Now t\here is someone with an interesting background if anyone cares to check it out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-38618448

Nah...I leave that sort of thing to retired police officers like you jim. :03:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38629138

I think that in reality he is actually experiencing a few sleepless nights.

He will cling on regardless because he and his Trotts now have total control over the national platform they have craved for too many years to remember.

This article about British expats shows disparity in numbers of pensioners covered by the reciprocal healthcare agreements in the EU.

Quite worrying for them potentially.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/38534958

Well if those blockheads thinking controlling the Labour party and keeping it out of power by their own actions could very well have sealed Labour's fate to the history books. If Labour looses both By-elections and JC remains in power then clearly all is lost.

I want to see opposition to the Tories and Labour is the biggest party and so far it has been a total washout. As long as Jeremy (the film star) Corbyn and his corbanites rule to roost Labour is a dead duck. As for the LibDems and peacock Tim they are still lost in the woods. SNP only represents Scotland's interests and one MP each of UKIP and the Greens they have a long long way to go.

Prepare for 20 years of Tory government..

No word about UK ambasssador Sir Ivan Rogers' stepping back already on january 3rd :hmmm:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...mid-brexit-row

Make Farage and Johnson the UK's representatives in the EU negotiations, let them prove their expertise so all outcome falls on those who initiated the mess. Do not let them run away :03:

Old Ivan was going to step down this November some what of a dull news story. And Farage is now on LBC Radio Mon-Thu 7-8pm. The Tories hate UKIP so they are not going to give him a job of any sort. As for Boris no idea.

Last Tuesday night show on Labour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFXaE35cX-c

Brexit is old news now, its all about mad jezza and his corbanite followers. Two By-elections coming up and Labour has to defend the seats under threat from the Conservatives and UKIP.

Pfft, it's not as if they're going to have to deal with it anyway, they could do whatever they want and still have a six figure salary. :yeah:

What's up in the media is not what is really going on, or important :yep:

Thanks Steed for an explanation, this has been all over the News here. But the real question is who will now do that job, the EU wonders why the UK cut off their best negotiator (who was a very hard and standfast when it came to UK's point of view in the EU) and the EU is clueless what to make of this, because clearly there is no other on the horizon and they wonder who will have a similar background knowledge to defend UK interests just of all at this time. It will be easier for the EU that way but they ask themselves just.. why?

Nigel Farage on the radio, have listened to some and while it's entertaining i'm not impressed. I guess some just need a soap box for their ego.

^ If you're referring to Sir Ivan Rogers, he was scheduled to leave office in the coming month of November so it is probably better to have a negotiator who is going to be around from start to finish.

One burning question here in the UK is what were his motives/loyalties in such a sudden announcement and in sending a communication to the civil service which he would fully know would obviously be leaked to the public.

One word could sum it up for many Brits.....Quisling.

^ It sure would for Farage.

Seems it is more of a clash between Civil Service and Downing street.

"Sir Ivan is said to be 100 per cent convinced that the leak came from Theresa May’s most senior aides, her joint chiefs of staff, Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy. They, the argument runs, had lost trust in him and wanted a fresh face. "

"Sir Ivan endured an uncomfortable time at the last EU summit in December after his confidential [!] advice to the government about Brexit potentially taking 10 years was leaked to the BBC. No ambassador relishes "becoming the story" in that way."

“There’s absolutely no evidence for that (edit: Rogers making his opinion public), and I’m afraid it’s a bit of a smear against Ivan Rogers,” Lord Ricketts said of the leak accusation. The information was, he told BBC Radio 4’s World at One, more likely to have been “leaked from the centre with a political motive”.

"The Prime Minister has already criticised Whitehall for being too willing to tune messages to what they think she wants to hear, claiming she wants them to perform their role of giving the ‘best possible advice’. She needs to put that into practice in who she appoints to take Rogers’ place, and in giving them the freedom and support to provide that advice."

"If the reports are true that he has been hounded out by hostile Brexiteers in government, it counts as a spectacular own goal."

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-38498839
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...-a7509951.html
https://www.theguardian.com/politics...rexit-tensions
https://www.instituteforgovernment.o...e-impartiality

Anyway it seems the new ambassador is suited if a bit pale (yet), but he seems not to be a "yes-man".

I'm certainly not a Tory but I firmly believe she pitched this at the right level.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38641208

You could learn a lot from the above Jeremy but only if your puppeteers allow it.

Sturgeon and the SNP's reaction is predictable (LINK), so I would expect another IndyRef attempt within the next two to three years, with or without Westminster's approval. Either it's given official sanction, or it goes through without and you end up a repeat of the current Catalonia vs Madrid situation. I could then see the Tories shutting down Holyrood and going for direct rule, though that runs the risk of killing the Union completely. If that did happen I would expect violence to start somewhere.

Either way, the Scottish economy is starting to tank due to all the uncertainty - Scottish business confidence is negative compared with that in England for one. Recruitment is down also.

Unlike what happened during the Brexit ref, and like what did happen during the 2014 Indyref, economic arguments will be centre stage. The SNP still haven't plugged all the holes in their White Paper proposals and they have to factor in at least 40% of their supporters voted for Brexit. Many I know are of the opinion that independence means independence, not being shackled to either Westminster or Brussels. Now that they've turned into Tartan Labour, in thrall to the Central Belt, they're also losing their old support base in the North East, potentially to the Tories.

On top of all that there's the Scottish budget proposals to get through Holyrood, taxation being a major part of any horsetrading due to the SNP not having a majority. Of the two parties most likely to do a deal, the Greens want complete revision of income tax and it's banding, with increases for higher earners, not very likely to be forthcoming from the Nats. The Lib Dems will settle for increased spending on education so I predict that the SNP budget will get through with either the Lib-Dems actively supporting it, or abstaining during the vote.

Mike.:hmmm:

I saw her speech this morning ... my respect for her went up a bunch. She seems very strong and her yea is yea and her nay is nay.

Who needs workers rights anyway?! :yeah: