Gransnet forums

News & politics

Is the UK Union now at risk.

(156 Posts)
MarthaBeck Sun 11-Aug-19 12:36:52

Gordon Brown writing in today’s states that growing nationalism is pulling the United Kingdom apart, driving it towards an unprecedented economic calamity and unleashing the most serious constitutional crisis since the 17th century.
he says unionism is “sleepwalking into oblivion”, fuelled by a “destructive, populist, nationalist ideology” deployed by Boris Johnson.
“If we are to understand why we are facing not only our most serious constitutional crisis since the 17th century but at the same time an unprecedented economic calamity precipitated by a no-deal exit from the European Union, we must recognise that nationalism is now driving British politics,” he writes.
“It follows that only thus - as an outward-looking, tolerant, fair-minded and pragmatic people - can Britain recover its cohesion and common purpose. These precious ideals could not survive the divisiveness and chaos of a no-deal Brexit. To prevent the rise and rise of dysfunctional nationalism the first step is to stop no-deal in its tracks.”

His comments come amid mounting fears that a no-deal Brexit would hasten the end of Scotland’s membership of the UK. Three-fifths of Scottish voters (60%) believe that support for Scottish independence would increase after a no-deal Brexit, according to new Focaldata polling for the anti-racist Hope Not Hate campaign. Most Tory supporters said they regarded the end of the union as a price worth paying to achieve Brexit. Some 57% of Conservative party supporters agreed with this view, in a separate UK-wide poll of 3,200 adults for Hope Not Hate.
I would be interested to hear other views, is Brexit worth putting the UK Union at risk, what benefits would we gain to make it worth while.?

Personally, I am utterly sick of this Brexit sickness, which is tearing our country and even families apart for sheer dogma.

paddyann Mon 12-Aug-19 09:34:25

Without intending offence there are a couple of Scottish posters on here who seem to be unable to understand that there are more than the SNP in Scotland.If/when we get
independence you can vote for whatever party you want...even tories though it pains me.Its like buying a house and because you dont like the wallpaper you walk away .You can CHANGE the wallpaper AFTER you have the house.In exactlty the same way you can change the party after Independence .The SNP is only the vehicle to get us there .Indpendence is across party goal.40% OF lABOUR VOTERS ARE PART OF THE MOVEMENT.We have tories and greens and even the odd Lib Dem.There will be SCOTTISH parties but not ones who are led from WM .
It might indeed be the only way Labour will find a way back in Scotland .The SNP BAD is irrational ,the goal is a free country NOT a dictatorship.

Can I point out to the poster earlier that we pay council tax in Scotland too .Thats a whole lot different than half your countries earnings going to finance somewhere else.Would she be happy if England gave the same to France or Spain or any other country you can name and then got told you OWE them 10% of all the debts they have accrued? .Or like us does she want to see revenue spent in her own country ?
Surely thats the Brexit message only with the EU the powers relinquished are minimal with WM they are very much in control .

growstuff Mon 12-Aug-19 09:11:29

The government has drawn up a list of companies which will need to be "supported" to stop jobs from being lost and house prices are stalling. As we know, there is up to £2bn in the pot to mitigate the effects of Brexit.

Mark Carney wasn't far wrong.

Dinahmo Mon 12-Aug-19 09:04:55

When Mark Carney and others talked about what would happen after Brexit they were talking about when we left. Not what would happen immediately after the referendum. Brexit hasn't happened yet. The effects are still to come!

growstuff Mon 12-Aug-19 09:04:53

During the video, Ruth Lea is taken apart for the claim that anybody in Calais can just change the law.

growstuff Mon 12-Aug-19 09:02:51

Did you watch the video I posted? Two of the non-vocal experts were speaking. I'm well aware that there are hundreds of people working behind the scenes, who are never invited to speak on TV.

varian Mon 12-Aug-19 09:02:43

When was that Sky News discussion Minniethemoo ? It sounds like some time last year.

Even if you believed the brexiter Ruth Lea, a lot has changed since then.

growstuff Mon 12-Aug-19 09:00:56

I do know she's not taken seriously, Miniemoo, as a result of my own background, which may or may not be in Liverpool.

GracesGranMK3 Mon 12-Aug-19 08:54:55

Ah just seen it's Ruth Lea, whose only publication seems to be “Stamps as witnesses of history” not likely to put her up there in high achademia really. I think she started as a communist didn't she?

GracesGranMK3 Mon 12-Aug-19 08:34:38

Minniemoo that's really not how debate works. If you have a point you think adds to your side of the argument you need to do the work. I now have a strong feeling this interview or whatever is not quite what you make it out you be. As that tends to be what we get from the leave side it doesn't surprise me.

SirChenjin Mon 12-Aug-19 07:45:29

She is taken seriously by the Brexiteers who are desperately trying to fit the figures around the end goal, yes.

Minniemoo Mon 12-Aug-19 05:48:10

So you don't like that expert. And the figures thing was quite honest but had to be backtracked. Can't be seen to be telling the truth. We know that figures get plucked from the air all the time. After all, what about all those figures Mark Carney gave us? Days after the vote 100s of thousands would lose their jobs, house prices would drop dramaticallu. Experts have been telling us stuff since time immemorial. And quite often getting things wrong.

As for Ruth, how do you know that 'she's not taken seriously' I doubt economists are as childish as posters on here. She seems to be taken seriously by a great many people judging by the Wiki that someone kindly posted.

Why is it that someone who disagrees with your points is unicorn led and not taken seriously? She clearly is taken seriously. And I'm not sure how unicorns are involved.

The less vocal experts (on all sides) are the one who are working towards the 31st October rather than pulling their hair and wailing.

The French chap who says all will be fine at Calais obviously didn't get the doom and gloom message and says all will be fine at his end. I'm hopeful he's right.

And are you from Liverpool, growstuff? The rather derogatory comment you mentioned is only applicable to Liverpudlians and its 'neighbours' Just interested as it's my neck of the woods

elizasnan Mon 12-Aug-19 05:38:28

"Extreme Brexiteers who haven't a clue how the world works"
Gracesgran you are rude and arrogant

growstuff Mon 12-Aug-19 04:04:35

I don't know why the media drags out Ruth Lea to speak about the EU. Perhaps she's the only pro-Brexit economist willing to be available. Most economists don't take her seriously any more.

If you want to see what she's like in action, you could watch this:

www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/bdb179f2-976d-4397-b9d0-4dd80f1da77e

Unfortunately, it's over two hours and very technical, so I don't suppose many people will have that much time or patience. The point is that Ruth Lea is completely out of her depth and believes in the land of unicorns. She's driven by ideology and hearsay, but really hasn't studied the details, as other "experts" have done.

crystaltipps Mon 12-Aug-19 03:05:42

Let’s face it, no one can state any positives about the current Brexit process,. I think more of us might be convinced if it was such a great idea. Sky News may dig up one right winger to claim it will all be marvellous, but the vast majority of academics and those who actually work in finance state the obvious- the U.K. has already lost billions of potential and actual investment and we are only one negative quarter away from a full blown recession. That’s reality not project fear. When weak soundbites and downright lies are treated as gospel and unpleasant people like Johnson and Farage praised as the next best thing to the Almighty, those beliefs deserve to be challenged. That’s not the same as an insult.

Dinahmo Mon 12-Aug-19 00:12:06

Day6 your post 11/08 14.55.26

I've been looking back through this thread and think that you have (possibly unwittingly) explained why Remainers are still campaigning to stop Brexit in your reference to Gordon Brown's treatment of a constituent.

"(We got the referendum because this had become a nationwide concern which our politicians had for years and years refused to address)"

Exactly. It had/has nothing to do with the EU and everything to do with the state of peoples' towns and immigration. I don't think anybody doubts the latter although many will think it is wrong.

SirChenjin Sun 11-Aug-19 23:23:21

Fought

SirChenjin Sun 11-Aug-19 23:21:31

Minnie do you mean Ruth Lea, the lady on the left who is a pro Brexit economist (and also someone who has found hard against controls over greenhouse gases, if you’re interested in that sort of thing)? This Ruth Lea? www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.indy100.com/article/ruth-lea-bbc-news-treasury-economist-brexit-no-deal-video-9049216%3famp

Dinahmo Sun 11-Aug-19 23:06:51

Pantglas1 Perhaps you could point me to a "Happy Thread" and I'll gladly comment upon it. As far as I can see there is little to be happy about in the news at the moment and we are, after all commenting on the news.

Minniemoo Sun 11-Aug-19 23:05:54

Here she is. This isn't today's offering but it's quite interesting. Reminds me a bit of in here only with more intelligent people. And I count the Remainer lady in that

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwgMYExTPi0

SirChenjin Sun 11-Aug-19 22:50:04

SkyNews is on 24 hours a day and has numerous ‘expert’ in talking about Brexit? Can you narrow it down a bit? Blonde hair, largish nose, in her forties perhaps?

Minniemoo Sun 11-Aug-19 22:44:32

GGMK3. She was on Sky news. I am sure you can find it if you want.

GracesGranMK3 Sun 11-Aug-19 22:42:28

So renowned you don't tell us who she is Minniemoo

Minniemoo Sun 11-Aug-19 22:05:47

Don't agree crystaltipps. And again, slightly rude. But they just don't want to be insulted . Which you've just done. There was a renowned economic 'expert' on Sky News today talking down all these horrors that are being forecast. She doesn't see any of the harm predicted and can see bright possibilities. Who knows?

Off topic, but are you a scouser, growstuff?

Jane10 Sun 11-Aug-19 21:59:16

I'd never in a million years vote for independence for Scotland. I have zero confidence in SNP after more than 10 years of their nonsense. A hard border with England? Cutting ourselves off from our huge market with the rest of the UK? It's been hard enough disentangling ourselves from the EU after only 40 years, imagine how hard it would be to unravel hundreds of years of red tape to break away from UK.
This scaremongering does no one any good.

Pantglas1 Sun 11-Aug-19 21:33:42

As a middle of the road sort, I find the words ‘woolyback, derogatory terms freely used and a ‘good kicking’ a bit scary. All this on the thread plus other profanity on other threads which I’ve highlighted but not received a response.

I’ve noticed that the people who use those terms rarely comment on what I call the ‘happy’ threads which worries me that they have no other thoughts than HATE - the worst 4 lettered word on the planet.