Boris Johnson, former Prime Minister

[unclebulgaria67]

HB. If container ships destined for UK ports start diverting to EU ports and then deliver the goods via road to the UK, because the EU is in a better position, this would be highly embarrassing to Boris Johnsons Government.

 

 

[honeybee13]

Indeed. As long as they have drivers who are prepared and able to come to the UK, given the paperwork for visas, they could deliver goods with no customs checks as they haven't been started yet on our side.

[tobyjugg2]

Quote of the day:

Kwasi Kwarteng is 'making things up' about helping businesses

"This is not the first time the BEIS secretary has made things up in interviews. To be crystal clear the treasury are not involved in any talks." 

- HM Treasury

 

 

Kwasi Kwarteng accused of 'making things up' by Treasury after energy talks claim

WWW.HERALDSCOTLAND.COM

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THE UK Government business secretary has been accused of 'making things up' after he claimed his department were in talks with the Treasury...

 

Kwasi Kwarteng ‘making things up’, Treasury claims in energy crisis row

WWW.THETIMES.CO.UK

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Kwasi Kwarteng is set to ask the chancellor for billions to bail out manufacturing industry amid claims that some factories are “days away”...

 

[tobyjugg2]

Quote of the day:

As the UK sinks further into the latest of continuous streams of crisis, this time re energy and food availability over Christmas and winter, Johnson again toddles off abroad and hangs up an out of office sign

 

We can but hope

- Me

[tobyjugg2]

I see Frost is saying that failure to rip up the NI protocol he negotiated, and that he and Johnson and the Brexit oi(n)ks pressed through as a 'great deal' ... would be a historic mistake.

- Seems unquestionable that he would quickly say the same of any other deal he might negotiate to replace it.

[unclebulgaria67]

 

Starting to think the argument with the EU is a distraction tactic, to divert attention away from news that this government is a disaster.

[tobyjugg2]

Good point Unc, there seems to be no other sense in it. Perhaps the antics also a distraction from the realities of the NI issues

 

Just watched sky news and utterly gobsmacked at the '3 takeaways' from the slatings given the government over the mismanagement of the pandemic - all three excuses why it wasn't the Govs fault

- thats the 3 takaways from 10s of thousands of un-necessary deaths and billions in costs and even more in damage to the economy - three reasons why it wasn't the UK govs fault.

 

This one was a cracker

- Johnson et al couldn't take laptops into cobra meetings with the latest data because of security ..

So:

1. the PM who unlawfully prorogued/shut down the UK parliament allegedly couldn't take a few laptops into his cobra meeting?

2. anyway - Sky seem to have forgotten that Johnson was reported as not attending them as he was on holiday or hiding away writing his book while paid by the UK taxpayer to run the country - while the disaster was unfolding wasn't he

 

.. How amazing - even with the current set up that was really - astounding

 

even Dermet (??) struggled to keep a straight face at the deputy political editors (I think - deputy something) takeaways

Edited October 12, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[honeybee13]

So Cummings says they always planned to sign the NIP and then ditch parts of it. There's some scepticism online about whether this is true but I'm pretty sure I remember Gove saying that we could renegotiate the bits we don't like afterwards. Possibly to the ERG to get them to agree to it.

 

Who believes Cummings, guys?

[unclebulgaria67]

Yes I believe Cummings. There are few agreements the current Government would not break 

[tobyjugg2]

+1

so do I (believe they actually both agreed the protocol with the EU and sold it to the UK in bad faith),

and more than that I genuinely dont think they will honour anything they agree - nothing.

 

.. Even the USA wants little to do with Johnson, and the Auzzies only because they need only deliver what they already wanted to deliver - and on better terms than they expected.

Edited October 13, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[tobyjugg2]

Why is that important?

Because it makes the word and worth of the UK ..  even more worthless on the global stage than it now is in the European sphere - at least the EU has to deal with the UK for the moment due to NI

Note the DUP is more simply refusing to deal with RoI or the other NI parties ..

[honeybee13]

I wouldn't do a deal with the UK unless I knew it was absolutely watertight and they could go back on their word.

[honeybee13]

David Allen Green's blog yesterday was on Frost's speech in Portugal. [Why Portugal?] He doesn't seem to be impressed.

 

https://davidallengreen.com/2021/10/a-hard-look-at-the-latest-brexit-speech-of-lord-frost/

 

[tobyjugg2]

neither am I LOL

 

Quote of the day:

 

“But I thought they Got Brexit Done?”

- Daily Mirror political editor Pippa Crerar pokes fun at the government over the never-ending protocol saga.

 

[tobyjugg2]

 

 

Edited October 14, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[honeybee13]

I feel sorry for Sefcovic and his team. They've been working since they got the July 'command paper', I imagine. They actually consulted with businesses in NI and the night before they produced their considered solution, Frost declared that it wasn't good enough without even considering it.

 

Businesses in NI seem pretty pleased with the offer so far. Of course the DUP isn't.

 

Did you see the interview with Ian Paisley jnr saying that Johnson told him he would tear up the NIP?

 

Boris Johnson promised to tear up NI protocol, says DUP MP Ian Paisley | Brexit | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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Paisley says Johnson told him he ‘would sign up to changing that protocol and indeed tearing it up’

 

 

 

[tobyjugg2]

It makes sense given that the agreement he signed and sold didnt in any way meet his promises .. mind you, nothing could or will meet his rediculous and conflicting promises of all the benefits, and maintaining our position in the single market and doing whatever he likes - including breaching agreements and international law

- like murdering immigrants - he can make it 'un-trialable' in the UK, but it would still be muder/manslaughter in maritime and international law.

 

Time is ticking though. The EU seems to be largely marking time waiting for:

The NI issue will resolve one way or the other by the time the next elections there are done ..

Either NI will leave the Union, as Scotland is likely to, or the EU will have to ramp up the pernalties - although the EU is in a position to simply stop trading with the UK, no actual trade war - just ignore.

 

 

[honeybee13]

At the moment though, there isn't much stopping EU countries sending goods to the UK in terms of customs arrangements, is there? I saw that BMW was complaining about loss of exports to the UK yesterday though.

 

I also read that a shipment of fruit and veg is on its way by ship from Morocco in a 'Brexit busting' new route. Ironic when we're hosting COP26 and meant to be reducing food miles, etc.

[unclebulgaria67]

Thought this might happen. Relaxation of movement of workers who cross borders on a temporary basis.

 

 Government relaxes rules on foreign HGV drivers to save Christmas https://mol.im/a/10095069 via http://dailym.ai/android

[tobyjugg2]

15 hours ago, honeybee13 said:

At the moment though, there isn't much stopping EU countries sending goods to the UK in terms of customs arrangements, is there? I saw that BMW was complaining about loss of exports to the UK yesterday though.

 

I also read that a shipment of fruit and veg is on its way by ship from Morocco in a 'Brexit busting' new route. Ironic when we're hosting COP26 and meant to be reducing food miles, etc.

 

yes, like the massive super ferries the EU commissioned to bypass the UK in a RoI-EU run (they must expect permanent change),

and that container tankers have stopped unloading at the UK and now unload at EU docks and transport on anything thats required to the UK post unloading.

 

LOL - a shipload of food by ferried in by the brexiters - they want to make sure Patels doesn't sink it by 'mistake' - and then get away with it of course.

[tobyjugg2]

"it really doesn't say a lot about the UK government's view of our attractiveness that we might have to drop climate change objectives to get trade deals.”

- David Henig - UK director of European Centre For International Political Economy

 

- and a pretty p**s-poor trade deal 6x better for Australia than the UK at that ...

[honeybee13]

Johnson, Starmer, Lyndsay Hoyle, Patel and others were in Southend today to honour David Amess. Very sad.

 

But I can't help thinking of Jo Cox and don't remember the Tories being that involved after she was murdered. This is from the Guardian two years ago, about Johnson. Even his sister said she didn't agree with what he was saying.

 

'In the Commons on Wednesday, he told one MP that her concerns about aggressive language fuelling violence were “humbug” and another that the best way to honour Cox was to “get Brexit done”.'

[Ethel Street]

20 hours ago, honeybee13 said:

Even his sister said she didn't agree with what he was saying.

 

Mind you Rachel Johnson's a staunch Remainer and doesn't agree with most of what Boris says! 

 

Although unsurprisngly, as has she a professional career of her own, she gets fed with of being introduced as "Boris's sister" and always being asked what she thinks about something Boris has said.

[honeybee13]

Fintan O'Toole has an article about the Brexit negotiations and what he thinks HMG's aims are.

 

Facing chaos and needing a scapegoat, the Tories seek an endless fight with Europe | Fintan O’Toole | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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The EU’s proposals on the Northern Ireland protocol offered what business leaders wanted, but the prime minister prefers failure and grievance

 

[unclebulgaria67]

I wonder whether part of the UK issue with current NI protocol, is that it is enabling a better trading environment between Ireland and Northern Ireland. 

 

 Northern Irish businesses have anticipated import/export issues with Great Britain, so now trade with Ireland or via Ireland.

 

Apparently reports are that some Northern Irish businesses have seen an increase in trade. It is only businesses that mostly sell British fresh produce that have been affected by border controls  and even then, they could swap to local produce.

 

Agree that UK Government are using argument with EU as a convenient distraction, but also there must be a worry about increased risk of a united Ireland, as a indirect consequence of Brexit.