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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Red Letter Day. Jeremy Corbyn’s chances of being next Prime Mi

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  • DougSealDougSeal Posts: 12,541
    edited August 2019
    algarkirk said:

    HYUFD said:

    Pulpstar said:

    I think if Johnson had negotiated the precise same deal as May, it'd be through the Commons by now. For all his faults he's clearly a better salesman than May ever was.

    Yes, it looks like Boris could sell ice to an eskimo while sadly May could not sell water to a nomad in the desert
    Salesmanship counts. Our society runs on people buying stuff they don't want with money they haven't got. Boris is relying on getting the WA through the HoC with a translucent fig leaf. He's a salesman.

    Given what happened when he was Mayor of London (water cannon he couldn’t use, capitulation to the RMT, “spaffng” millions on a bridge no one wanted) why does anyone think Boris can negotiate anything? He’s fantastically popular with membership of the Tory Party. The rest of humanity is immune to his charms.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 42,992
    HYUFD said:
    Imagery quite clear: let nothing come between us/our countries. Except the EU flag
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,156
    DougSeal said:

    algarkirk said:

    HYUFD said:

    Pulpstar said:

    I think if Johnson had negotiated the precise same deal as May, it'd be through the Commons by now. For all his faults he's clearly a better salesman than May ever was.

    Yes, it looks like Boris could sell ice to an eskimo while sadly May could not sell water to a nomad in the desert
    Salesmanship counts. Our society runs on people buying stuff they don't want with money they haven't got. Boris is relying on getting the WA through the HoC with a translucent fig leaf. He's a salesman.

    Given what happened when he was Mayor of London (water cannon he couldn’t use, capitulation to the RMT, “spaffng” millions on a bridge no one wanted) why does anyone think Boris can negotiate anything? He’s fantastically popular with membership of the Tory Party. The rest of humanity is immune to his charms.
    9% Tory lead with Yougov and 42% Tory vote with Kantar and Boris trouncing Corbyn as best PM in every poll shows otherwise
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,362
    So Scotland spends 3.3bln on defense ? That's 5.27% of GDP....that's the highest in the developed world...and a billion more than Israel in 2018...does anyone really believe that? Lol Can unionists not read their fantasy figures before sending them out
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,617
    Or planning his retirement.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,490
    There is a detailed report offering alternative arrangements: https://brexitcentral.com/the-alternative-arrangements-are-now-codified-to-replace-the-irish-backstop-in-any-brexit-scenario/

    Remainers just say 'no alternatives have come to light' the same way they say 'I've never heard a good argument for leaving the EU'. They're being deliberately obtuse because they disagree.

  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,156

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    It will be me feeling sorry for you on general election night
  • kjhkjh Posts: 11,815
    edited August 2019

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    I'm obviously being very thick here, but this is my understanding:

    There was going to be a backstop until we worked out how we could get rid of it.

    Boris wants the backstop removed, or it is no deal on 31/10. The EU has agreed, if we can work out how we get rid of it in the next 30 days, then that is ok.

    It seems to me that it is the same problem we had before except we only have 30 days now and not approx 79 days.

    What am I missing?

    The EU being willing to engage.

    An agreement can only be reached if both sides are talking. They were refusing to talk about replacements, that's no longer the case. That is what you are missing.
    But how have they engaged differently? They have said nothing new. If Boris or May could have come up with a solution to the backstop months ago it would have all been over then. That has always been on the table.
    No it wasn't on the table. They were refusing to engage in finding replacements, it takes two to tango. Only when they're willing to compromise is a replacement possible.

    You don't understand the concept of compromise do you? It isn't possible with just one party, that is called surrender. Both parties need to engage to have a compromise - the door was opened to that now.
    What a load of nonsense and arrogant to boot as you have no idea what I did as a job, which was primarily negotiating and very successful at it as well. That was the purpose of my business since 1995. I mediated between corporation in a particular area.

    The EU would have been back at the table instantly if we had proposed a solution to the backstop. Even an iota of an idea would have got them back, but we just said nothing.

    For all I know they might compromise, but they haven't said anything different so far.
  • DougSealDougSeal Posts: 12,541
    HYUFD said:

    DougSeal said:

    algarkirk said:

    HYUFD said:

    Pulpstar said:

    I think if Johnson had negotiated the precise same deal as May, it'd be through the Commons by now. For all his faults he's clearly a better salesman than May ever was.

    Yes, it looks like Boris could sell ice to an eskimo while sadly May could not sell water to a nomad in the desert
    Salesmanship counts. Our society runs on people buying stuff they don't want with money they haven't got. Boris is relying on getting the WA through the HoC with a translucent fig leaf. He's a salesman.

    Given what happened when he was Mayor of London (water cannon he couldn’t use, capitulation to the RMT, “spaffng” millions on a bridge no one wanted) why does anyone think Boris can negotiate anything? He’s fantastically popular with membership of the Tory Party. The rest of humanity is immune to his charms.
    9% Tory lead with Yougov and 42% Tory vote with Kantar and Boris trouncing Corbyn as best PM in every poll shows otherwise
    Being more popular than Corbyn is damning with faint praise. His personal popularity is in massively negative territory, far worse than May at this stage.

    He got stuffed by Bob Crow and he’ll get stuffed by the EU. He has no record of negotiating anything successfully - quite the opposite.
  • DougSealDougSeal Posts: 12,541
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    It will be me feeling sorry for you on general election night
    You lot said the same last time.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 62,772

    Or planning his retirement.
    Anti-No Deal is going really well isn't it.
  • edmundintokyoedmundintokyo Posts: 17,708
    kjh said:

    Boris: How much is that car?
    EU: £1000
    Boris: I'll give you a fiver
    EU: No

    Long pause

    Boris: I want to buy the car for £5
    EU: If you can find another £995 you can buy the car?

    Boris fans: Progress, they are negotiating.

    Well unless you are talking nothing can be gained, so from that point of view it is positive, but it is the only positive. Boris still has the same problem he had originally in that he has to find £995 or get them to concede something that they appear to have no intention of conceding, because the consequences to them of conceding are too high.

    It is up to Boris to find £995 or a solution to the backstop.

    There are 2 possibilities: He manages it or the EU fold. Neither seem plausible.

    Surely there's a third possibility, namely that he accepts the backstop as is, but gets the Telegraph to pretend that he didn't.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,733
    Drutt said:

    Off-topic:

    Our wild and meandering drive around the country has brought us to Durham, a place neither of us have been before. It seems quite a beautiful place, and we're about to go down to have a meal to celebrate ten happy years of marriage.

    So, in a good mood and spirit, I hope everyone has a great bank holiday weekend! Enjoy yourselves, wherever you find yourselves in this beautiful country and world of ours.

    Bill Bryson wrote that, on stepping into it, "I unhesitatingly gave Durham Cathedral my vote for the best cathedral on planet Earth", and he's right.
    As Muggeridge said "It is better for the soul to visit one Cathedral sixty times, than sixty Cathedrals once"

    Not that I hold with that sort of steeplehouse idolatory. :)

    Happy anniversary!
  • AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
  • Beibheirli_CBeibheirli_C Posts: 8,163
    edited August 2019
    Deleted - comments mixed up with wrong post :(
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 62,772
    As a diversion from Brexit.



    "A Giant Volcano Could End Human Life on Earth as We Know It"

    https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/21/opinion/supervolcano-yellowstone.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 42,005
    malcolmg said:

    So Scotland spends 3.3bln on defense ? That's 5.27% of GDP....that's the highest in the developed world...and a billion more than Israel in 2018...does anyone really believe that? Lol Can unionists not read their fantasy figures before sending them out

    I believe when GERs was first set up by the Tories in the 90s, Ian Lang tried to get the cost of the nukes put on Scotland's expenditure. Old habits die hard it would seem.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 53,865

    Off-topic:

    Our wild and meandering drive around the country has brought us to Durham, a place neither of us have been before. It seems quite a beautiful place, and we're about to go down to have a meal to celebrate ten happy years of marriage.

    So, in a good mood and spirit, I hope everyone has a great bank holiday weekend! Enjoy yourselves, wherever you find yourselves in this beautiful country and world of ours.

    Durham cathedral is one of the finest buildings in the country. It would comfortably be in my top ten.
    Agreed. Its stunning.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,733

    As a diversion from Brexit.



    "A Giant Volcano Could End Human Life on Earth as We Know It"

    https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/21/opinion/supervolcano-yellowstone.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

    Yes, but does it qualify as Alternative Arrangements to get out of the Backstop?
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,806
    Mr. Borough, old news, but the supervolcano is overdue to erupt.

    Goodness knows the finger-wagging the US will endure for the ensuing carbon emissions.

    Anyway, I must be off.
  • DougSealDougSeal Posts: 12,541

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    @HYUFD strikes me as someone who maybe got high up in the Conservative Association of a decent university, maybe Warwick, Liverpool or Southampton, through absolute loyalty to the party. Having achieved that success by being programmed by the Central Office with a small number of stock phrases (“Diehard Remainers” etc.) he considers that such unbending loyalty and repetition will win him the argument anywhere. As it is, however, he needs to head back to Westworld for an upgrade as his software is currently rendering him less believable as a human.
  • Beibheirli_CBeibheirli_C Posts: 8,163
    edited August 2019
    dixiedean said:

    HYUFD said:
    Man who grew up in and worked in Brussels understands French. Impressive.
    I am fairly certain that there are toddlers and small children who can speak French, so finding a grown-up who can do it is not that impressive.

    Je parle seulement francais quand sur ma vacances
  • dixiedean said:

    dixiedean said:

    dixiedean said:

    Lot of circular argument here. Backstop will go if there is an acceptable alternative. There is, as yet, no alternative, let alone an acceptable one.
    What, exactly has changed?

    An acceptable alternative can only come about via negotiations with the EU and Ireland especially. They were refusing to engage, therefore one couldn't come about.

    Now they've agreed to engage. That's a change.

    For as long as nobody actually wants no deal a face-saving change that permits a transition and the details to be finessed during transition without the threat of an immediate no deal, a risk to peace or the backstop existing works for everyone.

    Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good, a transition and talking in the future is good enough for now, even if it isn't as perfect for the EU as the backstop was.

    A deal will be reached. Because nobody actually wants no deal.
    I thought Boris was refusing to talk unless the backstop was removed? There has been no solution proposed. None. Over 3 years. You can't negotiate a non-proposal.
    The EU were refusing to talk about replacing the backstop.

    So Boris said he wouldn't talk until they were willing to drop the backstop.

    Now they've met and said they're willing to drop the backstop if we can agree an alternative. That's different.

    There are lots of proposals that have been made, but it can't be a firm proposal until the two sides talk. The three years are meaningless since May wasted those and Eurofudge always comes about at the last minute.

    The solution is obvious: Drop the backstop, agree a transition, start talking about the future in the transition, deal with the future then. Now we just need a face-saving way for the EU to agree to that. We have 30 days to save face for them.
    What, exactly, are these proposals which have been made?
    Proposals haven't been made yet, that is for the upcoming talks now they've agreed to them.

    You have your sequencing backwards for some reason. You engage in talks, then you come up with proposals that both sides can agree to. How do you think otherwise is possible?
    Well we’ve got 30 days to come up with something we’ve been unable to do in 3 years.

    I’m not hopeful.

    29 days now.

  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,156
    edited August 2019
    DougSeal said:

    HYUFD said:

    DougSeal said:

    algarkirk said:

    HYUFD said:

    Pulpstar said:

    I think if Johnson had negotiated the precise same deal as May, it'd be through the Commons by now. For all his faults he's clearly a better salesman than May ever was.

    Yes, it looks like Boris could sell ice to an eskimo while sadly May could not sell water to a nomad in the desert
    Salesmanship counts. Our society runs on people buying stuff they don't want with money they haven't got. Boris is relying on getting the WA through the HoC with a translucent fig leaf. He's a salesman.

    Given what happened when he was Mayor of London (water cannon he couldn’t use, capitulation to the RMT, “spaffng” millions on a bridge no one wanted) why does anyone think Boris can negotiate anything? He’s fantastically popular with membership of the Tory Party. The rest of humanity is immune to his charms.
    9% Tory lead with Yougov and 42% Tory vote with Kantar and Boris trouncing Corbyn as best PM in every poll shows otherwise
    Being more popular than Corbyn is damning with faint praise. His personal popularity is in massively negative territory, far worse than May at this stage.

    He got stuffed by Bob Crow and he’ll get stuffed by the EU. He has no record of negotiating anything successfully - quite the opposite.
    Being more popular than Corbyn is actually the key thing as every PM who has led the Leader of the Opposition for the last 40 years as preferred PM has been re elected, even if their party has been narrowly behind
  • dixiedean said:

    dixiedean said:

    Lot of circular argument here. Backstop will go if there is an acceptable alternative. There is, as yet, no alternative, let alone an acceptable one.
    What, exactly has changed?

    An acceptable alternative can only come about via negotiations with the EU and Ireland especially. They were refusing to engage, therefore one couldn't come about.

    Now they've agreed to engage. That's a change.

    For as long as nobody actually wants no deal a face-saving change that permits a transition and the details to be finessed during transition without the threat of an immediate no deal, a risk to peace or the backstop existing works for everyone.

    Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good, a transition and talking in the future is good enough for now, even if it isn't as perfect for the EU as the backstop was.

    A deal will be reached. Because nobody actually wants no deal.
    I thought Boris was refusing to talk unless the backstop was removed? There has been no solution proposed. None. Over 3 years. You can't negotiate a non-proposal.
    The EU were refusing to talk about replacing the backstop.

    So Boris said he wouldn't talk until they were willing to drop the backstop.

    Now they've met and said they're willing to drop the backstop if we can agree an alternative. That's different.

    There are lots of proposals that have been made, but it can't be a firm proposal until the two sides talk. The three years are meaningless since May wasted those and Eurofudge always comes about at the last minute.

    The solution is obvious: Drop the backstop, agree a transition, start talking about the future in the transition, deal with the future then. Now we just need a face-saving way for the EU to agree to that. We have 30 days to save face for them.

    This is actually very sweet.

  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,156
    DougSeal said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    It will be me feeling sorry for you on general election night
    You lot said the same last time.
    May was still returned as PM
  • dixiedean said:

    dixiedean said:

    dixiedean said:

    Lot of circular argument here. Backstop will go if there is an acceptable alternative. There is, as yet, no alternative, let alone an acceptable one.
    What, exactly has changed?

    An acceptable alternative can only come about via negotiations with the EU and Ireland especially. They were refusing to engage, therefore one couldn't come about.

    Now they've agreed to engage. That's a change.

    For as long as nobody actually wants no deal a face-saving change that permits a transition and the details to be finessed during transition without the threat of an immediate no deal, a risk to peace or the backstop existing works for everyone.

    Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good, a transition and talking in the future is good enough for now, even if it isn't as perfect for the EU as the backstop was.

    A deal will be reached. Because nobody actually wants no deal.
    I thought Boris was refusing to talk unless the backstop was removed? There has been no solution proposed. None. Over 3 years. You can't negotiate a non-proposal.
    The EU were refusing to talk about replacing the backstop.

    So Boris said he wouldn't talk until they were willing to drop the backstop.

    Now they've met and said they're willing to drop the backstop if we can agree an alternative. That's different.

    There are lots of proposals that have been made, but it can't be a firm proposal until the two sides talk. The three years are meaningless since May wasted those and Eurofudge always comes about at the last minute.

    The solution is obvious: Drop the backstop, agree a transition, start talking about the future in the transition, deal with the future then. Now we just need a face-saving way for the EU to agree to that. We have 30 days to save face for them.
    What, exactly, are these proposals which have been made?
    Proposals haven't been made yet, that is for the upcoming talks now they've agreed to them.

    You have your sequencing backwards for some reason. You engage in talks, then you come up with proposals that both sides can agree to. How do you think otherwise is possible?
    Well we’ve got 30 days to come up with something we’ve been unable to do in 3 years.

    I’m not hopeful.
    I am.

    It doesn't matter how many years we have had, Eurofudge always occurs at the last minute. That is why refusing to change the date was the right move, it didn't matter what the date was, what mattered was that there was a date.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 53,865
    Late collapse from Australia. Clearly bowling Archer into the dust is the correct tactic after all.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,156
    edited August 2019
    DougSeal said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    @HYUFD strikes me as someone who maybe got high up in the Conservative Association of a decent university, maybe Warwick, Liverpool or Southampton, through absolute loyalty to the party. Having achieved that success by being programmed by the Central Office with a small number of stock phrases (“Diehard Remainers” etc.) he considers that such unbending loyalty and repetition will win him the argument anywhere. As it is, however, he needs to head back to Westworld for an upgrade as his software is currently rendering him less believable as a human.
    PB is useful for news, poll and general information but you do not win arguments here as almost everyone has an entrenched position, there are few floating voters on PB.

    Plus as any marketer knows short, snappy messages endlessly repeated are the most effective
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 42,992
    edited August 2019

    dixiedean said:

    dixiedean said:

    dixiedean said:

    Lot of circular argument here. Backstop will go if there is an acceptable alternative. There is, as yet, no alternative, let alone an acceptable one.
    What, exactly has changed?

    An acceptable alternative can only come about via negotiations with the EU and Ireland especially. They were refusing to engage, therefore one couldn't come about.

    Now they've agreed to engage. That's a change.

    For as long as nobody actually wants no deal a face-saving change that permits a transition and the details to be finessed during transition without the threat of an immediate no dea

    A deal will be reached. Because nobody actually wants no deal.
    I thought Boris was refusing to talk unless the backstop was removed? There has been no solution proposed. None. Over 3 years. You can't negotiate a non-proposal.
    The EU were refusing to talk about replacing the backstop.

    So Boris said he wouldn't talk until they were willing to drop the backstop.

    Now they've met and said they're willing to drop the backstop if we can agree an alternative. That's different.

    There are lots of proposals that have been made, but it can't be a firm proposal until the two sides talk. The three years are meaningless since May wasted those and Eurofudge always comes about at the last minute.

    The solution is obvious: Drop the backstop, agree a transition, start talking about the future in the transition, deal with the future then. Now we just need a face-saving way for the EU to agree to that. We have 30 days to save face for them.
    What, exactly, are these proposals which have been made?
    Proposals haven't been made yet, that is for the upcoming talks now they've agreed to them.

    You have your sequencing backwards for some reason. You engage in talks, then you come up with proposals that both sides can agree to. How do you think otherwise is possible?
    Well we’ve got 30 days to come up with something we’ve been unable to do in 3 years.

    I’m not hopeful.
    I am.

    It doesn't matter how many years we have had, Eurofudge always occurs at the last minute. That is why refusing to change the date was the right move, it didn't matter what the date was, what mattered was that there was a date.
    So if we change the date each time the EU will perpetually be about to give in and we can carry on our lives on the verge of victory for ever more.

    I'm in.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,038
    DougSeal said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    @HYUFD strikes me as someone who maybe got high up in the Conservative Association of a decent university, maybe Warwick, Liverpool or Southampton, through absolute loyalty to the party. Having achieved that success by being programmed by the Central Office with a small number of stock phrases (“Diehard Remainers” etc.) he considers that such unbending loyalty and repetition will win him the argument anywhere. As it is, however, he needs to head back to Westworld for an upgrade as his software is currently rendering him less believable as a human.
    I'm waiting for his unbending loyalty to Rory in 3 month's time when he takes over from Bozo...
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,617
    DougSeal said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    @HYUFD strikes me as someone who maybe got high up in the Conservative Association of a decent university, maybe Warwick, Liverpool or Southampton, through absolute loyalty to the party. Having achieved that success by being programmed by the Central Office with a small number of stock phrases (“Diehard Remainers” etc.) he considers that such unbending loyalty and repetition will win him the argument anywhere. As it is, however, he needs to head back to Westworld for an upgrade as his software is currently rendering him less believable as a human.
    Enjoy taking the piss, but HYUFD will have the last laugh when Boris is re-elected with a decent working majority. His political antennae are better tuned than yours.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,238
    HYUFD said:

    DougSeal said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    @HYUFD strikes me as someone who maybe got high up in the Conservative Association of a decent university, maybe Warwick, Liverpool or Southampton, through absolute loyalty to the party. Having achieved that success by being programmed by the Central Office with a small number of stock phrases (“Diehard Remainers” etc.) he considers that such unbending loyalty and repetition will win him the argument anywhere. As it is, however, he needs to head back to Westworld for an upgrade as his software is currently rendering him less believable as a human.
    PB is useful for news, poll and general information but you do not win arguments here as almost everyone has an entrenched position, there are few floating voters on PB.

    Plus as any marketer knows short, snappy messages endlessly repeated are the most effective
    You appear determined to test that theory to destruction.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,038
    DavidL said:

    Off-topic:

    Our wild and meandering drive around the country has brought us to Durham, a place neither of us have been before. It seems quite a beautiful place, and we're about to go down to have a meal to celebrate ten happy years of marriage.

    So, in a good mood and spirit, I hope everyone has a great bank holiday weekend! Enjoy yourselves, wherever you find yourselves in this beautiful country and world of ours.

    Durham cathedral is one of the finest buildings in the country. It would comfortably be in my top ten.
    Agreed. Its stunning.
    Optimum time of year to visit Durham - no bloody students.

    We used to go down there for a Saturday afternoon on the beer when I was a lad.

    All somewhat distracted by a particular barmaid in one of the boozers...
  • Beibheirli_CBeibheirli_C Posts: 8,163
    What above the "Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week" mentioned by a well-known Tory loyalist poster of this parish?
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 42,992
    HYUFD said:

    DougSeal said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    @HYUFD strikes me as someone who maybe got high up in the Conservative Association of a decent university, maybe Warwick, Liverpool or Southampton, through absolute ls to head back to Westworld for an upgrade as his software is currently rendering him less believable as a human.
    PB is useful for news, poll and general information but you do not win arguments here as almost everyone has an entrenched position, there are few floating voters on PB.

    Plus as any marketer knows short, snappy messages endlessly repeated are the most effective
    Exactly! People have entrenched views which don't change. Agree absolutely. So if, say, someone at one point believed we should stay in the EU, single market and customs union, they will continue to think that.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,238
    DavidL said:

    Late collapse from Australia. Clearly bowling Archer into the dust is the correct tactic after all.

    As @ydoethur would doubtless say, we have left if far too late to start running through the Australian batsmen, and the absolute best we could possibly hope for is now a draw.
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    edited August 2019
    kjh said:

    Boris: How much is that car?
    EU: £1000
    Boris: I'll give you a fiver
    EU: No

    Long pause

    Boris: I want to buy the car for £5
    EU: If you can find another £995 you can buy the car?

    Boris fans: Progress, they are negotiating.

    Well unless you are talking nothing can be gained, so from that point of view it is positive, but it is the only positive. Boris still has the same problem he had originally in that he has to find £995 or get them to concede something that they appear to have no intention of conceding, because the consequences to them of conceding are too high.

    It is up to Boris to find £995 or a solution to the backstop.

    There are 2 possibilities: He manages it or the EU fold. Neither seem plausible.

    May: How much is that car?
    EU: £1000 but we will only sell it for a £5 deposit, then 60 monthly payments of £27.99
    Boris: Don't do that, that's over 25% APR
    EU: That is the only option.

    Long pause

    Boris: I want to buy this car for £5 cash.
    EU: If you can find another £995 you can buy the car?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,163

    Scott_P said:
    Back before the EU clarified what they meant by the backstop and how unacceptable that was to Britain.
    So your premise is that Boris did not know what on earth he was backing? And that's a comment in his defence?

    Makes sense - he was told a thousand times that if the WA was not passed we might get no Brexit, and he only noticed and agreed at MV3.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,156

    DougSeal said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    @HYUFD strikes me as someone who maybe got high up in the Conservative Association of a decent university, maybe Warwick, Liverpool or Southampton, through absolute loyalty to the party. Having achieved that success by being programmed by the Central Office with a small number of stock phrases (“Diehard Remainers” etc.) he considers that such unbending loyalty and repetition will win him the argument anywhere. As it is, however, he needs to head back to Westworld for an upgrade as his software is currently rendering him less believable as a human.
    I'm waiting for his unbending loyalty to Rory in 3 month's time when he takes over from Bozo...
    I will be loyal to Rory with the Tories in 3rd place if not worse if Boris is toppled and Brexit is not delivered
  • kle4 said:

    Scott_P said:
    Back before the EU clarified what they meant by the backstop and how unacceptable that was to Britain.
    So your premise is that Boris did not know what on earth he was backing? And that's a comment in his defence?

    Makes sense - he was told a thousand times that if the WA was not passed we might get no Brexit, and he only noticed and agreed at MV3.
    I'm not a Boris fanboy, he makes mistakes.

    For example he was wrong to back MV3 and I said so at the time.

    I think the December agreement was a trap but had enough constructive ambiguity for everyone to see what they wanted. When it was clarified it was clear how unacceptable it was.
  • nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    And they have agreed to remove the backstop, if a replacement is found. Mission accomplished. This is progress
    If we had a solution why would we need to remove the backstop which only kicks in if there isn’t a solution after the transition period?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,163

    kjh said:

    Boris: How much is that car?
    EU: £1000
    Boris: I'll give you a fiver
    EU: No

    Long pause

    Boris: I want to buy the car for £5
    EU: If you can find another £995 you can buy the car?

    Boris fans: Progress, they are negotiating.

    Well unless you are talking nothing can be gained, so from that point of view it is positive, but it is the only positive. Boris still has the same problem he had originally in that he has to find £995 or get them to concede something that they appear to have no intention of conceding, because the consequences to them of conceding are too high.

    It is up to Boris to find £995 or a solution to the backstop.

    There are 2 possibilities: He manages it or the EU fold. Neither seem plausible.

    Surely there's a third possibility, namely that he accepts the backstop as is, but gets the Telegraph to pretend that he didn't.
    Not going to fly. If he had not been so unequivocal against it or anything like it (after voting for it at least), maybe, but his own members won't let him sell such a ruse.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,156

    DougSeal said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    @HYUFD strikes me as someone who maybe got high up in the Conservative Association of a decent university, maybe Warwick, Liverpool or Southampton, through absolute loyalty to the party. Having achieved that success by being programmed by the Central Office with a small number of stock phrases (“Diehard Remainers” etc.) he considers that such unbending loyalty and repetition will win him the argument anywhere. As it is, however, he needs to head back to Westworld for an upgrade as his software is currently rendering him less believable as a human.
    Enjoy taking the piss, but HYUFD will have the last laugh when Boris is re-elected with a decent working majority. His political antennae are better tuned than yours.
    Yes, election night on here will be enjoyable
  • Tissue_PriceTissue_Price Posts: 9,039
    DavidL said:

    Late collapse from Australia. Clearly bowling Archer into the dust is the correct tactic after all.

    Erm, he's bowled 13 overs in the day, aided and abetted by the weather. The proportion of team overs doesn't matter. (I agree he was probably overbowled a bit at Lord's, especially coming back from a side strain.)
  • nichomar said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    And they have agreed to remove the backstop, if a replacement is found. Mission accomplished. This is progress
    If we had a solution why would we need to remove the backstop which only kicks in if there isn’t a solution after the transition period?
    Because the only way to get a solution is for both sides to compromise and agreeing the backstop removes the EU's incentive to compromise.

    A solution is possible if the backstop isn't. Agree the backstop and the solution is no longer available.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,238
    HYUFD said:
    Straw manning, again.

    The ‘remain media’, accepting for a moment so reductive a description, call him a mendacious fool.

    That he has had a privileged upbringing, and a decent-ish education, is beside the point.

    And there is a whole nation across the Channel who readily demonstrate it is possible to be deeply prejudiced, and speak French.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,468
    The thing is @HYUFD is that you don’t try and argue any actual points of debate. You just come along and tell us who’s going to win and that we should support them for the sole reason that they are going to win.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,163

    kle4 said:

    Scott_P said:
    Back before the EU clarified what they meant by the backstop and how unacceptable that was to Britain.
    So your premise is that Boris did not know what on earth he was backing? And that's a comment in his defence?

    Makes sense - he was told a thousand times that if the WA was not passed we might get no Brexit, and he only noticed and agreed at MV3.
    I'm not a Boris fanboy, he makes mistakes.

    For example he was wrong to back MV3 and I said so at the time.

    I think the December agreement was a trap but had enough constructive ambiguity for everyone to see what they wanted. When it was clarified it was clear how unacceptable it was.
    Yes, but are you confident about his actions and words now? If he couldn't see what he backed then was wrong how far can we trust his judgement now, especially as he acts like he never backed what he disavows as obviously terrible now?
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,627
    edited August 2019
    nichomar said:
    That’s a dangerous area for a politician to ditch the translator, even if they think they’re fluent in the language spoken.

    Macron will attest to this more than most leaders.
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/02/lost-in-translation-macron-thanks-australian-pms-delicious-wife
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,698

    nichomar said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    And they have agreed to remove the backstop, if a replacement is found. Mission accomplished. This is progress
    If we had a solution why would we need to remove the backstop which only kicks in if there isn’t a solution after the transition period?
    Because the only way to get a solution is for both sides to compromise and agreeing the backstop removes the EU's incentive to compromise.

    A solution is possible if the backstop isn't. Agree the backstop and the solution is no longer available.
    Why, oh why, do Leavers assume that the EU wants to trap us in the backstop?

    The backstop gives us free access to the single market, it is not in the long-term interests of the EU for us to be there indefinitely.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 51,720
    HYUFD said:

    DougSeal said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    @HYUFD strikes me as someone who maybe got high up in the Conservative Association of a decent university, maybe Warwick, Liverpool or Southampton, through absolute loyalty to the party. Having achieved that success by being programmed by the Central Office with a small number of stock phrases (“Diehard Remainers” etc.) he considers that such unbending loyalty and repetition will win him the argument anywhere. As it is, however, he needs to head back to Westworld for an upgrade as his software is currently rendering him less believable as a human.
    I'm waiting for his unbending loyalty to Rory in 3 month's time when he takes over from Bozo...
    I will be loyal to Rory with the Tories in 3rd place if not worse if Boris is toppled and Brexit is not delivered
    If Boris extends, will you still think he is another Churchill, Thatcher or Blair?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,163

    nichomar said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    And they have agreed to remove the backstop, if a replacement is found. Mission accomplished. This is progress
    If we had a solution why would we need to remove the backstop which only kicks in if there isn’t a solution after the transition period?
    Because the only way to get a solution is for both sides to compromise and agreeing the backstop removes the EU's incentive to compromise.

    A solution is possible if the backstop isn't. Agree the backstop and the solution is no longer available.
    Why, oh why, do Leavers assume that the EU wants to trap us in the backstop?

    The backstop gives us free access to the single market, it is not in the long-term interests of the EU for us to be there indefinitely.
    That's probably true, which makes them not at least entertaining the idea of a really really long time limit on it a bit silly. Yes it would not sway all the doubters, but it might have been enough to get it over the line.

    But the details at this point are irrelevant. They don't want us to 'win' by getting changes to the backstop and we don't want them to 'win' by it not being changed, and they are holding out hope we cancel the whole thing.
  • kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    Scott_P said:
    Back before the EU clarified what they meant by the backstop and how unacceptable that was to Britain.
    So your premise is that Boris did not know what on earth he was backing? And that's a comment in his defence?

    Makes sense - he was told a thousand times that if the WA was not passed we might get no Brexit, and he only noticed and agreed at MV3.
    I'm not a Boris fanboy, he makes mistakes.

    For example he was wrong to back MV3 and I said so at the time.

    I think the December agreement was a trap but had enough constructive ambiguity for everyone to see what they wanted. When it was clarified it was clear how unacceptable it was.
    Yes, but are you confident about his actions and words now? If he couldn't see what he backed then was wrong how far can we trust his judgement now, especially as he acts like he never backed what he disavows as obviously terrible now?
    Be fair. Even at the time he voted for MV3 he said it was terrible but the alternative was worse, I didn't agree with him and am glad the vote was lost despite him. But he never backed the deal even at MV3 when he voted for it.

    I trust his judgement as much as I trust anyone's, he is a human and fallible same as anyone else. Everyone makes mistakes.
  • nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483

    nichomar said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    And they have agreed to remove the backstop, if a replacement is found. Mission accomplished. This is progress
    If we had a solution why would we need to remove the backstop which only kicks in if there isn’t a solution after the transition period?
    Because the only way to get a solution is for both sides to compromise and agreeing the backstop removes the EU's incentive to compromise.

    A solution is possible if the backstop isn't. Agree the backstop and the solution is no longer available.
    That’s ridiculous and suggests that you actually believe the back stop is a conspiracy of the EU to lock us into the customs union. If there is a technical solution which after two yoga’s of transition is proved to work then the back stop doesn't kick in. If it doesn’t work then we need the back stop, they would be mad to remove the backstop as it’s successful removal could be agreed in the next stage.
  • nichomar said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    And they have agreed to remove the backstop, if a replacement is found. Mission accomplished. This is progress
    If we had a solution why would we need to remove the backstop which only kicks in if there isn’t a solution after the transition period?
    Because the only way to get a solution is for both sides to compromise and agreeing the backstop removes the EU's incentive to compromise.

    A solution is possible if the backstop isn't. Agree the backstop and the solution is no longer available.
    Why, oh why, do Leavers assume that the EU wants to trap us in the backstop?

    The backstop gives us free access to the single market, it is not in the long-term interests of the EU for us to be there indefinitely.
    Free access but we are a vassal state. Unacceptable and as Selmayr gloated it gives all the power to the EU in the next stage as we will be trapped in the backstop unless we agree to whatever terms they propose.

    The EU are trying to guarantee the next stage talks can't fail. The risk of failure is how you ensure a good deal for all parties.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,163

    kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    Scott_P said:
    Back before the EU clarified what they meant by the backstop and how unacceptable that was to Britain.
    So your premise is that Boris did not know what on earth he was backing? And that's a comment in his defence?

    Makes sense - he was told a thousand times that if the WA was not passed we might get no Brexit, and he only noticed and agreed at MV3.
    I'm not a Boris fanboy, he makes mistakes.

    For example he was wrong to back MV3 and I said so at the time.

    I think the December agreement was a trap but had enough constructive ambiguity for everyone to see what they wanted. When it was clarified it was clear how unacceptable it was.
    Yes, but are you confident about his actions and words now? If he couldn't see what he backed then was wrong how far can we trust his judgement now, especially as he acts like he never backed what he disavows as obviously terrible now?
    Be fair. Even at the time he voted for MV3 he said it was terrible but the alternative was worse, I didn't agree with him and am glad the vote was lost despite him. But he never backed the deal even at MV3 when he voted for it.

    I trust his judgement as much as I trust anyone's, he is a human and fallible same as anyone else. Everyone makes mistakes.
    I think I'm being pretty fair - yes everyone makes mistakes, and you may not be worshipping at his every utterance, but plenty are and acting as though all the things he says are obvious are indeed obvious, even when it contradicts what he used to say. I get people pinning hopes on him now, frankly I hope he succeeds because the alternatives are worse, but I don't get where the confidence in his plans come from..
  • nichomar said:

    nichomar said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    And they have agreed to remove the backstop, if a replacement is found. Mission accomplished. This is progress
    If we had a solution why would we need to remove the backstop which only kicks in if there isn’t a solution after the transition period?
    Because the only way to get a solution is for both sides to compromise and agreeing the backstop removes the EU's incentive to compromise.

    A solution is possible if the backstop isn't. Agree the backstop and the solution is no longer available.
    That’s ridiculous and suggests that you actually believe the back stop is a conspiracy of the EU to lock us into the customs union. If there is a technical solution which after two yoga’s of transition is proved to work then the back stop doesn't kick in. If it doesn’t work then we need the back stop, they would be mad to remove the backstop as it’s successful removal could be agreed in the next stage.
    Yes I do believe the backstop is a conspiracy of the EU to lock us into terms of their choosing.

    You seem to madly be believing a technical solution is something that actually exists like a solution to a formula. A solution is something we need both parties to CREATE via compromising and only by both parties compromising will it be possible.
  • I have had a roller coaster day with my granddaughter achieving 5 x A* and 7 straight A's and being best in her school, while a close member of the family is suffering mental health issues.

    I pop in to see how things are going and the same almost childish banter stands out with those of us in the middle seeking compromise saying 'A plague on both of your houses'

    I still hope that Boris surprises on the upside or that the HOC can agree a way to prevent no deal, but without Corbyn leading any form of government without winning a GE
  • nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483
    edited August 2019
    Sandpit said:

    nichomar said:
    That’s a dangerous area for a politician to ditch the translator, even if they think they’re fluent in the language spoken.

    Macron will attest to this more than most leaders.
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/02/lost-in-translation-macron-thanks-australian-pms-delicious-wife
    There have, I’m sure been many examples of translators, especially in oriental cultures, where they soften the meaning of what’s being said so as not to offend. I wish I could quote one or two!
    Although I think you're coming from the other angle where you think you know what they are talking about but have missed a word and got the wrong end of the stick
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    edited August 2019
    kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    Scott_P said:
    Back before the EU clarified what they meant by the backstop and how unacceptable that was to Britain.
    So your premise is that Boris did not know what on earth he was backing? And that's a comment in his defence?

    Makes sense - he was told a thousand times that if the WA was not passed we might get no Brexit, and he only noticed and agreed at MV3.
    I'm not a Boris fanboy, he makes mistakes.

    For example he was wrong to back MV3 and I said so at the time.

    I think the December agreement was a trap but had enough constructive ambiguity for everyone to see what they wanted. When it was clarified it was clear how unacceptable it was.
    Yes, but are you confident about his actions and words now? If he couldn't see what he backed then was wrong how far can we trust his judgement now, especially as he acts like he never backed what he disavows as obviously terrible now?
    Be fair. Even at the time he voted for MV3 he said it was terrible but the alternative was worse, I didn't agree with him and am glad the vote was lost despite him. But he never backed the deal even at MV3 when he voted for it.

    I trust his judgement as much as I trust anyone's, he is a human and fallible same as anyone else. Everyone makes mistakes.
    I think I'm being pretty fair - yes everyone makes mistakes, and you may not be worshipping at his every utterance, but plenty are and acting as though all the things he says are obvious are indeed obvious, even when it contradicts what he used to say. I get people pinning hopes on him now, frankly I hope he succeeds because the alternatives are worse, but I don't get where the confidence in his plans come from..
    My confidence in his plans comes from their being my plans. He is doing what I proposed on this very site last year and throughout this year. It is what I think to be logical and now my confidence is being tested by reality we will see if I was right.

    Fanboys like HYUFD I don't side with and don't agree with. Don't associate me with that please.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 51,720

    kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    Scott_P said:
    Back before the EU clarified what they meant by the backstop and how unacceptable that was to Britain.
    So your premise is that Boris did not know what on earth he was backing? And that's a comment in his defence?

    Makes sense - he was told a thousand times that if the WA was not passed we might get no Brexit, and he only noticed and agreed at MV3.
    I'm not a Boris fanboy, he makes mistakes.

    For example he was wrong to back MV3 and I said so at the time.

    I think the December agreement was a trap but had enough constructive ambiguity for everyone to see what they wanted. When it was clarified it was clear how unacceptable it was.
    Yes, but are you confident about his actions and words now? If he couldn't see what he backed then was wrong how far can we trust his judgement now, especially as he acts like he never backed what he disavows as obviously terrible now?
    Be fair. Even at the time he voted for MV3 he said it was terrible but the alternative was worse, I didn't agree with him and am glad the vote was lost despite him. But he never backed the deal even at MV3 when he voted for it.

    I trust his judgement as much as I trust anyone's, he is a human and fallible same as anyone else. Everyone makes mistakes.
    I think I'm being pretty fair - yes everyone makes mistakes, and you may not be worshipping at his every utterance, but plenty are and acting as though all the things he says are obvious are indeed obvious, even when it contradicts what he used to say. I get people pinning hopes on him now, frankly I hope he succeeds because the alternatives are worse, but I don't get where the confidence in his plans come from..
    My confidence in his plans comes from their being my plans. He is doing what I proposed on this very site last year and throughout this year. It is what I think to be logical and now my confidence is being tested by reality we will see if I was right.
    If you’re not right, what do you think we should do?
  • I have had a roller coaster day with my granddaughter achieving 5 x A* and 7 straight A's and being best in her school, while a close member of the family is suffering mental health issues.

    I pop in to see how things are going and the same almost childish banter stands out with those of us in the middle seeking compromise saying 'A plague on both of your houses'

    I still hope that Boris surprises on the upside or that the HOC can agree a way to prevent no deal, but without Corbyn leading any form of government without winning a GE

    Again congratulations for your granddaughter and sympathies for your family.

    FWIW I am seeking compromise, but compromise is not May's deal. I hope I am right and Britain led by Boris can get a compromise we couldn't before and we leave with a deal - and I hope at that point you and others like you feel free to rejoin the Conservatives.

    Our goal is the same, though the methods differ.
  • kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    Scott_P said:
    Back before the EU clarified what they meant by the backstop and how unacceptable that was to Britain.
    So your premise is that Boris did not know what on earth he was backing? And that's a comment in his defence?

    Makes sense - he was told a thousand times that if the WA was not passed we might get no Brexit, and he only noticed and agreed at MV3.
    I'm not a Boris fanboy, he makes mistakes.

    For example he was wrong to back MV3 and I said so at the time.

    I think the December agreement was a trap but had enough constructive ambiguity for everyone to see what they wanted. When it was clarified it was clear how unacceptable it was.
    Yes, but are you confident about his actions and words now? If he couldn't see what he backed then was wrong how far can we trust his judgement now, especially as he acts like he never backed what he disavows as obviously terrible now?
    Be fair. Even at the time he voted for MV3 he said it was terrible but the alternative was worse, I didn't agree with him and am glad the vote was lost despite him. But he never backed the deal even at MV3 when he voted for it.

    I trust his judgement as much as I trust anyone's, he is a human and fallible same as anyone else. Everyone makes mistakes.
    I think I'm being pretty fair - yes everyone makes mistakes, and you may not be worshipping at his every utterance, but plenty are and acting as though all the things he says are obvious are indeed obvious, even when it contradicts what he used to say. I get people pinning hopes on him now, frankly I hope he succeeds because the alternatives are worse, but I don't get where the confidence in his plans come from..
    My confidence in his plans comes from their being my plans. He is doing what I proposed on this very site last year and throughout this year. It is what I think to be logical and now my confidence is being tested by reality we will see if I was right.
    If you’re not right, what do you think we should do?
    With regret, leave without a deal while holding out the olive branch of a backstopless deal in the future.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,468
    edited August 2019
    @Big_G_NorthWales congratulations on your granddaughter's results and condolences about your family member's struggles. I too have suffered from poor mental health in the past so I know how unconditional support is key.

    Regarding your political point, it's impossible to compromise now. The debate has been skewed, by your hero Theresa May I might add, into an 'us' vs 'them'. They talk about how the EU should compromise and yet make no compromise at home.

    This is a PM with no mandate, trashing our reputation abroad, seeking the hardest of Brexit that has no popular support.

    Where do you expect me to compromise?
  • I have had a roller coaster day with my granddaughter achieving 5 x A* and 7 straight A's and being best in her school, while a close member of the family is suffering mental health issues.

    I pop in to see how things are going and the same almost childish banter stands out with those of us in the middle seeking compromise saying 'A plague on both of your houses'

    I still hope that Boris surprises on the upside or that the HOC can agree a way to prevent no deal, but without Corbyn leading any form of government without winning a GE

    Again congratulations for your granddaughter and sympathies for your family.

    FWIW I am seeking compromise, but compromise is not May's deal. I hope I am right and Britain led by Boris can get a compromise we couldn't before and we leave with a deal - and I hope at that point you and others like you feel free to rejoin the Conservatives.

    Our goal is the same, though the methods differ.
    Notwithstanding my threat to resign I still retain my membership as I am hopeful a way will be found through this.
  • nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483

    nichomar said:

    nichomar said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    And they have agreed to remove the backstop, if a replacement is found. Mission accomplished. This is progress
    If we had a solution why would we need to remove the backstop which only kicks in if there isn’t a solution after the transition period?
    Because the only way to get a solution is for both sides to compromise and agreeing the backstop removes the EU's incentive to compromise.

    A solution is possible if the backstop isn't. Agree the backstop and the solution is no longer available.
    That’s ridiculous and suggests that you actually believe the back stop is a conspiracy of the EU to lock us into the customs union. If there is a technical solution which after two yoga’s of transition is proved to work then the back stop doesn't kick in. If it doesn’t work then we need the back stop, they would be mad to remove the backstop as it’s successful removal could be agreed in the next stage.
    Yes I do believe the backstop is a conspiracy of the EU to lock us into terms of their choosing.

    You seem to madly be believing a technical solution is something that actually exists like a solution to a formula. A solution is something we need both parties to CREATE via compromising and only by both parties compromising will it be possible.
    Well if you believe the conspiracy theory it’s not worth debating with you I await, when Johnson agrees a border in the Irish Sea you demanding NI MEPs like you used to do.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,627
    edited August 2019
    nichomar said:

    Sandpit said:

    nichomar said:
    That’s a dangerous area for a politician to ditch the translator, even if they think they’re fluent in the language spoken.

    Macron will attest to this more than most leaders.
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/02/lost-in-translation-macron-thanks-australian-pms-delicious-wife
    There have, I’m sure been many examples of translators, especially in oriental cultures, where they soften the meaning of what’s being said so as not to offend. I wish I could quote one or two!
    Yes, it’s a seriously difficult and underrated job doing simultaneous translation, it’s something my wife does occasionally and it’s quite stressful for the translator that they don’t make a mistake.

    Certain Asian cultures and the nature of giving offence is a problem in many industries, most notably aviation.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiana_Airlines_Flight_214
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,163
    nichomar said:

    Sandpit said:

    nichomar said:
    That’s a dangerous area for a politician to ditch the translator, even if they think they’re fluent in the language spoken.

    Macron will attest to this more than most leaders.
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/02/lost-in-translation-macron-thanks-australian-pms-delicious-wife
    There have, I’m sure been many examples of translators, especially in oriental cultures, where they soften the meaning of what’s being said so as not to offend.
    I'm sure that's true, though I'm also sure that softening the meaning so as not to offend has probably cause more problems in the long run in some situations, where the sides don't know how bloody cross the other is for example!
  • @Big_G_NorthWales congratulations on your granddaughter's results and condolences about your family member's struggles. I too have suffered from poor mental health in the past so I know how unconditional support is key.

    Regarding your political point, it's impossible to compromise now. The debate has been skewed, by your hero Theresa May I might add, into an 'us' vs 'them'. They talk about how the EU should compromise and yet make no compromise at home.

    This is a PM with no mandate, trashing our reputation abroad, seeking the hardest of Brexit that has no popular support.

    Where do you expect me to compromise?

    This is a PM seeking a deal, a different deal but a deal nonetheless. Howabout supporting that ambition?
  • BurgessianBurgessian Posts: 2,758

    malcolmg said:

    So Scotland spends 3.3bln on defense ? That's 5.27% of GDP....that's the highest in the developed world...and a billion more than Israel in 2018...does anyone really believe that? Lol Can unionists not read their fantasy figures before sending them out

    I believe when GERs was first set up by the Tories in the 90s, Ian Lang tried to get the cost of the nukes put on Scotland's expenditure. Old habits die hard it would seem.
    Not sure about the veracity of Malc's figures, but the UK armed forces have a not insignificant footprint in Scotland, most of which will go South in the event of Indy. And I can't see RUK building its warships in Rosyth in future either. That will be goodbye to a lot of well paid jobs and investment.
  • @Big_G_NorthWales congratulations on your granddaughter's results and condolences about your family member's struggles. I too have suffered from poor mental health in the past so I know how unconditional support is key.

    Regarding your political point, it's impossible to compromise now. The debate has been skewed, by your hero Theresa May I might add, into an 'us' vs 'them'. They talk about how the EU should compromise and yet make no compromise at home.

    This is a PM with no mandate, trashing our reputation abroad, seeking the hardest of Brexit that has no popular support.

    Where do you expect me to compromise?

    Thank you for your kind comments

    However TM is not and never has been my hero. I believe she attempted a sensible compromise which I understand in the cross party talks is under consideration to be returned to the HOC

    Boris is not my choice but to date he seems to be doing ok and we need to give everyone a chance but if it all fails and on the 1st November Boris has taken us out with no deal, my resignation from the party will be confirmed
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,468

    @Big_G_NorthWales congratulations on your granddaughter's results and condolences about your family member's struggles. I too have suffered from poor mental health in the past so I know how unconditional support is key.

    Regarding your political point, it's impossible to compromise now. The debate has been skewed, by your hero Theresa May I might add, into an 'us' vs 'them'. They talk about how the EU should compromise and yet make no compromise at home.

    This is a PM with no mandate, trashing our reputation abroad, seeking the hardest of Brexit that has no popular support.

    Where do you expect me to compromise?

    This is a PM seeking a deal, a different deal but a deal nonetheless. Howabout supporting that ambition?
    Because the Brexit is getting harder, not softer. That is no compromise.
  • nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483
    kle4 said:

    nichomar said:

    Sandpit said:

    nichomar said:
    That’s a dangerous area for a politician to ditch the translator, even if they think they’re fluent in the language spoken.

    Macron will attest to this more than most leaders.
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/02/lost-in-translation-macron-thanks-australian-pms-delicious-wife
    There have, I’m sure been many examples of translators, especially in oriental cultures, where they soften the meaning of what’s being said so as not to offend.
    I'm sure that's true, though I'm also sure that softening the meaning so as not to offend has probably cause more problems in the long run in some situations, where the sides don't know how bloody cross the other is for example!
    Thinking about it it came from a novel about the US and China being in the early stages of a trade war that escalated to a full scale invasion of Taiwan obviously beyond the realms of fantasy but....
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    edited August 2019
    nichomar said:

    nichomar said:

    nichomar said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    And they have agreed to remove the backstop, if a replacement is found. Mission accomplished. This is progress
    If we had a solution why would we need to remove the backstop which only kicks in if there isn’t a solution after the transition period?
    Because the only way to get a solution is for both sides to compromise and agreeing the backstop removes the EU's incentive to compromise.

    A solution is possible if the backstop isn't. Agree the backstop and the solution is no longer available.
    That’s ridiculous and suggests that you actually believe the back stop is a conspiracy of the EU to lock us into the customs union. If there is a technical solution which after two yoga’s of transition is proved to work then the back stop doesn't kick in. If it doesn’t work then we need the back stop, they would be mad to remove the backstop as it’s successful removal could be agreed in the next stage.
    Yes I do believe the backstop is a conspiracy of the EU to lock us into terms of their choosing.

    You seem to madly be believing a technical solution is something that actually exists like a solution to a formula. A solution is something we need both parties to CREATE via compromising and only by both parties compromising will it be possible.
    Well if you believe the conspiracy theory it’s not worth debating with you I await, when Johnson agrees a border in the Irish Sea you demanding NI MEPs like you used to do.
    Its not a conspiracy theory, its logic. It is what their own side have said in their own words.

    Absolutely if Johnson agrees it I will oppose it.

    And my suggestion that NI gets MEPs and Arlene Foster goes onto the European Council along with full veto powers was always tongue planted firmly in cheek. But it would have resolved the democratic deficit.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,733
    nichomar said:

    Sandpit said:

    nichomar said:
    That’s a dangerous area for a politician to ditch the translator, even if they think they’re fluent in the language spoken.

    Macron will attest to this more than most leaders.
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/02/lost-in-translation-macron-thanks-australian-pms-delicious-wife
    There have, I’m sure been many examples of translators, especially in oriental cultures, where they soften the meaning of what’s being said so as not to offend. I wish I could quote one or two!
    Although I think you're coming from the other angle where you think you know what they are talking about but have missed a word and got the wrong end of the stick
    Quite right, my brother is fluent in arabic, but always uses a professional interpreter when negotiating, as there is much less risk of misunderstandings. On a social level, of course it is different.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,627
    edited August 2019
    Foxy said:

    nichomar said:

    Sandpit said:

    nichomar said:
    That’s a dangerous area for a politician to ditch the translator, even if they think they’re fluent in the language spoken.

    Macron will attest to this more than most leaders.
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/02/lost-in-translation-macron-thanks-australian-pms-delicious-wife
    There have, I’m sure been many examples of translators, especially in oriental cultures, where they soften the meaning of what’s being said so as not to offend. I wish I could quote one or two!
    Although I think you're coming from the other angle where you think you know what they are talking about but have missed a word and got the wrong end of the stick
    Quite right, my brother is fluent in arabic, but always uses a professional interpreter when negotiating, as there is much less risk of misunderstandings. On a social level, of course it is different.
    Fair play to your brother, Arabic is a very difficult language to learn. How does one translate ‘Insh’Allah”? ;)
  • malcolmg said:

    So Scotland spends 3.3bln on defense ? That's 5.27% of GDP....that's the highest in the developed world...and a billion more than Israel in 2018...does anyone really believe that? Lol Can unionists not read their fantasy figures before sending them out

    I believe when GERs was first set up by the Tories in the 90s, Ian Lang tried to get the cost of the nukes put on Scotland's expenditure. Old habits die hard it would seem.
    Not sure about the veracity of Malc's figures, but the UK armed forces have a not insignificant footprint in Scotland, most of which will go South in the event of Indy. And I can't see RUK building its warships in Rosyth in future either. That will be goodbye to a lot of well paid jobs and investment.
    The ships are to be built on the Clyde I believe but your point about UK forces imprint in Scotland is valid, as is the end of UK Naval ship building if Scotland goes independent
  • @Big_G_NorthWales congratulations on your granddaughter's results and condolences about your family member's struggles. I too have suffered from poor mental health in the past so I know how unconditional support is key.

    Regarding your political point, it's impossible to compromise now. The debate has been skewed, by your hero Theresa May I might add, into an 'us' vs 'them'. They talk about how the EU should compromise and yet make no compromise at home.

    This is a PM with no mandate, trashing our reputation abroad, seeking the hardest of Brexit that has no popular support.

    Where do you expect me to compromise?

    This is a PM seeking a deal, a different deal but a deal nonetheless. Howabout supporting that ambition?
    Because the Brexit is getting harder, not softer. That is no compromise.
    The baseline is no deal, that is what Parliament voted as a default when it invoked Article 50.

    Any deal is a compromise compared to that.
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 12,573
    DavidL said:

    Off-topic:

    Our wild and meandering drive around the country has brought us to Durham, a place neither of us have been before. It seems quite a beautiful place, and we're about to go down to have a meal to celebrate ten happy years of marriage.

    So, in a good mood and spirit, I hope everyone has a great bank holiday weekend! Enjoy yourselves, wherever you find yourselves in this beautiful country and world of ours.

    Durham cathedral is one of the finest buildings in the country. It would comfortably be in my top ten.
    Agreed. Its stunning.
    Second only to Lincoln.

  • @Big_G_NorthWales congratulations on your granddaughter's results and condolences about your family member's struggles. I too have suffered from poor mental health in the past so I know how unconditional support is key.

    Regarding your political point, it's impossible to compromise now. The debate has been skewed, by your hero Theresa May I might add, into an 'us' vs 'them'. They talk about how the EU should compromise and yet make no compromise at home.

    This is a PM with no mandate, trashing our reputation abroad, seeking the hardest of Brexit that has no popular support.

    Where do you expect me to compromise?

    This is a PM seeking a deal, a different deal but a deal nonetheless. Howabout supporting that ambition?
    Because the Brexit is getting harder, not softer. That is no compromise.
    The baseline is no deal, that is what Parliament voted as a default when it invoked Article 50.

    Any deal is a compromise compared to that.

    The compromise seems to be the EU giving the UK what it wants to stop the UK doing itself immense harm. The EU has worked this out, even if you haven't.

  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,156

    The thing is @HYUFD is that you don’t try and argue any actual points of debate. You just come along and tell us who’s going to win and that we should support them for the sole reason that they are going to win.

    I don't have the time nor the inclination to spend hours debating the fine points of x with people who will never agree with me anyway
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,156

    HYUFD said:

    DougSeal said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    @HYUFD strikes me as someone who maybe got high rently rendering him less believable as a human.
    I'm waiting for his unbending loyalty to Rory in 3 month's time when he takes over from Bozo...
    I will be loyal to Rory with the Tories in 3rd place if not worse if Boris is toppled and Brexit is not delivered
    If Boris extends, will you still think he is another Churchill, Thatcher or Blair?
    He won't, as he knows if he or any other Tory leader has not delivered Brexit by the next general election and extended past October 31st that will be the end of the Tory Party as the main party of the right in the UK with the Brexit Party replacing it
  • OllyTOllyT Posts: 5,006

    DougSeal said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    @HYUFD strikes me as someone who maybe got high up in the Conservative Association of a decent university, maybe Warwick, Liverpool or Southampton, through absolute loyalty to the party. Having achieved that success by being programmed by the Central Office with a small number of stock phrases (“Diehard Remainers” etc.) he considers that such unbending loyalty and repetition will win him the argument anywhere. As it is, however, he needs to head back to Westworld for an upgrade as his software is currently rendering him less believable as a human.
    Enjoy taking the piss, but HYUFD will have the last laugh when Boris is re-elected with a decent working majority. His political antennae are better tuned than yours.
    You might want to look back and see what he was predicting when May called her election a couple of years back. They haven't aged well
  • StereotomyStereotomy Posts: 4,092
    HYUFD said:

    The thing is @HYUFD is that you don’t try and argue any actual points of debate. You just come along and tell us who’s going to win and that we should support them for the sole reason that they are going to win.

    I don't have the time nor the inclination to spend hours debating the fine points of x with people who will never agree with me anyway
    Well you very clearly do have the time.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,733
    Sandpit said:

    Foxy said:

    nichomar said:

    Sandpit said:

    nichomar said:
    That’s a dangerous area for a politician to ditch the translator, even if they think they’re fluent in the language spoken.

    Macron will attest to this more than most leaders.
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/02/lost-in-translation-macron-thanks-australian-pms-delicious-wife
    There have, I’m sure been many examples of translators, especially in oriental cultures, where they soften the meaning of what’s being said so as not to offend. I wish I could quote one or two!
    Although I think you're coming from the other angle where you think you know what they are talking about but have missed a word and got the wrong end of the stick
    Quite right, my brother is fluent in arabic, but always uses a professional interpreter when negotiating, as there is much less risk of misunderstandings. On a social level, of course it is different.
    Fair play to your brother, Arabic is a very difficult language to learn. How does one translate ‘Insh’Allah”? ;)
    :)

    A very interesting question, I shall translate it for you Insh'Allah

    It is a word that I find very useful in Leicester when explaining treatment:

    Take these pills, and X will improve, Insh'Allah...
  • logical_songlogical_song Posts: 9,914
    Where did the Backstop come from?

    "This is why the backstop—a legal guarantee that whatever happens there will be no hard border in Northern Ireland—is seen as necessary, both by the EU and Theresa May. There are technical solutions and ideas out there, and they can certainly help.
    No one could question the logic of making border procedures less intrusive and more efficient. But, as things stand, they simply cannot achieve what is required of them: checks of some kind remain an inevitability.
    Which brings us to the Malthouse Compromise. This suggests redesigning the backstop in a way that would be compatible with a future, unfettered UK-EU free trade agreement.
    The trouble is that this plan, too, doesn’t even aim to avoid all checks and controls, it just moves them inland from the borderline. So the basic dilemma remains: how do you maintain a completely open border between two legal jurisdictions?
    The only solution found to date—after many months of careful negotiation in Brussels, if not in Westminster—is the backstop."
    https://ukandeu.ac.uk/where-did-the-backstop-come-from/
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,156
    OllyT said:

    DougSeal said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    Boris himself said he wouldn’t meet any EU leaders until they had agreed to remove the backstop.

    He’s just making himself look even more of a fool than he already is.
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    @HYUFD strikes me as someone who tly rendering him less believable as a human.
    Enjoy taking the piss, but HYUFD will have the last laugh when Boris is re-elected with a decent working majority. His political antennae are better tuned than yours.
    You might want to look back and see what he was predicting when May called her election a couple of years back. They haven't aged well
    Actually a few days before polling day I reported attending an event at CCHQ with Jim Messina where he reported a higher number of undecideds than any election he had ever been in.

    I also never supported the disastrous dementia tax which went down like a lead balloon on the doorsteps as soon as it was announced
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,176
    edited August 2019
    The CPS is not fit for purpose part 57:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49435117

    As the trial drew to a close the prosecution was criticised for failing to disclose evidence until the end of the case.

    It was revealed another video of the model being burned was taken by someone else and posted to a separate WhatsApp group, which the defence claimed had not been disclosed to them.

    Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said: "I cannot be sure the video relied on by the Crown is the one taken by the defendant." Ms Arbuthnot said: "I am just appalled at the disclosure in this case."
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,733

    Where did the Backstop come from?

    "This is why the backstop—a legal guarantee that whatever happens there will be no hard border in Northern Ireland—is seen as necessary, both by the EU and Theresa May. There are technical solutions and ideas out there, and they can certainly help.
    No one could question the logic of making border procedures less intrusive and more efficient. But, as things stand, they simply cannot achieve what is required of them: checks of some kind remain an inevitability.
    Which brings us to the Malthouse Compromise. This suggests redesigning the backstop in a way that would be compatible with a future, unfettered UK-EU free trade agreement.
    The trouble is that this plan, too, doesn’t even aim to avoid all checks and controls, it just moves them inland from the borderline. So the basic dilemma remains: how do you maintain a completely open border between two legal jurisdictions?
    The only solution found to date—after many months of careful negotiation in Brussels, if not in Westminster—is the backstop."
    https://ukandeu.ac.uk/where-did-the-backstop-come-from/

    Yes, fairly obviously, a CU and regulatory alignment means no border, but any significant divergence does, then we are merely discussing how intrusive that needs to be.

    https://twitter.com/foxinsoxuk/status/1164410803132477440?s=19
  • alex.alex. Posts: 4,658
    OllyT said:

    DougSeal said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    RobD said:

    The fact Boris has had to go crawling to Berlin and Paris is pretty humiliating.

    Quite funny how the no deal cult are celebrating the humiliation.

    I wonder what mark Boris will get in his homework for Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

    I’m guessing an E.

    He had to go crawling? There may have been negotiation, but what has he conceded?
    A 9% Tory lead with Yougov and a 42% Tory voteshare with Kantar this week suggests otherwise
    Surely the Tories have lost your vote given you vehemently disagree with their flagship Brexit policy?
    I am fully behind the Brexit policy of trying to remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement and replace it with a technical solution
    That is a reasonable position to hold. I am hopeful but sceptical about such a technical solution but we shall see. It's that or the backstop.
    Positive signs from Macron and Merkel this week
    So deluded.
    I have gone through a journey with HYUFD's posts. Originally I wondered how anyone could be so infatuated with any political leader, let alone one so monumentally unsuited to any leadership, then I started to find them insulting to the intelligence of other PB followers, then I started to find it funny, and now I just feel sorry for him.
    @HYUFD strikes me as someone who maybe got high up in the Conservative Association of a decent university, maybe Warwick, Liverpool or Southampton, through absolute loyalty to the party. Having achieved that success by being programmed by the Central Office with a small number of stock phrases (“Diehard Remainers” etc.) he considers that such unbending loyalty and repetition will win him the argument anywhere. As it is, however, he needs to head back to Westworld for an upgrade as his software is currently rendering him less believable as a human.
    Enjoy taking the piss, but HYUFD will have the last laugh when Boris is re-elected with a decent working majority. His political antennae are better tuned than yours.
    You might want to look back and see what he was predicting when May called her election a couple of years back. They haven't aged well
    What about anyone who is more concerned about the future of the country than the relative success or otherwise of the political parties in a General Election?
  • alex.alex. Posts: 4,658

    HYUFD said:

    The thing is @HYUFD is that you don’t try and argue any actual points of debate. You just come along and tell us who’s going to win and that we should support them for the sole reason that they are going to win.

    I don't have the time nor the inclination to spend hours debating the fine points of x with people who will never agree with me anyway
    Well you very clearly do have the time.
    To be fair he makes no effort whatsoever at debating. Given his statement earlier in the thread about “simple messages, endlessly repeated” it is clear that he is simply operating a marketing operation on behalf of the Conservative Oarty. He might even be freelance!
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,237
    HYUFD said:

    He won't, as he knows if he or any other Tory leader has not delivered Brexit by the next general election and extended past October 31st that will be the end of the Tory Party as the main party of the right in the UK with the Brexit Party replacing it

    You are - oddly - underestimating the Great Man.

    He knows that his path to a long and successful premiership goes via passing a Brexit deal and winning a general election off the back of that.

    This will require an extension into 2020 and such is his plan.

    I think he'll pull it off.
  • OllyTOllyT Posts: 5,006
    edited August 2019


    @ HYUFD
    What have Messin'a views on the number of undecided or your views on the dementia tax got to do with it? I was talking about your predictions of the outcome when May called the election. Care to remind us?
This discussion has been closed.