Brexit 3

Maybe but Forage is not doing the Brexit negotiations is he so he remains nothing more than an itch that constantly needs scratching.

If you have watched debates from then you will be well aware of Guy Verhofstadt too.

I have watched several debates in the EU Parliament and I must say that Farage comes across as a thoroughly nasty man - he has been exceptionally rude to many of the EU Parliament members and accusing them of things which just show his ignorance about the people concerned. If anyone would be doing the job of getting the UK disliked sufficiently for the remaining 27 countries to want the UK to leave the EU he is the one.!

felice

I didn't know you were 'Scottish to the core ' as I assumed by your name and the fact you have known Guy Verhofstadt as, presumably, an acquaintance for years you were Belgian.

I do find it odd whether Scottish or Belgian you appear to deprecate the UK, or should I believe you are thinking only of England, by mentioning the Empire, the Slave Trade and colonisation alongside racist attacks on Scots in your post.

'Britain is not an Empire and brexit is not going to bring back the slave trade and the Uk will I hope not be on a colonising mission.
I was horrified to read in the papers earlier this week of two racist attacks on Scots in England. one a man wearing a kilt who was attacked by a gang of youths in a village and two men, one a serving Police officer who were walking in York and attacked by a man shouting 'go back to f***ing Scotland',
What is going on, the English begged Scotland to remain in the UK now we are being villified.'

Why? I think it is only a selective memory that could forget Belgium's history , King Leopold 11 of Belgium, The Congo, The Slave Trade etc. Only an idiot would put the actions of his reign on the shoulders of the Belgian population today!

I think a lot of posters remember the Scottish Referendum and heard for ourselves how racist taunts occurred around that time, indeed reports were being told for a few years of anti-english sentiment.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/9737918/Record-number-of-racist-attacks-on-English-in-Scotland.html

"Police recorded 1,295 racist incidents in 2011/12 where the victim was white and British. The total is up a quarter on the previous year and 57 per cent more than in 2004/05.
The category includes both attacks on English people and incidents where the victim is Scottish and the perpetrator is from an ethnic minority.
But the vast majority of perpetrators were also white, suggesting that many cases involved racism against the English.
SNP ministers said they were “very disappointed” by the figures but opposition parties said racist attacks against English people should be treated with the same seriousness as those directed at ethnic minorities.
The overall number of racist attacks increased by 10 per cent last year, with the largest number of incidents directed against the Pakistani community."

I voted remain in the referendum but the hypocrisy and at times use of anything to 'have a go at' Brexit/Brexiteers astounds me at times. NO country is free from idiots who choose to display racism. No country is free from the oppressive trade in human trafficking/prostitution/modern day slavery. No country has an unblemished history.

Just because YOU never came across such behaviour in York doesn't mean it never happened.

Just because it's not just a problem in the UK doesn't mean it's NOT a problem in the UK and we shouldn't do anything about it.

Because the number of racist crimes has more or less doubled in Germany doesn't mean racism is worse in Germany. How many refugees have they taken in? How many have we taken in?

I lived in York for ten years and never heard anyone telling a Scot to go back home to Scotland while beating him up. We had lots of Scots staying in the guest house. Not once did anyone say anything about racism.
They even brought their own Scottish banknotes which were accepted everywhere.
That's why I knew which paper it might have been in. On reading it, I was appalled that someone could act like that in York, because I only knew of foreigners being treated well there.

Couldn't agree more POGS.
I've said it before -any racist or hate crime is deplorable but let's be honest this is not just a problem in the UK.And I thought it was a cheap shot of Junker to use the murder of the Polish national in his speech.As if racial tension exists nowhere else in Europe.Furthermore I'm convinced if the referendum vote had been Remain the same racist yobs would find some excuse to wade in.That's their sick mentality.
My DH has gone up to Scotland for years to watch the rugby,and whilst in pubs before and afterwards it has been mainly genial but guess what on the streets has experienced some really antipathy just for being English.Indeed the brother of a friend of mine was so badly beaten up by a thug with a knuckle duster in Edinburgh he suffered brain damage. The police as good as admitted it a 'racist attack'.And this was 20 + years ago.

NATO has nothing to do with the EU nigglynellie - that is exactly the point I was making in reply to your comment about how we would do nothing to help Next time a hostile country threatens/overwhelms Europe, go elsewhere for help and fend for yourselves, because this 'mosquito' won't be at home. Fortress Britain will be alive and well. So, thankfully, we will be expected to fulfil our NATO responsibilities.

Most ex-pats do seem very cross that the UK voted to leave the EU.

I suppose you can't blame them for worrying about what will happen, and how their lives and those of their families may be affected.

But it was a democratic vote and there won't be a second one.

Scottish to the core, thats me, I have stayed out of this debate but decided it was time to get involved.
going to put DGS to bed now, big Folklore festival here tomorrow DD and SIL helping with the organising.
Night all.

The slave trade is alive and well in every country you can think of not just the UK! Particularly in Europe, bearing in mind all those colonies, most northern countries had them, even as far south as Italy had their conquests.

Modern-day slavery is a global problem - certainly not confined to the UK.

felice

You are really trying to bait in my opinion.

Can I ask are you Belgian by birth?

What's NATO got to do with the EU?!! At least when the EU forms its own army there will still be NATO thank goodness. The thought of an an EU army run by? Herr Junker!! must be terrifying Russia!! (Not!) how embarrassing is that?!! The whole concept is just laughable if it wasn't so sad!! Thank goodness this mosquito won't be part of it, just too shaming!!

Sorry British, DGS was feeding me a prawn.

I am not going to trivialises racist murder/attacks wherever they take place.

I am however going to make one point on the belief or at worst propaganda the problem is a UK only problem since Brexit.

From Amnesty International. (other sources available)

" While the German public has been among Europe’s most welcoming to refugees, as many as six anti-refugee protests were staged weekly throughout 2015. Many asylum-seekers and refugees who were attacked, or whose friends or acquaintances were attacked, told Amnesty International that they now live in fear and no longer feel safe."

"The report, Living in insecurity: How Germany is failing victims of racist violence, details how 16 times as many crimes were reported against asylum shelters in 2015 (1,031) as in 2013 (63). More generally, racist violent crimes against racial, ethnic and religious minorities increased by 87% from 693 crimes in 2013 to 1,295 crimes in 2015."

www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/06/germany-failing-to-tackle-rise-in-hate-crime/

We can keep going on and on producing information as to how racism is on the rise throughout Europe.

The murder of the polish national recently was reported by Junker in the EU Parliament whilst talking of Brexit. Whilst the case has not even been to court he chose to use it is an example of Brexit. Did he elect to mention the racial killing in Italy , NO.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36733575

I repeat I believe race tensions are rising in the UK but let's have a bit of honesty and accept it is on the rise throughout Europe. Actually some countries do not even record race hate crimes whereas the UK do.

They were not EU migrants, many had Brtish colonial backgrounds. Second generation in many cases.

Most of the people using slaves appear to come from non EU countries. Most were British...

Eh? Sorry, that doesn't make sense to me.

Fortress Britain,,, oh dear, I watched a programme on BBC1 not that long ago, about the slave trade in the UK.
Most of the people using slaves appear to come from non EU countries.Most were British, many with colonial backgrounds.
The slave trade is alive and well in the UK, unfortunately.

I'm afraid you will be disappointed nigglynellie because as far as I'm aware we are still in NATO - nothing to do with the EU - so we are tied to Europe in the area of mutual military support

All eu countries have their problems with the administration of the eu, but most try to get on with it
The only difference is, we have voted to not get on with it.

The Empire?!!! The slave trade?!!! What ridiculous comments! The Empire was finally disbanded over forty years ago. Even I, at my great age, can only just remember our African colonies becoming independent, vaguely remember Borneo, no memory at all of Malaya, and India? well I was at day nursery and again no memory! Incidentally in case it has slipped your memory we weren't the only country to colonise other parts of the world, or indulge in the slave trade. Our Empire is a distant memory at best and totally irrelevant to how we feel about the EU. As for attacks on other nationals, continental Europe isn't too exactly squeaky clean in that respect!!!! Two incidents perpetrated by yobs is not an indication of how the general public feel about Scotland or anywhere else. We joined a Common Market all those years ago not a federal state of Europe run by unelected beaurocrats, and a parliament that clearly dislikes us at best and actively hates us at worse Why on earth would we want to stay in that club? Next time a hostile country threatens/overwhelms Europe, go elsewhere for help and fend for yourselves, because this 'mosquito' won't be at home. Fortress Britain will be alive and well.

Yes, I can, felice. They must be scratching their heads wondering why we pretended to want Scotland to remain part of the UK, and therefore the EU.
They are trying to excuse him as he was only 20. No 20 year olds I know have behaved like that, but there are more and more reports of English people behaving badly towards foreigners.
Makes you despair, doesn't it?

The Uk is not seen with much regard in the rest of Europe, on a recent Dutch Satirical Radio show, I heard someone say that 'they have finally squatted the Mosquito'. The Uk with it's constant pleading for special needs had just got on a lot of peoples nerves.

Well, it doesn't sound as though the UK would have had much ifluence in 'reforming' the EU if it had voted to remain in any case!

Not sure exactly what you do want felice it's too late to turn the clock back now. Telling us how much we are despised throughout Europe isn't going to change Brexiters' minds.

Thanks Jen, can you imagine how that looks to the rest of Europe.

www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/14739853.Man_was_viciously_attacked_and_abused_in_York_because_he_had_a_Scottish_accent/