Brexit

[Pat 0]

Yes, Joanna Cherry none too happy.  Westminster is not a fair place. Disgraceful way to conduct important political discussions. 

Brexit debate demonstrates Parliament's bad attitude towards devolved nations.
From Tommy Sheppard M.P.
" One Tory MP spoke for longer than all members from Scotland combined - on a debate about the role of the Scottish Parliament in Brexit."

[Pat 0]

It's a pity the opposition didn't come up with Blair's ideas.  Boris Johnson thinks he's insulting the British people because he's questioning the vote. What about the people who voted Remain. Boris must be insulting them. I think the deal is that people voted on an empty paper bag. No clue what Brexit meant. The whole single market thing was unclear.

[samscafeamericain 0]

I love it when people sit on the fence 

 

 

[Pat 0]

Don't hold back, Martina.

A more measured but equally grim warning from Alyn Smith M.E.P. http://www.thenational.scot/news/15153576.Alyn_Smith__We___ve_tried_to_negotiate_on_Brexit_____now_it___s_time_to_save_ourselves/?ref=fbshr

[Pat 0]

[samscafeamericain 0]

anyone that still thinks brexit is a good idea should watch David Davis performance at the Westminster Committee yesterday. Under questioning by Benn, he honestly admits what the full horrors of brexit are.

30%-40% tariffs on our food and drink industry will virtually ruin Scotland top performing export industry.

 

[samscafeamericain 0]

see its to be pensioners that will pay for that national insurance u-turn with pension pots being raided again.

 

Meanwhile, an unelected PM, with the consent of an unelected head of state and after getting agreement from the second largest unelected legislature in the world will now enact article 50 on 29th March...cradle of democracy inat 

[Pat 0]

There apparently going to be an offer made to Scotland tomorrow. I hope they say no.

[samscafeamericain 0]

a temporary offer

[samscafeamericain 0]

I truly despair; how anyone can contemplate reading that vile paper is beyond me.  Still, an early sign of post brexit UK, back to the 1950s we go, black & white minstrels will be next

 

[Pat 0]

It's looking worse by the minute. Merkel didn't hold back in rejection May's parallel talks hopes. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-article-50-angela-merkel-rejects-theresa-may-parallel-talks-a7656506.html

[Pat 0]

Sad to see the sorry debacle go ahead. Just as well there are some funny tweets to lift our spirits.
Here's my favourite – Theresa May composing the letter:
 

 

[rory 0]

There are some very witty people. I saw the one where Theresa May is sawing the branch of the tree that she is sitting on. I am not sure how to copy it as it is a film it is by Joe and Co.  The answer to her letter is not going to make her happy as the procedures in exiting the EU will not be like she requests.

[Pat 0]

Michael Howard's threatening a rerun of the Falklands. We didn't expect that.

[Pat 0]

There seems to be an ever widening divide between the psyche of Scotland and the UK Government.
Nicola Sturgeon in California signing an agreement to tackling climate change, whilst Theresa May in Saudi Arabia talking guns.
 

[samscafeamericain 0]

post brexit will see the UK trading with some very nasty people

[samscafeamericain 0]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C8kRSs7XsAANp2n.jpg:large

[Pat 0]

See Sir Michael Caine is all for Brexit. He'd apparently be a poor man's master than a rich man's servant.
Whatever happens the multi-millionaire is unlikely to be poor.
Must come as a blow that 100,000 jobs could be lost in the city of London regarding ability to oversee euro denominated transactions. Guess nobody thought about this stuff when they were trying to keep out the migrants.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/sep/23/100000-clearing-jobs-at-risk-from-brexit-vote-stock-exchange-chief

[maryspetses 0]

Have been trawling through people's comments re Brexit and a comment of Harper's re the EU treatment of Greece and Italy attracted my eye - naturally! I worked in Greece for some years so qualified for a basic Greek pension. Took me three years to get it. Fought all the way. It now arrives spasmodically. Sometimes not the full amount. Anyone in Greece who has only that pension on which to rely cannot live on it! Shortly before my recent trip to Greece I hadn''t had my pension for some time. The reason, I believe, was that the EU had withheld the next bailout payment. They were demanding Greece implemented more austerity measures. Wages have been cut by 50% (imagine that happening to you!), people are losing their homes/asking orphanages to take in their children, there is an increase in the numbers of people begging in the streets, refugees are still arriving in droves (the EU still criticises Greece not catering properly for them - blood and stone comes to mind). These are personal examples, not hearsay. A friend of mine can only pay the taxes on her house by renting it out to tourists in the summer whist she and her husband live in the cellar. I KNOW there are people in Greece who are still avoiding declaring money earned but when they are working for 23 cents for every euro your earn - the rest disappears in 'austerity' measures - I think 'there but for the grace of whatever god...' etc. One ray of light. The equivalent of the Inland Revenue are finally investigating the 'rich' who are still living the good life, asking how are they doing it? It's not rocket science - bank accounts and property owned abroad. 

[Pat 0]

Sad times, mary spetses. I've heard a lot about these big pensions but clearly not the whole picture. While all this is having to be dealt with the Greeks were still taking refugees. The UK on the other hand have turned their backs. Scotland has a quarter of all refugees entering the UK through the resettlement programme. England 85% population of UK and Scotland 8.5%. We are smaller but have a different attitude.

One thing the UK has in common with Greece is that statistics show that wages in both countries have been dropping as they have been rising in other countries.  The UK government boasts about the strong economy. Certainly a helluva lot stronger than Greece but the problem here is that wealth sticks with the wealthy and the gap between the rich and the poor grows ever wider.  In Scotland there is a greater commitment to social justice and Holyrood already protect people against the bedroom tax and now also, at least for an interim period, they are preventing the under 21s whose housing benefit has been curtailed.
Good to see Poland doing so well and Portugal starting to make some progress with a very different approch to austerity from UK.

You are right about the tax havens. That's why the Tories are so bellicose when it comes to Gibraltar.

Here's that chart from TUC

 

 

 

 

 

[Veronica 0]

Boris Johnson's the odd man out in Lucca. Nobodys buying his ideas on how to solve problems overseas. The big ego will likely survive the knock but between him, Liam Fox, Fallon and Theresa May their foreign affairs strategy is pure rubbish. UK is out on a limb and no chance of a good deal for Brexit. There's a helluva lot they didn't fit into the equation so mad at hyping up the immigrant problem. Hell mend them.

 I never believed that it was all Greece's own fault and they had some decent politicians. Who doesn't love Yannis?

[samscafeamericain 0]

I am confused regarding labour's stance on brexit; their manifesto appeared contradictory.

[Pat 0]

I'm not quite grasping it but seems Corbyn had an amendment that Chuka Umuna and followers jumped the gun on. Or something like that.
Davies now moaning about May holding him back because of her intransigence. Big mess.

[harper 0]

I think Davies and Green are likely to be her silent but deadly  assassins  ...

[samscafeamericain 0]

Theresa May is already finished, her point of removal is simply being managed to ensure Boris doesn't get the job