The UK Politics and EU Referendum thread - merged

[neeko]

Demographics
Productivity
Brexit

In that order are the UKs biggest problems, politicians are equally clueless on all of them. The only thing that can be confidently be said is that the current politicians that don’t solve any of these will be out of office when the problems really hit.

[4KSuited]

One of the biggest problems we have with our political system is that there will (probably) never be a government that initiates a long term policy strategy that involves short term pain. They will be in office to take all the flak, but not in office to take the plaudits when the fruits of these policies are borne several decades down the road.

The issues you’ve listed along with some others simply must have cross party agreement (climate change & long term debt management, for example) if this is ever going to change. I’m not going to hold my breath.

[TightEnd]

When Liam Fox starts becoming the relative voice of sanity on Brexit, you know things aren't going well.

https://www.businessinsider.com/liam-fox-boris-johnson-trump-trade-deal-breach-european-law-2019-7?r=US&IR=T

[TightEnd]

This leak “was a deliberate political attack. Darroch was anti-Brexit ... So, in order to force him out, someone on the inside collaborated with Brexiteers in the media to leak the cables and create a dispute with the US President.”

http://europeantomorrow.blogspot.com/2019/07/how-brexiteers-have-fatally-undermined.html

[TightEnd]

”We can’t control a no-deal Brexit but the French can”.

That’s Chancellor’s warning to our next PM in “Britain’s Brexit Crisis” a BBC1 documentary this Thursday which tells story of what went wrong with those who led negotiations in Brussels & Westminster

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48978739

[TightEnd]

Brilliant (but ultimately depressing) read from Marina Hyde

Includes an all time great less/fewer joke

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/12/country-beta-males-alphas-latin-president-tweeting-enemies

[TightEnd]

Boris Johnson vs Andrew Neil confirmed we are heading for a Brexit crisis. Sunday article

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/boris-johnson-andrew-neil-interview-brexit-gatt-trade-deal-tory-leadership-a9003121.html

[TightEnd]

The best one-article summary of where we are.

Britain rejected being a European country, consequentially has to become an American one, and is now finding out the natives are not friendly.

Because the hallowed special relationship is not actually real.

https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/the-only-special-relationship-we-ever-really-had-was-with-the-eu-what-an-appalling-waste-to-have-thrown-it-away

[Sheriff Fatman]

Brilliant (but ultimately depressing) read from Marina Hyde

Includes an all time great less/fewer joke

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/12/country-beta-males-alphas-latin-president-tweeting-enemies

It was rather good.

For those who can't be bothered to click the link.....

"If the Tory leadership election unfolds as widely expected, the UK will basically be ruled by a Fathers4Injustice activist. Boris Johnson is the kind of guy who’d don Spider-Man pyjamas and scale a building in order to see less of his kids. Sorry, fewer."

[Pokerpops]

The best one-article summary of where we are.

Britain rejected being a European country, consequentially has to become an American one, and is now finding out the natives are not friendly.

Because the hallowed special relationship is not actually real.

https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/the-only-special-relationship-we-ever-really-had-was-with-the-eu-what-an-appalling-waste-to-have-thrown-it-away

Always interesting to investigate the background to the author of such articles.
Mr Lis is employed by a company that appears to have a strong financial interest in our remaining in the EU.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Influence

http://influencegroup.org.uk/

That aside, there’s plenty to disagree with in the article. Not least the automatic assumptions about Trump’s motivations and plans.

[BigAdz]

Brilliant (but ultimately depressing) read from Marina Hyde

Includes an all time great less/fewer joke

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/12/country-beta-males-alphas-latin-president-tweeting-enemies

It was rather good.

For those who can't be bothered to click the link.....

"If the Tory leadership election unfolds as widely expected, the UK will basically be ruled by a Fathers4Injustice activist. Boris Johnson is the kind of guy who’d don Spider-Man pyjamas and scale a building in order to see less of his kids. Sorry, fewer."

I dont actually mind this. If his actions shows he will care, not like TM, faux pretend she is behind something, then we are moving in the right direction.

It must be really difficult for Journos to keep the same old drivel coming, just wrapped up in a way to make half the population happy. Fair play.

[aaron1867]

Brilliant (but ultimately depressing) read from Marina Hyde

Includes an all time great less/fewer joke

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/12/country-beta-males-alphas-latin-president-tweeting-enemies

It was rather good.

For those who can't be bothered to click the link.....

"If the Tory leadership election unfolds as widely expected, the UK will basically be ruled by a Fathers4Injustice activist. Boris Johnson is the kind of guy who’d don Spider-Man pyjamas and scale a building in order to see less of his kids. Sorry, fewer."

I dont actually mind this. If his actions shows he will care, not like TM, faux pretend she is behind something, then we are moving in the right direction.

It must be really difficult for Journos to keep the same old drivel coming, just wrapped up in a way to make half the population happy. Fair play.

Such simplicity. Everyone cares. Just because he’s pushing the optimism boat it doesn’t mean he cares more than anyone else.

I think the country doesn’t want optimism because they know optimism doesn’t achieve very much. They want a realist.

[aaron1867]

One of the biggest problems we have with our political system is that there will (probably) never be a government that initiates a long term policy strategy that involves short term pain. They will be in office to take all the flak, but not in office to take the plaudits when the fruits of these policies are borne several decades down the road.

The issues you’ve listed along with some others simply must have cross party agreement (climate change & long term debt management, for example) if this is ever going to change. I’m not going to hold my breath.

Sorry for late reply - had a late night and ended up in a B&B in Kings Cross after the cricket.

Haven’t some Tories come out and said that they’ll be pain at first and for years, then it’ll get better? It’d be such a good idea if the PM came out and did this too, rather then trying to peddle its all going to be great afterwards. Most people in this country know that there will be problems when we leave and trying to ignore them or not inform the uninformed is what’s making the problem worse.

[Mark_Porter]

Brilliant (but ultimately depressing) read from Marina Hyde

Includes an all time great less/fewer joke

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/12/country-beta-males-alphas-latin-president-tweeting-enemies

It was rather good.

For those who can't be bothered to click the link.....

"If the Tory leadership election unfolds as widely expected, the UK will basically be ruled by a Fathers4Injustice activist. Boris Johnson is the kind of guy who’d don Spider-Man pyjamas and scale a building in order to see less of his kids. Sorry, fewer."

I dont actually mind this. If his actions shows he will care, not like TM, faux pretend she is behind something, then we are moving in the right direction.

It must be really difficult for Journos to keep the same old drivel coming, just wrapped up in a way to make half the population happy. Fair play.

Not read the article but my only worry is does he actually care? It's probably unfair to keep dredging it up but Boris's original article that he wrote before coming out for Vote Leave:-

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/boris-johnsons-article-backing-britains-future-in-the-eu-a3370296.html

"Why are we so determined to turn our back on it? Shouldn't our policy be like our policy on cake - pro having it and pro eating it? Pro Europe and pro the rest of the world?"

As it been proved time and time again, Boris does what is good for Boris. Don't be surprised when he keeps doing that.

He might be Mr Pro Brexit right now but, if the wind changes, watch him follow. He is not Farage.

[BigAdz]

At no point have I expressed any previous support for Boris, you don't have to go too far back in the thread to confirm it. So its not just some blind, same old, same old rant.

However he as set his stall out very clearly and so he will put his efforts into getting it done, unlike the previous incumbents who said one thing yet wanted another.

Its one thing doing things to suit yourself to engineers better positions, but when he is THE decision maker, he has no place to hide and will go down as an all time scum bag if he pulls a different stroke.

And I am pretty sure that isn't his MO.