TM move to take over does imply that she will now only deal with heads of state and is going to the heart of the Council.
I believe she is throwing the dice with a last ditch attempt to stop the disaster of a no deal.
At the same time Raab actively talking of food rationing and other serious problems including travel and health restrictions within the EU is going to spook the population and I would expect a substantial move for a second referendum.
Of course this could all go pear shaped with the 48 letters going in and a VNOC
I have watched the video and I can see where this talk of stockpiling food come from.
Benn "Is the Govt going to stockpile food." Raab "The Govt will ensure adequate food supplies."
Even talking like that is a sure fire winner for the remainers
How is he going to ensure adequate food supplies? I bet he has no f***ing idea.
He does not have to. The supermarkets will ensure it, they already have supply chains all over the world, they will know who can sell them more.
You are in la la land. have you ever heard of "just-in-time"?
Yep. Vast quantities of fresh food from Spain and Netherlands etc etc.
Why do I see Egyptian Tom's in the supermarket? Then heaven forbid there are English Tomatoes as well.
To all you the supermarket will be empty, look at what happened in Russia when Putin stopped food imports, it is well documented.
To be serious - you are missing the point on just how badly this will go down with the public. Today is the day hard Brexit was lost
I think that the public in general are a bit more relaxed than we are.
On food shortages and rationing - I doubt it
True they got upset about a sugar shortage in the ,70s.
There were some odd shortages of things in the 70's. IIRC, loo paper kept running short.
The heat must be affecting people on here. For months remainers have complained about lack of adequate fall-back preparations for a hard Brexit then go all queer when someone actually announces he's doing just that.
I think that some people need a holiday.
In the past few days, Brexit has been compared to the Spanish civil war, Pearl Harbour, or a mental illness, May has been compared to General Franco, and Brexiteers have bee threatened with the same fate as Mussolini and Clara Petacci.
It is quite possible that it all may be hyperbole, or alternatively the Brexiteers that say it will all be fine could be horribly wrong, but the bottom line that never seems to be answered convincingly is, WTF is the point of this vanity project?
On-topic, Corbyn may well be right that the government should be a bit more protectionist about awarding contracts, as America is, and as our European neighbours tend to be. Obviously you can't call it protectionism but I expect that after rigorous and open tenders, most police cars in Paris are made by Renault or Citroen and in Berlin by BMW or Volkswagen.
TM move to take over does imply that she will now only deal with heads of state and is going to the heart of the Council.
I believe she is throwing the dice with a last ditch attempt to stop the disaster of a no deal.
At the same time Raab actively talking of food rationing and other serious problems including travel and health restrictions within the EU is going to spook the population and I would expect a substantial move for a second referendum.
Of course this could all go pear shaped with the 48 letters going in and a VNOC
I have watched the video and I can see where this talk of stockpiling food come from.
Benn "Is the Govt going to stockpile food." Raab "The Govt will ensure adequate food supplies."
Even talking like that is a sure fire winner for the remainers
How is he going to ensure adequate food supplies? I bet he has no f***ing idea.
He does not have to. The supermarkets will ensure it, they already have supply chains all over the world, they will know who can sell them more.
You are in la la land. have you ever heard of "just-in-time"?
Yep. Vast quantities of fresh food from Spain and Netherlands etc etc.
Why do I see Egyptian Tom's in the supermarket? Then heaven forbid there are English Tomatoes as well.
To all you the supermarket will be empty, look at what happened in Russia when Putin stopped food imports, it is well documented.
To be serious - you are missing the point on just how badly this will go down with the public. Today is the day hard Brexit was lost
I think that the public in general are a bit more relaxed than we are.
On food shortages and rationing - I doubt it
True they got upset about a sugar shortage in the ,70s.
There were some odd shortages of things in the 70's. IIRC, loo paper kept running short.
Good job Greg Wallace is on the TV tonight in a loo paper factory, should restore the remainers faith that their delicate region will still be able to be pampered with buttermilk infused papier toilette.
The heat must be affecting people on here. For months remainers have complained about lack of adequate fall-back preparations for a hard Brexit then go all queer when someone actually announces he's doing just that.
I think that some people need a holiday.
In the past few days, Brexit has been compared to the Spanish civil war, Pearl Harbour, or a mental illness, May has been compared to General Franco, and Brexiteers have bee threatened with the same fate as Mussolini and Clara Petacci.
It is quite possible that it all may be hyperbole, or alternatively the Brexiteers that say it will all be fine could be horribly wrong, but the bottom line that never seems to be answered convincingly is, WTF is the point of this vanity project?
Well personally I think it's a positive that the Gov't will ensure adequate food supply in the event of a no deal Brexit.
Quite. It’s somewhat disingenuous to simultaneously have a go at government for not planning, and having a go at them for making plans.
It's reasonable to have a go at the government for not planning, then to have a go at the government for following a policy that means that such planning is required.
Raab is being unfairly maligned. He's only doing what the Leavers have been urging all along: make it clear to the EU that we're prepared to walk away without a deal. His 'famine is better than a bad deal' is a slightly novel take, but you have to admire his cussedness.
Raab is being unfairly maligned. He's only doing what the Leavers have been urging all along: make it clear to the EU that we're prepared to walk away without a deal. His 'famine is better than a bad deal' is a slightly novel take, but you have to admire his cussedness.
A brief but glorious time as someone who mattered the slightest in British politics.
The country nearly ground to a halt , when a few farmers blocked refeneries back in ,2000 for a few days.
God knows what would happen now , if there was a real shortage .
I remember driving to work that day, the roads were deserted...apart from farmers on their tractors going about their usual business. Found it very ironic.
After Project Fear, the British Public will just think … here we go again, and they'll be right.
I can't be bothered to resurrect the clip from 'Zulu' where Jack Hawkins proclaims. "You're all going to die.".
I like your post as Zulu is one of my favourite films.Of course Jack Hawkins character was only partly right, as only the majority of them did die at Rorke's Drift, so if we carry on the analogy Jack Hawkins might shout "You are all going to have food shortages" and the Leavers will say. "Well that isn't true as at least 10% of supermarkets still had some spam and bake beans on the shelves last week, because good old Chief Barnier was so impressed with our demonstration of bravery in the face of overwhelming odds that he let some supplies through"
We'll have to eat the vegans fist, They might be a bit stringy, but they'll probably be Remainers.
On a line through cows, surely vegans would be less stringy? We mainly eat herbivores. It's carnivores that are tough and stringy.
Very few humans are carnivores. Most are omnivores.
Pigs are omnivores and they're delicious.
Pondering this rather more than is probably healthy, it might be a good idea to construct a hide outside gyms. The lean mass would probably have a very gamey flavour.
The country nearly ground to a halt , when a few farmers blocked refeneries back in ,2000 for a few days.
God knows what would happen now , if there was a real shortage .
I remember driving to work that day, the roads were deserted...apart from farmers on their tractors going about their usual business. Found it very ironic.
They must have stocked up on red diesel.
There was many stories of people queing for ages , to put a few pence of petrol in their already over filled car.
The country nearly ground to a halt , when a few farmers blocked refeneries back in ,2000 for a few days.
God knows what would happen now , if there was a real shortage .
I remember driving to work that day, the roads were deserted...apart from farmers on their tractors going about their usual business. Found it very ironic.
They must have stocked up on red diesel.
There was many stories of people queing for ages , to put a few pence of petrol in their already over filled car.
Wonder if any of the people blockading the refineries were prosecuted.
Totally O/t, but the Indian Cricket team has said it’s going to be too hot in Chelmsford to play a proper match. Originally scheduled 11-a-side and over 4 days. Now rescheduled to 18-a-side.... as far as India are concerned anyway, and only over three days. Game was pretty nearly sold out, too!
I’d call them the naughty c word but they have neither the depth nor the warmth.
It's actually sensible politics from Raab. If Brexit does lead to food shortages, then it's better for us to be queuing up to collect our tins from the town hall than actually starving. The latter would see rioting, looting, burglary and all sorts.
I think that what will happen is that Conservative Party members, UKIP members, anti-EU Labour party members like Jeremy Corbyn, members of various anti-EU organisations will all have special lavishly-stocked shops, which are reserved for them. People who can prove they voted Leave will be given ration books, whereas Remain voters will have to fend for themselves.
Beyond belief. We are seriously contemplating forcing food shortages on ourselves and nobody in government or politics seems to have the statesmanship to say 'enough of this'. Time to own up to the public honestly and ask them to think again.
Have we all lost our minds?
Keep Calm and Carry On.
The EU aren't [able] about to deploy the submarine fleet and attempt to starve us out. There will be some disruption to supply. Quite possibly a lot of fresh vegetables from Spain will rot in queues at Calais. Some people will lose a lot of money. Other people will make lots of money. Established supply chains could be disrupted, but new supply chains will be established to take their place.
However, if we expect to be gnawing each other's bones by Easter then we'll be pleasantly surprised when the disruption amounts to temporary shortages of fresh vegetables, cheddar and a few other items.
As an ardent Remainer, even I can't see why cheddar would be in short supply lol!
A lot of cheddar is imported, surprisingly.
Let them eat brioche.
The one thing that does worry me is how the public would react if expensive pates ran short at Waitrose.
"You wouldn't believe it, this BREXIT nonsense; they have run out of quinoa!"
The heat must be affecting people on here. For months remainers have complained about lack of adequate fall-back preparations for a hard Brexit then go all queer when someone actually announces he's doing just that.
I think that some people need a holiday.
In the past few days, Brexit has been compared to the Spanish civil war, Pearl Harbour, or a mental illness, May has been compared to General Franco, and Brexiteers have bee threatened with the same fate as Mussolini and Clara Petacci.
It is quite possible that it all may be hyperbole, or alternatively the Brexiteers that say it will all be fine could be horribly wrong, but the bottom line that never seems to be answered convincingly is, WTF is the point of this vanity project?
A country governing itself is not vanity. That more describes the CAP.
We'll have to eat the vegans fist, They might be a bit stringy, but they'll probably be Remainers.
On a line through cows, surely vegans would be less stringy? We mainly eat herbivores. It's carnivores that are tough and stringy.
Very few humans are carnivores. Most are omnivores.
Pigs are omnivores and they're delicious.
Pondering this rather more than is probably healthy, it might be a good idea to construct a hide outside gyms. The lean mass would probably have a very gamey flavour.
"I hear the best thing to do is feed them to pigs. You got to starve the pigs for a few days, then the sight of a chopped-up body will look like curry to a pisshead. You gotta shave the heads of your victims, and pull the teeth out for the sake of the piggies' digestion. You could do this afterwards, of course, but you don't want to go sievin' through pig shit, now do you? They will go through bone like butter. You need at least sixteen pigs to finish the job in one sitting, so be wary of any man who keeps a pig farm. They will go through a body that weighs 200 pounds in about eight minutes. That means that a single pig can consume two pounds of uncooked flesh every minute. Hence the expression, 'as greedy as a pig'.
I lived through Suez, and watched what was going on with alarm as I though I was going to get called up. Quite frankly this is worse. At least I’d have been fed!
The food things is what fucks the Tories to death. I've talked about how crash Brexit would be an extinction level event for any politician with their fingerprints on it, and "we will ensure adequate food" tells you all you need to know about how Tories will fare if this actually happens.
And it will, if we leave with no deal. There won't be a last minute "oh go on then" fold by the Europeans. Macron won't decide not to send the troops to enforce a border at Calais in a sudden change of heart. There won't be a moment of clarity where HMRC the ports the hauliers the manufacturers the wholesalers and the retailers all say "you know what, that Mr Rees Mogg was right after all, we don't know our own jobs or how our industries work"
Food shortages in days. Fuel. Medicines. And that means civil unrest. And that means literal bloody violence and the same cretins who got us into this appealing for public calm because "adequate" foodstuff will be dispensed in an orderly manner from left over Protect and Survive bunker stashes.
The literal death of the Conservative Party as an electoral force, from government to gone in one event just as the Canadians were. You cannot fuck up our ability to feed ourselves and expect someone's vote because Corbyn is worse. Worse than no food?
Tories - you can sort this shit. But someone needs to do over May and the ERG at the same time. Would KenClark as acting leader really be that bad?
The heat must be affecting people on here. For months remainers have complained about lack of adequate fall-back preparations for a hard Brexit then go all queer when someone actually announces he's doing just that.
I think that some people need a holiday.
In the past few days, Brexit has been compared to the Spanish civil war, Pearl Harbour, or a mental illness, May has been compared to General Franco, and Brexiteers have bee threatened with the same fate as Mussolini and Clara Petacci.
It is quite possible that it all may be hyperbole, or alternatively the Brexiteers that say it will all be fine could be horribly wrong, but the bottom line that never seems to be answered convincingly is, WTF is the point of this vanity project?
Democracy is not a vanity project.
Oh please, quit the "will of the people"! bollox. The will of the German peopleThis is a vanity project extraordinaire hatched by inadequate politicians and journalists.That referendum does not represent the entirety of democracy, and quite aside from the fact that it was fundamentally flawed in its implementation and subsequent interpretation by the Brexit zealots, with the suggestion of foreign interference, it is a snapshot of opinion at a particular time. No one would suggest that we should have a general election and never have another, so once we are on the stupid referenda bandwagon we should have another, and another and another. If you are so sure of the "will of the people", why are Leavers so terrified of another referendum now the real facts of this debacle are becoming apparent?
The country nearly ground to a halt , when a few farmers blocked refeneries back in ,2000 for a few days.
God knows what would happen now , if there was a real shortage .
I remember driving to work that day, the roads were deserted...apart from farmers on their tractors going about their usual business. Found it very ironic.
They must have stocked up on red diesel.
There was many stories of people queing for ages , to put a few pence of petrol in their already over filled car.
Wonder if any of the people blockading the refineries were prosecuted.
None as I recall, the treatment of farmers and hauliers blocking refeneries .In contrast to miners in the 1980s was very stark.
Good job Greg Wallace is on the TV tonight in a loo paper factory, should restore the remainers faith that their delicate region will still be able to be pampered with buttermilk infused papier toilette.
That's an absolutely sh*t comment, you should be ashamed of writing so much cr@p. You'll go down on the roll of bad posters; don't worry, there'll be space as it's strong and very long.
But don't worry; if you write some good posts then I'll wipe your name off the roll.
Now I've finished tearing a strip off you, I'll get back to writing smutty comments before they're flushed by the mods.
The food things is what fucks the Tories to death. I've talked about how crash Brexit would be an extinction level event for any politician with their fingerprints on it, and "we will ensure adequate food" tells you all you need to know about how Tories will fare if this actually happens.
And it will, if we leave with no deal. There won't be a last minute "oh go on then" fold by the Europeans. Macron won't decide not to send the troops to enforce a border at Calais in a sudden change of heart. There won't be a moment of clarity where HMRC the ports the hauliers the manufacturers the wholesalers and the retailers all say "you know what, that Mr Rees Mogg was right after all, we don't know our own jobs or how our industries work"
Food shortages in days. Fuel. Medicines. And that means civil unrest. And that means literal bloody violence and the same cretins who got us into this appealing for public calm because "adequate" foodstuff will be dispensed in an orderly manner from left over Protect and Survive bunker stashes.
The literal death of the Conservative Party as an electoral force, from government to gone in one event just as the Canadians were. You cannot fuck up our ability to feed ourselves and expect someone's vote because Corbyn is worse. Worse than no food?
Tories - you can sort this shit. But someone needs to do over May and the ERG at the same time. Would KenClark as acting leader really be that bad?
All joking aside, do you not think you might be worrying too much?
The heat must be affecting people on here. For months remainers have complained about lack of adequate fall-back preparations for a hard Brexit then go all queer when someone actually announces he's doing just that.
I think that some people need a holiday.
In the past few days, Brexit has been compared to the Spanish civil war, Pearl Harbour, or a mental illness, May has been compared to General Franco, and Brexiteers have bee threatened with the same fate as Mussolini and Clara Petacci.
It is quite possible that it all may be hyperbole, or alternatively the Brexiteers that say it will all be fine could be horribly wrong, but the bottom line that never seems to be answered convincingly is, WTF is the point of this vanity project?
Democracy is not a vanity project.
Oh please, quit the "will of the people"! bollox. The will of the German peopleThis is a vanity project extraordinaire hatched by inadequate politicians and journalists.That referendum does not represent the entirety of democracy, and quite aside from the fact that it was fundamentally flawed in its implementation and subsequent interpretation by the Brexit zealots, with the suggestion of foreign interference, it is a snapshot of opinion at a particular time. No one would suggest that we should have a general election and never have another, so once we are on the stupid referenda bandwagon we should have another, and another and another. If you are so sure of the "will of the people", why are Leavers so terrified of another referendum now the real facts of this debacle are becoming apparent?
Not terrified at all, because the results would almost certainly be the same. People don't like being asked the same question twice.
Your sneering, condescending attitude explains precisely why so much of the population was hopping mad enough to vote for Brexit in the first place.
The question for you is, assuming the electorate return a second "leave" verdict, what do you do then? A third? A fourth? A fortieth, until we return the "right" result?
All joking aside, do you not think you might be worrying too much?
Nope. On a personal level I'll make sure we have stuff in the garage long before people start freaking out and panic buying. But without a deal it is happening...
Frank Field have the whip withdrawn? Even tim, once of this parish, rated him highly. He's always been his own man, and I doubt this will get off the ground. I also suspect that if he stood against the alternative candidate, he would win anyway. Mind you, he is getting on a bit.
Well personally I think it's a positive that the Gov't will ensure adequate food supply in the event of a no deal Brexit.
Quite. It’s somewhat disingenuous to simultaneously have a go at government for not planning, and having a go at them for making plans.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The government has manoeuvred itself into a position whereby it is discussing food fucking shortages. And this is praiseworthy?
The minister is replying to journalists who think that asking questions about food shortages will generate good headlines.
There’s thousands of civil servants who spend their days planning for various eventualities, and there always have been. It’s what governments do.
I am not impressed that you are impressed with his handling of the situation.
You can’t be upset with the government for not planning, yet also upset with them when they say that they are!
This is now getting ridiculous, with people going as far as to suggest that the French are going to send troops to Calais to blockade the port. People are losing their collective minds here. Brexit isn’t war.
Incidentally, this is a rather fine and shocking piece by Toby Young (an old acquaintance of mine).
I was aware that he was forced to step down from the QAUNGO role, because of the monstering he got on Twitter and elsewhere.
I was unaware that as a consequence he lost ALL his positions, and his entire career was ruined, overnight. Just astonishing. And sobering. Whether you are on the left OR the right, these lynchings are horrible. They need to STOP.
That’s a very sad, but wonderfully well written and eloquent piece.
Hopefully the febrile online lynch mob will be tamed eventually, but it’s hard to see how it doesn’t get worse before it gets better. The question is what will it take for them to deflect their attention towards actual abusers, and away from satirical and self-deprecating writers?
It is a lynch mob, but looking at that DM front page and some of the tweets, and as Young himself accepts, I am not 100% sure I would want someone who is capable of making some of those comments in a position of influence in education.
I would repeat some of those tweets by way of illustration but I simply cannot as they are too offensive even to repeat to make a point.
A few dodgy Tweets from years ago is insignificant, when compared to his more recent several years’ experience running schools and an educational charity.
And, you know, the current attending of secret eugenics conferences and friendlyness to outrageous crank 'scientidic' racists who attend the conference with him.
It wasn't the old twatishness that made him step down, it was the recent attendance of the "here's totally scientific reasons why black people are stupid" conferences that did for him.
Pretending it was a faux outrage bus over ancient newspaper columns is rewriting history in real time. He'd rode out the the whole "Toby Young is a bit rude" wave and then resigned the day before the conference story came out in the mainstream press.
Comedy aside, I am on a TransPennine train back home. Both toilets have run out of water. PA announcement by the guard saying he's locked them both out of use "but if anyone is really really desperate I will unlock one for you, just grab me when I pass through the train".
Like being at primary school. "Please sir, I need a wee wee"
Nothing but moans from farmers about the introduction of beavers in Scotland. Seriously unpopular with those who actually work the land no matter what the townies think.
It's entirely possible that panic-buying in the days before Brexit will cause the supermarket shelves to empty before we leave, if there is no deal and speculation in the media about food shortages. See what happened to Northern Rock.
Most food will be restocked relatively easily and people will get used to higher prices for some items and begin to feel embarrassed that a country that survived the Blitz and literal attempts to starve us out with submarine warfare panicked over the prospect of temporary shortages of fresh tomatoes.
Then they will look for someone to blame and you can be sure that the Tories know they have to find someone to take their place. It's not like British governments don't have form for blaming the EU.
If leaving the EU causes food shortages, the Leavers might have a point about sovereignty.
Quite. The utter clusterwank that is Brexit proves BOTH sides right. Remainers are right that Leavers promised stuff that was undeliverable, that Brexiting will be an economic and political nightmare, that the EU will punish us and they have all the power...
.... which in turn means that Leavers were right and the EU is no mere trading bloc, it is a massive political Federal project designed to absorb nations forever, and we have already handed over far too much sovereignty, including the ability to freely leave....
There you. Argument settled. EVERYONE on pb was and is right, europhiles and europhobes.
Now we can talk about something else AT LAST: perhaps a way out of this fucking mess?
If it weren't for the fact that our reputation for competent governance has gone down the drain I'd suggest getting serious about running the show so that it's done properly.
If leaving the EU causes food shortages, the Leavers might have a point about sovereignty.
Quite. The utter clusterwank that is Brexit proves BOTH sides right. Remainers are right that Leavers promised stuff that was undeliverable, that Brexiting will be an economic and political nightmare, that the EU will punish us and they have all the power...
.... which in turn means that Leavers were right and the EU is no mere trading bloc, it is a massive political Federal project designed to absorb nations forever, and we have already handed over far too much sovereignty, including the ability to freely leave....
There you. Argument settled. EVERYONE on pb was and is right, europhiles and europhobes.
Now we can talk about something else AT LAST: perhaps a way out of this fucking mess?
The solution is obvious.
5 years of no deal Brexit will force us to rejoin the EU, regardless of the terms.
It will settle the EU question forever as no one will propose Leaving again as Leave will be associated with food shortages.
British politics will then focus on normal stuff likes schools, hospitals, and transport.
The food things is what fucks the Tories to death. I've talked about how crash Brexit would be an extinction level event for any politician with their fingerprints on it, and "we will ensure adequate food" tells you all you need to know about how Tories will fare if this actually happens.
And it will, if we leave with no deal. There won't be a last minute "oh go on then" fold by the Europeans. Macron won't decide not to send the troops to enforce a border at Calais in a sudden change of heart. There won't be a moment of clarity where HMRC the ports the hauliers the manufacturers the wholesalers and the retailers all say "you know what, that Mr Rees Mogg was right after all, we don't know our own jobs or how our industries work"
Food shortages in days. Fuel. Medicines. And that means civil unrest. And that means literal bloody violence and the same cretins who got us into this appealing for public calm because "adequate" foodstuff will be dispensed in an orderly manner from left over Protect and Survive bunker stashes.
The literal death of the Conservative Party as an electoral force, from government to gone in one event just as the Canadians were. You cannot fuck up our ability to feed ourselves and expect someone's vote because Corbyn is worse. Worse than no food?
Tories - you can sort this shit. But someone needs to do over May and the ERG at the same time. Would KenClark as acting leader really be that bad?
Why did Russian supermarkets not run out of food when Putin banned food imports from the EU plus USA and Canada and Australia and Norway (fish)?
Well personally I think it's a positive that the Gov't will ensure adequate food supply in the event of a no deal Brexit.
Quite. It’s somewhat disingenuous to simultaneously have a go at government for not planning, and having a go at them for making plans.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The government has manoeuvred itself into a position whereby it is discussing food fucking shortages. And this is praiseworthy?
The minister is replying to journalists who think that asking questions about food shortages will generate good headlines.
There’s thousands of civil servants who spend their days planning for various eventualities, and there always have been. It’s what governments do.
I am not impressed that you are impressed with his handling of the situation.
You can’t be upset with the government for not planning, yet also upset with them when they say that they are!
We are in a situation wherein the government is discussing food shortages.
The journalists didn't ask him about the asteroid strike or the volcanic eruption or the rampaging dinosaurs. But about the possible food shortages.
Think about it.
An oldie but a goodie...
“This is one of the oldest and most effective tricks in politics. Every hack in the business has used it in times of trouble, and it has even been elevated to the level of political mythology in a story about one of Lyndon Johnson’s early campaigns in Texas.
“The race was close and Johnson was getting worried. Finally he told his campaign manager to start a massive rumour campaign about his opponent’s life-long habit of enjoying carnal knowledge of his barnyard sows.
“Christ, we can’t get away with calling him a pig-f****r,” the campaign manager protested. “Nobody’s going to believe a thing like that.”
“I know,” Johnson replied. “But let’s make the sonofab****h deny it.”
Well personally I think it's a positive that the Gov't will ensure adequate food supply in the event of a no deal Brexit.
Quite. It’s somewhat disingenuous to simultaneously have a go at government for not planning, and having a go at them for making plans.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The government has manoeuvred itself into a position whereby it is discussing food fucking shortages. And this is praiseworthy?
The minister is replying to journalists who think that asking questions about food shortages will generate good headlines.
There’s thousands of civil servants who spend their days planning for various eventualities, and there always have been. It’s what governments do.
I am not impressed that you are impressed with his handling of the situation.
You can’t be upset with the government for not planning, yet also upset with them when they say that they are!
This is now getting ridiculous, with people going as far as to suggest that the French are going to send troops to Calais to blockade the port. People are losing their collective minds here. Brexit isn’t war.
Well personally I think it's a positive that the Gov't will ensure adequate food supply in the event of a no deal Brexit.
Quite. It’s somewhat disingenuous to simultaneously have a go at government for not planning, and having a go at them for making plans.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The government has manoeuvred itself into a position whereby it is discussing food fucking shortages. And this is praiseworthy?
The minister is replying to journalists who think that asking questions about food shortages will generate good headlines.
There’s thousands of civil servants who spend their days planning for various eventualities, and there always have been. It’s what governments do.
I am not impressed that you are impressed with his handling of the situation.
You can’t be upset with the government for not planning, yet also upset with them when they say that they are!
We are in a situation wherein the government is discussing food shortages.
The journalists didn't ask him about the asteroid strike or the volcanic eruption or the rampaging dinosaurs. But about the possible food shortages.
Think about it.
Yeah, it’s silly season and a bunch of Remainer hacks are walking themselves into a stupor at the thought that leaving the EU might actually be the end of civilisation as we know it.
More worryingly, they’re risking the equivalent of a bank run on food by bugging up problems to the point where they could become a self fulfilling prophecy. Journalism at its most irresponsible.
It's entirely possible that panic-buying in the days before Brexit will cause the supermarket shelves to empty before we leave, if there is no deal and speculation in the media about food shortages. See what happened to Northern Rock.
Most food will be restocked relatively easily and people will get used to higher prices for some items and begin to feel embarrassed that a country that survived the Blitz and literal attempts to starve us out with submarine warfare panicked over the prospect of temporary shortages of fresh tomatoes.
Then they will look for someone to blame and you can be sure that the Tories know they have to find someone to take their place. It's not like British governments don't have form for blaming the EU.
They'll try and blame others. But the audit trail is clear enough - warned repeatedly that their fantasy island plans wouldn't work and what would happen.
As for the Blitz spirit, that was generations ago where our national survival was literally under threat. This is entirely self inflicted - we could have left to WTO with preparation - and the idea that todays me me me now generation will knuckle down and blame the frogs is almost embarrassingly out of touch.
We'll have to eat the vegans fist, They might be a bit stringy, but they'll probably be Remainers.
On a line through cows, surely vegans would be less stringy? We mainly eat herbivores. It's carnivores that are tough and stringy.
Very few humans are carnivores. Most are omnivores.
Pigs are omnivores and they're delicious.
Pondering this rather more than is probably healthy, it might be a good idea to construct a hide outside gyms. The lean mass would probably have a very gamey flavour.
"I hear the best thing to do is feed them to pigs. You got to starve the pigs for a few days, then the sight of a chopped-up body will look like curry to a pisshead. You gotta shave the heads of your victims, and pull the teeth out for the sake of the piggies' digestion. You could do this afterwards, of course, but you don't want to go sievin' through pig shit, now do you? They will go through bone like butter. You need at least sixteen pigs to finish the job in one sitting, so be wary of any man who keeps a pig farm. They will go through a body that weighs 200 pounds in about eight minutes. That means that a single pig can consume two pounds of uncooked flesh every minute. Hence the expression, 'as greedy as a pig'.
I worry about some of the people on here sometimes. I know that's a quote, but still.
Well personally I think it's a positive that the Gov't will ensure adequate food supply in the event of a no deal Brexit.
Quite. It’s somewhat disingenuous to simultaneously have a go at government for not planning, and having a go at them for making plans.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The government has manoeuvred itself into a position whereby it is discussing food fucking shortages. And this is praiseworthy?
The minister is replying to journalists who think that asking questions about food shortages will generate good headlines.
There’s thousands of civil servants who spend their days planning for various eventualities, and there always have been. It’s what governments do.
I am not impressed that you are impressed with his handling of the situation.
You can’t be upset with the government for not planning, yet also upset with them when they say that they are!
This is now getting ridiculous, with people going as far as to suggest that the French are going to send troops to Calais to blockade the port. People are losing their collective minds here. Brexit isn’t war.
WAR! ttps://youtu.be/r3BO6GP9NMY
Chris Morris and Armando Inanucci are a pair of evil geniuses!
Well personally I think it's a positive that the Gov't will ensure adequate food supply in the event of a no deal Brexit.
Quite. It’s somewhat disingenuous to simultaneously have a go at government for not planning, and having a go at them for making plans.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The government has manoeuvred itself into a position whereby it is discussing food fucking shortages. And this is praiseworthy?
The minister is replying to journalists who think that asking questions about food shortages will generate good headlines.
There’s thousands of civil servants who spend their days planning for various eventualities, and there always have been. It’s what governments do.
I am not impressed that you are impressed with his handling of the situation.
You can’t be upset with the government for not planning, yet also upset with them when they say that they are!
We are in a situation wherein the government is discussing food shortages.
The journalists didn't ask him about the asteroid strike or the volcanic eruption or the rampaging dinosaurs. But about the possible food shortages.
Think about it.
I am thinking about it. I reckon Remainers have, here, their last best chance at halting Brexit, or even reversing it.
If they can get this Food Shortage meme to go viral, to really embed itself in the nation's conscious, then I can see the polls going mad: Remain shooting up to 60-70, Leave dropping to 40-30. These are levels at which the pressure to have a 2nd vote might be irresistible.#
I am tempted by the idea of a 2nd vote, and I am a Leaver.
The trouble for Remoaners is that it is a gorgeous hot summer, and everyone is drunk and happy, and no one cares, apart from us geeks.
We'll need some fake imagery. How about this as a clandestinely taken photo at a prohibited government storage site?
Well personally I think it's a positive that the Gov't will ensure adequate food supply in the event of a no deal Brexit.
Quite. It’s somewhat disingenuous to simultaneously have a go at government for not planning, and having a go at them for making plans.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The government has manoeuvred itself into a position whereby it is discussing food fucking shortages. And this is praiseworthy?
The minister is replying to journalists who think that asking questions about food shortages will generate good headlines.
There’s thousands of civil servants who spend their days planning for various eventualities, and there always have been. It’s what governments do.
I am not impressed that you are impressed with his handling of the situation.
You can’t be upset with the government for not planning, yet also upset with them when they say that they are!
We are in a situation wherein the government is discussing food shortages.
The journalists didn't ask him about the asteroid strike or the volcanic eruption or the rampaging dinosaurs. But about the possible food shortages.
Think about it.
I am thinking about it. I reckon Remainers have, here, their last best chance at halting Brexit, or even reversing it.
If they can get this Food Shortage meme to go viral, to really embed itself in the nation's conscious, then I can see the polls going mad: Remain shooting up to 60-70, Leave dropping to 40-30. These are levels at which the pressure to have a 2nd vote might be irresistible.#
I am tempted by the idea of a 2nd vote, and I am a Leaver.
The trouble for Remoaners is that it is a gorgeous hot summer, and everyone is drunk and happy, and no one cares, apart from us geeks.
I think the claims sound so fantastical that they won't be taken seriously. There is also the danger that the remainers overplay the hand badly, something they have done every single time. It's definitely a poor headline for leave, however, there's a fair chance that it will just generate anger towards politicians and the EU.
Well personally I think it's a positive that the Gov't will ensure adequate food supply in the event of a no deal Brexit.
Quite. It’s somewhat disingenuous to simultaneously have a go at government for not planning, and having a go at them for making plans.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The government has manoeuvred itself into a position whereby it is discussing food fucking shortages. And this is praiseworthy?
The minister is replying to journalists who think that asking questions about food shortages will generate good headlines.
There’s thousands of civil servants who spend their days planning for various eventualities, and there always have been. It’s what governments do.
I am not impressed that you are impressed with his handling of the situation.
You can’t be upset with the government for not planning, yet also upset with them when they say that they are!
We are in a situation wherein the government is discussing food shortages.
The journalists didn't ask him about the asteroid strike or the volcanic eruption or the rampaging dinosaurs. But about the possible food shortages.
Think about it.
I am thinking about it. I reckon Remainers have, here, their last best chance at halting Brexit, or even reversing it.
If they can get this Food Shortage meme to go viral, to really embed itself in the nation's conscious, then I can see the polls going mad: Remain shooting up to 60-70, Leave dropping to 40-30. These are levels at which the pressure to have a 2nd vote might be irresistible.#
I am tempted by the idea of a 2nd vote, and I am a Leaver.
The trouble for Remoaners is that it is a gorgeous hot summer, and everyone is drunk and happy, and no one cares, apart from us geeks.
I very much doubt there will be food shortages (and I am not an expert do I should know) but the very fact that we are talking about it, as the 5th largest economy in the world, seems to be an extraordinary phenomenon lost on the dimbo Leavers.
Off topic, I read 'the triumph of the political class' this afternoon, and in between seeing how much Peter Oborne really did not like Blair s time in office, it was funny seeing references to Ken Livingstone in a positive way (we don't see it much now of course) and a brief reference to John McDonnell better representing labour members but the politoval class MPs prevented him from being leader. He hit the nail on the head about a McDonnell type representing the members of Labour!
What Northern Rock illustrated was that ANY major bank failure would have catastrophic social, political, economic and cultural consequences. Brown's response, the depositor guarantee, was to convince people that even if banks failed, their money was safe.
As I've said before, Governments only really have three responsibilities - a) uphold the law b) defend the country and c) ensure the effective distribution of food.
I don't believe for a nanosecond this tosh of food shortages - well, some luxury items may be less available but the staples (will we have to end up eating staples?) will be there whatever the short term disruption. The notion of Sainsburys, Tescos or Lidl running out of food on 29/3/19 is laughable.
Well personally I think it's a positive that the Gov't will ensure adequate food supply in the event of a no deal Brexit.
Quite. It’s somewhat disingenuous to simultaneously have a go at government for not planning, and having a go at them for making plans.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The government has manoeuvred itself into a position whereby it is discussing food fucking shortages. And this is praiseworthy?
The minister is replying to journalists who think that asking questions about food shortages will generate good headlines.
There’s thousands of civil servants who spend their days planning for various eventualities, and there always have been. It’s what governments do.
I am not impressed that you are impressed with his handling of the situation.
You can’t be upset with the government for not planning, yet also upset with them when they say that they are!
We are in a situation wherein the government is discussing food shortages.
The journalists didn't ask him about the asteroid strike or the volcanic eruption or the rampaging dinosaurs. But about the possible food shortages.
Think about it.
I am thinking about it. I reckon Remainers have, here, their last best chance at halting Brexit, or even reversing it.
If they can get this Food Shortage meme to go viral, to really embed itself in the nation's conscious, then I can see the polls going mad: Remain shooting up to 60-70, Leave dropping to 40-30. These are levels at which the pressure to have a 2nd vote might be irresistible.#
I am tempted by the idea of a 2nd vote, and I am a Leaver.
The trouble for Remoaners is that it is a gorgeous hot summer, and everyone is drunk and happy, and no one cares, apart from us geeks.
I very much doubt there will be food shortages (and I am not an expert do I should know) but the very fact that we are talking about it, as the 5th largest economy in the world, seems to be an extraordinary phenomenon lost on the dimbo Leavers.
Given the current downward spiral, I’m half-expecting the next step to be Theresa May intoning “When you hear the air attack warning, you and your family must take cover.”
Well personally I think it's a positive that the Gov't will ensure adequate food supply in the event of a no deal Brexit.
Quite. It’s somewhat disingenuous to simultaneously have a go at government for not planning, and having a go at them for making plans.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The government has manoeuvred itself into a position whereby it is discussing food fucking shortages. And this is praiseworthy?
The minister is replying to journalists who think that asking questions about food shortages will generate good headlines.
There’s thousands of civil servants who spend their days planning for various eventualities, and there always have been. It’s what governments do.
I am not impressed that you are impressed with his handling of the situation.
You can’t be upset with the government for not planning, yet also upset with them when they say that they are!
We are in a situation wherein the government is discussing food shortages.
The journalists didn't ask him about the asteroid strike or the volcanic eruption or the rampaging dinosaurs. But about the possible food shortages.
Think about it.
I am thinking about it. I reckon Remainers have, here, their last best chance at halting Brexit, or even reversing it.
If they can get this Food Shortage meme to go viral, to really embed itself in the nation's conscious, then I can see the polls going mad: Remain shooting up to 60-70, Leave dropping to 40-30. These are levels at which the pressure to have a 2nd vote might be irresistible.#
I am tempted by the idea of a 2nd vote, and I am a Leaver.
The trouble for Remoaners is that it is a gorgeous hot summer, and everyone is drunk and happy, and no one cares, apart from us geeks.
Oh I think more and more people are coming round to an idea of a second vote, problematic though it still would be. You are not alone there. And while they should stay true to their principles, i don't think May's warning to hard leavers about risks to Brexit not happening were entirely unfounded.
If leaving the EU causes food shortages, the Leavers might have a point about sovereignty.
Quite. The utter clusterwank that is Brexit proves BOTH sides right. Remainers are right that Leavers promised stuff that was undeliverable, that Brexiting will be an economic and political nightmare, that the EU will punish us and they have all the power...
.... which in turn means that Leavers were right and the EU is no mere trading bloc, it is a massive political Federal project designed to absorb nations forever, and we have already handed over far too much sovereignty, including the ability to freely leave....
There you. Argument settled. EVERYONE on pb was and is right, europhiles and europhobes.
Now we can talk about something else AT LAST: perhaps a way out of this fucking mess?
The solution is obvious.
5 years of no deal Brexit will force us to rejoin the EU, regardless of the terms.
It will settle the EU question forever as no one will propose Leaving again as Leave will be associated with food shortages.
British politics will then focus on normal stuff likes schools, hospitals, and transport.
Well personally I think it's a positive that the Gov't will ensure adequate food supply in the event of a no deal Brexit.
Quite. It’s somewhat disingenuous to simultaneously have a go at government for not planning, and having a go at them for making plans.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The government has manoeuvred itself into a position whereby it is discussing food fucking shortages. And this is praiseworthy?
The minister is replying to journalists who think that asking questions about food shortages will generate good headlines.
There’s thousands of civil servants who spend their days planning for various eventualities, and there always have been. It’s what governments do.
I am not impressed that you are impressed with his handling of the situation.
You can’t be upset with the government for not planning, yet also upset with them when they say that they are!
We are in a situation wherein the government is discussing food shortages.
The journalists didn't ask him about the asteroid strike or the volcanic eruption or the rampaging dinosaurs. But about the possible food shortages.
Think about it.
Yeah, it’s silly season and a bunch of Remainer hacks are walking themselves into a stupor at the thought that leaving the EU might actually be the end of civilisation as we know it.
More worryingly, they’re risking the equivalent of a bank run on food by bugging up problems to the point where they could become a self fulfilling prophecy. Journalism at its most irresponsible.
Getting the excuses in early is becoming something of a leaver specialist subject. The food shortages weren't caused by Brexit they were caused by the liberal media elite!
The reason it was a "secret" conference is because some scientific debates have now become so controversial - e.g. average differences in IQ between racial groups - they can only be discussed clandestinely, like dissenters swapping samizdat literature in Soviet Russia. Otherwise, if you announce your conference, you get 3000 antifascist agitators trying to kill you.
Of course you might believe some science should simply never be discussed. Or worked on. Or even thought about. Fair enough. But then that turns science into theology, doesn't it?
I'm not going to take the work of Toby Young bessie mate Emil Kirkegaard seriously because he's a crank.
That's not theology, it's reading his work and realising it is shit irrespective of his politics.
O/T Nobody should be in the least bit surprised by Corbyn advocating economic protectionism and restrictions on the importation of cheap labour. These are perfectly orthodox traditional Left positions.
And, FWIW, on the cheap workers issue at least he's absolutely right. The sovereignty movement would never have got across the finishing line in the Brexit referendum without the help of the immigration issue, and immigration would never have become an issue in the first place if the rules on the free movement of people in the EU were "full-time university students, family reunion cases, and people with a pre-existing job offer specifying a salary of no less than £20,000pa." As opposed to "let's grab hold of the continent somewhere in the vicinity of Athens, yank it up high into the air, and watch all the people start rolling from south-east to north-west."
Brexit and the dysfunctionality of the Eurozone have common roots: the rules and structures of the EU aren't fit for purpose, whether by accident or by wilful design. Moreover, when things go horribly wrong it seems incapable of enacting necessary reform.
If leaving the EU causes food shortages, the Leavers might have a point about sovereignty.
Quite. The utter clusterwank that is Brexit proves BOTH sides right. Remainers are right that Leavers promised stuff that was undeliverable, that Brexiting will be an economic and political nightmare, that the EU will punish us and they have all the power...
.... which in turn means that Leavers were right and the EU is no mere trading bloc, it is a massive political Federal project designed to absorb nations forever, and we have already handed over far too much sovereignty, including the ability to freely leave....
There you. Argument settled. EVERYONE on pb was and is right, europhiles and europhobes.
Now we can talk about something else AT LAST: perhaps a way out of this fucking mess?
The solution is obvious.
5 years of no deal Brexit will force us to rejoin the EU, regardless of the terms.
It will settle the EU question forever as no one will propose Leaving again as Leave will be associated with food shortages.
British politics will then focus on normal stuff likes schools, hospitals, and transport.
You really think that would work?
Yah.
Prolonged food shortages would do to Leavers what the winter of discontent did for Labour.
Well personally I think it's a positive that the Gov't will ensure adequate food supply in the event of a no deal Brexit.
Quite. It’s somewhat disingenuous to simultaneously have a go at government for not planning, and having a go at them for making plans.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The government has manoeuvred itself into a position whereby it is discussing food fucking shortages. And this is praiseworthy?
The minister is replying to journalists who think that asking questions about food shortages will generate good headlines.
There’s thousands of civil servants who spend their days planning for various eventualities, and there always have been. It’s what governments do.
I am not impressed that you are impressed with his handling of the situation.
You can’t be upset with the government for not planning, yet also upset with them when they say that they are!
We are in a situation wherein the government is discussing food shortages.
The journalists didn't ask him about the asteroid strike or the volcanic eruption or the rampaging dinosaurs. But about the possible food shortages.
Think about it.
Yeah, it’s silly season and a bunch of Remainer hacks are walking themselves into a stupor at the thought that leaving the EU might actually be the end of civilisation as we know it.
More worryingly, they’re risking the equivalent of a bank run on food by bugging up problems to the point where they could become a self fulfilling prophecy. Journalism at its most irresponsible.
Getting the excuses in early is becoming something of a leaver specialist subject. The food shortages weren't caused by Brexit they were caused by the liberal media elite!
Some senior Leavers are currently blaming a Remain conspiracy for an economic slowdown. They’re quite capable of blaming food shortages on Remainian kulaks.
I think the claims sound so fantastical that they won't be taken seriously. There is also the danger that the remainers overplay the hand badly, something they have done every single time. It's definitely a poor headline for leave, however, there's a fair chance that it will just generate anger towards politicians and the EU.
I think we can already see Conservatives preparing this last line of defence. Theresa May, in late March, announces "no deal" and we prepare to crash out and the narrative will be:
"The Chequers Deal was the basis for a fair and equitable agreement which would have benefitted both the UK and the EU. However, for their own reasons, the EU regrettably could not see it in these terms and have imposed conditions which no UK Prime Minister could accept as it would diminish our sovereignty. We are therefore, in sorrow, resolved to leave the European Union on 29th March without an agreement.
There will be disruption and dislocation but be assured the Government has adequate and tested plans in place for all contingencies. It is a matter of personal regret the European Union found itself unable to work with the United Kingdom, a trusted friend and partner for so many years but we now go our separate ways"
The Conservative Party, its supporters and its friends in the media will heap opprobrium on Brussels and all things European and perhaps prepare for a patriotic election on May 2nd.
There will of course be no mention of the Government's failures.
Well personally I think it's a positive that the Gov't will ensure adequate food supply in the event of a no deal Brexit.
Quite. It’s somewhat disingenuous to simultaneously have a go at government for not planning, and having a go at them for making plans.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The government has manoeuvred itself into a position whereby it is discussing food fucking shortages. And this is praiseworthy?
The minister is replying to journalists who think that asking questions about food shortages will generate good headlines.
There’s thousands of civil servants who spend their days planning for various eventualities, and there always have been. It’s what governments do.
I am not impressed that you are impressed with his handling of the situation.
You can’t be upset with the government for not planning, yet also upset with them when they say that they are!
We are in a situation wherein the government is discussing food shortages.
The journalists didn't ask him about the asteroid strike or the volcanic eruption or the rampaging dinosaurs. But about the possible food shortages.
Think about it.
I am thinking about it. I reckon Remainers have, here, their last best chance at halting Brexit, or even reversing it.
If they can get this Food Shortage meme to go viral, to really embed itself in the nation's conscious, then I can see the polls going mad: Remain shooting up to 60-70, Leave dropping to 40-30. These are levels at which the pressure to have a 2nd vote might be irresistible.#
I am tempted by the idea of a 2nd vote, and I am a Leaver.
The trouble for Remoaners is that it is a gorgeous hot summer, and everyone is drunk and happy, and no one cares, apart from us geeks.
I think you're right - although it's probably not down to remainers. It is a lovely summer, everyone is off on hols, pissed and as importantly, until September politicians are largely away from the frontline where they can actually be asked the awkward questions that keeps the story going and makes it break through when ministers say daft things or reveal quite how up shit creek they know we are in private.
Which is why it's probably down to the government and its leavers what happens. They now have six weeks to get their act together and work out a way to face down the no deal fantasists - or it'll pop up again in an even worse form when it's a bit cooler and people consider tuning in again.
The reason it was a "secret" conference is because some scientific debates have now become so controversial - e.g. average differences in IQ between racial groups - they can only be discussed clandestinely, like dissenters swapping samizdat literature in Soviet Russia. Otherwise, if you announce your conference, you get 3000 antifascist agitators trying to kill you.
Of course you might believe some science should simply never be discussed. Or worked on. Or even thought about. Fair enough. But then that turns science into theology, doesn't it?
I'm not going to take the work of Toby Young bessie mate Emil Kirkegaard seriously because he's a crank.
That's not theology, it's reading his work and realising it is shit irrespective of his politics.
Straw man.
Which of Kirkegaard's papers do you find compelling then?
The reason it was a "secret" conference is because some scientific debates have now become so controversial - e.g. average differences in IQ between racial groups - they can only be discussed clandestinely, like dissenters swapping samizdat literature in Soviet Russia. Otherwise, if you announce your conference, you get 3000 antifascist agitators trying to kill you.
Of course you might believe some science should simply never be discussed. Or worked on. Or even thought about. Fair enough. But then that turns science into theology, doesn't it?
I'm not going to take the work of Toby Young bessie mate Emil Kirkegaard seriously because he's a crank.
That's not theology, it's reading his work and realising it is shit irrespective of his politics.
Straw man.
I think it's sad that left denies logic. If there is a certain group of people that has above average intelligence then it stands to reason that other groups will have below average intelligence. If the first is true then the second must be. No one denies the truth of the first statement, in fact it is celebrated by many.
I think the claims sound so fantastical that they won't be taken seriously. There is also the danger that the remainers overplay the hand badly, something they have done every single time. It's definitely a poor headline for leave, however, there's a fair chance that it will just generate anger towards politicians and the EU.
I think we can already see Conservatives preparing this last line of defence. Theresa May, in late March, announces "no deal" and we prepare to crash out and the narrative will be:
"The Chequers Deal was the basis for a fair and equitable agreement which would have benefitted both the UK and the EU. However, for their own reasons, the EU regrettably could not see it in these terms and have imposed conditions which no UK Prime Minister could accept as it would diminish our sovereignty. We are therefore, in sorrow, resolved to leave the European Union on 29th March without an agreement.
There will be disruption and dislocation but be assured the Government has adequate and tested plans in place for all contingencies. It is a matter of personal regret the European Union found itself unable to work with the United Kingdom, a trusted friend and partner for so many years but we now go our separate ways"
The Conservative Party, its supporters and its friends in the media will heap opprobrium on Brussels and all things European and perhaps prepare for a patriotic election on May 2nd.
There will of course be no mention of the Government's failures.
Yes, probably that will be the line, though over no possibilitu of another election by tory party choice ad I don't believe enough will buy that line. But I do believe she has truly tried, with the parliamentary arithmetic that she has. She has invited too much criticism from the JRM crowd to not be sincere in trying for a deal at least.
Agreed. And if this was chilly, depressing late November, and we were heading hard for No Deal, then I think it would be curtains for Brexit. Polling WOULD shift wildly towards REMAIN, and we'd delay A50 and have a 2nd vote.
But it is the burning heart of a glorious summer and everyone is pissed on Pimms, the idea of starving to death seems fantastical, people are mainly worried the pubs will run out of cold beer this evening.
From a Remaoner's perspective, the timing is wrong, but the potential is there.
We're going to have over two months of this kind of stuff, in order to 'show we're serious' and force the the EU to consider our 'final offer'. By the end of it, no-one will want No Deal, but no-one will be any keener on Chequers. Then May can have her moment of victory when the EU agree to the final text of the withdrawal agreement, and immediately announce a second referendum between Chequers and Remain, with no risk of a cataclysm no matter what the result. Corbyn will be snookered, the ERG will be routed, and the country will be saved. May will have simultaneously delivered on the result of the 2016 referendum, and binned it, in one fell swoop.
Comments
Like they said there would be no election...
Their record on delivery leaves little room for optimism
The government has manoeuvred itself into a position whereby it is discussing food fucking shortages. And this is praiseworthy?
Pigs are omnivores and they're delicious.
There’s thousands of civil servants who spend their days planning for various eventualities, and there always have been. It’s what governments do.
There was many stories of people queing for ages , to put a few pence of petrol in their already over filled car.
Game was pretty nearly sold out, too!
The unrepeal of the 1972 European Communities Act is in fact a prelude to an extension to Article 50?
Zulu was a good film and the most famous quote of all is well remembered. "Remainers - thousands of 'em."
I'm not sure why we're even discussing this; we didn't used to be in the EU and only a few died of starvation then.
And it will, if we leave with no deal. There won't be a last minute "oh go on then" fold by the Europeans. Macron won't decide not to send the troops to enforce a border at Calais in a sudden change of heart. There won't be a moment of clarity where HMRC the ports the hauliers the manufacturers the wholesalers and the retailers all say "you know what, that Mr Rees Mogg was right after all, we don't know our own jobs or how our industries work"
Food shortages in days. Fuel. Medicines. And that means civil unrest. And that means literal bloody violence and the same cretins who got us into this appealing for public calm because "adequate" foodstuff will be dispensed in an orderly manner from left over Protect and Survive bunker stashes.
The literal death of the Conservative Party as an electoral force, from government to gone in one event just as the Canadians were. You cannot fuck up our ability to feed ourselves and expect someone's vote because Corbyn is worse. Worse than no food?
Tories - you can sort this shit. But someone needs to do over May and the ERG at the same time. Would KenClark as acting leader really be that bad?
But don't worry; if you write some good posts then I'll wipe your name off the roll.
Now I've finished tearing a strip off you, I'll get back to writing smutty comments before they're flushed by the mods.
Your sneering, condescending attitude explains precisely why so much of the population was hopping mad enough to vote for Brexit in the first place.
The question for you is, assuming the electorate return a second "leave" verdict, what do you do then? A third? A fourth? A fortieth, until we return the "right" result?
Frank Field have the whip withdrawn? Even tim, once of this parish, rated him highly. He's always been his own man, and I doubt this will get off the ground. I also suspect that if he stood against the alternative candidate, he would win anyway. Mind you, he is getting on a bit.
Interviewer: "Is there going to be CHAOS?!?"
Raab: "We will make sure there are no issues"
Remainers: "OH MY GOD THERE IS GOING TO BE CHAOS"
This is now getting ridiculous, with people going as far as to suggest that the French are going to send troops to Calais to blockade the port. People are losing their collective minds here. Brexit isn’t war.
It wasn't the old twatishness that made him step down, it was the recent attendance of the "here's totally scientific reasons why black people are stupid" conferences that did for him.
Pretending it was a faux outrage bus over ancient newspaper columns is rewriting history in real time. He'd rode out the the whole "Toby Young is a bit rude" wave and then resigned the day before the conference story came out in the mainstream press.
Like being at primary school. "Please sir, I need a wee wee"
Most food will be restocked relatively easily and people will get used to higher prices for some items and begin to feel embarrassed that a country that survived the Blitz and literal attempts to starve us out with submarine warfare panicked over the prospect of temporary shortages of fresh tomatoes.
Then they will look for someone to blame and you can be sure that the Tories know they have to find someone to take their place. It's not like British governments don't have form for blaming the EU.
The journalists didn't ask him about the asteroid strike or the volcanic eruption or the rampaging dinosaurs. But about the possible food shortages.
Think about it.
Just a few teething problems like the government having to assure the food supply.
But it's ok we'll get blue passports
No ideas at the moment.
5 years of no deal Brexit will force us to rejoin the EU, regardless of the terms.
It will settle the EU question forever as no one will propose Leaving again as Leave will be associated with food shortages.
British politics will then focus on normal stuff likes schools, hospitals, and transport.
“This is one of the oldest and most effective tricks in politics. Every hack in the business has used it in times of trouble, and it has even been elevated to the level of political mythology in a story about one of Lyndon Johnson’s early campaigns in Texas.
“The race was close and Johnson was getting worried. Finally he told his campaign manager to start a massive rumour campaign about his opponent’s life-long habit of enjoying carnal knowledge of his barnyard sows.
“Christ, we can’t get away with calling him a pig-f****r,” the campaign manager protested. “Nobody’s going to believe a thing like that.”
“I know,” Johnson replied. “But let’s make the sonofab****h deny it.”
https://youtu.be/r3BO6GP9NMY
More worryingly, they’re risking the equivalent of a bank run on food by bugging up problems to the point where they could become a self fulfilling prophecy. Journalism at its most irresponsible.
As for the Blitz spirit, that was generations ago where our national survival was literally under threat. This is entirely self inflicted - we could have left to WTO with preparation - and the idea that todays me me me now generation will knuckle down and blame the frogs is almost embarrassingly out of touch.
@EuropeElects
3h3 hours ago
Sweden, Skop poll:
S-S&D: 26%
SD-ECR: 21%(+2)
M-EPP: 19% (-3)
V-LEFT: 10% (+3)
C-ALDE: 10% (+1)
L-ALDE: 5%
MP-G/EFA: 4% (-1)
KD-EPP: 3% (+1)
Fi-S&D: 1%
Field work: 20/06/18 – 21/07/18
Sample size: 1182
#val2018"
https://twitter.com/C4Ciaran/status/1021807164099317761
https://tinyurl.com/y8s3w89r
https://twitter.com/UKDefJournal/status/1021764997725208576
Not the usual UKDefJournal line.
https://twitter.com/UKDefJournal/status/1021772954986864640
What Northern Rock illustrated was that ANY major bank failure would have catastrophic social, political, economic and cultural consequences. Brown's response, the depositor guarantee, was to convince people that even if banks failed, their money was safe.
As I've said before, Governments only really have three responsibilities - a) uphold the law b) defend the country and c) ensure the effective distribution of food.
I don't believe for a nanosecond this tosh of food shortages - well, some luxury items may be less available but the staples (will we have to end up eating staples?) will be there whatever the short term disruption. The notion of Sainsburys, Tescos or Lidl running out of food on 29/3/19 is laughable.
That's not theology, it's reading his work and realising it is shit irrespective of his politics.
And, FWIW, on the cheap workers issue at least he's absolutely right. The sovereignty movement would never have got across the finishing line in the Brexit referendum without the help of the immigration issue, and immigration would never have become an issue in the first place if the rules on the free movement of people in the EU were "full-time university students, family reunion cases, and people with a pre-existing job offer specifying a salary of no less than £20,000pa." As opposed to "let's grab hold of the continent somewhere in the vicinity of Athens, yank it up high into the air, and watch all the people start rolling from south-east to north-west."
Brexit and the dysfunctionality of the Eurozone have common roots: the rules and structures of the EU aren't fit for purpose, whether by accident or by wilful design. Moreover, when things go horribly wrong it seems incapable of enacting necessary reform.
Prolonged food shortages would do to Leavers what the winter of discontent did for Labour.
"The Chequers Deal was the basis for a fair and equitable agreement which would have benefitted both the UK and the EU. However, for their own reasons, the EU regrettably could not see it in these terms and have imposed conditions which no UK Prime Minister could accept as it would diminish our sovereignty. We are therefore, in sorrow, resolved to leave the European Union on 29th March without an agreement.
There will be disruption and dislocation but be assured the Government has adequate and tested plans in place for all contingencies. It is a matter of personal regret the European Union found itself unable to work with the United Kingdom, a trusted friend and partner for so many years but we now go our separate ways"
The Conservative Party, its supporters and its friends in the media will heap opprobrium on Brussels and all things European and perhaps prepare for a patriotic election on May 2nd.
There will of course be no mention of the Government's failures.
Which is why it's probably down to the government and its leavers what happens. They now have six weeks to get their act together and work out a way to face down the no deal fantasists - or it'll pop up again in an even worse form when it's a bit cooler and people consider tuning in again.