Does anyone believe BJ has any intention of negotiating a Deal with EU?

It won’t happen just yet sw but honestly I bet it will going forward.

Mind you I’m a glass half full type of person!

You just don’t ‘get’ BJ do you Urm ? Not at all.

The biggest stumbling block is likely to be individual countries not ratifying any proposed deal. For instance Spain has issues about Fisheries and Gibraltar, they are likely to want big concessions, other countries have their own issues.

Realistically there is little chance of any complete deal in 12 months but there might be some kind of interim agreement by then. By the way, that applies to trade deals with other countries as too, the US in particular will be very difficult.

Yes I do. I get that he doesn’t do detail. He’s maybe lazy. I don’t know him. But he’s popular, he cheers us up with his ‘can do’ attitude. He’s identified with Joe Public about our concerns and I truly believe he will make a great PM.

Time will tell.

He doesn’t do detail - how much detail does he need - social care is in crisis and will get worse with the points system should be enough but he doesn’t care. End of. It’ll never affect him and his

Good points Davidhs.

Oh my, Urm ... who cares if he is 'popular'- how can being lazy and not 'doing detail' possibly mean that he 'can do' ...

Time is telling already - but there is nought so blind ...The EU will not be blackmailed and pushed - and his blubbering arrogant stance will cost us all very dearly. Of course the EU will suffer too- but never as much as the UK will. WTO is fraught with massive difficulties- the USA is only interested in ... the USA. The world over knows that the UK is now desperate and lonely.

His popularity with the red top readers will depend on how long he can convince them that our woes are all down to the wicked EU.

Anyone with half a brain always knew that we could never get as good a deal outside the EU as within it.

The Daily Express will tell its readers that the nasty EU is being vindictive because they won't agree to BJ's request for a "cake and eat it" deal - and of course a fair number of their readers will swallow that as it fuels their sense of grievance.

From the Brexit page in the Telegraph (behind a paywall):

“With municipal elections little more than a month away, Macron heard fisherman’s complaints that they could be shut out of British waters after the post-Brexit transition period, telling them he was “not sure” it would be possible to reach a trade deal by the end of December as the Brits were “very hard”.

After breaking a taboo in 2018 by saying he could consider reform of Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy, Macron spent much time pledging to stand firm in maintaining EU farming subsidies at current levels despite Britain leaving the bloc and blowing a €12 billion annual hole in the budget.

“We stand for an ambitious budget,” he said. “Brexit can’t happen at the expense of the Common Agricultural Policy.”

Yes, Urmston (at 18.06), I certainly agree about the need for a cross-party solution to the social care crisis. Thanks. Tho I think the Dilnott report was maybe the best we could get, and the cross-party agreement is needed on how to fund it. And it is needed now.

At the moment local authorities receive a grossly inadequate lump sum and when there's a crisis - road repairs, children in care, school buildings, social care - the Govt's response is to say that x council received y £mmmm in funding this year, up to them how they spend it so any complaints should be made to them, and by the way they mustn't increase the council tax beyond a tiny % and of course they can't retain the local business rates revenue. So fundamentally dishonest.

By 2020, local authorities will have faced a reduction to core funding from the Government of nearly £16 billion over the preceding decade. That means that councils will have lost 60p out of every £1 the Government had provided to spend on local services in the last eight years. Next year, 168 councils will receive no revenue support grant at all.

www.local.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/5.40_01_Finance%20publication_WEB_0.pdf

It is not looking good

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-news-live-brexit-deal-priti-patel-labour-leadership-election-latest-a9353956.html?amp

Thanks for the links varian. This stupid austerity inflicted on us all by Cameron & Gideon has had catastrophic repercussions. Services have been decimated.

No wonder it’s time to ‘level up’. It’s sorely needed.

You explained that really well winterwhite thank you.

I just wish someone would pin down government spokespeople in tv interviews and challenge them with comments such as yours and not let them wriggle out of giving a proper response!

Urm the explanation for the problems with social care are quite simple - it’s BJs not giving a fig about it that’s the problem - oh and you thinking it will all be solved by a friendly little cross part chat shortly. As if.

I beg to differ sw. I think he does give a fig. There is a season for all things and it’s early days yet remember. He has a lot on his plate right now. But give him time ...

Can’t have figs ‘cos they’re from EU.......or is that another thread?

And everyone always forgets Ireland. Who knows what has happened post the election in the Republic? There is a new Northern Ireland Secretary and it is said that BJ and his mates are going to fudge the border issue. That, never mind anything else, is going to wreck a deal.

Probably that should say 'there is also a new Northern Ireland Secretary'. The Republic is in some disarray with a divided Parliament.

Can I just (please) stick my head over the parapet and make a comment regarding care workers and unions?

There is a specific care workers union: The National Association of Care & Support Workers but care workers can also join Unison.
I think the problem may be that the (private) care homes may not recognize unions. I haven't researched this. Just a guess.

Trade unions are a spent force now and I say that as a former shop steward. In a gig economy, it's look after your own back as best you can.

From my days in a union I thought that an employer 'not recognising' a union meant that it would not negotiate with them over pay and conditions. In schools we had lots of different unions; support staff joined Unison or the GMB, both of which were 'recognised' unions. Some of the teacher unions recruited support staff, which was utterly ridiculous as they weren't recognised to be able to negotiate on behalf of support staff. (Sadly, some support staff, who clearly had no idea of the function of a union, beyond a vague notion that they were always calling strikes, joined teacher unions...)

Does not being 'recognised' have implications beyond that, NotSpagh?

I don't know, to be honest, MaiseD. I am a "believer" in unions and the "pay and conditions" aspect is crucial, but so too is the support and advice they can offer legally and (to some extent) emotionally in cases of, for example, unfair dismissal or bullying.

My point was really that it's wrong to say there are no unions for care workers. Someone earlier on this thread had said this and I just wanted to say that this isn't actually the case.

Sorry this was a bit off-thread.

Re recognising unions, at the very least, even if not recognised, your union can still give you legal advice re employment problems and accompany and represent you at meetings with your employers regarding employment issues. It could fight your case for example over an accident at work or other H and S matters. As for the gig economy, there are many battles going on there now to unionise the workers such as Uber drivers, couriers and food delivery drivers.