BREXIT: Planning for No Deal.

One of DD's post grads has gone to work in the Civil Service. Apparently she had always thought that, no matter how chaotic things looked, there was someone at the top of the food chain who knew what was going on and what to do about it. She has now realised that person doesn't exist!

Hi! Jabberwok is the new nigglienellie!! Its a long boring story, which involves a new email address to facilitate this transformation! Hopefully now Its all going to work without a hitch!

Surely if there are plans being made for a hard Brexit it can only be a good thing. Better than dropping off the edge perhaps?

I know someone who came out of retirement as a lawyer to work in a government department working on Brexit, in return for a super taxpayer funded salary naturally, she claims it is all a complete mess with no one knowing what is going on and it’s all a complete dogs doodah. I think I believe her.

As opposed to the Guardian which has no political leaning whatsoever.

And we should all know by now that The Telegraph, owned by billionaire tax exiles has its own agenda.

Grandad1943 you’re right, the end of the article stated:

‘The author is a serving civil servant engaged in preparing the UK for a Brexit on WTO rules after March 29 2019. She therefore writes under a pseudonym’

But maybe the person was just sick of the government pretending that it was Mrs May’s (rotten) deal or ‘crashing out’. - such emotive language especially as it’s patently untrue.

The UK will spend more than £100m chartering extra ferries to ease "severe congestion" at Dover, in the case of a no-deal Brexit.

Over the last few months, additional ferry contracts were awarded to French, Danish and British companies.

The contingency plans allow for almost 4,000 more lorries a week to come and go from other ports, including Plymouth, Poole, and Portsmouth.

The UK Chamber of Shipping said customs procedures were a bigger problem.

Chief executive Bob Sanguinetti said: "Government is rightly preparing for every eventuality... but it is not clear that government-chartered ships can move goods faster or more efficiently than the private sector."

"Those goods will still need to go through the same customs procedures in ports - which is where the real problems would be."

The Department for Transport (DfT) said the awards were "a small but important element" of its no-deal planning.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46704522

Yet more wasted money that we should not have to spend. Exactly how much has this brexit nonsense cost us in the last two and a half years? - £500 million/week? £600 million/week? - certainly a lot more than the famous £350 million/week lie on the bus.

Humptydumpty, you've said it, " where are all the customs officers coming from ". You might well ask. My D works for a security firm handling sailings from Birkenhead to Belfast. The hours she works are horrendous because nobody wants to do the job/s. It'll be the same in Dover only worse.

Nobody is willing to get up at 4am for the measly wages that are being paid for a job which has responsibilities of safely loading/unloading passengers,security checks can only be done randomly because of staff shortage and this includes passengers and cabins of vehicles that are shipped.

Stena Line are bringing some larger ships to the port next year because it's busier----do you think that they're worried about safety, Brexit or anything else ? Of course they're not. Neither must they turn a hair when they read about undesirables entering the country as they will continue to do so until they up their wages and stop using two people to do the job of six.

The quayside was blasted not long ago as being the worst for its lack of security but no mention of its lack of staff to do the job. No wonder these big companies profit, it's the slave labour they create. It's little wonder that the country is unsafe !

For two pins I'd write to the security division and tell them what I know, but my D depends on her job to pay her mortgage and I'd hate to open a can of worms and she lose her job. She's been there over 12 years in all weathers.

I always believed that Civil Servants working within government were not allowed to discuss any topic of that government's policy and most certainly not give their own views on any matter.

The person who wrote this article should be shown the door, pronto.

sorry the contracts are to ferry companies to take goods to other ports

What seemed odd to me was the news this morning that contracts have been awarded to other ports to relieve strain on Dover if no-deal - where are all the extra customs officers going to come from?!

I always believed that Civil Servants working within government were not allowed to discuss any topic of that government's policy and most certainly not give their own views on any matter.

The above therefore makes me very sceptical in regard to this "Daily Telegraph" article, as it has always been the policy of that right-wing rag to not let the truth get in the way of a good story.

If a Civil Servant within Government has contributed his views to this article, I have no doubt that person will be summarily dismissed under gross misconduct and possibly even lose all or part of his/her pension if proved responsible.

And that's the way it should be.

Urmston incompetence probably. I saw him on Friday and he asked me if I wanted more. In our area pharmacists are not allowed to order on behalf of the patients as they were where we previously lived. It has to be done through the doctor and maybe he is not quite so on the ball about such things. Where we lived before our lovely pharmacist knew when I needed more and got the prescription from the GP. Apparently allowing pharmacists to do this allows them to over order and make a profit thereby defrauding the NHS. I would never have thought that.

How come your doctor allows you to stockpile Nonnie? Most are very strict on repeat prescribing practices. Another thing altogether if pharmacies stockpile in preparation of course. That’s just good housekeeping in an uncertain situation.
I was talking to our local independent pharmacist last week. He said he’s been cautious and sensitive in his ordering. As he said if everyone rushed out it would be a self fulfilling prospect like the ‘sugar crisis’ in the late 70’s when all the supermarket shelves were bare of all types of sugar!

Well said Maisie

I keep hearing that we are stockpiling everything but would like to know where. Do we really have loads of empty warehouses waiting to be filled? Who has been paying for empty warehouses just waiting for a crisis?

I have to admit to stocking up on my medication because it is essential to keep me alive.

Must have been looking the wrong way. Can’t say I’ve noticed many Brexiteers giving us positive reasons why all will be well if the unpopular plan is agreed. If it is, it will because Tory MPs fear a referendum or election.

Well I think it’s about time we heard someproper facts from people ‘wot know’. We’ve had enough speculation (and fear) about the future post Brexit. And everyone is always saying businesses need certainty.
And this active civil servant was quite happily putting her name to the article.

The official who is involved in drawing up contingency plans needs to learn to use more grown up language when promoting his/her views. Reverting to 'Project Fear', which is nothing but a meaningless phrase which could well be applied to either 'camp', speaks of a lack of plausible and well reasoned arguments for their case. Soundbite nonsense to keep all those in agreement nodding...

Not to mention that active civil servants shouldn't be plastering their views all over the press..

Unfortunately our MP’s will take whatever decision they need to to ensure that their nests continue to be liberally feathered.
Lies lies and more lies is what I have come to expect.

Ok.