Brexit, for once some facts.

[Zlatan]

that's not the case.
EU workers were protected by the same EU laws and ours.
Sure, there is a market, if there is less supply of EU fruit pickers then wages will have to go up and farmers will have to take on our own casual workers but as I said, farmers will just apply for short term working visas.
There won't be any hike in wages.

No. I am not a socialist nor a capitalist. I want our young people to get off the playstations and do more physical work.
But our GDP won't be affected by the future of fruitpickers, that's why I found the writer's argument ridiculous.
The EU gave us a stable and level environment to develop our economy for 48 years.
All the brexiters wanted is a race to the bottom: deregulation, devaluation, house price inflation and reducing public services.
Just compare the state of our roads against Spanish and French roads that you know well. Same goes for heath care, the environment and public spaces.
I hope that now brexit is done, people will think again before voting for that lot back to government in 2024.

And who is an alternative? There isn't one, despite all that's said on here, despite all his flaws and obvious errors Boris is still popular within his party and country at large see no alternative at all to Tory party. We, ve got Tories for another 3 elections and probably with Boris in charge at next.
Starmer and Labour have disintegrated and quite some time ago..

 

[oldgroaner]

Good to see it's the same Barry we know and love

Akin to "More Briefs than Calvin Clein"

 

[oldgroaner]

And who is an alternative? There isn't one, despite all that's said on here, despite all his flaws and obvious errors Boris is still popular within his party and country at large see no alternative at all to Tory party. We, ve got Tories for another 3 elections and probably with Boris in charge at next.
Starmer and Labour have disintegrated and quite some time ago..

Hmm! the future is far from pre ordained and there are worse possible outcomes even than that.
How can anyone expect to fulfil the promises made to the electorate or even the paying lobby groups, with such a sorry band of rent a seat incompetent Mp's? and that's both parties.

What we can expect is some sort of normality for a while, then factional unrest among the Tory party members once again

Remember what Murdoch said
"If promises aren't kept there will be trouble"

 

[oldgroaner]

A Brexit Bonus to reduce the Dover Traffic

First day of sailings between Rosslare and Dunkirk booked out
Danish shipping company DFDS says three direct sailings on Saturday are full up

What joy! hang on....

 

[flecc]

How-do?

How do Tillson, 50Herz, Barry Shittpeas.

Welcome back in for the new year.

P.S. Just seen Nev got there before me!
.

 

[Zlatan]

How do Tillson, 50Herz, Barry Shittpeas.

Welcome back in for the new year.

P.S. Just seen Nev got there before me!
.

Yep, it's nice to have a voice of reason back..!!

 

[oyster]

A Brexit Bonus to reduce the Dover Traffic

First day of sailings between Rosslare and Dunkirk booked out
Danish shipping company DFDS says three direct sailings on Saturday are full up

What joy! hang on....

I have mixed feelings about that.

Part of me has long wondered at the traffic crossing the channel/North Sea, driving across England, and often parts of Wales or Scotland, then another sea crossing, to get to Ireland.

Losing that traffic might reduce how busy some of our roads are. Might reduce pollution around roads. Which could be good.

But I am not in a position to judge environmental impact beyond that. Or other impacts like increasing costs, losing warehousing which used to supply Ireland, etc.

 

[Woosh]

And who is an alternative? There isn't one, despite all that's said on here, despite all his flaws and obvious errors Boris is still popular within his party and country at large see no alternative at all to Tory party. We, ve got Tories for another 3 elections and probably with Boris in charge at next.
Starmer and Labour have disintegrated and quite some time ago..

A lack of prominent opposition is no guarantee - he's done brexit, he's no longer of use to the brexiters.
The DUP has already opposed him.
When BJ puts up taxes, the tory shires will desert him. If he keeps borrowing beyond 2021, the tories will also desert him. When a large Japanese car manufacturer pulls out, his newly acquired blue wall will desert him.

 

[Zlatan]

A lack of prominent opposition is no guarantee - he's done brexit, he's no longer of use to the brexiters.
The DUP has already opposed him.
When BJ puts up taxes, the tory shires will desert him. If he keeps borrowing beyond 2021, the tories will also desert him. When a large Japanese car manufacturer pulls out, his newly acquired blue wall will desert him.

Yep, agree with all that. Lots of ifs and replacing him with Gavin Williamson or some such like (Rishi Sunak??) won't change much. We need a viable opposition, that's not going to jump out of the mess we call Labour for a long time. Even now Labour isn't sure what it is. Unite/McClusky still hold some sway but dislike Starmer and see him as a Blairite. Going to take 10 years for Labour to be electable,irrespective of what Boris does.
And not sure where Tory shires are anymore. Boris and Tories have got lots of support in North.. Can't see Starmer recouping those... Ever?

 

[oldgroaner]

We were not discussing their morals, which have no bearing on accuracy of their predictions.
All your predictions have long since fallen by wayside. (all of them)

Really like these?

The leave camp would win the referendum
We would get BRINO not Brexit

Hmm! someone is suffering from memory loss again, aren't you!

 

[oldgroaner]

Yep, agree with all that. Lots of ifs and replacing him with Gavin Williamson or some such like (Rishi Sunak??) won't change much. We need a viable opposition, that's not going to jump out of the mess we call Labour for a long time. Even now Labour isn't sure what it is. Unite/McClusky still hold some sway but dislike Starmer and see him as a Blairite. Going to take 10 years for Labour to be electable,irrespective of what Boris does.
And not sure where Tory shires are anymore. Boris and Tories have got lots of support in North.. Can't see Starmer recouping those... Ever?

I thought I was the one who you said wasn't good at predictions?

 

[flecc]

Yep, agree with all that. Lots of ifs and replacing him with Gavin Williamson or some such like (Rishi Sunak??) won't change much. We need a viable opposition, that's not going to jump out of the mess we call Labour for a long time. Even now Labour isn't sure what it is. Unite/McClusky still hold some sway but dislike Starmer and see him as a Blairite. Going to take 10 years for Labour to be electable,irrespective of what Boris does.
And not sure where Tory shires are anymore. Boris and Tories have got lots of support in North.. Can't see Starmer recouping those... Ever?

I've posted a Disagree, not because what you've posted doesn't make sense, there's much sense there.

It's because we haven't been voting for the party we like for a long time. Instead we have long been voting against what we don't like the most. It won't be too long before the Tories do some things deeply unpopular with the working North and then the so called "Blue Wall" will vanish and they'll return to Labour. Unless we get a new flash in the pan popular alternative, akin to a new Farage type figure.
.

 

[Nev]

If the new virus variant raises the R level by up to 0.7 (see link below for latest research) then I don't think it's sensible to open schools, Collages and Universities in a week or two. It would make more sense to keep them closed until the end of January, during that time try and get vaccines into as many arms as possible, and then review the situation again at the end of the month.
Covid-19: New variant 'raises R number by up to 0.7' - BBC News

 

[Zlatan]

I've posted a Disagree, not because what you've posted doesn't make sense, there's much sense there.

It's because we haven't been voting for the party we like for a long time. Instead we have long been voting against what we don't like the most. It won't be too long before the Tories do some things deeply unpopular with the working North and then the so called "Blue Wall" will vanish and they'll return to Labour. Unless we get a new flash in the pan popular alternative, akin to a new Farage type figure.
.

Thanks Flecc. Can't disagree with that... Just wish Labour would get themselves sorted..
I agree about Tories doing something monumentally wrong... Can't see that being anything to do with Brexit but when/if we got out the covid mess, there will be investigations and probably repercussions. Think it's way too early to say how government have done at moment...

 

[oldgroaner]

Hancock and Boris foul up again

What's a few more casualties to them? they can quote a
"World beating " total of people vaccinated

 

[oldgroaner]

I've posted a Disagree, not because what you've posted doesn't make sense, there's much sense there.

It's because we haven't been voting for the party we like for a long time. Instead we have long been voting against what we don't like the most. It won't be too long before the Tories do some things deeply unpopular with the working North and then the so called "Blue Wall" will vanish and they'll return to Labour. Unless we get a new flash in the pan popular alternative, akin to a new Farage type figure.
.

That was one of my predictions that when the situation went critical some agitator would appear on the scene to pour petrol into the flames

 

[flecc]

Thanks Flecc. Can't disagree with that... Just wish Labour would get themselves sorted..

That will be a struggle since they are really two parties. They know that and would divide, if it were not for the fact that each half would have no chance of getting power and the Blairite half is really just another LibDem anyway.

The Tories are split too, but more fragmented into several parts than divided, so they are able to fumble along as being sort of one.

I wish they would all break up so we could have a run of true coalitions, Continental style, getting away from the policy extremes of the two.
.

 

[oldgroaner]

Thanks Flecc. Can't disagree with that... Just wish Labour would get themselves sorted..
I agree about Tories doing something monumentally wrong... Can't see that being anything to do with Brexit but when/if we got out the covid mess, there will be investigations and probably repercussions. Think it's way too early to say how government have done at moment...

Brexit is fundamentally the future being stillborn and about as monumentally insane as can possibly be imagined apart from picking a war with Russia or China.
In a battle between the Warmington-on-Sea home guard and the Red Army we could encounter some small difficulty

Come to think of it that analogy also fits only too well with our new relationship with the EU
And it's no good looking to Labour or whatever it now calls itself, there's no salvation to be found there

 

[Zlatan]

Hancock and Boris foul up again

What's a few more casualties to them? they can quote a
"World beating " total of people vaccinated

I believe the decision to extend timing of 2nd jab (from 21 days to minimum of 21 days) was actually the MHRA's decision. Don't thin politicians would be allowed to make such a decision.
I suspect there is a little more to it than meets the eye.
If a few million folk were suddenly released from self imposed restrictions, thinking they were safe, yet still spreading covid to as yet none vaccinated folk... Whereas under new regime folk waiting for 2nd jab are much more likely to take care... Gives time to get jab in as many arms as possible quickly. IMHO they should have stuck to schedule with Biontech but had 12 week wait on AZ.. (AZ insist there were no hospitalisation past 8 days after first jab..)
Daughter and her husband have been texted to say second jab delayed by probably 9 weeks.. They, ve decided to not mix (unless essential) until after 2nd jab... Suspect many will do same..???

 

[oldgroaner]

I believe the decision to extend timing of 2nd jab (from 21 days to minimum of 21 days) was actually the MHRA's decision. Don't thin politicians would be allowed to make such a decision.
I suspect there is a little more to it than meets the eye.
If a few million folk were suddenly released from self imposed restrictions, thinking they were safe, yet still spreading covid to as yet none vaccinated folk... Whereas under new regime folk waiting for 2nd jab are much more likely to take care... Gives time to get jab in as many arms as possible quickly. IMHO they should have stuck to schedule with Biontech but had 12 week wait on AZ.. (AZ insist there were no hospitalisation past 8 days after first jab..)
Daughter and her husband have been texted to say second jab delayed by probably 9 weeks.. They, ve decided to not mix (unless essential) until after 2nd jab... Suspect many will do same..???

Let us hope so, but Human nature being what it is.......

On Tuesday 29 Dec there were
64,043 cases in a single day.