EU referendum, brexit and the aftermath

He did, but the GE was 2017 - the referendum 2016. Busy couple of years

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45955492

For more lulz, it is OK to endanger the GFA with Brexit and make discussions without an NI government, but if Parliament wants to change the moronic abortion / same-sex marriage laws in NI we get to hear this:

But opposing the bill, Conservative MP Fiona Bruce said it would be against "the principle of devolution". If the UK Parliament intervened, she added, it would "completely undermine the substance and spirit of the Good Friday Agreement".

Em, OK. Anybody for cherries? There are some being picked here.

I haven't read this attentively as I have my mind on other things today, but the Guardian comments that allegedly they want to 'solve' the knotty problem by adding more tangles.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/oct/23/mays-knotty-brexit-backstop-problem-how-could-be-solved

I'll read it properly later.

Six weeks. What did I tell you?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-45958713

Government preparing to requisition ships. https://www.ft.com/content/f853b544-d6cb-11e8-a854-33d6f82e62f8

Behind firewall, can you précis please?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/23/the-guardian-view-on-the-daily-mail-and-brexit-a-very-public-shift

Dacre pensioned off, non-Dom tax evader Rothermere sanctions editorial change to repopulate his social circle with Remainers.

No FT subscription here either.
Has May proposed a Brexit Task Force to evacuate Gibraltar?

You might be able to see it through google amp thing

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ft.com/content/f853b544-d6cb-11e8-a854-33d6f82e62f8

Hm apparently not. I think if you google the title and click through from the results page then you get one free view or something like that

“Government officials say the idea would be to charter ships to use less congested sea routes. “We’re talking about bringing in critical supplies like food, medicines, maybe car parts,” said one official briefed on the plan ... Government officials say they do not expect to have to use legal powers to requisition ships, although with only five months to go until Brexit on March 29, there is little time to charter ships on the open market.“

"Britain is drawing up plans to charter ships to bring in food and medicines in the event of a “no-deal” Brexit next March, in a move greeted with disbelief at a stormy meeting of Theresa May’s cabinet on Tuesday.

The cabinet was told that the heavily used Dover-Calais route could quickly become blocked by new customs controls on the French side, forcing Britain to seek alternative ways of bringing in “critical supplies”.

The warnings about the consequences of a disorderly British exit from the EU came at a cabinet meeting which saw ministers divided into two camps over how to unlock a deal in Brussels. One witness said there was “an almighty row”."

less congested sea routes

Starts trying to buy up old ferry ports on the south coast.

Wait, you mean they didn't hold their nerve?

I read this earlier, about how May is going to get a flotilla of ships to supply us. A bit like in WWII I guess, so I imagine it will be a popular idea. Maybe getting Vera Lynn to sing them into Dover as they arrive would be an even better vote winner.

https://www.businessinsider.com/theresa-may-considering-supply-flotilla-no-deal-brexit-report-2018-10?r=UK&IR=T

Beyond the fact that this will finally provide a use case for Trident (to protect the convoys as they pass through European waters), I don't understand how this could work, immediate questions that spring to mind:

• Who would she buy the food off, as we may not have suitable trade deals to do so, depending on whether it was a UK or non UK company doing it?

• Who would she charter the ships off, as the crew may not be qualified and vessels not certified (if UK chartered) to land and load at the source, or (if non UK) at the destination.

• Would it be ok to anyone she did have a trade deal with to be importing large quantities of less well regulated (customs checks?) food, or would it breach any trade deals as the govt would now essentially be importing goods.

Is this what she imagined she'd be doing when she started out in politics all those years ago?Presumably she had some idea for making the world better, or at least not too much worse. Instead she's making up fictional emergency plans to appease people nostalgic for the blitz so they get off her back for another couple of days.

I would assume she's taking about an armada of small ships, get the old Dunkirk spirit going again.

I've got a blow up dinghy, I'm in.

@christianSpaceman - sounds like the brexiters' wetdream.

Liberty ships redux, stuffed to the gunnels with chlorinated chicken, maggot filled veg and beef so full of hormones that the sailors will all be 44DD by the time they get into harbour in the UK.

I would assume she's taking about an armada of small ships, get the old Dunkirk spirit going again.

You're right, good point - I forgot about England's Famous Beloved Small Ships.

Re-purposing the Gammon's Isle of Wight -> Calais booze cruise fleet could possibly give sufficient cargo tonnage...

Nukes will be really useful defending cargo ships.
:D

If we can't have the oatmeal and bovril on board, no one can.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-45959793

The government's Border Delivery Group (BDG) only began detailed planning work in relation to Northern Ireland in July, the National Audit Office (NAO) has revealed.

The NAO said the "ongoing sensitivity of negotiations" had been a constraint on starting work on Northern Ireland.

Le Sigh.

^ I had this chat in Paris on Monday... the response was: "Bien, bienvenue, bon choix!"