Brexit, for once some facts.

oldgroaner

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 15, 2015
23,461
32,613
80
“We’ve been holding street parties and firing rockets at our city’s most iconic buildings in the middle of a global pandemic. Now we’ve all got coronavirus, can we have some free money?” Said the Labour Mayor.

Liverpool's mayor Joe Anderson has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation.

Oh dear.
In the scheme of things someone is clutching at straws to find something bad to say about labour try looking harder at the Conservatives before trying this line of attack
 
  • Agree
Reactions: flecc

Barry Shittpeas

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 1, 2020
2,325
3,210
In the scheme of things someone is clutching at straws to find something bad to say about labour try looking harder at the Conservatives before trying this line of attack
They are all just as bad as each other. None are worthy of a ****. I’m hoping Starmer can have a good cull within Labour and give us something remotely worth voting for.

He’s making the right noises so far and doesn’t seem afraid to take action. Binning Corbyn gave him some cred with me. Time will tell.
 

Barry Shittpeas

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 1, 2020
2,325
3,210
So, if no deal is reached, does that mean no EU fishing boat can enter U.K. waters after 31/12/2020? I can’t see the French & Spaniards adhering to that if it’s true.

Also, if a deal is reached, who’s going to police the state aid rules? The EU can’t be trusted, they were caught giving illegal subsidies to Airbus.

“ The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled that the European Union (EU) failed to comply with requests to end subsidies for Airbus”

What a mess, I don’t think either the U.K. or EU could be trusted at the moment
 
Last edited:

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
20,376
16,875
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
this is an old complaint. This goes to show that state aids is more a principle than anything concrete. All countries subsidise their aviation industries - zero VAT on fuel for example.
Airbus financing deal was back in 2004. They were given cheap loans to develop new planes.
 

Barry Shittpeas

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 1, 2020
2,325
3,210
this is an old complaint. This goes to show that state aids is more a principle than anything concrete. All countries subsidise their aviation industries - zero VAT on fuel for example.
Airbus financing deal was back in 2004. They were given cheap loans to develop new planes.
Unfair state aid then. Let’s call it what it is.

If everyone is at it, why the sticking point in negotiations then?
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,200
30,603
Unfair state aid then. Let’s call it what it is.

If everyone is at it, why the sticking point in negotiations then?
Because they all pretend they don't do anything illegal, usually by disguising it as something different. The USA has always subsidised their aircraft manufacturers and only got annoyed when others like Canada, Brazil and the EU started doing it too.
.
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
20,376
16,875
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
the US sues the EU over subsidies for Airbus, the EU sues the US over subsidies for Boeing, don't read to much into that. The UK gives state aids to most industries too. Anyone can apply.
The point to negotiate is to seek commitments from both side to state their subsidy rules for the future so that the other party can sue and impose tariffs.
In the case of the UK/EU deal, to lock the UK into some commitment not to distort the competition. Unlike Canada, we are their biggest trading partner, it makes sense to continue with level playing field.
 

Danidl

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 29, 2016
8,611
12,256
73
Ireland
Unfair state aid then. Let’s call it what it is.

If everyone is at it, why the sticking point in negotiations then?
Simple really . when the UK was inside the same tent as the EU the state aid was pitched and measured with the same yardstick, so the amount of graft was controlled. , And the competition was the Americans.
Now the UK leaves the tent, and we cannot see what they are doing in the dark. ..And of course the old" We are British, you can trust us to play fair" no longer fools us. Perfidious Albion is not the name of a football club.
 

oyster

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 7, 2017
10,422
14,609
West West Wales
Because they all pretend they don't do anything illegal, usually by disguising it as something different. The USA has always subsidised their aircraft manufacturers and only got annoyed when others like Canada, Brazil and the EU started doing it too.
.
The EU had no choice given the massive effective subsidies the US manufacturers receive.

Though they might be disguised in many ways such as overpaying for military contracts, doing development against government contracts but using the results in civil, or whatever else.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: wheeler and flecc

vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,993
Basildon
A while back, people were cheering because Katie Hopkins had been booted off Twitter. Tommy Robinson had been languishing on Telegram with only 30,000 followers.

KTH and other prominent people kicked off Twitter started up again on the almost unheard of at the time Parler. It bought massive publicity to Parler that has made it expand at an explosive rate.

As I said at the time, kicking these people off Twitter would only encourage a separate unsensored platform that would grow and grow. KTH now has a half a million followers and TR has a quarter of a million. There's no sign of a slowdown in their increase in followers.

People will go to wherever they have a voice, and people that want to hear their voices will follow them. Nothing was gained by kicking them off Twitter. All it has done is reduce the diversity of opinions there. At least when they were there, there was some level of sensorship, but now they can say what they want within the law. Eventually, Twitter will become an echo chamber for people that support communism and the Great Reset agenda, then dwindle into insignificance.

A similar thing has happened with Youtube. Unsensored political content is now growing exponentially on Rumble. OAN has just announced that they'll be leaving Youtube and going there.
 

Wicky

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 12, 2014
2,823
4,011
Colchester, Essex
www.jhepburn.co.uk
"KTH now has a half a million followers"

You crow that that these fine upstanding alt-right figure heads are somehow increasing in popularity - yet,

In her final tweets before the ban, she celebrated hitting 1.1 million followers and urged her fans to follow her on Instagram....

Any idea why far-right anti-immigration campaigner TR didn't relocate to Spain?

 
  • Like
Reactions: oyster

RossG

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 12, 2019
1,628
1,646
Unfair state aid then. Let’s call it what it is.

If everyone is at it, why the sticking point in negotiations then?
All those Flowers and Bulbs that fill our Florists & Supermarkets 365 days a year come from Holland all produced by private growers with the help of Gov subsidies, It runs throughout industry and always did.
If you can produce a product that's unique to your country and that it's famous for you can get state aid. I wonder how much the Scots get for kilt production ? Anyone can make a Cornish Pasty with the right ingredients but there's only one proper Scottish Kilt.....och aye !
 

Danidl

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 29, 2016
8,611
12,256
73
Ireland
A while back, people were cheering because Katie Hopkins had been booted off Twitter. Tommy Robinson had been languishing on Telegram with only 30,000 followers.

KTH and other prominent people kicked off Twitter started up again on the almost unheard of at the time Parler. It bought massive publicity to Parler that has made it expand at an explosive rate.

As I said at the time, kicking these people off Twitter would only encourage a separate unsensored platform that would grow and grow. KTH now has a half a million followers and TR has a quarter of a million. There's no sign of a slowdown in their increase in followers.

People will go to wherever they have a voice, and people that want to hear their voices will follow them. Nothing was gained by kicking them off Twitter. All it has done is reduce the diversity of opinions there. At least when they were there, there was some level of sensorship, but now they can say what they want within the law. Eventually, Twitter will become an echo chamber for people that support communism and the Great Reset agenda, then dwindle into insignificance.

A similar thing has happened with Youtube. Unsensored political content is now growing exponentially on Rumble. OAN has just announced that they'll be leaving Youtube and going there.
These platforms come and go with relentless monotony. All money wasting , none making money and just turning into multiple echo chambers
 
  • Agree
Reactions: flecc

oyster

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 7, 2017
10,422
14,609
West West Wales
There is no point whatsoever in having an ethics adviser if you don't take notice of what they say. I'd go further, doing so adds to charges of hypocrisy, wastes at least the adviser's salary, and further undermines the whole government.

Robert Jenrick controversy was factor in ethics adviser’s resignation
Alex Allan resigned when Boris Johnson overruled his advice on Priti Patel. But a row over the housing secretary also played a role

Boris Johnson’s failure to authorise an inquiry into the controversial approval of a £1bn homes project by his housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, also played a role in the recent resignation of the prime minister’s ethics adviser.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/dec/05/robert-jenrick-controversy-was-factor-in-ethics-advisers-resignation
 

oyster

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 7, 2017
10,422
14,609
West West Wales
“We’ve been holding street parties and firing rockets at our city’s most iconic buildings in the middle of a global pandemic. Now we’ve all got coronavirus, can we have some free money?” Said the Labour Mayor.

Liverpool's mayor Joe Anderson has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation.

Oh dear.
And is fully co-operating and has been released on bail.
 
  • Agree
  • :D
Reactions: POLLY and flecc

oldgroaner

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 15, 2015
23,461
32,613
80
Feel sorry for Von der Leyen...

Brexit: Johnson and Von der Leyen to take over with direct talks
UK PM and European commission president to speak on Saturday after negotiators fail to reach agreement
Haven't we got enough problems?
Couldn't we send a grown up? :cool:
 
  • :D
Reactions: oyster

oldgroaner

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 15, 2015
23,461
32,613
80
Simple really . when the UK was inside the same tent as the EU the state aid was pitched and measured with the same yardstick, so the amount of graft was controlled. , And the competition was the Americans.
Now the UK leaves the tent, and we cannot see what they are doing in the dark. ..And of course the old" We are British, you can trust us to play fair" no longer fools us. Perfidious Albion is not the name of a football club.
As the Americans used to say
"The sun never sets on the British Empire,
because God doesn't trust the British in the dark"
:cool:
 

oyster

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 7, 2017
10,422
14,609
West West Wales
They just can't stop themselves!

Like those suffering from compulsive eating syndromes, once they see a trough...

Carrie Symonds' friend Nimco Ali given Home Office role without it being advertised
£350-a-day position as government adviser made via ‘direct appointment process’
A close friend of the prime minister and his fiancee was given an official position at the Home Office without the role being publicly advertised, a freedom of information request has revealed.

Nimco Ali, who is reportedly godmother to the son of Carrie Symonds and Boris Johnson, was appointed adviser on tackling violence against women and girls in October.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/dec/05/carrie-symonds-close-friend-nimco-ali-given-350-a-day-government-role
 

Advertisers