General Chat

how long can a wholly dysfunctional minority govt stagger along supported by a bunch of self serving Orangemen? It is a disgraceful situation.

"Sup with the devil take a long spoon."

None of the wonderful things promised by the brexiters will happen.

Quite how much humiliation parliament and the electorate will put up with I have no idea. I would have thought it has already been too much.

Don't worry Brenda the shipping companies have ordered a giant ro-ro truck ferry which will go frum Dun Loughaire to Rotterdam cutting out difficulties with UK transit systems and associated annoyances.

There is nothing in the budget for Welsh rail eg electrification west of Cardiff. They are going to make a parallel motorway to the M4 east of Cardiff right through a SSI. Mr Marples has not been forgotten.

I see the Welsh government is anxious about what will happen to our ports taking heavy lorriesto Ireland.
I live near to the A 55 which is an E route expressway to Holyhead.
The road is constantly having repairs going on as these pantechnicans are loaded up and come in convoys when there is a sailing due.
I think the foreign companies pay a small amount for using them,but nothing like the tolls across Europe.
These roads in Wales aren’t toll roads.
I wonder how this will work?

Rollo - do you think that's really possible. I'm just tired of the whole fiasco watching the country going downhill :-(
Right now if it wasn't dark I could do with sitting on the bench in my avatar although on second thoughts maybe not as I would be looking towards America ;-)

Thanks Von, not too far from my sister in Tehidy. Lovely area for sure :-D

Caroline it's on the headland at Pendeen Cornwall. One of my favourite places.

If you care to dig into Irish history you might discover that London and the Orangemen took the Free State for a ride 1920-1922 promising all sorts of things but delivering in the end civil war and disappointment.

The Dubliners of course are perfectly well aware of this which is whty they will not settle for honeyed words. The deal just now kicked into touch by Arlene Foster was already at the limits of what Dublin could accept - the R.O.I. itself is on the line here.

Part of the Good Friday agreement is for a referendum in the north on reunification with the south. Conditions for this are nearly met such that N.I. may well cease to exist within 10 years anyway.

The whole UK could remain within the Single Market and Customs Union but leave the political structure of the EU. That works fine for Norway for instance. It would also fix the Irish border question which is wholly of London's making. It would spike the guns of the SNP.

As it is there is no way of avoiding a physical border except to keep N.I. within the Customs Union and Single Mkt whatever the form of words. Foster doesn't care what damage the DUP causes. She cannot account for £ 500 M of public moneywhich disappeared into an energy scam. That is why Stormont is not operating and N.I. is under direct rule.

At the same time May depends on Foster for her Commons majproty so the DUP end up judge and jury on British foreign policy. All because May does not have the guts to face down the DUP and her brexit hardliners - about 30 MPs.

Make no mistake if the UK does not complete a phase 1 deal then it will be heading for chaos. Next March is last chance saloon but by then there will be a flood of business, skill and capital out of the country which could easily provoke a run on the pound.

Brits should understand that the EU does not cive a tinker's cuss if it makes the sort of trade deal with the UK that May dreams of or not. Its sole objective is to preserve the legal and political integrity of the EU.

For trade catch as catch can. The UK does 70% of its external business either directly with the EU or under EU trade agreements (eg all USA trade). The EU27 does 9% pf its external business with the UK.

The UK is a pussycat taking on a Bengal tiger.

John Redwood MP ahs been advising his clients to shift their assets out of the UK and sterling. No wonder.

My take is that the whole brexit impetus is running into the sand. The Lords will savage the EU Withdrawl bill with impunity.

Von off topic but I have to ask where is that bench looks like a lovely view?

Sadly Rollo I fear you are right but I guess time will tell and we musn't be remoaners now must we ;-) ;-) ;-)

How odd it is to see the Conservative & Unionist Party resume its dismantling of the United Kingdom.

As with Angry Birds a well targetted rock bring down the whole rickety edifice.

On the way out: Arlene Foster
On the way up: Nicola Sturgeon
Joining the Walking Dead: Teresa May