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I sense that you are so detached from the UK, that you have no idea how people feel here, strange that the sense of hurt and betrayal felt by the people in the country of your birth, if indeed it is, should amuse you, but as they say, it takes all sorts to make a world.
Jackie
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.
kingfisher wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2019 7:25 am
Agreed Lincoln. The most able polititian in this generation. Twenty five years of first hand experience in Europe, plus a successful career in the real world. He is passionate and articulate- and above all, has a sense of humour! I enjoy his show on LBC. But, as you rightly point out, his chance of ever getting to be PM is virtually nill, as the same anti-democratic forces which have so far all but wrecked the largest democratic exercise in our history, will ensure he is never allowed into the Westminster Club.
Jon.
Farage has no party. He was leader of the UKIP, but stepped down as they became even more racist than they were when he was leader, appointing Tommy Robinson, the white supremacist and racist, as an adviser. So, it’s not Westminster stopping Farage progressing, but his allegiance to himself, rather than the country. He can be amusing and I do listen to him on LBC, but he is appalling to the opposing view, mocking them, rather than debating.
No! You have it totally wrong, totally. I am not detached from the country of my birth. The country has become detached from me and my ideals. Think back to 1963. The country, thanks to Attlee, Cripps, Bevan, Bevin & Co. had made a remarkable recovery from the war with the help of loans from the Marshall Plan; we had National Insurance and a NHS that was the envy of the world, while not having two pennies to rub together. Then Churchill came back, as a nonentity, followed by Eden, of Suez fame, who wrecked everything, aided and abetted by Macmillan, who was so remote from the people that they had to be told they never had it so good. Then Douglas-Home, another nonentity. This was when, in 1963, I realised that the almost certain election of Wilson the following year was a major factor which drove me out of the country to live and work in Switzerland, where I remained until 1997/8 when I came here.
By 1963, I was living reasonably comfortably with an annual salary of £1200, an increasing slice of which was deducted as PAYE and NI stamps. I had a 3-bed semi, mortgaged to the hilt, a wife and a 2-yo daughter, even a company car. We were living in the industrial north and our daughter had lung problems. Our Dr recommended that we find a cleaner location to help her health. I searched for a job in SW England but in vain; it was then an industrial desert and engineer/scientists were simply not wanted and I wasn't qualified to grow cider apples. Then, out of the blue, I was offered a job in a non-industrial part of Switzerland. It ticked all the boxes with the biggest box being that the Labour manifesto claimed that professional engineers etc. would have to be Unionised, losing the right to negotiate individual salaries etc. Since then, I was able to freely pursue my career as I wanted and not how other politicos wanted and our daughter's health became normal within a year of our moving to Switzerland.
Until the mid-1990s, we visited the UK, notably the Scottish Border Country regularly, until my brother died and we had no family ties left in the UK. (Since then, one business trip in 2001.) Each visit became successively nearer to purgatory as I realised how life in the UK became continuously diminished in quality, in inverse proportion to the material. People became distant from one another; in the little Border town where my family used to live, people pass in the street with barely a nod instead of a crack. In Edinburgh, where I lived from 1937 to 1951, never really noted for friendliness, it is now a city of distinct individuals pursuing the rat-race for more and more bawbees.
No, it is the UK that has changed and has detached itself from the ideals of my youth.
I cannot believe that you really imagine that the population of the UK wants or needs your ideals, for that's exactly what they are, ideals. Of course the UK has changed, doesn't everything change over time.
You weren't the only one to own a house and a car in the sixties, so did I, I too had a good job. Unlike you I stayed in the UK, that was my choice, as was yours to leave.
That said, I fail to see what your point is, or is this why you find our current distress and anger in the UK funny ?
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.
Firefly wrote: ↑Sun Mar 17, 2019 5:00 pm
why you find our current distress and anger in the UK funny ?
Where did I say that? I said a newspaper article was hilarious. And why do you consider the UK is in a state of current distress and anger? Maybe, if it is, it is symptomatic of an extension of the political decisions I made in 1963, although I don't claim this to be the case, just an idea!
Because it is, the article you refer to is actually exactly how a great number of British Citizens are feeling, and you find that hilarious.
As I said, you are detached from the UK, if you lived here, you might know how we feel, it's all very well to sit on the outside looking in, but you cannot feel our mood. The cause of this is a sense of betrayal by the people voted in to represent the people of the UK, they have let us down badly, and yes it is causing a lot of anger.
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.
Firefly wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2019 2:41 pm
The cause of this is a sense of betrayal by the people voted in to represent the people of the UK, they have let us down badly, and yes it is causing a lot of anger.
Well, who voted them in? Knowing what TM was like, you, the people, voted her back at the last election; WHY?
“You don’t get what you want; you get what you deserve.” ― Frank Sonnenberg
Firefly wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2019 6:05 pm
Not much choice, May or Corbyn, I would never vote for a terrorist sympathiser to be my P.M. would you ?
The collective blame for this fiasco lays squarely on the shoulders of Parliament who despite being directed by the people to leave the EU have instead put party and individual politics above that will. I am not sure where your dislike in regard to Mrs May comes from Devil, perhaps being a bit too “old school” ?. In the currant climate, nobody but nobody could have delivered anything better than Mrs May has done. Parliament is simply too divided, our politicians have failed miserably to bring their parties together as a united force, failed to inspire and lead the people and presented at every opportunity the tools to allow the EU to confound any reasonable negotiation.
Hudswell got to admire your devotion to the Embattled Theresa May , reminds me of a certain, Chemical Ali, what invasion,,,there is no invasion ..Priceless
May grabbed the poisoned chalice with both hands, no one forced it upon her. She is as poor a PM as she was Home Secretary; Police shortages, immigration problems and paedophile documents going missing to name just a few of the fiascos she was in charge of.
Hudswell, you are trying to defend the indefensible.
Remainers / Leavers does it now really matter ??? we are way past the point of who really cares, people just want to get either a deal done or leave. UK politicians have turned the whole thing into a farce. On driving back Home yesterday morning after my latest stint away a fierce debate was afoot on the radio with statistics being thrown around like confetti, the interesting stats were that some recent polls suggested that another referendum would end up with the same result with leave winning by a slightly higher margin.
Brussels keeps saying come back and tell us what you want yet when PM May does that they obviously turn down her requests. The backstop is the main issue nothing else so why will Brussels not make the relevant amendments to allow the UK to decide on this important issue. From where I am sitting and the vast majority of politicians are sitting; is, because the EU will use this as a way to keep the UK within the EU indefinitely.
The UK unemployment figures released the other day cite unemployment at its lowest in over 30 years, even with all this uncertainty UK businesses appears to be doing well something that can't be said about the vast majority of other EU States.
Should MAY stand down NO let her finish what she started - people keep whipping up a frenzy on her abilities however who would honestly jump in now to replace her other than Corbyn and he is the last person the UK wants as PM. May was handed a poison chalice to start with yet she has tried to get uk the best deal possible that delivers on Brexit whilst keeping close ties to the EU. My personal opinion now is leave with NO deal under WTO rules and crack on. Politicians then would have no choice but to get on with it and this may possibly focus the attention of our government.
living the dream wrote: ↑Wed Mar 20, 2019 10:00 am
Remainers / Leavers does it now really matter ??? we are way past the point of who really cares, people just want to get either a deal done or leave. UK politicians have turned the whole thing into a farce. On driving back Home yesterday morning after my latest stint away a fierce debate was afoot on the radio with statistics being thrown around like confetti, the interesting stats were that some recent polls suggested that another referendum would end up with the same result with leave winning by a slightly higher margin. I’ve heard polls that say the opposite. Polls are polls
Brussels keeps saying come back and tell us what you want yet when PM May does that they obviously turn down her requests. The backstop is the main issue nothing else so why will Brussels not make the relevant amendments to allow the UK to decide on this important issue. From where I am sitting and the vast majority of politicians are sitting; is, because the EU will use this as a way to keep the UK within the EU indefinitely. The backstop is a UK created solution
The UK unemployment figures released the other day cite unemployment at its lowest in over 30 years, even with all this uncertainty UK businesses appears to be doing well something that can't be said about the vast majority of other EU States. Far too many are minimum wage, zero hour contracts and no measure of GDP or success
Should MAY stand down NO let her finish what she started - people keep whipping up a frenzy on her abilities however who would honestly jump in now to replace her other than Corbyn and he is the last person the UK wants as PM. Not according to latest polls
May was handed a poison chalice to start with yet she has tried to get uk the best deal possible that delivers on Brexit whilst keeping close ties to the EU. My personal opinion now is leave with NO deal under WTO rules and crack on. Politicians then would have no choice but to get on with it and this may possibly focus the attention of our government.
So, you’ve seen the negative aspects of WTO and still support it? WTO is a horrendous prospect.
Hudswell wrote: ↑Wed Mar 20, 2019 10:36 am
Not denying it at all Varky, I did state “viable”
So it is only your right to decide who is viable. However your judgement on this must be called into question if in your judgement the only viable candidate for prime minister is Theresa May after her appalling tenure as both prime minister and Home Secretary.
I cannot imagine loads of people would see Brussels running things better than the U.K., although certainly better than this parliament.
I can see (hope) a massive split in UK politics with a 3rd party with middle of the road politics. We should rightly aspire to eradicate extreme right and left wing politics. Socialist and Capitalist principles can co-exist. Look at Germany!
Financial services companies have committed to move about £1tn of assets out of the UK into Europe as the industry triggers its worst-case contingency plans with no Brexit deal in sight, according to consultancy EY. The estimate by EY — which mainly covers client assets and cash moved out of the UK by banks and fund managers as well as the transfer of balance sheets as operations are relocated — has increased by £200bn since the last survey in January.
Banks and investors are now being forced to finalise plans only days from the Brexit deadline, with London’s future trading relationship with the EU still in question after Theresa May failed for a second time to secure parliamentary approval for her deal last week. She now faces having to ask Brussels for an extension to Brexit, causing added uncertainty for businesses in the UK. The number of jobs likely to move to the continent has remained steady at about 7,000, according to the EY study, which tracks the public declarations of 222 UK-based financial services firms on their intentions to restructure. About 2,000 new Europe-based roles have already been created since the June 2016 referendum, the consultancy said. “The relocation of 7,000 high-paid finance jobs will inevitably hit the UK tax base,” said Omar Ali, EY’s head of financial services. “Even using a conservative estimate . . . the direct loss to the Exchequer from employment taxes would be around £600m. https://www.ft.com/content/016171be-4a7 ... 5d44fb3577
Hudswell,
I think you will find that he resigned because of TM wanting to control every detail of Brexit negotiations without reference to her Brexit secretary in the same way she treated David Davis. Consequently the present situation is of her sole making. She has, only at 5 minutes to midnight, even thought about consulting other factions within parliament and even then she was not genuine about that. She should have done this two years ago.
The present chaotic situation belongs to Theresa May and no-one else.
Last edited by Varky on Wed Mar 20, 2019 8:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.