Article 50

I'll go with the original Northumbria and all of them South of the River Humber can just get on with it. We'll introduce huge charges for any of them coming north for their holidays/grouse shooting /whatever.

I see John McDonnell is promising a Northern Crossrail, LIverpool to Leeds. That's the M62 line.
Of course, Tories are saying he's doing the usual spend-too-much Labour slur, quite forgetting the amount they have spent on Crossrail and HS2.
The sooner the north separates from the south the better. They can have Osborne back, as well.

I thought that Scotland received more per head via the Barnett formulae than the rest of the U.K. Am I mistaken.

And doesn't Scotland have the highest public spending deficit in the European Union?

A Tory MP has just helped out with showing the national debt.

evolvepolitics.com/conservative-party-mp-tweets-graph-attacking-tories/

Very kind of him to show that the Tories have trebled the national debt. His tweet has disappeared - the one where he was blaming Labour, but the twittersphere noticed first.

Nice piece by one of those who will be negotiating with the UK government.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/18/not-punish-britain-shed-illusions-eu-fair-deal?CMP=share_btn_tw

JessM you have got that right ( post of 09.25.35)

Its a 'hardball' piece from Verhofstadt Rose designed to send a tough message to Britain that the EU will not give an inch and setting whats in their interest in the order of priorities i.e. securing the place of their emigrants in Britain above what is in ours i.e. a quick trade deal .

I suspect youve read the article quickly and been misled by the measured tones of his wording. This man is an EU fanatic who wants to keep us out of the single market! Strange that Jess would be supportive and reveals that she is holding on to her dream that Brexit will not happen!

I do enjoy reading your comments Mair, long may you go on posting to the consternation of a particular section!

Cheers Nellie, and do join in more often, don't let the few who resort to jeering and silly pointless posts designed to do nothing more than goad put you off.

For god's sake, Mair, niggly has never been put off anything on here by anyone.

How on earth do you know that, durhamjen?

"But it is an illusion to suggest that the UK will be permitted to leave the EU but then be free to opt back into the best parts of the European project, for instance by asking for zero tariffs from the single market without accepting the obligations that come with it. I hope that British people will see from the perspective of an EU taxpayer how unreasonable this would be."

From Jess's link.

Wolfgang Schauble, the German finance minister has stated " we should not punish th uk. Cutting the city adrift would be counter productive because it had the capacity that * didnt* exist in the rest of the continent"
Did anyone read about the French finance minister going to New York to meet the banks on Wall Steet to put the case for the financial centre to be moved to France.
They weren't impressed because he had to take an interpreter with him
I have a feeling that that isn't going to happen.

Can any of you Leavers explain why you think that the UK will be able to stay in the Single Market?

"Brexit really does mean Brexit. Theresa May’s long-awaited speech this week finally outlined some of her government’s negotiating objectives. Now we know that Britain wants to leave the European single market it helped to create, the customs union, and the European Union as a whole."

Yes, Maizie, why do they want to leave the single market we helped to create?

So MaizieD thinks Leavers want to stay in the single market and durhamjen thinks they don't...

But it appears that they don't want to leave the Single Market ('they' being Leavers on this forum) and are confident that we won't. It's just a threat from an EU fanatic who wants to keep us out of the single market!

OK, Ana, the impression I am getting is that at least some Leavers want to stay in the Single Market. Perhaps those who do can explain why they think it's possible to stay in it and those who don't could just say they don't so that we are a bit clearer as to who wants what.

At least we Remainers are unanimous about what we want

"At least we Remainers are unanimous about what we want"

What nonsense. You are not unanimous about whether you want:
To be in the single currency
To be part of Schengen
To have a Euro army and police force
To admit migrants
To distribute migrants across Europe regardless of the wishes of the national governments.
To have unanimous voting on issues or qualified majority voting.
To admit or not admit Turkey.
And the biggy to become a United States of Europe or not!

You are also not allowing for the niche of the Euronationalists who want a united Europe but also to prevent non EU immigration.

Now what about your reasons for thinking that we could stay in the Single Market, Mair?

The Remainers want to remain in the EU with the same conditions as we have - if we leave and rejoin the conditions are likely to be different - probably need to join the Euro and Schengen both of which most Remainers are happy to do without. We have more opt outs etc than any other country at the moment.

Non EU migration does not really come into this argument - different question altogether and has always had the possibility of being altered.

I dont want us to remain in the single market MD

The Remainers want to remain in the EU with the same conditions as we have

The EU is changing all the time Welsh, and Bremainers are not in agreement as to how it should do so. Many Bremainers want free movement to end but are frightened about leaving the EU for economic reasons.