Could you imagine Mrs Thatcher breaking the law?

My opinion of Margaret Thatcher is the same as yours Alegrais . Her policies were appalling but she was intelligent, well-educated and hard-working. Johnson is none of these.

I don't want to be seen to be defending Mrs Thatcher, the words I would use to describe her couldn't be used on Gransnet....

She didn't have a scientific career but she did have a scientific mind. She understood when technical things were explained to her and knew the right questions to ask, even on things she hadn't been briefed on. I heard that from colleagues in the seventies and eighties whose opinion I trusted.

MayBee70

And also, Mrs Thatcher was a scientist and countries that have had people in power with a scientific background seem to have fared much better.

Thatcher the scientist!

After graduating in 1947 she moved to Essex for a job with BX Plastics. In 1948 She applied for a job with ICI but was rejected by the HR department as being "headstrong, obstinate and dangerously self opinionated"

She became increasingly active in politics and was adopted as Conservative candidate for Dartford in February 1949. She met Dennis at a dinner to celebrate her adoption. Whilst preparing for the election she worked as part of a team for Lyons researching into emulsifiers for ice cream. She subsequently claimed that she invented Mr Whippy. Hardly the best ice cream in the world, even then.

So much for her scientific career.

As regards her integrity, whilst PM she sailed very close to the wind over arms deals that involved her son Mark.

Johnson promises ERG and hedge fund managers a No Deal.

Free lunch on me!

t.co/SpH8y5NOxO?amp=1

FT reporting that the new a Japanese deal the U.K. has just signed is stricter regarding state aid curbs than the current ones being negotiated by the EU.

Q.
Has the government read it and not understood, and once it does in 6 months want to break the contract.? Or

It does understand it and the fuss it is making over the EU agreement is because the government is intent on a no deal?

I suspect the latter.

Brainwashing by the Daily Express?

I may be wrong it could be The Sun or The Daily Mail or possibly the Torygraph.

Jaberwok

Hooray, then you won't mind us leaving then?! Perhaps you'd kindly call off your gorrillas and leave us alone as in our world there's more to life than money!

Which gorillas?

Seeing gorillas seems to be a symptom of having serious anger and fantast issues.

Explanation of Johnson’s behaviour.

Michael Dugghan

Lots of requests for a step-by-step explanation of Johnson's plans to breach Protocol on Irish border.

No problem. And by the end, you'll understand why this man is totally unfit to hold public office.

Voila:

For Ireland (north and south) May's red lines / decision to leave Customs Union & Single Market transformed Brexit from "problem" into "crisis": customs & regulatory checks on goods have to take place somewhere; if across Ireland = serious economic, social & political impacts

When May came to realise this, she sought to minimise damage of own policy by proposing temporary solution (the infamous "backstop"): whole UK would remain in effective customs union with EU; but some regulatory checks would happen on movement of goods between GB and NI

Brexit Loons went bonkers: May's backstop would stop them pursuing long- & dear-held plans to deregulate UK social and welfare standards; & hinder their (laughable) fantasy that "Global Britain" would revolutionise the terms of world trade in its own favour
having ousted May, Johnson renegotiated withdrawal deal specifically on Irish border: NI & it alone would remain subject to wide range of EU customs and regulatory rules - with extensive checks on trade in goods between GB and NI; and not just on temporary but permanent basis

Johnson's new Protocol was clear & specific about fact that NI will be subject to entirely distinct rules from GB (including eg powers for various EU institutions to decide about NI issues); & that this= significant barriers for NI goods into GB but especially GB goods into NI

with NI dumped by the wayside, Brexit Loons were delighted: now free to deregulate UK & sign trade deals with Trump etc. Johnson sold this as his "Great New Brexit Deal" in the election & then passed it through Parliament. Though he was already lying about it even by then...

but all along, we warned of real risk that Johnson had only signed his “oven ready deal” to win general election. Having done so, real plan would be to tear up withdrawal treaty, including own NI border plan, ruin talks on future EU-UK relations & blame EU for resulting mess

Which is precisely what Johnson went on to do. From outset, made mockery of talks on future relations & also ruled out transition extension = heading for no deal Brexit (on top of pandemic). And very quickly, made clear he would do everything possible to undermine border plans

Eg refusing permission for EU to even have an office in Belfast. But culminating in UK Internal Market Bill – which clearly, deliberately and consciously empowers Johnson directly and without any ambiguity to breach two key parts of his own legally binding Withdrawal Agreement

First: UKIM Bill empowers UK to ignore controls on goods leaving NI for GB. From point of view of “hard border” that is less serious than if he proposed ignoring controls on goods leaving GB for NI: after all, goods are heading away from EU so no risk of harming Single Market

But this is still serious stuff: not only a clear breach of the legally binding withdrawal treaty; also raises questions about WTO compliance if UK is not treating all trading partners equally; & of course makes NI a smuggler and fraudster’s paradise for access into entire UK

Secondly: UKIM Bill empowers UK to ignore EU rules that would prevent unlawfully subsidised goods entering Single Market via NI. From “hard border” perspective this is very serious: UK effectively letting NI act as backdoor to engage in unfair dumping of British goods into EU
To the Brexit Loons, Johnson’s behaviour might look like it delivers on all the things they ever really wanted: teach Ireland a lesson; scupper relations with EU for years to come; totally free to deregulate UK & realign with hard right allies like the vile Trump
But in real world: Johnson’s plans are a serious violation of his own Withdrawal Agreement; resurrect fears of a hard border in Ireland; damage EU-UK talks on future relations in trade and security; undermine rules-based international order; & harm UK reputation and interests

And Johnson’s attempts to justify his plans are so grossly dishonest (indeed, offensive) that it confirms him & his regime as full-scale post-truth populists of the most degenerate variety. A risk to peace and stability in Ireland. And a growing threat to UK democracy.

Oh Paddyanne do you have to bring your perceived unfairness to Scotland into everything? And before you start on me, I say this as a Scot. The issue here is the proposed disregard of the Rule of Law and dismissal of the hard earned and negotiated GFA. Anyone who thinks the behaviour of this current administration is acceptable, and then starts bringing in references to that old fool Bill Cash (yes, I mean you Jabberwok), really needs to have a good look at what is going on, at what we, as a country stand to lose. It really is ok to admit that it is wrong, nobody is asking you to start voting for a Labour government, just admit that this disgraceful proposal by the government that you voted for is wrong. Today, I had lunch with a died in the wool Tory, a retired policeman and a strong Brexit supporter and he said that he just cannot recognise this as the givernment of law and order that he voted for, he is disgusted. He cannot be alone

The "UK" was NEVER run by the EU ,only 5% of laws came from there and that same "UK" voted FOR them.Contrast the situation in Scotland where Westminster has rule over 80% of SCOTS laws .Thats laws we get NO control over .Now do you realise why we need Independence ? Or do you still thaink its "normal" to be run by your next door neighbour?

The ECHR was proposed by Churchill, drafted by British lawyers and approved by the Council of Europe in 1953. It came into effect in September 1953, 40 years before the Treaty of Maastricht. Denouncing it as part of Brexit is denouncing British history, not European legislation.

Jaberwok

Hooray, then you won't mind us leaving then?! Perhaps you'd kindly call off your gorrillas and leave us alone as in our world there's more to life than money!

That has been true for a while now.

The nonsense sold to you that “they need us more than we need them” was never true.

Hooray, then you won't mind us leaving then?! Perhaps you'd kindly call off your gorrillas and leave us alone as in our world there's more to life than money!

^Could you imagine Mrs Thatcher breaking the law?*

Ask the miners at Orgreave...

“Good morning from #Germany, where #UK is becoming less important as an export market & hard Brexit is losing much of its fear. Exports to UK have fallen <€70bn in the past 12mths. Britain is now only the 5th most important export mkt for Germany may soon be overtaken by #Italy.“

Rubbish! Business people my son deals with abroad particularly Australia are looking on in horror at the bully boys we're having to deal with, trading with counties/organisations is one thing but being run by them is quite something else! Australians and I guess Americans simply wouldn't put up with it!

“UK: Can we sell you beef?
EU: Are you going to feed your cattle dead sheep and develop a new health threat?
UK : shrugs Haven't decided yet, can we sell you beef?
EU: We need to know if it will be safe, clarify your rules first
UK: They're blockading Northern Ireland!!!!!“

On Leo Varadker, he wasn't offered the post and he's ruled out applying for it. Disinformation.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/politics/leo-varadkar-phil-hogan-eucommissioner-22587668.amp

He's been offered Paul Hogans job.
I see J.Major and T Blair have waded in! Say what you will, nothing is worse than taking a country to war on false pretences, neatly deceiving parliament, bye passing the U.N. causing mayhem and misery in the middle east, which still prevails today and then a dodgy report 5 years later whitewashing the whole eisode! How that man still has the gall to be pontificating is quite beyond me! As for Major, I think scrutiny of his parliamentary conduct would make for a lot of risen eyebrows! If anything is hardening the governments resolve and public opinion,these old fools are doing an excellent job! If Barnier hadn't deliberately threatened NI in order to try and force us into agreeing to his so called conditions without compromise, before even discussing talks no one would be contemplating taking protective measures.. I think Bill Cash, realising what snakes this country would dealing with inserted b38 into the WA, which should do the trick! a very clever man!

Nick Boles

Just had coffee with a mild-mannered friend, a natural conservative who used to work in Cameron’s No 10 and is now running his own business. “The loss of our reputation internationally is catastrophic. People see us as a failed state.”

Jaberwok

Wow! Leo Varadkar has joined the gravy train and picked up a nice little earner as a reward from his EU masters! Super salary, gold plated pension, unaccountable expenses, first class travel, well,first class everything at someone else's expense! Who wouldn't support the EU maffia with expectation of those of rewards! Nice work if you can get it! Credentials? A failed politician, easy really!

What job is this please? Jaberwok? I tried to find it on Google but no luck.

There was an interesting suggestion on a FB page which I follow: all of those MPs who are solicitors or barristers ( a lot of them) who vote for this breaking of the rule of law should be reported to the Solicitors Regulatory Authority or the Bar Standards Board for breaking their code of conduct. Robert Buckland nicely swerved Andrew Marr this morning when Marr asked ' If I have 8 people over at Christmas can I just tell the lockdown marshall that I am only breaking a little bit of the law?'

I thought that accusing another poster of being ‘hysterical’ was anathema to the moral high ground brigade?
Apparently not....when it suits them.

Labour amendments being defeated means zilch...the Opposition lay them like landmines for the government of the day.It does not mean that supertrawlers will never be banned in British waters.

On the subject of fishing, Jabberwok, perhaps you'd read this thread on proceedings at the Committee stage of the Fisheries Bill:

mobile.twitter.com/LukePollard/status/1304006095585923075

A taster:

Tory MPs now voting against creating jobs in British ports by requiring more fish to be landed here. Bizarre the Tories are betraying coastal communities and the promises they made during Brexit to those towns

@LukePollard
Conservative MPs have just defeated Labour’s amendment to ban supertrawlers over 100m fishing in the UK’s marine protected areas. Our amendment would have delivered @GreenpeaceUK’s supertrawler campaign. With such huge public support for this campaign this is a disappointing move

Wow! Leo Varadkar has joined the gravy train and picked up a nice little earner as a reward from his EU masters! Super salary, gold plated pension, unaccountable expenses, first class travel, well,first class everything at someone else's expense! Who wouldn't support the EU maffia with expectation of those of rewards! Nice work if you can get it! Credentials? A failed politician, easy really!