Brexit MegaThread - part 14

[Peregrina]

Thread 13. We had a debate about whether there should be a new one but if no one answers this the whole series after 8 years plus will come to their end.

Brexit happened, although one time Leavers do not seem to appreciate this.
It's worth noting I think that Brexit was a Tory initiative and the Tory party has just received its worse electoral thrashing since 1832. Could it be entirely unrelated?

What next? A gradual rapprochement with the EU? A Norway style agreement?

That's because it's the most widely used second language. Gutting that we chose to opt out of it all.

I suspect they didn't all speak Hungarian...

They sang Bella Ciao

https://www.politico.eu/article/eurocrats-boris-johnson-memoir-brexit/

Ah well. I can't read it because it would raise my blood pressure too much. People in Brussels should count themselves lucky that they're not faced with a massive display of it in the entrance to their supermarket.

British-born economist who called Brexit “self-destructive” has won the Nobel Prize for work on colonialism and its legacy.

Simon Johnson, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), won the prize in economic sciences for his work on how strong institutions determine economic fortunes.

Mr Johnson has been critical of Brexit in the past, saying the decision to quit the EU was damaging for Britain.

He wrote in an article published by Project Syndicate in August: “At least since the 2008 global financial crisis, widespread frustration with stagnant economic prospects has fuelled increasingly dangerous forms of anger in developed countries.

“All too often, this has led to self-destructive economic policies such as Brexit or Donald Trump’s vow to round up and deport all unauthorised immigrants.”

He has also questioned the country’s power on the world stage, writing in 2018: “The days when Britain could move the world are long gone.”

Mr Johnson told The Telegraph: “I continue to think that the Brexit vote was unfortunate. You need the trade. That is very important to the British economy. You need those linkages on the science and technology side as well.”

If ever there were an argument for the single transferable vote, or proportional representation, the Brian Cox comment is it.

The first past the post system does not give an accurate idea of how the electorate really feels, and it does not allow voters to express how they really feel.

Even the Conservatives would have been able to better gauge the true level of UKIP support (and Reform support) if people were allowed to choose candidates, as in Ireland, in order from 1 to 10. With the FPTP system, you really don't get a clear picture of public sentiment.

PR and STV systems allow parties to correctly gauge who they're appealing to and what the range of feeling is among those who vote.

PR and STV also eliminate 'second place' protest voting

some people will always choose to vote for Alan Hope
but the true risk of the populists getting into power reduces their vote
and
as we are seeing in Austria at the moment, having several parties with a share of the vote drags control to the centre

The horror...

But we've still got Chris Chope in the Commons
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13970621/Tory-MP-Chris-Chope-Kemi-Badenoch-preoccupied-children.html

(PS Robert Jenrick also has three young children)

Ah but Jenrick is a man. I'm sure Chope knows what he is talking about. Jenrick must have a wife at home to bother herself with the children, freeing him up for his important job.

Oh...

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/city-london-chief-says-brexit-082234030.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90LmNvLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJCSm_4aQEyRSBwjrnhFbedt-rnT4YUw4RMTa62wNt6a11ALw_o3u6XMkR86VRZgQOKvDge_gu8kIp9Ij2w_-7ovQoqoWIAUin7JYl-UKnsNbBsqVv8tYUl3W-RPMDCp0E5l3eUzHskO4Dal2Fr0b9mKyCOdw2aMNBcIm6hr4Aas

see that bear in those woods

Who wants to see JRM and John Redwood being treated as they deserve on GBeebies ?

(link is Dr. Tessa Dunlop tearing them both a new one).

https://x.com/Tessadunlop/status/1846672872699216237

That was indeed rather glorious.
And she is only a few years younger than him - has aged better !

Hang on! Wasn't the times telling us that Brexit was wonderful for Britain?

I'm confused...

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-eu-starmer-labour-b2630357.html

Sir Keir Starmer has come under pressure to publish the true costs of Brexit after a minister confirmed Britain has spent £24bn alone withdrawing from the EU – with a further £6.4bn still to pay.

I do not understand why Starmer is not grabbing the under 30 FOM offer with both hands.

He has a huge majority, election is years away, there is no Tory party.
He can just be autocratic about it and let the results speak.
His lack of political 'nous' is quite extraordinary to me

Neither do I

Politics.

The sense is this is of value to the EU as much as the UK, so better to drive a hard bargain than just sign up.

Plus ca change and all that

But that is treating all as a winner takes all zero sum game.
Very Trumpian.

FOM will benefit British youngsters
FOM will benefit British businesses

So why didn't the Tories do it ?

The Tories gave us Brexit.
THey could never admit that they shot themselves in both feet with both barrels.
And will not do so until they readmit the pro europeans who were driven out in the Johnson days

The next phase of brexit is due to take place at the end of this year, and will require British medicines to have UK Only labels on them for export to Northern Ireland. This will not only potentially create shortages in Northern Ireland, but will certainly affect sales from Britain. However, it is also essential in order to satisfy the EU that we are complying with our obligations in order to work on lowering trade barriers later on.

It will be kicked down the road as all the other rules have been

It would be more honest to just align with Single Market rules and save UK businesses loads of stress and money