Just another one voted remain backing a remainder and probably being groomed for the top job when MayBot caves in.

Well balanced pro EU cabinet I see.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DVNH_CXW0AEtMES.jpg

Emailed to me.

"UK rules out any form of customs union with the EU after brexit"

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-br...-idUKKBN1FP0SK

Well, why stop there? :haha:

Speculation is all well and good but the final/if necessary option will be to walk away and let the good old 'net payers' pick up the tab.

After that, any and every punishment possible will be enacted upon the UK, mostly in the form of tariffs. The UK will reciprocate in kind, knowing she imports more than she exports so the sums will be balanced in her favour.

The outcome....both sides of the Channel bleed one another and hopefully will eventually come to their senses.

But hey!!....this is politics right?

Could be a totally different outcome then :hmmm:

I know I've posted this before but there is a ring of truth in it as well as a widespread growing of support in the UK for its content.

https://i.imgur.com/tktmios.jpg

Perhaps I'm a little too patriotic but having worn the Queens uniform I take a great sense of pride in much of what my country has achieved on the world stage over the last century in particular.

The Uk is punishing itself. Will you please stop to blame the EU, or Hitler :)
The text you already posted is not entirely wrong, but it's not quite true likewise. Regarding a growing support for this kind of "statement" i think you are wrong. First, a new referendum would stop brexit in its tracks, second just of all young people dislike it, and they are the future. Freedom of movement anyone?

"... every punishment possible will be enacted upon the UK, mostly in the form of tariffs. The UK will reciprocate in kind, knowing she imports more than she exports so the sums will be balanced in her favour. ..."

You say you get out of the custom union, and at the same time complain about tarriffs that may or may not be established. This is what the customs union was intended for: No tariffs. What do you expect when leaving?

Whether there really will be tarriffs harming the UK or not – i don't even think so. Maybe someone's a bit paranoid. Since you like this war comparisons all the time, the EU will not unmoth its secret squadrons of 109s to "punish" the UK.
https://www.newstatesman.com/politic...hing-uk-brexit

I also think this move was done to stop the rioters in the Tory's own fraction, to support May and help to keep her in power.

What happens to Ireland and Scotland, when this will be forced through?

Regarding this paper:
Before and during the war, in England there was an immigration stop for jews and other persecuted people seeking asylum.
History is becoming blurred, but there have been some publications http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/review/221
After the war, rebuilding of Germany. Marshal plan? Who paid for this?
Rebuilding of Germany was almost entirely paid for with the US-initiated Marshal plan. After it was allowed to produce and trade again from 1950 on, it bypassed England financially, and stopped the rationing of food before England.
England allowed a lot of immigrants from the commonwealth:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/zxm6pv4
Also some insightful reports of english officers serving in Germany after the war, about economy and management of resources in comparison.

imho this paper is nothing short of chauvinism.

As always when it comes to public opinion in Scotland, it's neither simple nor clear cut:

http://blog.whatscotlandthinks.org/2...brexit-debate/

The salient points appear to be:

It's the usual Scottish dichotomy, don't want to be treated differently in some areas, but wish to be so in others. It's an argument that's existed since 1707. Check for the "Scotland vs North Britain" identity contest.

As for the actual independence debate, the two sides are still at the same level as in 2014. What appears to the main concern for the Unionist side is that support for independence hasn't receded substantially from what was recorded in the IndyRef. The Nats are quite happy the situation as they still have generally higher levels of support than their opponent parties do individually.

Now, going onto domestic matters, since I haven't been able to log in for sometime (an issue which appears to have resolved itself!:doh:) I'll post what has been the biggest issue (aside from Brexit!) north of the border - the Scottish Government's budget for the coming year and the SNP's decision to actually use Holyrood's powers over taxation:

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/12/8959

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...itics-42876065

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...itics-42358522

In short, Scotland will have a different set of tax bands from the rest of the UK and those earning more than £35,000 per annum will pay more than if they lived elsewhere in the UK.

How can the Scottish Parliament do this? Simple - it gained full control of income tax rates and bands, with the exception of the tax free allowance (which is reserved to Westminster), last year. In very simple terms that means that when it comes to income tax specifically, Scots are no longer direct UK taxpayers and the money raised in that tax in Scotland will no longer go directly into the UK taxation pot.

For the majority of other taxation, like National Insurance, Corporation Tax etc, etc Scots are still UK taxpayers. So we're in a partly-out, partly-in sort of situation.

Mike.:hmmm:

For those who think the "Scottish Problem" is recent, here's a 1967 article from the Spectator:

"Down with North Britain" by Denis Brogan.

It was written in the wake of the SNP's election breakthrough in the 1967 Hamilton by-election courtesy of Winnie Ewing.

As true now as it was in 1967 - English Tories have no idea on how to deal with Scotland.

Mike.:hmmm:

STEED's new PMQ score card.

PM Theresa May (Conservatives) 0

Jeremy Corbyn (Labour) 2

Vince Cable (LibDems) 1

Ian Blackford (SNP) 0

Caroline Lucas (Greens) 0


ON GOING SCORE CARD AFTER 5 PMQ's

PM Theresa May (Conservatives) 7

Jeremy Corbyn (Labour) 8

Vince Cable (LibDems) 1

Ian Blackford (SNP) 3

Caroline Lucas (Greens) 0

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42969000

Hopefully this will lead to a united agreement on a way forward but I'm not overly confident.

So, these official forecasts have finally been revealed:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42977967

I do find it very ironic that the hard-line Brexiteers like Mogg and Redwood have treated these figures in almost the exact same way that equally hardline SNP supporters treat the GERS figures.:hmmm:

My own view is that these and GERS have a core of truth, but need to be treated with caution rather than taken as gospel.

In the meantime, one of Labour's Scottish contingent finds himself in a spot of bother:

Labour MP Hugh Gaffney sorry for 'deeply offensive' Burns Supper remarks

A bit of pot calling the kettle black, Mr Postman MP?

Scottish Labour MP Hugh Gaffney 'heckled over weight and accent'

Unfortunately this does highlight the primary deficiency of Labour's Scottish Branch Office: not only lacking in talent, but in brains as well.

Little wonder that Nat One (Sturgeon) regularly stomps on Richard Leonard during FMQ's!

Mike.

The pound does not seem to be disturbed at all, but then it reacts to the outcome of negotiations, not to the word 'brexit'.

However if the blockchain really succeeds (and it has to, in the end), it will destroy a lot of banks.
Amazon is already planning to give out those credits, that banks would not. And it is well-planned, Amazon can do exact calculations what the market and smaller business will be like tomorrow, something that banks do not bother with.
With the introduction of bitcoin or other internationally accepted currencies, banks will be a thing of the past. Which includes financial centers.

Shouldn't bother Merkel and co, Germany won't have much money to save anyway :O:

Meanwhile......http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42986729

Pun? :O:

:hmmm: They say June will be the end, of May

:):up: