Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th December 2017

[tinybgoat]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-42298971" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"Brexit Secretary David Davis says the UK wants to secure a free-trade deal with no tariffs when it leaves the EU."
Davis all over the place:

He said the odds of the UK exiting without a deal had "dropped dramatically" following Friday's joint EU-UK statement in Brussels.
But he stressed that the deal struck by Theresa May on Friday to move to the next phase of talks was a "statement of intent" and not "legally enforceable".

But the Irish government said that as far as it was concerned the agreement signed on Friday between the EU and the UK was binding.
"The European Union will be holding the United Kingdom to account," the Irish government's chief whip told RTE.
"My question to anybody within the British government would be, why would there be an agreement, a set of principled agreements, in order to get to phase two, if they weren't going to be held up? That just sounds bizarre to me," Joe McHugh told RTE Radio's This Week.

[Willow904]

Hi Willow

Don't disagree with any of your post (or the one from cJA before either) but I think you are overestimating the capability of a good number of the electorate to think in such a way

Those that don't will vote Tory, and there are a lot of them out there unfortunately

I'm not really talking about getting people to vote for particular policies. I'm talking about whether the current Tory policy of propping up house prices is sustainable or not and what happens if it isn't and we experience a crash in amongst everything else going on.

[howsillyofme1]

Hi Willow

Don't disagree with any of your post (or the one from cJA before either) but I think you are overestimating the capability of a good number of the electorate to think in such a way

Those that don't will vote Tory, and there are a lot of them out there unfortunately

I'm not really talking about getting people to vote for particular policies. I'm talking about whether the current Tory policy of propping up house prices is sustainable or not and what happens if it isn't and we experience a crash in amongst everything else going on.

But the people vote for them because they think they will prop up house prices and the Tories promise policies that do so, so they maintain this core vote

Any sensible policy will have a negative effect on house prices - whether by providing social housing to undermine the buy to let private landlords, building more houses to increase supply or by removing financial incentives that increase prices (or by introducing a capital gains taxation on profits made)

If your sense of wealth is based on the value of your property and not on much else then you are going to be very protective of it

One day it will all collapse but by then they will have set up the country for US-like extreme capitalism

[citizenJA]

Winter light ritual wonderful
The snow fell lightly throughout, the village covered in white
children, parents, young and old
it was a beautiful time

[AngryAsWell]

David Davis sparks row with Ireland over 'not legally enforceable' Brexit deal claim

https://www.politicshome.com/news/europ ... ot-legally" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[howsillyofme1]

David Davis sparks row with Ireland over 'not legally enforceable' Brexit deal claim

https://www.politicshome.com/news/europ ... ot-legally" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He really is a dick...and Ian Paisley Jr has not covered himself in glory either!

[tinyclanger2]

Yes things need to change, but given the species' incapability to a) join things up and b) think sequentially, be careful what you wish for in the short term.

[tinyclanger2]

random sentence generator just gave me:

"The electorate rages".

So no more random than economic projections (see Robert May circa quite some years ago).

[AnatolyKasparov]

Football?

Bah humbug.

[howsillyofme1]

Don’t worry – not just the UK…..even the best prepared countries are affected

Funny that we live about 2km from the Aigle mentioned in the article and it has been okays here (windy and snowy on and off but all going now in the rain)

For those in the know – seeing Valais cut off is no bad thing lol (except I have to get there for work tomorrow)

http://www.20min.ch/ro/news/romandie/st ... e-31105704" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Football?

Bah humbug.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Bob Kerslake‏Verified account
@SirBobKerslake
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Today I have resigned as Chairman of @KingsCollegeNHS. I do not do this lightly as I love King's but believe the Govt & regulator are unrealistic about the scale of the challenge facing the NHS & the Trust. I want to pay tribute to the staff & their excellent patient care.

[citizenJA]

random sentence generator just gave me:

"The electorate rages".

So no more random than economic projections (see Robert May circa quite some years ago).

That's really interesting, sincerely

[citizenJA]

Bob Kerslake‏Verified account
@SirBobKerslake
Follow Follow @SirBobKerslake
More
Today I have resigned as Chairman of @KingsCollegeNHS. I do not do this lightly as I love King's but believe the Govt & regulator are unrealistic about the scale of the challenge facing the NHS & the Trust. I want to pay tribute to the staff & their excellent patient care.

I saw that too
am working up my nerve to read the details

[citizenJA]

Acquisition of citizenship - EU Nations
Number of grants of citizenship of the reporting country to persons usually resident in the reporting country who have previously been citizens of another country or who have been stateless.

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table. ... 4&plugin=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I thought the numbers interesting

[citizenJA]

Goodnight, everyone
love,
cJA

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Times

Ireland warns May over Brexit

[AngryAsWell]

Cabinet Brexit truce threatens to unravel as Leavers 'told concession to EU meaningless'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12 ... g_share_tw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[adam]

Cabinet Brexit truce threatens to unravel as Leavers 'told concession to EU meaningless'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12 ... g_share_tw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The same story is top of the guardian's homepage. I'm mildly surprised that the government are taking this route before the agreement reached last week has even been confirmed by the other EU states.

Joe McHugh, the Irish government’s chief whip, told the country’s RTE broadcaster: “We will as a government, a sovereign government in Ireland, be holding the United Kingdom to account, as will the European Union. My question to anybody within the British government would be: why would there be an agreement, a set of principled agreements, in order to get to phase two, if they weren’t going to be held up? That just sounds bizarre to me. This, as far as we’re concerned, is a binding agreement, an agreement in principle.” EU leaders are expected to confirm this in a statement this week, warning that progress will not be made unless Friday’s agreement is “respected in full”.