Brexit & British Politics

[dudog84]

quoi?

Or "Que?" (say it like you're from Barcelona)

[JasonEvans]

fetchez la vache

Run away, run away!!

[Skydog]

Run away, run away!!

Well, that's no ordinary rabbit!
That's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on!

https://youtu.be/LsSlXGKearg

[camion]

Well, that's no ordinary rabbit!
That's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on!

https://youtu.be/LsSlXGKearg

Boris Johnson??

[OldPhiKap]

Lord Frost resigned from the cabinet apparently. It is really hard for me to figure how this may impact the Northern Ireland Protocol and Brexit. Can some of y’all that understand this help me out?

[Kdogg]

Not a good time for Boris.

Earlier in the week the Tories lost a by-election for the North Shropshire seat to the Liberal Democrats. Even if it took tactical voting, it is a big deal. It's a seat they've held for almost TWO HUNDRED YEARS. It's as Tory blue as can be. The seat was open because of the previous MP broke Parliamentary rules on paid lobbying and Boris vehemently defended him. Boris went so far as to try to change the rules to allow the MP's actions. It did not go over well and was scrapped.

How do you follow up a disaster? With another disaster. Today, Lord Frost is resigning over Covid Plan B measures. He's been lead negotiator with the EU and was currently having tense talks regarding post-Brexit arrangements. He's a true Brexiter that had to be reined in by other ministers. There has been a push for an interim deal over the N Ireland protocols. One would think gravity finally catches up with Boris. He's been able to fly above all the lies, the corruption, the scandals, the failures and the incompetency. My fear now is that he doubles down on Brexit and triggers Article 16. Boris knows that you distract from a dumpster fire by creating an bigger dumpster fire.

[OldPhiKap]

Not a good time for Boris.

Earlier in the week the Tories lost a by-election for the North Shropshire seat to the Liberal Democrats. Even if it took tactical voting, it is a big deal. It's a seat they've held for almost TWO HUNDRED YEARS. It's as Tory blue as can be. The seat was open because of the previous MP broke Parliamentary rules on paid lobbying and Boris vehemently defended him. Boris went so far as to try to change the rules to allow the MP's actions. It did not go over well and was scrapped.

How do you follow up a disaster? With another disaster. Today, Lord Frost is resigning over Covid Plan B measures. He's been lead negotiator with the EU and was currently having tense talks regarding post-Brexit arrangements. He's a true Brexiter that had to be reined in by other ministers. There has been a push for an interim deal over the N Ireland protocols. One would think gravity finally catches up with Boris. He's been able to fly above all the lies, the corruption, the scandals, the failures and the incompetency. My fear now is that he doubles down on Brexit and triggers Article 16. Boris knows that you distract from a dumpster fire by creating an bigger dumpster fire.

Thanks. I watch PMQ’s every week and try to keep up through BBC and some tweeters. The party at No. 10 is a big problem for Boris as well.

[Kdogg]

Omicron is going to give Johnson time and the Tories are in no place for a vote of no confidence anyway. He’s only got a few months to do something or face the music. Labour is currently polling better than the Tories. Boris is running out of allies so the only way I see him regaining traction is to unity people behind a cause. That worries me.

Best case scenario for N Ireland peace is that negotiations get kick down the road and Boris doesn’t do anything stupid. (Yeah, I know.) Moderation with the EU was winning but chaos would be his best strategy IF he wants to stay. A few months ago talk was he wanted out anyway and it’s not as if British Prime Ministers leave on a high note anyway.

[OldPhiKap]

Omicron is going to give Johnson time and the Tories are in no place for a vote of no confidence anyway. He’s only got a few months to do something or face the music. Labour is currently polling better than the Tories. Boris is running out of allies so the only way I see him regaining traction is to unity people behind a cause. That worries me.

Best case scenario for N Ireland peace is that negotiations get kick down the road and Boris doesn’t do anything stupid. (Yeah, I know.) Moderation with the EU was winning but chaos would be his best strategy IF he wants to stay. A few months ago talk was he wanted out anyway and it’s not as if British Prime Ministers leave on a high note anyway.

Thanks again.

I’m a complete outsider and have no bone in the fight. But it seems to me that Keir Starmer is more effective and less radical-looking/sounding than Jeremy Corbyn was. And it looks like the SNP and maybe even Plaid Cymru are on the rise. Northern Ireland is a mess, I still don’t understand what the DUP was thinking by backing the Tories in the coalition government.

The loss of the recent seat, although a single race, is a shock. (We make waaaaay too much of single elections in the US, I assume the same may be true here — there are so many personal and local dynamics that impact these races, yet national news wants to extrapolate on “what it means” in a larger context with a whole lot of speculation).

Boris seems to have a Teflon coating, I’ll believe he’s in trouble when I see it. But — looking for signs nonetheless.

[OldPhiKap]

Liz Truss replaces Frost. FWIW she was a Remainer in ‘16:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-59721801

[Kdogg]

Liz Truss replaces Frost. FWIW she was a Remainer in ‘16:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-59721801

She also is (was?) on the short list to replace Johnson. The new position can boost or sabotage her chances. A Machiavellian would say Boris is setting her up for disaster. Rishi Sunak would be the leading candidate but she would be 2 followed by Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt. Even with their faults, they are all major upgrades.

[dudog84]

It's all about the cheese.

Brexit: ‘the biggest disaster that any government has ever negotiated’

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news...nb7Kz#comments

[OldPhiKap]

It's all about the cheese.

Brexit: ‘the biggest disaster that any government has ever negotiated’

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news...nb7Kz#comments

“He said, ‘blessed are the cheese-makers’?”

[dudog84]

“He said, ‘blessed are the cheese-makers’?”

It's not meant to be taken literally, it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.

[killerleft]

It's not meant to be taken literally, it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.

Greek cheese-makers are especially blessed, as are the Norwegians.

[OldPhiKap]

Brexit, one year on: interesting observation on the last year and the challenges/opportunities going forward from eleven different and interesting perspectives. Too much good info to just snap quote a few for me:

https://www.politico.eu/article/brex...on-eu-learned/

[budwom]

If you happen to be interested in a highly vulgar but entertaining takedown of Bo Johnson, and have the required NY Times prescription (sic), you might want to check this out:https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/o...y-scandal.html

[Bostondevil]

If you happen to be interested in a highly vulgar but entertaining takedown of Bo Johnson, and have the required NY Times prescription (sic), you might want to check this out:https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/o...y-scandal.html

Brilliant.

[OldPhiKap]

If you happen to be interested in a highly vulgar but entertaining takedown of Bo Johnson, and have the required NY Times prescription (sic), you might want to check this out:https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/o...y-scandal.html

“BBC reporter” “Jonathan Pie” is well-worth watching on YouTube. His takes are brilliant. Here is his take on the implementation of Brexit from a year ago (same language warning):

https://youtu.be/M8PBNTsp0QM

[mkirsh]

If you happen to be interested in a highly vulgar but entertaining takedown of Bo Johnson, and have the required NY Times prescription (sic), you might want to check this out:https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/o...y-scandal.html

Ha! Reminds me of this: