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On the BBC news on or just after the announcement of the June election, a correspondent (whose name escapes me at the moment) appeared from Brussels to give a breathless account of a conversation with an unnamed EU official, in which she claimed to have been assured that a big majority for May would mean that everything would be signed, sealed and delivered by September. You may draw your own conclusions – I was gobsmacked. Sounded to me like a Conservative Central Office press release rather than a serious item from a “national” news service.
If anyone can locate the original report, it would be worth posting it !
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Oh yes, it would.
The EU has said that it accepts that Britain will leave. That is not questioned. The discussions and negotiations will go ahead no matter which party is in power.
After all it was the referendum that gave the British prime minister the power to trigger article 50 and negotiate withdrawal. Not a general election.
Maybe the unnamed official was the canteen wifie!
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Tories think they rule the universe or at least their alternative one where everyone kowtows to their wishes.
Definitely not of this planet.
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They are certainly a weird lot.
You only have to look at some of them to see that!
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Someone on TV,yesterday,Preston I think,commented that many voters thought that May was doing a great job taking a tough stance in negotiating with the EU.
What negotiations?
They better start getting used to Non,Nein,Nej and many other such words with a similar meaning.
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Well, if your idea of doing well in “pre” negotiations is to insult people and make statements based on false information, fine. She probably is.
Given that Britain wants the earth form them and is the smaller party, I suspect a more respectful and conciliatory approach might work a bit better.
But what do I know?
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In the two years since the EU Referendum, having made a heroic effort, our Conservative Government of England and her colonies has been thwarted in our attempt to make evil Johnny Foreigner see sense. No amount of British pluck, good old fashioned values of common sense and reasonableness have quenched their desire to do our noble country harm. It is therefore with great regret and a deep sense of disappointment in the conduct of our former allies that this hardest of Brexits has been forced upon us.
God save King Charles!
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It moves closer to that every day.
I think she’s lost the plot. Whoever told her to make that statement today needs sacking.
I suppose teh Daily Express think that she was right, but they must be the only ones.
I REALLY don’t think she’s up to this job.
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I’ve just read about it, it’s an irresponsible tactic appealing to the lowest common denominator. Unfortunately for us it’s the only tactic she may have left because her incompetence is there for anyone with a brain to see.
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I suppose that it was probably the lead on the BBC news… And that’s not bad on the day before the election.
She didn’t have to see the queen in person… but it always gets some attention.
Of course the Mail and Express and Telegraph will latch on to the idea that Johnnie Foreigner is being unpleasant to the UK, after we saved them from the Nazis. Ungrateful foreigners.
Those of us who think she’s batshit mad aren’t going to be persuaded, but Daily Mail readers….?
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It was always pretty obvious that the 2 years allowed for in Article 50 was to settle the terms of exiting the EU. It was never about any possible new relationship after that. Brexit means Brexit … only after that can the UK Government start to talk about any trade deals with the EU ( or anybody else for that matter). From a UK point of view it would be great if we could do trade talks in parallel, but I don’t think Mrs May’s tantrums, name calling and intransigence are the best negotiating tactic to achieve this. Relying on the diplomacy skills of Boris Johnstone and Liam Fox isn’t much of a Plan B if Teresa intends to stay all aloof and regal refusing to engage with anybody in debate other than to snipe about Johnny Foreigner, Jeremy Corbyn and the SNP.
Talking of Boris and Liam though… I wonder if their coats aren’t on a shoogley nail when Theresa is handing out the new jobs in her new cabinet.
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That’s a thought. I hadn’t though about that. David Davis too, huh? Not that anyone would want the jobs.
Given the position the UK is in, you can’t help thinking a little humility wouldn’t go far wrong.
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Folks should go back and look at Prof Dougans earlier videos. He described the Leave Campaign in the Referendum as lying on an industrial scale.
Just listened to R4 saying The May will be negotiating with the 27 individual leaders. Somebody needs to disabuse them of that notion ASAP.
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You are quite correct.
The 27 nations have appointed their negotiating team but will have the final say through ratification.
May had better start being nice to Ireland and Spain…or else.
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She seems to find it easier to be friends with Erdogan, Netanyahu and Trump than with the EU.
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Thanks for that tip BJS…
No one on this said of the channel seems to have an idea how it all works.
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May made the statement to set the agenda for a domestic audience.
The Tories did it during the Ind Ref, Labour played it out but it was the Tories deciding, they did it during the 2015 GE to Ed Millband, then the Brexit Ref, though a different group of Tories til May took over.
Labour has been left behind at every stage.
So her statement fired up the Brexit army, seemed to be telling the EU off and paved the way for more domestic tyranny.
All the Tories understand is if power is taken from them. We need to keep doing that.
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And her faithful newspapers are happy to oblige her.
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I know he’ll probably be to busy today to see this, but good luck Gerry.
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Hear hear…
I left a message on Facebook.
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May the Forth be with him.
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Can we use another word instead of ‘May’?
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Just popped in for a wee break and a cuppa tea, been out and about 3 polling stations and gave 2 voters a lift down to the polling station. Thanks Conan and Tris. At the count tomorrow Ward 6 is one of the first wards to be processed so I should know the outcome fairly early. Need to head off quickly after that as we are going up to Stonehaven to stay with Jimmy and Isabel for the weekend. Will tweet the result though and put a message on Facebook before I leave.
Thanks for your support.
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Our fingers are crossed for all of you.
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Thus is interesting in the context of EU Negotiations
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/03/the-six-brexit-traps-that-will-defeat-theresa-may
From Kate Francis over at http://www.craigmurray.org.uk
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The point is, of course, that she should know all this.
I wonder if she thinks that this is ok for a little nation like Greece, but the EU must know that they are now taking on the might of the British Empire.
(Although, I’m not sure that the people on Sark will rush to her aid, and I suspect that those on Gibraltar definitely won’t”.)
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I’m surprised
That you’re surprised
To find a Tory
Telling lies!
Shift over, Rabbie Burns
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Makar in the making!
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The government really don’t seem to have any grasp on the process. I don’t even think they understand that it is a process governed by treaty obligations and regulations. The Labour Party, bless them, are just as bad.
Even the continuation of the rights of EU/UK citizens is going to be horribly controversial. I expect this to end up being far more of a hot potato than the question of debt obligations. I’ve seen every little written about this but the government are going to find themselves in a mess very quickly. The EU wants no loss of rights for its citizens in the UK. That means every right they enjoy today should continue after the UK exits the EU. The right of non discrimination affects almost every area of legislation – equal rights to access the NHS, the education system, to vote in local elections, rights to work and residence etc. The really big one, though, will be the right to take legal cases to the ECJ. Continuing rights, after all, means all rights continue. If the UK withdraws from the ECJ there will be a weird situation where EU citizens actually have more rights than UK citizens.
One other I just thought of is the right of EU citizens in the UK to leave the UK for a period of time and then move back to the UK. Rights in perpetuity, after all, means exactly that. I’m sure I’m only scratching the surface here so even this single point could take months. What a glorious mess.
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Exactly.
That this stupid woman doesn’t seem to know any of this, and her secretary of state seems to know almost nothing, that they ahve few trained staff, that they have expectations of being allowed to keep EU institutions in London… and really a thousand other things… is incredible (literally).
She must be looking at a transition period of up to 10 years and that’s at the discretion of the EU, and the half wit goes around accusing them of interfering with her election.
For crying out loud, can’t we get rid of this woman before she does any more bloody damage?
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The chances of getting rid of her are very slim, indeed.
The EU have ratcheted this up another gear now.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/eu-brexit-citizens-amnesty-three-million-european-uk-no-proof-of-residency-theresa-may-latest-a7721201.html
This is the kind of policy area that should be the focus for the upcoming GE. It’s been triggered by Brexit yet isn’t about Brexit in any meaningful way at all. Labour, Tories, all of them.
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That and 5,000 other things?
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Someone else put it perfectly: “Let June be the end of May”. Possibly the wittiest and most succinct political slogan ever. The woman is a fool and her party not fit to run a menage let alone a country.
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Yes, I thought that was brilliant. It won’t happen though.
She will win; she’ll make a mess of Brexit; there will be problems, a great deal of VERY serious poverty. After 10 years of austerity, there will be more rounds of the same.
I can’t see that even the Brits will put up with it.
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