EU elections

I’ve been out, spending the afternoon with family in their garden. 4 generations- aren’t we lucky?

Anyway, hello everyone. I’ve not been ignoring you but goodness, what a lot of questions for me to answer!

I will do my best, in due course, I promise!
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Ref : Andrew Marr show:
calm & polite ?no strident & arrogant
Urban? is this an attribute.
Confident ehhh .?arrogant, rude
Some believe that if you speak louder & longer than anyone else you will be perceived as intelligent & knowledgeable
NO it just makes you sound like an egotistical tyrant

I am referring to Nigel not Andrew!

Good morning campers! I promised to answer your individual questions.

Nonnie you asked me what is my moral stand?

I think you must have garnered that I am a Nigel Farage fan. I see him differently to you. I don’t see him as nasty etc.
Your morals don’t let you vote for him. Actually it’s your beliefs too I expect.

He represents Leave which I voted for. No one else is offering to cut to the chase and honour he result of the referendum so definitively. That’s why he got my postal vote on Saturday.

I’m not sure that makes my moral compass inferior to yours? If it does, so be it. Just think of me as a horrid person then and we’ll call it quits eh?

We shall just have to agree to disagree Bridgeit!
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One man’s meat and all that .....

Thank you mcem for describing my earlier reply to you as ‘civil’.

I do try!
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I agree Ginny42 that Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party doesn’t have any power to change anything in our Parliament.

All I can say to that is it’s early days.

These EU polls will, I am sure, send a firing shot across the bows of the establishment for not respecting the result of the referendum. (I know, we disagree on that too but I’m trying hard to be succinct!). Get this stage out of the way and this newly formed party will get themselves organised to offer a sound choice at a GE.

I predict a landslide!

If nothing else because the Remain parties can neither coalesce around one idea of how to stop Brexit and all the separate parties will split the Remain votes in a GE so the Brexit Party will storm through!

“Why do those who oppose a referendum on the reality of brexit (as opposed to the promise of unicorns), claim to believe in democracy?”

Well varian time will tell about the reality of Brexit wont it? ‘the promise of unicorns’ is, 3 years on, a hackneyed Remain soundbite. The proof of the pudding and all that eh?

Actually I know in the past I have said that if the question for another referendum wasn’t skewed, I’d happily go for one! A great many Leave voters (Farage included) say the result of the first one should be enacted before we contemplate another one. Fair point.

That said, polls show no interest in one, the HoC voted it down and even if it was popular - the powers that be cannot between them cannot come up with what question should be on the ballot paper.

I’d tuck your wish for one at the back of a drawer for the foreseeable future!
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“....my question about intrinsically honest people accepting his "shady dealings"

The honest answer to your question mcem is ‘I don’t know’.

Is he more shady than some of our other politicians x some of whom have been to prison?

You may not like him.
I do.

Again, on either side of the divide, all we can pleasantly do here is agree to disagree!
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Phew!!

Time for a much needed second cuppa!

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Oh dear. I’ve just seen a huge swathe of questions from you mcem
Sorry.

The kettle is boiling.

I’ll drink my tea and come back for a stab at them, hopefully to your satisfaction.

This is worse than sitting an exam this morning and I know the pass level is super high so I expect to fail anyway - all I can do is give it my best shot and hope it’s acceptable!!

Varian
You mention democracy.
Are you aware that the chairman of the LibDems in Kingston has quit?
He said the libdems have abandoned their commitment to democracy

I'm finding it hard to grasp that you found NF "calm, polite, urbane and confident" when all I could see was shouting, arrogant denial and a refusal to answer reasonable questions.

Of course his past declarations (and posters) are relevant today.

Do you really believe that his potential post-war Britain will be all about freedom and democracy, given his track record?

Is concern about NHS privatisation and global warming really rendered irrelevant because NF
is focussed only on brexit and wants to distract voters from the big issues which are ongoing
despite the eu elections?

Do you respect Trump and Putin as NF does?

As a self-proclaimed law-abiding citizens are you at ease with his proven dodgy dealings?

Don't you think "giving someone someone else a go" is just over simplistic and naive?

And if God forbid, he should ever be in any position of power, how would be deal with Scotland and, even more urgent, with NI?

Genuine questions of great concern.


Oh my goodness mcem these questions are a big ask!!

I maintain my opinion of NF. I don’t think he gets rattled easily, he is urbane and likeable and yes, respectful. He listens and bides his time to give his reply. Again, you see differently. I respect your right to do so.

Second point.
Yes his past stance is relevant. But in moderation. He was supposedly being interviewed about his Brexit Party. He wasn’t given the opportunity to outline its aims in better detail. I have also said, a long long way back, upthread, that the poster of the Syrian refugees was crass. It played on people’s fears about sudden mass immigration (although let’s not pretend to think that ours was the only country to be so concerned!). And remember, some of the refugees were illegal - not refugees at all be economic migrants which is why the Turkish government on the Syrian border were given £12 billion from the EU to sort and sift the wheat from the chaff.

I will post this as I’m anxious if I continue I’ll lose the bluddy lot if I press something and then I just won’t have the heart to type it all again!

“Do you really believe that his potential post-war Britain will be all about freedom and democracy, given his track record?”

A. I don’t know. But I’m prepared to give him the opportunity to demonstrate his vision for our future. It can’t be worse than what’s on offer!

I've said it before and I'll say it again here, the pusillanimous cowardice of both Labour and the Tories on Brexit means they fully deserve the thrashing that the voters are about to give them.

To see them both literally begging voters to turn out and save them from their own gutless indecision is absolutely pitiful!

What do you mean by ‘ he is urban ‘?

“Is concern about NHS privatisation and global warming really rendered irrelevant because NF
is focussed only on brexit and wants to distract voters from the big issues which are ongoing
despite the eu elections?”

A. I think he’s focussing on the EU elections for now.

As regards the NHS he has said the current situation isn’t working. I think he’s right there. Most people would I think agree with that statement. It’s not good enough just throwing more money at it. It needs properly looking at and perhaps taking ideas of best practice from other countries. Who knows? But that would be or their manifesto at the time of a GE.

Oh Bridgeit my brain is hurting enough already!

If you are saying he is of the city, can you explain what you mean by this, will it be an attribute ?
Any politician worthy there salt needs to understand both rural & urban . Definitely now we will have to grow more food !

“Do you respect Trump and Putin as NF does?”

A. I think DT is doing a good job. I even think he will get re-elected (if he chooses to stand). Sorry. I even wish he was conducting our Brexit negotiations! He is a leader who puts his own country first. I wish our’s did. (Oh gosh, is an apostrophe correct there?? I’m losing the plot & probably boring most of you to death in the process!)

I have no personal viewpoint on Putin. I don’t know enough about about Russia or it’s politics to give an informed answer. (Ha! That’s a first!)
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I think his urbane persona will help him navigate discussions with the establishment Bridgeit It’s a start. Of course rural issues are equally valid to urban ones.

Best wishes to you in Cuckoo land .

“As a self-proclaimed law-abiding citizen are you at ease with his proven dodgy dealings?”

A. Yes I must be as I’ve just voted for him. I’m not sure how ‘dodgy’ he is in comparison to some other politicians. He’s never been to prison for example.
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“Don't you think "giving someone someone else a go" is just over simplistic and naive?”

A. Probably. But time will tell. I don’t have a crystal ball but I trust the Brexit Party in my heart. They offer what I want.

I knew I was setting myself up for a fall Bridgeit! So soon too - even as I’m trying my best here.
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“And if God forbid, he should ever be in any position of power, how would be deal with Scotland and, even more urgent, with NI?”

A. Brexit is fracturing the U.K. Scotland want another referendum. Nicola Sturgeon has promised them one. Actually I don’t blame them. The majority there voted to stay in the EU and David Cameron promised (incorrectly in his hubris) that the best way to stay in was to be part of the U.K. I cannot presume to know how that vote would go. Although I hope they stay!

N.I. is tricky to say the least and emotive. Is the backstop even ‘real’ in that, with goodwill and genuine effort on both sides, many in the establishment think it can be solved. David Trimble who negotiated the GF agreement thinks so. Who am I with my tiny amount of knowledge on the subject, to disagree?