So the UK is finished says Theresa Mayhem

[P.K.]

[P.K.]

@woolley     

The right-wing maniac's guide to backing the government no matter what! 

ARE you a Tory voter who can’t accept any criticism of the government no matter how poorly they perform? Here’s how to share your denialism

Coronavirus isn’t so bad

People dying was terrible. However now it’s clear that the government is responsible, change your tune to “We need to reopen the economy for the sake of young people”. Those young people you were calling ‘pants-wetting snowflakes’ a week ago.

CHECK!

Keep your eyes on the prize

Even if you’ve begun to question the drivel you spout, remember it’s all in service of the greatest thing ever to happen to Britain: Brexit. Or to put it more truthfully: getting foreigners to f**k off.

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Be a pest on the internet 

Put in so many hours posting on the internet that people justifiably think you’re a paid social media wonk at Conservative Campaign Headquarters. Which would be a lot more normal than tapping out ‘Gordon Broon sold all the gold!!!’ five times a day in 2020, for free.

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Lap up any patronising bullshit

A normal person is insulted by crap like ‘Stay alert’ or "The Adventures of Dominic Cummings". Not you – this is good advice and Mr Cummings has invented an excellent new eye test that will no doubt soon be adopted by the NHS and Specsavers. 

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Don’t worry about being consistently wrong

BMW was going get a favourable Brexit deal for the UK. They haven’t, and they’ve said they won’t. But don’t let that stop you insisting it’s going to happen. If you applied this level of being wrong to everyday life, you’d eat raw chicken every week and think it was just bad luck you were in hospital again.

QED...

[woolley]

2 hours ago, P.K. said:

@woolley     

The right-wing maniac's guide to backing the government no matter what! 

ARE you a Tory voter who can’t accept any criticism of the government no matter how poorly they perform? Here’s how to share your denialism

 

Er, no. I don't have a UK vote. Even if I did, I wouldn't exercise it because I don't believe in having representation in a country where I don't live even though I do pay some taxes there. I live some of the time in a couple of European countries where I also pay taxes, but I don't have a vote in those either. And I'm left wing authoritarian, as you know.

Where do you get this stuff and can't you make it a bit more shouty?

ETA: OK, I see. The Daily Mash.

Edited July 11, 2020 by woolley

[P.K.]

5 hours ago, woolley said:

Er, no. I don't have a UK vote. Even if I did, I wouldn't exercise it because I don't believe in having representation in a country where I don't live even though I do pay some taxes there. I live some of the time in a couple of European countries where I also pay taxes, but I don't have a vote in those either. And I'm left wing authoritarian, as you know.

Where do you get this stuff and can't you make it a bit more shouty?

ETA: OK, I see. The Daily Mash.

I don't think you're left wing authoritarian at all. Just another right whinger.

Anyway, it's good to laugh at yourself from time to time....

[quilp]

5 minutes ago, P.K. said:

Anyway, it's good to laugh at yourself from time to time....

You should give it a go Corp... 

[woolley]

9 hours ago, P.K. said:

Anyway, it's good to laugh at yourself from time to time....

Absolutely. 

[P.K.]

On 7/12/2020 at 9:44 AM, woolley said:

Absolutely. 

Of course, it would be even funnier if it wasn't true....

I was surprised to be told about this because it doesn't seem to be featuring very highly in the UK alternative reality rabid right wing press, which is to say pretty much all of it.

It turns out that Rees-Mogg's favourite Brexit fag with his permanent ERG smirk, Mark Francois, has sent a drip and moan grizzlegram to that nice Michel Barnier. In it he complains about various aspects of the WA that for some strange reason he doesn't seem to know about:

RT HON MARK FRANCOIS MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR RAYLEIGH & WICKFORD
HOUSE OF COMMONS 

M. Michel Barnier
European Commission
26 June 2020

Dear Monsieur Barnier,

A Missive from a Free Country

I am writing to you in my capacity as the Chairman of the European Research Group (ERG) the  grouping of Eurosceptic Conservative MPs - it is possible that you may have heard of us. We have noticed in recent months that you have been writing to a number of our colleagues in the House of Commons and so we thought it was time that we returned the compliment.

There are now less than 200 days to negotiate and ratify a free trade agreement between the UK and the EU before the transition period ends, meaning that there is little margin for error. I am therefore writing to encourage the development of a sense of urgency in the negotiations, so that any deal that is negotiated between you and David Frost is able to pass through both the European Parliament and the House of Commons in good time.

The ERG has always believed that the ideal relationship between the UK and the EU is one of being firm friends and sovereign equals. As a group, we are strong believers in the importance of free trade and have therefore been watching the negotiating rounds between you and Mr Frost with great interest. We support the negotiating objectives set out by the Prime Minister but are concerned to make sure that there is no repeat of the errors that were made during the negotiation of the original Withdrawal Agreement back in 2017/18.

It is clearly very important that any deal negotiated between the UK and the EU is one that fully recognises the UK's sovereignty, integrity and autonomy. We have noted - with growing concern - some of the demands that the EU has made over the last few months, especially in regard to the so-called 'Level Playing Field', which seems like little more than a demand that the UK continues to follow EU laws and judgements, even though we have now formally left the European Union. There are also worrying signs that the EU wants the UK to remain subject to some form of its extremely damaging Common Fisheries Policy, which is anathema to us and to many of our countrymen as well.

In the spirit of honesty between friends, and for the avoidance of doubt, there can be no way that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) can be allowed to have any role in the UK's national 
life after the end of this year. I refer you to the Conservative Party's 2019 Manifesto - which I and all my Conservative colleagues stood on late last year - which made clear to the British people that we would have 'a new relationship based on free trade and friendly cooperation, not on the EU's Treaties or EU law'. It also made equally clear that the UK would be 'in full control of our fishing waters'. We consider these statements to be important commitments to the British people and we therefore intend to help uphold them.

I would like to make clear that the ERG fully supports the Prime Minister's Lead Negotiator, David Frost. Based on his track record - in negotiating a revised Withdrawal Agreement and an 
amended Political Declaration which, inter alia, committed both sides in principle to negotiate a 'Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement' - we have confidence in him and his team and strongly urge you to listen when he says that certain EU demands are simply not going to work.

I hope that you find this letter and the points that I have set out above useful - and that it spurs you to change some of the unreasonable demands that the EU is currently making. If you and your team are willing to accept that the United Kingdom will be a fully independent country at the end of this year, responsible for its own destiny but willing to trade equitably with its 
neighbours, I can see no reason why we won't be able to ratify a free trade deal with time to spare.

I sincerely hope that this round of negotiations proves fruitful and that we can make rapid progress towards an exciting new Treaty which provides for a new era of friendly cooperation between our peoples and facilitates an increase in trade on both sides. This would not only be a good thing  in its own right, but should assist us to mutually recover economically, in the aftermath of the wicked Covid-19 pandemic.

In summary, all I and my colleagues in the ERG have ever really wanted, is to live in a free country, which elects its own Government and makes its own laws and then lives under them in 
peace. We have come a very long way in securing this objective and we have no intention of abandoning it, either now or in the future.

Yours sincerely,

Rt Hon Mark Francois MP
Chairman of the European Research Group

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The EU clerk who crafted the reply clearly has a much better use of the language than Mr Francois. But then he sets a very low bar. It was also written using the "maxmoron" font that most of us don't have. Never mind. I thought it was very kind of Mr Barnier to reply in such a charming manner:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom 

Dear Mr Francois,

Thank you for your letter of 26 June. It is a pleasure to hear from UK elected representatives. Having been an elected representative for many years myself, I value the crucial role you play in scrutinising and holding your Government to account.

As I have been saying on numerous occasions, I have always been, and remain, interested in hearing the views of UK parliamentarians. In this spirit, I have over the past years met British politicians representing the entire spectrum of views on Brexit, including members of the European Research Group, which you chair.

While nobody has been able to demonstrate to me the added value of leaving the most integrated economic and free trade area in the world, I have always respected the UK's decision to withdraw from the EU. In this spirit, the EU negotiated the Withdrawal Agreement with your government. In this same spirit, we approach the ongoing negotiations with your great — and indeed free — country, which will remain a close neighbour, friend and ally of the European Union.

The outlines of such a comprehensive future partnership were negotiated with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and agreed between him and the EU27 in the Political Declaration in October 2019. The Political Declaration fully respects the UK's sovereignty, as it respects that of the EU and its Member States.

This Political Declaration, agreed by your Prime Minister and voted for by the House of Commons, including yourself, as part of the Withdrawal Agreement ratification, states the following on the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the future relationship:

"Should a dispute raise a question of interpretation of provisions or concepts of Union law [...] the arbitration panel should refer the question to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) as the sole arbiter of Union law, for a binding ruling as regards the interpretation of Union law. Conversely, there should be no reference to the CJEU where a dispute does not raise such a question."

This wording reflects the legal reality that the Court of Justice of the European Union must have the final word on the interpretation of EU law.

All we are asking of the UK is to honour its commitments in the Political Declaration. You also refer to the level playing field. If the UK wants to conclude an economic partnership with the EU, fairness and the rules of the game in an unprecedented context of geographic proximity and close economic interconnectedness, based on almost five decades of sharing the same single market, are necessary. Let me also add that the EU will not agree to an economic partnership with the UK without a balanced fisheries agreement, setting out in particular quota shares and reciprocal access to waters.

Agreement on these crucial issues is a precondition for our future economic partnership, as is the full implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement. The two preconditions are also  included in the Political Declaration signed by Prime Minister Johnson.

I fully share your desire for the United Kingdom and the European Union to conclude this future partnership and to do so quickly. This is why, with the United Kingdom's Chief Negotiator David Frost, I have therefore agreed on an intensified schedule of meetings. A restricted round of negotiations took place between 29 June and 2 July and subsequent rounds are foreseen in July, August and September. However, let me underline that what matters more than the format of the talks is progress on substance and for the moment, results have been disappointing.

We will continue to work with determination to conclude the negotiations with success as we continue to believe that this can be done despite the short time available, which is the choice of your government.

Yours sincerely,

Michel BARNIER

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OUCH!

Trust Bozo Johnson? You're having a laugh...!

[manxman1980]

Any views on the "Farage Garage" in Kent from our Brexit experts?

Why are Government advising businesses to seek professional support for the import and export of goods if we are to have frictionless trade with the EU?  

I thought increased border checks and paperwork were all "project fear"?  A pro-brexit Government can hardly blame remoaners now.

The new immigration rules do not grant any exemptions to care workers (outside the NHS).  This is a sector that has thousands of unfilled vacancies and is reliant on migrant workers.  The Government are suggesting we "grow our own" but that clearly isn't working if there are already skills shortages.

 

 

[P.K.]

2 hours ago, manxman1980 said:

Any views on the "Farage Garage" in Kent from our Brexit experts?

Why are Government advising businesses to seek professional support for the import and export of goods if we are to have frictionless trade with the EU?  

I thought increased border checks and paperwork were all "project fear"?  A pro-brexit Government can hardly blame remoaners now.

The new immigration rules do not grant any exemptions to care workers (outside the NHS).  This is a sector that has thousands of unfilled vacancies and is reliant on migrant workers.  The Government are suggesting we "grow our own" but that clearly isn't working if there are already skills shortages.

You would have thought having to import migrants to do the early harvesting would tell even Priti Vacant Patel that there needs to be some flexibility.

This sort of stupidity happens when dogma overrules good governance.

[woolley]

It's part of the responsibility of a sovereign nation. You make your own policies and run your own borders. If you make arrangements to work with others you do so on terms that you prescribe, not on terms dictated from elsewhere. There may yet be frictionless trade with the EU, but you would be complaining if no preparations were being made for alternative possible outcomes.

[manxman1980]

33 minutes ago, woolley said:

It's part of the responsibility of a sovereign nation. You make your own policies and run your own borders. If you make arrangements to work with others you do so on terms that you prescribe, not on terms dictated from elsewhere. There may yet be frictionless trade with the EU, but you would be complaining if no preparations were being made for alternative possible outcomes.

So you still believe that Johnson's Government will deliver on its Brexit promises? 

The transition arrangements end on the 31st December 2020 and the Government (and EU) are running out of time to make these agreements and pass them through the respective parliaments.  

I thought the German car industry would be more involved.  So far they seem pretty quiet given how much they rely on free trade with the UK....

[woolley]

31 minutes ago, manxman1980 said:

So you still believe that Johnson's Government will deliver on its Brexit promises?

I have no idea. But seeing as we are now out of the EU and trade will inevitably continue, an accommodation of some kind is highly likely.

[manxman1980]

34 minutes ago, woolley said:

I have no idea. But seeing as we are now out of the EU and trade will inevitably continue, an accommodation of some kind is highly likely.

At a cost of £7 billion to business if I recall the figured being quoted earlier this week.  

Of course when I say business I mean consumers because we all know they will just pass it on.

[P.K.]

1 hour ago, woolley said:

It's part of the responsibility of a sovereign nation. You make your own policies and run your own borders. If you make arrangements to work with others you do so on terms that you prescribe, not on terms dictated from elsewhere. There may yet be frictionless trade with the EU, but you would be complaining if no preparations were being made for alternative possible outcomes.

More laughable nonsense from the brexiteers.

It's almost as though they have no idea that the UK Border Force came into being in 2012!

Of course, they all deny it but getting shot of Johnny Foreigner was a main driver of Brexit. Gideon Osborne's probably unnecessary "austerity" measures caused hardship which the UK alternative reality rabid right wing press, which was to say pretty much all of it, plus unscrupulous right wing politicians blamed on "excess" immigration due to membership of the EU. It was a particularly revolting campaign. Farage put up posters of Syrian folks who had lost everything fleeing a war zone - and claimed they were headed to the UK courtesy of the EU. Make deep cuts in public services like the NHS - claim the reduction is services is due to EU citizens overwhelming the system. And so on....

The reality according to the EU Free Movement Directive:

“Where admission is permitted, an EU citizen may remain in the UK for up to three months from the date of entry, provided they do not become a burden on the social assistance system of the UK.

If an EU citizen does not meet one of the requirements for residence set out in the Directive [employed, self-employed, self-sufficient, student] then they will not have a right to reside in the UK and may be removed.” 

Unlike Entities like Italy and Belgium who repatriated thousands of EU migrants every year our right wing government did nothing of the kind. Instead they concentrated their efforts on building a "hostile environment" and deporting perfectly innocent "Windrush" folks to whom the UK actually owed a debt of gratitude.

Right Whingers - lovely people aren't they....?

The real joke is that the "hostile environment" is driving EU citizens away which means more non-EU folks wanting to settle permanently in the UK.

What a fucking hoot that is! 

Brexit - where false promises clash with reality....

[woolley]

3 hours ago, manxman1980 said:

At a cost of £7 billion to business if I recall the figured being quoted earlier this week.  

Of course when I say business I mean consumers because we all know they will just pass it on.

All figures at the moment are pure speculation as the final settlement is not yet known. Whatever it turns out to be is simply part of the cost of running a sovereign state along with all of the other costs involved. Money well spent for once.