The Brexit Thread

[Tubby Isaacs]

You're right. Ford pulls no punches. I've not liked him for his Very anti Corbyn stance, but he makes it absolutely plain that it is simply impossible for someone who works in politics not to know exactly what he was doing despite his "some of my best friends are Israel" schtick.

There is a weird alliance between anti Semites In the US and Hungary and Likud Israel- one prophesied by Montagu the only Jew in Balfour's cabinet. He spoke out against The Balfour Declaratiob because he said 'When the Jews are told that Palestine is their national home, every country will immediately desire to get rid of its Jewish citizens".

His piece is still worth reading, incidentally

Thanks. Never even heard of Montagu before.

[Nefertiti2]

More Brexit genius

Ministers have admitted for the first time that about 65 existing trade deals with non-EU countries are at risk because of Brexit, it has been claimed.

The Government has previously argued the benefits will not be lost because those other countries have agreed to “roll over” the agreements when Britain leaves the EU.

But a new technical note has now revealed that the UK is seeking to be treated legally as a “member state” during the transition period – in order to maintain the trade deals.

he use of the phrase “member state” is certain to enrage hard Brexit supporters, who will fear it reveals that Britain will not truly have left the EU if Theresa May strikes her transition deal.

“To coin a phrase, they are going to tell the world that Brexit does not mean Brexit,” said one EU official who spoke to The Financial Times.

[Nefertiti2]

From Best for Britain activist who received Soros donation

"How about a deal.

We turn down George Soros’s openly recorded funding when the open sewer dwellers of the Brexit Taliban stop accepting dark money we cannot trace back to its origins. Starting with the DUP"

[Moonlight Shadow]

The will of the (NI) people for a strong and stable Ireland....Here is a tag line for this:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...brexit-eu-says

[Snake Plissken]

The UK managed to miss giving a presentation this morning due to a diary clash. Just when you think they couldn't be any more of a shower of incompetent fucks.

[Guy Profumo]

The UK managed to miss giving a presentation this morning due to a diary clash. Just when you think they couldn't be any more of a shower of incompetent fucks.

Whose side?


David Davis' adc was scheduled to meet his opposite number on the EU side, but who should arrive but Barnier.

Barnier can only talk to Davis as they are equals in the negotiation process, so won't talk directly with someone who would be subordinate to him.

[Snake Plissken]

UK side. From this, one can surmise many things. I'm sure that Davis was drunk or hungover are not two of them.

Barnier doesn't seem to be the sort of chap to rock up unexpectedly.

[Guy Profumo]

Why am I not surprised by that?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Keir Starmer
Verified account @Keir_Starmer
16h16 hours ago
Always great to cross back into my Holborn & St Pancras constituency. Tonight on the Eurostar back from two days of intense but encouraging political meetings in Paris.

That's his entire output for the last 2 days.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Shadow Chancellor hasn't mentioned Brexit on Twitter this year, let alone this week with all the news about regional economies.

[johnr]

Everybody keeps pointing out to you that that's Labour's strategy, and yet you seem constantly surprised by this.

Please don't tell me that you've trawled McDonnell's Twitter account for that nugget.

[San Bernardhinault]

Isn’t it terrible strategy that the only people who could vocally, and visibly, oppose the government’s disastrous Brexit strategy are staying silent. That the only people who could change it once elected will be told that they won’t have a mandate to because they were too scared to mention it and never let anyone know that what David Davis and Rees Mogg are trying to do is fucking moronic?

[Tubby Isaacs]

It's looking like Labour's strategy on UKIP under Miliband, at the moment. Mea culpa, I thought that was right at the time. But I don't now.

I looked up the Shadow Chancellor's Twitter. I went back looking for some kind of series engagement with the issue. I gave up at January 1st.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I saw Alistair Campbell (I know) talking about all the Brexit fuckups that the Today Programme could be going with, and wasn't.

Japanese manufacturers telling the government to stop pissing about would have been the one I'd have gone with.

Why wouldn't you be hammering away at this? Cars, Sunderland, all easily understood- "populist", if you like.

[johnr]

Isn’t it terrible strategy that the only people who could vocally, and visibly, oppose the government’s disastrous Brexit strategy are staying silent. That the only people who could change it once elected will be told that they won’t have a mandate to because they were too scared to mention it and never let anyone know that what David Davis and Rees Mogg are trying to do is fucking moronic?

If they get a chance of an election, they'll explain their position and get a mandate. That's the point.

As to Starmer not tweeting anything else other than what Tubby posted - Starmer is no idiot; if he has been having intense meetings for 2 days, that'll inform what he/Labour come out with, when the time is right.

The alternative is for Labour to publicly link everything - funding for education, the regions, the NHS, everything, all the time - to Brexit (it is of course true that they are all linked, and will take a fucking big hit if leave on anything like the Government's preferred terms (as I've mentioned before, I don't think that'll happen anyway)). They'd quickly be put in an 'anti-Brexit' box - like the gloriously irrelevant LibDems - those issues will be subsumed, and the Government can do the 'will of the people' stuff.

Corbyn, Starmer and McDonnell have, I think, more political nous than people give them credit for. There's no political need, yet, to go balls-out on this one, and I trust them to decide when that is. Might be next week, might be in October.

[Levin]

But if Labour speak about Brexit then all the coverage becomes about the stupid, impossible, contradictory thing they've said and what is actually happening gets ignored. The press barely needs an excuse to stick the boot in on Labour so why should they give them one?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Who's going to tell the public that the latest thing is a contradictory farce?

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

I've got to say, I'm with Tubby here. This is fucking madness.

[Lang Spoon]

Aye. If not now, when?

[Tubby Isaacs]

In fairness, we know from the Referendum how hard it is with the media for Labour to cut through "Tory on Tory" Brexit stories. But if Labour aren't getting properly stuck in, the Tories can get votes from Rees Mogg headbangers ("at least they've got people like him in there"), and votes for May for looking moderate and statesmanlike by comparison.

[E10 Rifle]

The Telegraph is scaremongering about Corbyn 'secretly plotting to keep Britain in the customs union'. Because all the Telegraph's enemies only ever do things 'secretly'.

[DCI Harry Batt]

I'm surprised at how many people still think they have a better handle on how to present Labour than its current leadership.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Seen at least one (must be more) Orban fans on Twitter parroting yesterday's Soros shitfest.

[Nefertiti2]

I think, I hope the Labour Party are being canny. that there are negotiations and (as with the manifesto) they are going to come out not just with a soundbite but a very detailed plan which would blow the tory drift out of the water. Possibly they are negotiating with the Groko and ot the french (who if the party agrees will now have a SPD Finance minister - and the SPD really want a bit of Corbyn magic dust) possibly with the CBI and or the Chambers of commerce

The EU don't want to lose British Contributions. I can't imagine they want to continue to negotiate with David Davis in the room and Jacob Rees Mogg, Boris Johnson and Paul Dacre outside it. Let's wait and see.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I think, I hope the Labour Party are being canny. that there are negotiations and (as with the manifesto) they are going to come out not just with a soundbite but a very detailed plan which would blow the tory drift out of the water. Possibly they are negotiating with the Groko and ot the french (who if the party agrees will now have a SPD Finance minister - and the SPD really want a bit of Corbyn magic dust) possibly with the CBI and or the Chambers of commerce

The EU don't want to lose British Contributions. I can't imagine they want to continue to negotiate with David Davis in the room and Jacob Rees Mogg, Boris Johnson and Paul Dacre outside it. Let's wait and see.

Contrary to what I said before, I agree with you that the EU probably do think it would be better negotiating with Labour. But the difference might be less than it should be. McDonnell telling them they're a bunch of establishment fools at Davos might not go down too well, nor might Corbyn/Milne on NATO.

I'm sceptical about the British budget contribution being too much of a problem. Germany could pay it out of its surplus in the short term, and France and Spain might see paying more as a good investment. And there's business to be reeled in from Kipper Britain.