The UK leaves the EU

[71 dB]

Excellent news for the world.  Hopefully, this leads to an accelerated demise of the EU.

YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS INSANE. WHY DID YOU COME BACK?

What good can this bring to the World? Putin smiles of course, but YOU ARE NOT Russian ARE YOU??

[Christo]

 

Excellent news for the world.  Hopefully, this leads to an accelerated demise of the EU.

Hahahahaha! 

[71 dB]

Hahahahaha! 

Todd was away for so long my IGNORE TODD-mode had gone off by itself! I replied to some of his posts accidentally. Now the IGNORE TODD-mode it's engaged again. 

[Holden]

One group of people who are very happy with Brexit are Britain's farmers.

One group who might not be happy are European footballers from the EU. A work permit will soon be required before any transfer takes place under the conditions of the system. Meeting those criteria will become harder. Hopefully this will reduce the ludicrously inflated prices being paid for footballers. The EPL leads the stats in the average amount of transfer money paid.

[Que]

One group of people who are very happy with Brexit are Britain's farmers.

They are, and there is a lot of justified criticism of the EU agricultural policies. 
But I do wonder if they thought the whole thing through. The risks they run due to loss of subidies and free access to markets could be considerable. They are also protected from having to compete against cheap imports produced against lower environmental or health standards, or just being price dumped, for instance from the US.

Anyway, the EU-subsudies are gone but the UK govt has decided to continue paying them till the end of the year.
So, even for farmers things will stay the same for now. Like the rest of the UK, they know what they left (or rather: will leave) behind but do not know what they will get in exchange:

British farmers fear Boris Johnson will surrender UK food standards to Trump in talks with 'fearsome' US negotiators (Business Insider)

Q

[Mandryka]

They are, and there is a lot of justified criticism of the EU agricultural policies. 
But I do wonder if they thought the whole thing through. The risks they run due to loss of subidies and free access to markets could be considerable. They are also protected from having to compete against cheap imports produced against lower environmental or health standards, or just being price dumped, for instance from the US.

Anyway, the EU-subsudies are gone but the UK govt has decided to continue paying them till the end of the year.
So, even for farmers things will stay the same for now. Like the rest of the UK, they know what they left (or rather: will leave) behind but do not know what they will get in exchange:

British farmers fear Boris Johnson will surrender UK food standards to Trump in talks with 'fearsome' US negotiators (Business Insider)

Q

Yes the issue of the chlorine washed chicken is a complicated one and I don't know what to think. I don't know if there's any evidence that allowing it will lead to a reduction in hygiene standards, maybe you've got some access to data. Are American chicken production methods known to be dirtier than ours? Are there more human infectious diseases associated with eating American meat?

[Que]

Yes the issue of the chlorine washed chicken is a complicated one and I don't know what to think. I don't know if there's any evidence that allowing it will lead to a reduction in hygiene standards, maybe you've got some access to data. Are American chicken production methods known to be dirtier than ours? Are there more human infectious diseases associated with eating American meat?

I was looking at the farmers' perspective, not the consumers'.
I'm certainly not an expert in the matter and perhaps there is some scare mongering about "infectious diseases" that is to be taken with a grain of salt. But the way I understand it is that although US food standards are very high if you compare internationally, EU standards are stricter in certain respects. We are mainly talking about the use of certain additives and genetically modified crops, chemical washes (hence the "chlorinated chicken"), the use of certain pesticides, and of hormones in meat production.

Q

[steve ridgway]

I was looking at the farmers' perspective, not the consumers'.
I'm certainly not an expert in the matter and perhaps there is some scare mongering about "infectious diseases" that is to be taken with a grain of salt. But the way I understand it is that although US food standards are very high if you compare internationally, EU standards are stricter in certain respects. We are mainly talking about the use of certain additives and genetically modified crops, chemical washes (hence the "chlorinated chicken"), the use of pesticides, and of hormones in meat production.

Q

Luckily British produce is usually prominently marked as such and some chains of stores specialise in it so it's OK for those of us who (have somebody to) cook actual meat and vegetables.

[Mandryka]

Luckily British produce is usually prominently marked as such and some chains of stores specialise in it so it's OK for those of us who (have somebody to) cook actual meat and vegetables.

The problem is school and hospital meals, processed foods etc.

Anyway the devil's always in the details and I think it's potentially a good thing that things like this are put on the table for a public discussion. Now we're going to need an incicive, courageous, well informed and independent press.

[Irons]

Yes the issue of the chlorine washed chicken is a complicated one and I don't know what to think. I don't know if there's any evidence that allowing it will lead to a reduction in hygiene standards, maybe you've got some access to data. Are American chicken production methods known to be dirtier than ours? Are there more human infectious diseases associated with eating American meat?

We (British) wash our salad leaves in chlorine treated water, what's the difference? 

[vandermolen]

The UK is returning to the old blue passport (to be made in France  ) replacing the current burgundy EU passport. A friend just forwarded this to me:

[Irons]

The UK is returning to the old blue passport (to be made in France  ) replacing the current burgundy EU passport. A friend just forwarded this to me:

I was doing well with 1-4-6-8 until the bottom line. Not poor or rich and where is "good looking" As for colour of passport it could be pink for all I care.

[Papy Oli]

Crisis, what Crisis....

The Union flag has been flying outside Parliament upside down, according to claims Jacob Rees-Mogg described as "deeply troubling".

Raising the issue in the Commons, Conservative MP Robert Courts suggested that the national flag had been on display incorrectly outside Portcullis House for "some time".

He said that while he didn't want to be "too much of a stickler" he felt that it should be brought to the House's attention.

Flying the flag upside down is famously a coded signal for "danger and distress" in the military.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/03/05/union-flag-has-flying-outside-parliament-upside/

[ritter]

Crisis, what Crisis....

The Union flag has been flying outside Parliament upside down, according to claims Jacob Rees-Mogg described as "deeply troubling".

Raising the issue in the Commons, Conservative MP Robert Courts suggested that the national flag had been on display incorrectly outside Portcullis House for "some time".

He said that while he didn't want to be "too much of a stickler" he felt that it should be brought to the House's attention.

Flying the flag upside down is famously a coded signal for "danger and distress" in the military.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/03/05/union-flag-has-flying-outside-parliament-upside/

I never would have thought there was the possibility of the Union Jack being upside down, but now I notice that the Saint Patrick's Cross isn't exactly centred within the Saint Andrew's cross so, yes, for someone with a very sharp eye (and/or lots of time in his or her hands) this could be an issue...

[Que]

It is indeed really sad... and the writing on the wall, warning us of the dark times ahead.

But it is too early to tell whether Brexit itself will be a major disaster.
Perhaps Boris - out if necessity - will do a U-turn and will keep the UK closely aligned to the EU.
The risks for UK are substantial. Brexit has put its economy, geopolitical influence and even its territorial integrity on the line.

Let's hope Brexit has a soft landing.

After all, there is a lot that can happen in a year: a pandemic, a worldwide economic crisis (or both), a war in the Middle East, a climate crisis, you name it. All of which would make Brexit seem like a Sunday afternoon picnic.

Q

Sometimes I hate to be right....
Anyway, I'm putting my money on an extension of the transition period for now.

And the longer a final economic divorce with the EU is delayed and the harsher general economic circumstances become, the harder it becomes politically to push through a hard Brexit.

The grandstanding by Brexiteers has just it the wall of reality, not the usual brick one but one made of the granite of the Corona virus.

Q

[Irons]

Sometimes I hate to be right....
Anyway, I'm putting my money on an extension of the transition period for now.

And the longer a final economic divorce with the EU is delayed and the harsher general economic circumstances become, the harder it becomes politically to push through a hard Brexit.

The grandstanding by Brexiteers has just it the wall of reality, not the usual brick one but one made of the granite of the Corona virus.

Q

Extension or no extension, deal or no deal. It seems of little consequence now.

[Que]

Extension or no extension, deal or no deal. It seems of little consequence now.

I beg to disagree. The more precarious the situation, the more impact choices on Brexit will have.

If you mean that there are at this moment more urgent matters at hand, off course....

But if anything, this crisis raises the stakes on Brexit.

Q

[Irons]

I beg to disagree. The more precarious the situation, the more impact choices on Brexit will have.

If you mean that there are at this moment more urgent matters at hand, off course....

But if anything, this crisis raises the stakes on Brexit.

Q

You could well be right, but with what the world is facing at present it seems, to me at least, an irrelevance. This health crises has killed discussion of Brexit stone dead in the UK and I would be very surprised if not the same outcome in the EU. When this is over, I firmly believe the world will be a different place, and Brexit will be a footnote in history books. Something will be worked out for sure but arguing, deadlines and all the other crap must surely be over. Time to move on.

[Que]

I firmly believe the world will be a different place, and Brexit will be a footnote in history books.

I absolutely agree. 

Q

[Irons]

I absolutely agree. 

Q

Good one.