Brexit

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Hugh

False comparison - Singapore is a one party (in all but name) authoritarian state, with censored media, banned car ownership (unless you can afford an expensive permit), is now the most expensive country in the world to live in (for the 5th year in a row), and to buy a property through Singapore’s public Housing and Development board, you must be at least 21 and purchasing with someone in your “family nucleus” – such as a sibling or spouse – or at least 35 if you are single.

The government maintains strict restrictions on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly through the Public Order Act, which requires a police permit for any “cause-related” assembly if it is held in a public place, or if members of the general public are invited. Permits are routinely denied for events addressing political topics. The Singapore government now considers the mere presence of a foreigner during an assembly to be unlawful participation that can result in criminal penalties for both the foreigner and the event organiser.

Singapore uses the ISA and Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act (CLTPA) to arrest and administratively detain persons for virtually unlimited periods without charge or judicial review.

No, thanks...

It's not a false comparison. You are talking about the politics. I was talking about trade.

---------- Post added at 13:17 ---------- Previous post was at 13:16 ----------

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

Sorry Old Boy. One-party states like North Korea and Singapore may be your cup of tea but they're not mine.

Not mine, either. I have never advocated that.

[jfman]

All three readings of the backbench Bill pencilled in today. Mighty fast of them.

[denphone]

This from the New Statesman’s Patrick Maguire.

Hearing government could accept Cooper Bill in some form.

[ianch99]

Originally Posted by Damien

I think he means James Corden.

Yes. Damien is spot on ..

---------- Post added at 14:22 ---------- Previous post was at 14:14 ----------

Seems May is now accepting that EU elections are on the cards:

May refuses to rule out UK holding European elections if EU insists on long article 50 extension

Nigel Evans, a Tory Brexiter, asks May if she will say “no, no, no” if the EU insist that the UK has to fight European elections to get another article 50 extension.

May says she wants a deal that enables the UK to leave on 22 May, so it does not have to fight the European elections. But that will only happen if MPs vote for a deal, she ways.

I can see a solution where JC agrees to pitch May's WA deal with some CU tweaks to the PD as long as this comes with a confirmatory public vote. This May's saves face (my deal finally moves forward), JC get to "Leave" and everyone else gets a say now we know what is on the table.

Drinks all round and a slap up meal at Mrs Miggins tea shop!

[RichardCoulter]

Originally Posted by ianch99

Yes. Damien is spot on ..

---------- Post added at 14:22 ---------- Previous post was at 14:14 ----------

Seems May is now accepting that EU elections are on the cards:

May refuses to rule out UK holding European elections if EU insists on long article 50 extension



I can see a solution where JC agrees to pitch May's WA deal with some CU tweaks to the PD as long as this comes with a confirmatory public vote. This May's saves face (my deal finally moves forward), JC get to "Leave" and everyone else gets a say now we know what is on the table.

Drinks all round and a slap up meal at Mrs Miggins tea shop!

I don't think EU elections are too bad a thing, nobody will be forced to use their vote if they Don't want to. If they hold them at the same time as the forthcoming council elections, it won't be too much money that is wasted.

David Van Day is now a Tory politician and a leaver too. Perhaps he can replace May

[denphone]

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, tweeted this after a meeting with Jeremy Corbyn. She does not seem to think Labour will strike a deal on Brexit with Theresa May.

Just had a positive meeting with @jeremycorbyn - I’d be surprised and very disappointed if Labour sold out for such a bad deal.

Jason Groves of the Daily Mail.

Shape of Corbyn/May Brexit deal clear: Customs union; permanent alignment of workers' rights, etc; Tory immigration plans watered down, but free movement ends; no second referendum; out before the Euro elections

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

It's not a false comparison. You are talking about the politics. I was talking about trade.

---------- Post added at 13:17 ---------- Previous post was at 13:16 ----------



Not mine, either. I have never advocated that.

And you think they are unrelated, why?

It’s the political environment that does not tolerate dissension that allows the trade to flourish - no pesky dissension to disrupt things.

---------- Post added at 15:44 ---------- Previous post was at 15:41 ----------

Anyway, on a related totally ironic matter...

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/877491...k-stays-in-eu/

COPS are probing pro-Brexit "sabotage" attempts to disrupt the rail network after homemade devices designed to stop trains were clipped to tracks.

The short-circuit devices were discovered on tracks last week with a note threatening to "bring this country to its knees" if Britain doesn't leave the EU.

If successful, they would have caused chaos for signal workers by making it look like a train was stationary on the track when there wasn't one.

But the devices in Nottinghamshire and Cambridgeshire failed because of safeguards introduced to comply with EU regulations, the Mirror reports.

[denphone]

Brexit minister Chris Heaton-Harris resigns saying he's opposed to any further delay in leaving EU.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...exit-live-news

The Brexit minister Chris Heaton-Harris has resigned. Heaton-Harris is an enthusiastic Brexiter and there has been speculation all day that he might follow Nigel Adams, who resigned as a junior minister earlier because he thought Theresa May was making a “grave error” in trying to seek a compromise with Jeremy Corbyn.

[Dave42]

Sky News
‏
Verified account

@SkyNews
5m
5 minutes ago


More
"Forget the fiction… it's absolute nonsense. It needs to be called out."

Mark Carney says it's a "myth" that the UK could maintain zero tariffs in a Brexit on WTO rules.

Get the full story here: http://po.st/cCo7pA

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Hugh

And you think they are unrelated, why?

It’s the political environment that does not tolerate dissension that allows the trade to flourish - no pesky dissension to disrupt things.

What planet are you on today, Hugh? There is no such connection that I was advocating.

[jfman]

Powering through the second reading of the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 5) Bill. Truly historic moments here, regardless of who wins the vote(s) later on.

---------- Post added at 19:24 ---------- Previous post was at 18:33 ----------

The ayes have it. 315-310.

Onto stage 3. This is fast.

Bills have got though all stages within a day before I think

[jfman]

There’s been a few instances where there’s been Parliamentary will to do so.

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

What planet are you on today, Hugh? There is no such connection that I was advocating.

You gave Singapore as an example of how Britain could succeed.

Your analysis of negotiations between bigger blocs and smaller countries is too simplistic. You only have to look how Singapore operates, appreciate that we could operate as a lower tariff country, bear in mind that we are the 5th largest economy of the world, and little facts such as these, to realise that there is no reason why we could not improve our fortunes outside of the EU.

I showed some of the reasons Singapore succeeds, and why that meant it wasn’t a pertinent example.

That planet...

btw, we’re forecast to be 7th soon, after India and France.

https://ceoworld.biz/2018/12/28/gdp-...conomies-2019/

With Britain falling from fifth to seventh place, both France and India are likely to overtake the United Kingdom in the rankings of the world’s largest economies in 2019, that according to the CEOWORLD magazine. The latest projected “GDP rankings of the world’s largest economies” is based on the size of national economies in US dollar terms.

The United States remains the world’s largest economy, but China is expected to take first place by 2032. The magazine expects India to rise to fifth place in 2019 from seventh, and France to remain at sixth.

Although the global economy as a whole is expected to slow, the magazine forecasts GDP growth of 1.6 percent for the United Kingdom in 2019, compared with 1.7 percent in France, 2.3 percent in the United States, and 7.6 percent for India. The United Kingdom is currently the world’s 5th biggest economy with a GDP of $2.81 trillion, according to the IMF, but only $20 billion bigger than France and $120 billion larger than India.

http://statisticstimes.com/economy/c...jected-gdp.php

Originally Posted by RichardCoulter

I don't think EU elections are too bad a thing, nobody will be forced to use their vote if they Don't want to. If they hold them at the same time as the forthcoming council elections, it won't be too much money that is wasted.

The EU elections are a massive headache for everyone. The EU hates it because they've already allocated the seats and it's a real mess if then leave having appointed MEPs.

Leavers should also hate them not just because it's the EU Parliament but if we do end up participating then suddenly there is a lack of urgency from both sides. The EU no longer have a pressing need to get us out on time and we've already got MEPs and missed the original deadline so a 'what's another few months'? syndrome might kick in.

The people that would love participating in the EU elections is the People's Vote campaign because suddenly the time will be there. In fact participating in the EU elections is now a requirement for a referendum to take place.