shurlock

What don’t you understand when told that Brexit won’t be done and we won’t be able to move on. They’re simply negotiating the UK’s terms of withdrawal not what replaces EU membership as a basis for future trade.

Disgusting

To be fair, little GM went off the rails when he started posting godfather and rocky memes in homage to JRM was going to constitutionally checkmate the opposition into accepting an election on the government’s terms. Instead the opposition has refused the bait and been holding the government’s feet to the fire - hopefully until there’s nothing left but charred stumps. #frit Fast forward a month or so and JRM is now pleading with leave voters that Boris won’t concede too much - other than a de facto NI-only backstop similar to the EU’s first preference two years ago; a nice transitional period during which the UK is subject to the ECJ with no say in policy decisions; a divorce bill paid in full; and vague, unenforceable gestures to a future FTA that the EU will condition on the UK accepting a level playing field around taxation, competition, state aid, labour and environmental rules, circumscribing the UK’s regulatory autonomy. With chumps like GM, Les, LD, Nolan (and others) on board, no wonder Johnson and co. think they can pull the wool over leavers eyes

Just another day on planet Les.

According to one of the more ITK and clued in commentators

GM's self-understanding and view of the world. The world as it actually exists

You OK pal?

I don’t know who’s got more cognitive dissonance: guided missile or that dopey woman in the QT audience who’s doing the rounds. Face it pal, you’ve got it wrong again

True -and if reports are to believed, the proposals are closer to the EU’s original plan for a NI-only backstop (with a bit of smoke and mirrors around customs). The big unknown, however, is not duffers like Mark Francois and Peter Bone but voters in a now imminent GE. Any perceived compromise will be music to Farage’s ears who, unlike elected MPs, has never had to take a shred of political responsibility for his actions. If he decides that the deal is a betrayal (and the one trick pony is incapable of campaigning in any other way), he could make life very difficult for the Conservative party. That probably holds even if in his heart of hearts he couldn’t care less about NI (DUP). In one sense, Johnson and Cummings will only be to blame if this happens as they have been instrumental in whipping up emotions and talking up a clean or no deal Brexit as credible policy. A few venal swivels on the back benches may be easy to control; a polarised, unaccountable and frankly ignorant electorate may be much harder.

You love it.

Perhaps the pod can recruit an AFTV claude-type figure to keep some of our more simple fans happy?

Sounds like something's brewing - a possible way out? Or another false dawn?

NI-only backstop (CU and SM regulatory alignment) subject to ongoing consent from the two communities in NI would be my solution. Basically the EU's original proposal but with a new condition of consent.

He heads up the UK chapter of Transparency International, the leading anticorruption NGO (information that is in the public domain). It receives grant funding from many private and public organisations, including (but not exclusively) EU and Open Society (again in the public domain in a fully audited set of annual accounts). Funding from non-EU and OS sources, notably DfiD and FCO (government departments) overwhelmingly makes up the lion share. Organisations give funding to NGOs all the time, especially in important policy areas and as far as I know nobody is saying that fighting corruption is a bad thing. There’s no grand conspiracy here. Best ignore Les - he’s not well.

I like to think we’re performing a public service, providing a safety-valve of sorts. You dread to think what Les would be up to if he didn’t have an opportunity to vent on here.

https://edition-m.cnn.com/2019/10/09/politics/turkey-syria-us-anger-ramifications/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.uk%2F&rm=1 Remind me who started this thread again...

Good to see you’re still being whipped up into unthinking hysteria Les. So what? These types of meetings are perfectly normal and commonplace. The swivel-eyed commentary of secret plotting and negotiations has been comedy gold.

Watch it there Whitey - the idea of contextualising stats is mindbending stuff for Mosin.

I’ve seen loads of them (work takes me Westminster way quite a bit) and they seem pretty normal as a whole: pensioners, teachers, scientists, religious groups, NHS workers, young mothers, students who are clearly concerned about the environment. Not the types I’d hang around with but a far cry from some of the media caricatures. Of course you get weirdos and for some XR is a vehicle for other causes. But that’s true of most fringe social movements. Perhaps leave your sheltered suburb, get out a bit more and give the Brendan O’Neill articles a rest for a day pal. It would do you good.

Was trying too hard to be one of the lads -how, for example, he twisted Ralph’s arm into having a drink on tour. As Wee Ross bantzed and gurned away, Ralph looked pretty nonplussed as if he was wondering why he was working with such a cretin.

Sources tell me since installing revolving and automatic doors at Staplewood, Wee Ross has had a lot more time on his hands. #expendable

Bercowitz getting under the skin of the swivels - I hope Les is OK.

Maybe your generation pal.

This is interesting, especially in the context of Brexit.

But that’s not what you were claiming in your initial exchange with aintforever. You were taking him to task for the simple and correct observation that every little helps regardless what other people or countries do. Your position vis-a-vis the demands and tactics of Extinction Rebellion is a different point (one with which I have some sympathy).