Brexit, for once some facts.

oldtom

Esteemed Pedelecer
I have just checked
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/

If I enter 'Organise' in the search box, OED changes it to 'organize'.
Statistically, organize seems to be the preferred form.
As you must be aware, there are many dictionaries of English language. There is no doubt that many American spellings have crept into English usage in the UK, particularly since the advent of the 'www'.

Sadly, such is the level of ignorance and lack of any basic understanding of grammar among a large percentage of social media users plus the 30 year old 'text' language preferred by hip, young people as if it were there own code and exclusive to them, that we have witnessed a major dumbing-down of society.

I give you the 'would of, could of, should of' examples and the misuse, particularly in the north of England, of the word, 'sat'.

However, to get back to the differences between standard, historic, British English spelling compared to American English, someone has actually compiled a lengthy list, illustrating those differences. I believe there may be others too.

uk-us-spelling-list.html

Tom
 

Woosh

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I read somewhere that words ending in -ize instead of -ise are widely accepted spellings in UK English without penalty.
Spelling evolves all the time. Wouldn't you welcome moves toward a common form? (I was thinking of writing 'standardized form' but I thought better of it).
 

Croxden

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Jan 26, 2013
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I read somewhere that words ending in -ize instead of -ise are widely accepted spellings in UK English without penalty.
Spelling evolves all the time. Wouldn't you welcome moves toward a common form? (I was thinking of writing 'standardized form' but I thought better of it).
Much like George Orwell had in the 1984 story.
 
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oldgroaner

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No, I disagree.
Taking back control goes to the heart of the debate.
that argument transcends education attainment, wealth, family tradition. People can vote with confidence that they have understood the issue.
It is also the safest way to proceed, should the public mood changes because if brexit makes a lot of them poorer, the majority may change their view and vote to rejoin with the full understanding.
They actually believed they understood what they were doing the last time, so sorry, but I see no reason to discount my belief that they will fall for the biggest liar, otherwise how can one explain that the conservatives, who work against their interests, keep getting elected to power.?
 
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Woosh

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They actually believed they understood what they were doing the last time, so sorry, but I see no reason to discount my belief that they will fall for the biggest liar, otherwise how can one explain that the conservatives, who work against their interests, keep getting elected to power.?
what the EU have done for us that our own government would not have done? If you could get the JAMs who vote for the tories to value that, you would have no problem reversing brexit.
 

flecc

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Oct 25, 2006
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Wouldn't you welcome moves toward a common form?
Yes, but only if the best of each rather than one dominating.

For example we English should give up the silly and incorrect pavement and lift in favour of sidewalk and elevator.

And revert to the correct English spelling "program" and not the silly "programme" that the fledgling OED committee erroneously adopted in the early 19th century.

And lose the redundant "u" from words such as colour.

And return to using gotten instead of incorrectly using got in its place.
.
 
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Kudoscycles

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Apr 15, 2011
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It seems that May's weakness may be in our favour.
The Germans are worried that Theresa May may be ousted before Brexit negotiations are achieved and we may after all just fall out of the EU. That would be a disaster for us with a deficit trading stance with Germany, would also be a disaster for Germany.
They are now realising that they need to offer us goodies to keep May in power....they are suggesting that we may be allowed to stay in the single market and have some control over immigration with limited control by the ECJ.,that sounds like 'having your cake and eating it'.
If that happens then why have we gone through all this hassle.
May,please take it and get us out of this mess.
Anyway,we may have 600 tower blocks to replace the cladding and install sprinklers,a few billion to the DUP,lots of money to the Fire and Police.....we probably wont have the money to leave anyway.
KudosDave
 
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Woosh

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The Germans are worried that Theresa May may be ousted before Brexit negotiations are achieved and we may after all just fall out of the EU.
she probably will.
Her only solution to keep the tories from splitting is to get a transitional period that would keep her in power up to 2020-2021 when a new leader would emerge to replace her.
Mr Corbyn may never get the key to No 10.
 

oldgroaner

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Nov 15, 2015
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we may be allowed to stay in the single market and have some control over immigration with limited control by the ECJ.,that sounds like 'having your cake and eating it'.
If that happens then why have we gone through all this hassle.
May,please take it and get us out of this mess.
Sorry but that is wholly inadequate, we will still have lost the huge benefit of being a fully paid up member of the EU, able to take part in and mould it's future course, and left at the mercy of mad right wingers who care not a jot for the people or the environment .
Nothing less than full membership and citizenship of the EU constitutes an acceptable arrangement, otherwise those who wish to remain have quite simply been robbed of their rights.
My personal view of "Having your cake and eating it" is quite simply
  1. Tory Party out of office
  2. Cancellation of Brexit
 
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Danidl

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Sep 29, 2016
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No, I disagree.
Taking back control goes to the heart of the debate.
that argument transcends education attainment, wealth, family tradition. People can vote with confidence that they have understood the issue.
It is also the safest way to proceed, should the public mood changes because if brexit makes a lot of them poorer, the majority may change their view and vote to rejoin with the full understanding.
.. Woosh could I rephrase your opening sentence as ..
The perception of taking back control.....
 
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oldgroaner

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From the Independent
"
Brexit: Japanese bank Nomura chooses Frankfurt for EU headquarters after UK's withdrawal
The move makes Nomura the first Japanese securities firm to choose a location to secure business in the EU after Brexit"

So it wasn't the Germans who decided that as tillson asserted, was it?
 
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oldgroaner

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From the Swiss Newspaper Der Bund, translated from German by Google
"
From Der Bund (Translated from the German by Google)
"
Christian Zaschke

If the situation in the UK were not so serious, it could all be really funny. The country is governed by a speech robot, Maybot, who managed not to talk to helpers or survivors after the Hochhausbrand (Translation failure here)

Two years ago David Cameron emerged as a dazzling winner from the parliamentary election. He had won an absolute majority, which meant that the career of this cheerful light weight seemed to be an astonishing accomplishment. The economy grew faster than any other industrialized country in the world. The Scottish independence, and with it the disintegration of the United Kingdom, was averted. For the first time since 1992 there was again a conservative majority in the Lower House. Great Britain understood herself as a universally respected actor on the international scene.
That was the starting pointIn the shortest possible time, from this comfortable position into the chaos of the present, there was essentially two things: on the one hand the obsessive hatred of the conservative right to the EU and on the other the irresponsibility of Cameron, who risked the future of the country with the referendum To pacify a few fanatics in his party. It is becoming increasingly clear what an exceptionally bad decision that was. The fact that Great Britain has become Europe's laughter number is directly related to the vote for Brexit.
The British citizens, who were lied to by the Brexit supporters during the referendum campaign and betrayed by parts of their press and sold as stupid, are the victims.The shamelessness still has no limits. The "Daily Express" in all seriousness asked whether the high-rise fire might be related to the fact that the building was disguised according to EU regulations. It is easy to find out that the answer to this question is no, but by putting it unchecked, the suspicion is in the world: it is probably the fault of the EU. By the way, a country with a press that is so demotivated in parts is so disinterested in the truth and uses a catastrophe like the fire of the Grenfell Tower for its absurd propaganda has a serious problem.
In the end, Great Britain will be weakened in every respect.
Already prices are rising in the stores, inflation is already rising. Investors hold back. The economy is growing more slowly. The negotiations on the Brexit have not begun. Prime Minister Theresa May has already wasted an eighth of the available time with her unnecessarily scheduled election. As in the remaining time a complex undertaking like the Brexit is to be negotiated, is a mystery.
In the end, Great Britain will leave its most important trading partner and be weakened in every respect. To remain in the internal market and the customs union would probably be economically reasonable, but it would have to be subject to regulations which would have no influence. It would have been better to stay in the EU right away. The government would now have to develop a plan that is politically mediocre and has the least possible economic disadvantages. It is only a matter of damage limitation, and yet there are politicians in Westminster who are trumped with complacency, if the EU does not feel it, they will see what they have.
The EU is facing a government that does not know what Brexit wants it to be and is led by a world-class politician whose days are counted. She is facing a party in which old trenches are breaking open: the more moderate Tories are just hoping to make the exit more gentle. But the hardliners among the conservatives, including a few ideologically bored concrete heads, have already threatened a rebellion. There is an epic dispute that will paralyze the government.The EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said that he expects the British to finally clarify their position more clearly that he can not negotiate with himself. The point of this statement is that it would be best for the British to do the same thing if Barnier did exactly that. Then they would know a representative on their side, who is looking at the extent of the task and is able to find a deal that is fair for both sides. They do not have a negotiator of this format in their ranks. Quite apart from the modalities of the withdrawal, debate and voting on the Brexit have proved to be a poison, the effect of which is now felt.
The division in society is no more so since the English Civil War in the seventeenth century. This is reflected in the parliamentary elections, which account for 80% of the votes on the major parties. None of these parties offered a program of the middle, the choice existed between hard right and hard left. The political center is orphaned, which is never a good sign. In a country like Great Britain, so long considered pragmatic and rational, this is a cause for concern.
After the loss of the empire, the United Kingdom had begun to search for a new place in the world. It finally found it as a strong, uncomfortable and influential part of a larger network: as part of the EU. This place has given up without a need. The result, as now becomes apparent, is a veritable identity crisis, from which the country will not recover for a long time."

Oh Dear!
 

Georgew

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Apr 13, 2016
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From the Swiss Newspaper Der Bund, translated from German by Google
"
From Der Bund (Translated from the German by Google)
"
Christian Zaschke

If the situation in the UK were not so serious, it could all be really funny. The country is governed by a speech robot, Maybot, who managed not to talk to helpers or survivors after the Hochhausbrand (Translation failure here)

Two years ago David Cameron emerged as a dazzling winner from the parliamentary election. He had won an absolute majority, which meant that the career of this cheerful light weight seemed to be an astonishing accomplishment. The economy grew faster than any other industrialized country in the world. The Scottish independence, and with it the disintegration of the United Kingdom, was averted. For the first time since 1992 there was again a conservative majority in the Lower House. Great Britain understood herself as a universally respected actor on the international scene.
That was the starting pointIn the shortest possible time, from this comfortable position into the chaos of the present, there was essentially two things: on the one hand the obsessive hatred of the conservative right to the EU and on the other the irresponsibility of Cameron, who risked the future of the country with the referendum To pacify a few fanatics in his party. It is becoming increasingly clear what an exceptionally bad decision that was. The fact that Great Britain has become Europe's laughter number is directly related to the vote for Brexit.
The British citizens, who were lied to by the Brexit supporters during the referendum campaign and betrayed by parts of their press and sold as stupid, are the victims.The shamelessness still has no limits. The "Daily Express" in all seriousness asked whether the high-rise fire might be related to the fact that the building was disguised according to EU regulations. It is easy to find out that the answer to this question is no, but by putting it unchecked, the suspicion is in the world: it is probably the fault of the EU. By the way, a country with a press that is so demotivated in parts is so disinterested in the truth and uses a catastrophe like the fire of the Grenfell Tower for its absurd propaganda has a serious problem.
In the end, Great Britain will be weakened in every respect.
Already prices are rising in the stores, inflation is already rising. Investors hold back. The economy is growing more slowly. The negotiations on the Brexit have not begun. Prime Minister Theresa May has already wasted an eighth of the available time with her unnecessarily scheduled election. As in the remaining time a complex undertaking like the Brexit is to be negotiated, is a mystery.
In the end, Great Britain will leave its most important trading partner and be weakened in every respect. To remain in the internal market and the customs union would probably be economically reasonable, but it would have to be subject to regulations which would have no influence. It would have been better to stay in the EU right away. The government would now have to develop a plan that is politically mediocre and has the least possible economic disadvantages. It is only a matter of damage limitation, and yet there are politicians in Westminster who are trumped with complacency, if the EU does not feel it, they will see what they have.
The EU is facing a government that does not know what Brexit wants it to be and is led by a world-class politician whose days are counted. She is facing a party in which old trenches are breaking open: the more moderate Tories are just hoping to make the exit more gentle. But the hardliners among the conservatives, including a few ideologically bored concrete heads, have already threatened a rebellion. There is an epic dispute that will paralyze the government.The EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said that he expects the British to finally clarify their position more clearly that he can not negotiate with himself. The point of this statement is that it would be best for the British to do the same thing if Barnier did exactly that. Then they would know a representative on their side, who is looking at the extent of the task and is able to find a deal that is fair for both sides. They do not have a negotiator of this format in their ranks. Quite apart from the modalities of the withdrawal, debate and voting on the Brexit have proved to be a poison, the effect of which is now felt.
The division in society is no more so since the English Civil War in the seventeenth century. This is reflected in the parliamentary elections, which account for 80% of the votes on the major parties. None of these parties offered a program of the middle, the choice existed between hard right and hard left. The political center is orphaned, which is never a good sign. In a country like Great Britain, so long considered pragmatic and rational, this is a cause for concern.
After the loss of the empire, the United Kingdom had begun to search for a new place in the world. It finally found it as a strong, uncomfortable and influential part of a larger network: as part of the EU. This place has given up without a need. The result, as now becomes apparent, is a veritable identity crisis, from which the country will not recover for a long time."

Oh Dear!
I agree with all of the above.....apart from the use of the word "disinterested" when the writer meant "uninterested".
 
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Danidl

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 29, 2016
8,611
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From the Swiss Newspaper Der Bund, translated from German by Google
"
From Der Bund (Translated from the German by Google)
"
Christian Zaschke

If the situation in the UK were not so serious, it could all be really funny. The country is governed by a speech robot, Maybot, who managed not to talk to helpers or survivors after the Hochhausbrand (Translation failure here)

Two years ago David Cameron emerged as a dazzling winner from the parliamentary election. He had won an absolute majority, which meant that the career of this cheerful light weight seemed to be an astonishing accomplishment. The economy grew faster than any other industrialized country in the world. The Scottish independence, and with it the disintegration of the United Kingdom, was averted. For the first time since 1992 there was again a conservative majority in the Lower House. Great Britain understood herself as a universally respected actor on the international scene.
That was the starting pointIn the shortest possible time, from this comfortable position into the chaos of the present, there was essentially two things: on the one hand the obsessive hatred of the conservative right to the EU and on the other the irresponsibility of Cameron, who risked the future of the country with the referendum To pacify a few fanatics in his party. It is becoming increasingly clear what an exceptionally bad decision that was. The fact that Great Britain has become Europe's laughter number is directly related to the vote for Brexit.
The British citizens, who were lied to by the Brexit supporters during the referendum campaign and betrayed by parts of their press and sold as stupid, are the victims.The shamelessness still has no limits. The "Daily Express" in all seriousness asked whether the high-rise fire might be related to the fact that the building was disguised according to EU regulations. It is easy to find out that the answer to this question is no, but by putting it unchecked, the suspicion is in the world: it is probably the fault of the EU. By the way, a country with a press that is so demotivated in parts is so disinterested in the truth and uses a catastrophe like the fire of the Grenfell Tower for its absurd propaganda has a serious problem.
In the end, Great Britain will be weakened in every respect.
Already prices are rising in the stores, inflation is already rising. Investors hold back. The economy is growing more slowly. The negotiations on the Brexit have not begun. Prime Minister Theresa May has already wasted an eighth of the available time with her unnecessarily scheduled election. As in the remaining time a complex undertaking like the Brexit is to be negotiated, is a mystery.
In the end, Great Britain will leave its most important trading partner and be weakened in every respect. To remain in the internal market and the customs union would probably be economically reasonable, but it would have to be subject to regulations which would have no influence. It would have been better to stay in the EU right away. The government would now have to develop a plan that is politically mediocre and has the least possible economic disadvantages. It is only a matter of damage limitation, and yet there are politicians in Westminster who are trumped with complacency, if the EU does not feel it, they will see what they have.
The EU is facing a government that does not know what Brexit wants it to be and is led by a world-class politician whose days are counted. She is facing a party in which old trenches are breaking open: the more moderate Tories are just hoping to make the exit more gentle. But the hardliners among the conservatives, including a few ideologically bored concrete heads, have already threatened a rebellion. There is an epic dispute that will paralyze the government.The EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said that he expects the British to finally clarify their position more clearly that he can not negotiate with himself. The point of this statement is that it would be best for the British to do the same thing if Barnier did exactly that. Then they would know a representative on their side, who is looking at the extent of the task and is able to find a deal that is fair for both sides. They do not have a negotiator of this format in their ranks. Quite apart from the modalities of the withdrawal, debate and voting on the Brexit have proved to be a poison, the effect of which is now felt.
The division in society is no more so since the English Civil War in the seventeenth century. This is reflected in the parliamentary elections, which account for 80% of the votes on the major parties. None of these parties offered a program of the middle, the choice existed between hard right and hard left. The political center is orphaned, which is never a good sign. In a country like Great Britain, so long considered pragmatic and rational, this is a cause for concern.
After the loss of the empire, the United Kingdom had begun to search for a new place in the world. It finally found it as a strong, uncomfortable and influential part of a larger network: as part of the EU. This place has given up without a need. The result, as now becomes apparent, is a veritable identity crisis, from which the country will not recover for a long time."

Oh Dear!
Hochhausbrand.. high house fire . .. what can you find to disagree with in that analysis?.. I liked "concrete mind" to describe some politicians.
 
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Woosh

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