting PM Cameron thought it was not relevant?

Or was it that the remain supporting PM Cameron ultra super duper mega hyper confident that voters would not dare to have an opinion that was different to his own? After all, he came from Eton and Oxford and therefore was superior to the average person in the street. At least he thought he was.

'Remain supporting', oh you are funny

ciaran the euro courier
Sevington inland border facility is run by a French company -how ironic is that

You learn things sitting here

Also told there’s no water to drink other than a grubby tap in the toilet . And no food .

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce9rrpn955qo

@SerendipityJane it's a novel experience seeing a case where Brexit Britain is actually right. Of course plenty of pesky conservationists in the EU also agree, it's just the fishing lobby.

Cameron was an advocate of remain. He was so ultra confident that a referendum would produce a remain result, he made the famous statements:

Once in a generation choice.

This is your decision. The Government will implement what you decide.

GlobeTrotter2000 · Yesterday 15:17@PeregrinaAnd don't any Brexiter come on here and say it wasn't discussed

It wasn’t mentioned in the booklet sent to all households in the UK before the referendum.

How would you sumarise 45 years or more of integration of trade and 'laws' (cross border agreements) onto an A4 flyer? You were EXPECTED to at least make a bit of effort to find out WHAT would change if/when the UK left the EU: It seems Brexiterers were just too damn lazy to even think about how the world actually works and the UK's ever decreasing role in it. As for 'sovereignty' my visit to a German castle last week highlighted the frequent changes of natioinality of the 'sovereigns' who were essentially the most wealthy who could summon an army by foul means (or more foul) and then transferr /accumulate their wealth by marrying someone else withn monet/army.

At least he was carrying empty packaging

https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/may/15/brexit-border-it-outages-delay-import-of-perishable-items-to-uk-by-up-to-20-hours

And don't any Brexiter come on here and say it wasn't discussed

It wasn’t mentioned in the booklet sent to all households in the UK before the referendum.

If you ever go canvassing for a political party you will find that a lot of things which aren't in the parties' manifestos come up for discussion. So to pretend that they are not issues because they haven't been written down is nonsense.

And thanks for reminding us what a fool Cameron was.

it's a novel experience seeing a case where Brexit Britain is actually right.

If the BBC report is telling the full story, it looks like. What a pity we don't have a seat at the table now, and could have argued our case.

Meanwhile we have people like Globetrotter2000 to remind us what happened nearly a decade ago now, forgetting it seems that they have their Brexit.

Looking at the BBC article about sandeels there are various interesting aspects and seems generally well reported. Of course there are a LOT of details missed out and as Farage was an MEP at thye time some of the discussions about fishing rights and conservation he would (or at least should) have been putting forward sOLUTIONS to the problems of overfishing, and as mentioned climate change shifting the breeding grounds of the fish but meanwhile the UK is trying to show it is 'sovereign' by trying to apply a ban which, if organised by the uK government of late will have been badly thought out. After all the Civil Service are all remainers and not to be trusted etc:
Reducung the need for harvesting sandeels to be used as protein for pigs etc should be a viable alternative which would help eels, Puffins and probably others.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/15/former-british-mep-runs-for-election-to-european-parliament-in-italy

"Brexit was a huge bet against the idea that geography mattered to economic and security policy in the 21st century. Geography won."

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/15/rishi-sunak-world-dangerous-election-tories-labour?

Just listened to the "Room 101" podcast with Steph McGovern where she detailed the problems with "balance" BBC-style. Which is where no matter what the topic, you need to have someone putting the opposing "view". Brexit was used as an example.

Dara O'Briain has a routine about fighting this on the BBC doing "stargazing live". Apparently the BBC weren't happy with the current scientific consensus and suggested someone appear to "put the other side".

"We should have Barry the druid on"
"No"
"Why not ?"
"Because his work clothes are a cape and stick ...."

It's turtles all the way down