Re: Brexit
 

As we spend more on foreign aid, than the EU (£7.7bn/1.1% of GDP vs. £4.7bn/0.7% of GDP) we'll be quids in! Seriously though, only 15% of the foreign aid budget on humanitarian aid. The rest goes on international organisations or bilateral aid to aid the UKs interests abroad - see aid to Pakistan to prevent the rise of anti-UK sentiment as an example. Bribes basically.

Spending source - https://www.statista.com/chart/4520/...o-uk-taxes-go/
Aid recipients - https://fullfact.org/economy/uk-spending-foreign-aid/

Re: Brexit
 

The need for a general election to allow effective Government will override public opinion on the matter.

I don’t know how you can come to the conclusion a minority government is more likely than not - whatever polling suggests today it can radically change during a campaign like in 2017.

Re: Brexit
 

But was the opinion polling before the 2017 election right in the first place with the Conservatives supposedly leading by 20 plus percentage points as l somehow doubt that it was.

---------- Post added at 15:29 ---------- Previous post was at 15:23 ----------

Apart from the Blair years parties since 1992 have struggled to get a very comfortable majority on their own unless they were in a coalition.

Re: Brexit
 

A coalition would at least be placed to govern. Right now nobody can effectively.

On top of that it May got chucked for anyone half decent at campaigning the Tories would win at a canter over communist Corbyn.

Re: Brexit
 

Some thoughts about why she lost her majority at the 2017 general election not from me but from the BBC as perhaps you have your own thoughts on the 2017 general election as to why it went so wrong for her..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40237833

---------- Post added at 15:42 ---------- Previous post was at 15:37 ----------

Who though? as Boris might be very popular with the membership but he is a polarising figure in the country.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...-mogg-icm-poll

Re: Brexit
 

Doesn’t have to be a Conservative win to give effective Government.

The reality is the current arithmetic will not last until 2022 by any stretch. Could take two general elections in the same year as has happened before for a clear position to arise.

Re: Brexit
 

l thought this summed up things pretty well currently.

Re: Brexit
 

Totally agree Den . The last thing JC wants is an election so he is sticking his head in the preverbal sand as usual ..

Re: Brexit
 

l cannot remember a time when both parties had such poor leaders of their parties as perhaps the best thing for the parties to do with their next leadership contest is to jump a generation.

Re: Brexit
 

I don’t know there’s something quite appealing about the Attorney General as next Conservative leader. Good value at the despatch box.

I’m going to take the opposite view and say Corbyn played a blinder by not falling into the Brexit trap at PMQs. SNP were always going to go all in on it anyway.

Re: Brexit
 

Thanks for doing a countdown to the People's Vote. :D

Re: Brexit
 

DUP to back the Government in a confidence vote only if the deal gets voted down. Increasingly likely there will be Parliamentary involvement in the situation after next week, with the EU “unwilling” to budge and no deal looming.

I wonder what our remain leaning Parliament will do with the prospect of no deal.

I hope the wheels stay on as long as our Chancellor’s emergency budget. It’s the part I’m most looking forward to. Phil deserves to deliver the headshot too. :D

Re: Brexit
 

Phil deserves a head shot.

Re: Brexit
 

even Nigel Farage said at end of his LBC show he feels a second referendum is getting closer

https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presente...diction-wrong/

Re: Brexit
 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/featu...beat-the-crash

He has been known to say one thing in public while he knows the evidence suggests another.