EU referendum, brexit and the aftermath

They’ve written themselves into a corner. They built up characters like Farage and May over years then discarded them without finishing their arcs, then added in layer after layer of complicated but novel nonsense. Add to that how viewers absolutely hated the Gove sex plot from earlier this season and I can imagine they’d feel despairing.

It does seem like they’re building up for a May 2.0 with Patel, who likely screen tested better and makes a more believable baddy (if viewers can get over the contradiction of her being from an immigrant family but still hating immigrants). I reckon they’ll pit her against the two-faced buffoon at some point.

Has anyone died of Brexit yet? Behr came close..
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/29/heart-attack-brexit-politics

@Eseman chapeau for capturing the theatre of the ongoing nonsense

I’ll counter than Patel plot suggestion - I reckon Truss could be being primed here. She’s gone from bit-part in the obligatory spin-off show to full-time cast in the main series. Her approval rating with the membership is ridiculous. Christ knows what they see in her.

if viewers can get over the contradiction of her being from an immigrant family but still hating immigrants

Mentally rolling through the nationalities of some of the people I know of who voted Brexit; Kiwi, Indian Mauritan, Bahamian, Scottish, 2nd gen Irish, another 2nd gen Irish. I think "those other immigrants / not like us" is a pretty standard personality type TBH.

Yeah, I've got first generation fimmigrant extended family who worked hard unlike the other freeloading immigrants, or so they believe.

Similarly, that chap Ali Akbar (Ali Alexander), who co-organised the capitol riots last year was from a good hard working immigrant family, unlike the others in his opinion. I mention this because I called him out on his anti immigrant views when I had the misfortune to meet him.

Not much wiggle room between Daily Mail readers and the American far right it seems.

See also benefits; "my 30 free hours childcare? But that's different because [reasons]".

On the DM front my absolute favourite is the insistence on personal responsibility for everything except for all the things that are important to me on which the government MUST TAKE ACTION.

I know cognitive dissonance is a bit of a meme now, but it's a default mental state that needs to be consciously countered.

Obligatory daily reddit sponsored EU low effort post

Same as it ever was

Just more pesky red tape

It wasn’t long ago we have dirty beaches that due to the EU laws stopping this, is now clean (for now)

Clean for all the bloody migrants in their boats though, this Great British sewage wall will keep them at bay.

Does this actually have any link to the EU? As far as I can tell any law that would apply to this hasn't changed (although an attempt to strengthen it was recently voted down). Instead, Southern Water has been dumping untreated sewage into the sea since 2010 and eating fines for it. Could have missed something though.

Edit - I did find something on it being difficult to get treatment chemicals due to supply change issues. That could very well be tied to Brexit. Still curious if any law has been changed though.

I think you'll find that if something is posted as an embedded image, it is literally 100% FACT.

Ha, fair!

I even went to the original source/tweet to see if I could find something with a bit more context. Just a pile on for retweets and likes. I fucking hate social media.

For srs, tho - The Environment Agency has said that dumping can occur because of supply chain failures (ostensibly because Brexit, covid etc.)

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-and-sewerage-company-effluent-discharges-supply-chain-failure-rps-b2/water-and-sewerage-company-effluent-discharges-supply-chain-failure-rps-b

I don't know if the original tweet is showing actual dumping that occurred because of this, and not just a stock photo of poop water.

From what I understand the sewage thing is only vaguely Brexit/EU related - insofar as the chemicals needed to treat water are now in short supply, but that's a bit part in the main production, which is that we're prioritising protecting shareholder revenue at the water companies over the health of the water that they discharge partially treated sewage into.

However, it does make the de-facto EU ban on UK shellfish look pretty sensible, given that we are now feeding our blue-lipped mussels on a diet of Richards and piss.

Oops, confused myself and posted nonsense, please ignore.

In reference to clean beaches;

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/09/what-has-the-eu-ever-done-for-my-beach

I don't think anyone (here) has claimed the EU didn't achieve anything in the UK. I was curious if there was, in fact, a change in law post-Brexit that made previous illegal sewage practices legal.

I worry that there's a risk to viewing every little bad thing that happens through the lens of Brexit; or worse, seeing bad things which aren't Brexit related as if they are. It could mean that big issues may slip by where mobilisation would be of use.

My takeaway is that it is actions that are within the scope of existing legislation that would otherwise not have happened, but that are also subject to less oversight, and would not have happened in the same circumstance were we still within the EU.

My takeaway is quite biased towards EU membership being generally a GoodThing though.

My takeaway is that it is actions that are within the scope of existing legislation that would otherwise not have happened, but that are also subject to less oversight, and would not have happened in the same circumstance were we still within the EU.

I'm not sure what this means. But I'm definitely not trying to have an argument with you about anything. I was curious about the background behind the post.

My takeaway is quite biased towards EU membership being generally a GoodThing though.

This was and is my position as well.

My understanding is the lack of ferric sulphate at waste water treatment works,
(where it is used to precipitate phosphate),
is nothing to do with Southern Water failing yet again to cope with peak storm water flows that flush sewage through their inadequate network(s?).

The UK was a driving force in writing the EU Water Directive(s?)
We have good ecological awareness and adquately funded campaigning orgainisations and pressure groups. What we also have is a supine government that relies upon the inadequately resourced Environment Agency to prosecute water companies who regard building sufficient storage to cope with peak storm water flows as an unnecessary burden upon their dividend delivery.

Luckily with climate change we aren't expecting much higher, more frequent peak water flows.

Oh, wait.

I'm not sure what this means.

I may have let the sentence run on for a bit.

It doesn't look as though what happened needed any legislation - it just needed the Environment Agency to give permission to dump effluent.

My take is that this wouldn't have happened if we were still in the EU, as it would have been called out by EU wonks as being NotCool, even if permitted under EU / UK law.

(Irrespective of there not being a shortage of chemicals were we still EU members.)

I'm definitely not trying to have an argument with you

How very dare you.

Apparently the Environment Bill will help prevent sewage dumping in the future?

https://twitter.com/Ben_Everitt/status/1452209632840192003

an unnecessary burden upon their dividend delivery.

Odd that a (quasi)private corporation created primarily to extract profit isn’t the best choice to provide essential public services.