EU referendum, brexit and the aftermath

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Cameron and Osbourne brought us Austerity

Together with the tagline “ we’re all in shit together “

Re. Previous posts on Liz Truss, today Times 2 segment in the paper has a full page cover story on “How the Foreign Secretary became a style influencer” with five fit pics. The game’s afoot

Brexit has worsened UK supply chain crisis, government’s spending watchdog says

Also

Freeports of no economic benefit says Treasury watchdog, in damning verdict

I know this tweet is probably AUKUS fallout related but probably not what Boris wants to be hearing pre fish wars
https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1454171003471466502

In fairness that is correct. It's not like the initial US/UK relationship didn't involve a war or anything. Hard to claim oldest ally given the circumstances.

A long time ago but within living memory (in the late 90s), children at schools in the southern US were still taught that the worst traitor in history was Benedict Arnold, a Continental Army general who betrayed the US and defected to the British side.

The US virtuous creation myth relies on a nefarious British Empire. IMV, the fact that both countries’ leaderships grew closer after WW1 and then especially WW2 and the ME incursions is being offset by the UK’s longing to return to empire. The Prime Minister seems to be banking on permanently having the US in a fraternal relationship, without seeming to worry about reverse colonisation or how the general attitude towards the UK, or any other country, in the US can change in a handful of years. Just ask Mexico how much things improved from the 90s to the 00s, and how quickly old resentments took centre stage in a single presidency. Or look at how tempers flared against France for refusing to go to war with the US.

Most Americans love the UK right now, but 10 Downing shouldn’t become too complacent with that.

I think the shared language does a lot of heavy lifting.

Lafayette innit

A view from afar

https://eand.co/want-to-see-a-modern-country-commit-suicide-take-a-hard-look-at-britain-fdeb3ad4bd3c

Is it worth reading after this " I don’t think even the Soviet Union dumped raw sewage in rivers and lakes."

^^ it raises some interesting observations but is hard to read tbh.

Thing’s certainly aren’t going well post brexit, but that article is particularly heavy handed on hyperbole.

More worrying is that dumping untreated sewage into water systems isn’t a new brexit phenomenon.

It's a bit repetitive but the view from France isn't much different tbh.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59115436

Row over NI protocol only getting worse, Frost accusing the EU of endangering the peace here.

Honestly... 🙄

Repetitive indeed.

day today its war.gif

Bloke without regard to the huge sensitivities in Northern Ireland accuses Brussels of behaving "without regard" to the huge sensitivities in Northern Ireland... OK. Am I reading this right?

It is exactly that.

And then he met the Loyalist Something something Council...composed of ex "alphabet organization" groups.

But not local businesses or groups near the UK border in Ireland. Not even trying this guy...

Amazing show.

And yeah the Gammons probably love the war analogies...

France is not helping right now with the fishing row. Technically in the right perhaps, but come on, it is only making things worse here. Not Macron's problem of course. He is doing it for his own audience.

The UK government asking for GPS data from small fishing boats =these will not have this in as only big ships have the cash to do this and have had to do this legally= and then using that as a reason to refuse fishing rights isn't exactly great either.

Now Truss is trying to sound ultra hard, well it'll be fun if France reduces the electricity supply to England cos "we have shortages ourselves".

Drama queens all over the place. The row is spilling out into cop26, arggghhhhh...

And soon origin checks are going to be enforced by the EU, which means even more problems for GB businesses.

Truss…

If (as has been reported) she is try to go straight to dispute resolution, does that involve the ECJ? And would it be a beautiful irony if they dragged her out of a hole on this?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-59117071

Another bus set on fire in a unionist / loyalist area. Hijackers muttered something about the NI protocol.

What is it with these ejits and attacking public transport services everyone uses 🙄

Get over it Remoaners.......

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59134190

I think it was Jonn Elledge who recently said that we'll end up being a larger, poorer, shitter version of Norway - eventually.

I wish we could just get on with it.

Norway has very good relations with its Scandi neighbours and partners, so at least that would be an objective improvement.