A new name for the UK - Plague Island

I do not find the description of macron seen on here amusing at all, sorry,

I am not suggesting that any one leader is better or worse, just very different.

I don't resort to unpleasant descriptions of anyone but do have a sense of humour when it comes to their idiosyncrasies. The French families we mix with often comment on our ability to laugh at ourselves as Brits. It works both ways.

Ellianne

I'm guessing biba is on the search for the best of all worlds, (do excuse my "French nonsense" reference to Voltaire biba).
The irony is that Utopia does not exist. What works for one country does not work for another. Mentalities are very different, and why should either side change or give in?
I love Europe too, and I left the UK to marry a Frenchman. But the tit for tat behaviour of the EU countries baffles me. The closest I come to agreeing with them, is to agree to disagree.
Macron is just a product of his own country and its culture as is Merkel, as is Johnson.

And Johnson is a product of the UK. Which one is the best/worst? And before everybody tells me that the French don't like Macron and the Germans possibly don't like Merkel, at least they act in the interest of their countries whereas Johnson acts in his own interest and that of his wealthy cronies.

A deal will definitely be better WW you’re right there.
I’ve not had any alcohol for 5 weeks but might celebrate tonight with a wee dram if one is announced!
?
That said, I’m glad it wasn’t Mrs May’s softest of Brexit deals. We might as well never have left!

Lord David Frost has been an excellent negotiator. A very clever ‘details’ man. More of a match for Barnier. Plus his heart was in it as he voted Leave. Unlike Olly Robbins!

Xenophobia writ large

Firecracker123

10:57Urmstongran

Yes Urmstongran an own goal by the little Napoleon baffoon ha ha ha.

Merry Christmas xxx

Reminds me of a rather unpleasant description of angela Merkel which appeared on GN recently.....

A deal must be better than no deal.

No deal represents out of control chaos, but at least with a deal this government is being forced to act more sensibly.

Very gracious of you Retiredwell.
I don’t have dodgy friends.
Fact.

Ps. I’m not bitter & twisted. At all. What a strange thing to say.

Anyway let’s not fall out. It’s silly to do so. This has been a shocking year for many. There is sadness & uncertainty aplenty.

Warmest Christmas wishes biba to you and all your family.
Sincerely meant too.

And the good news?
A Brexit trade deal is imminent.
Surely that’s something to celebrate about Brexit?

I knew we’d get a deal.
Wish I’d put a bet on!
?

No problem Urmstongran, if he is just acting as a driver of British registered vehicles he is only doing what many European drivers carry out in Britain.

As for you having "many dodgy friends" I will contain my thoughts on that. ?

Oops actually three of his friends (two GP’s and one an orthopaedic surgeon)

One of DH’s good friends is a Doctor, no shortage of holidays all year round?

The Oxford vaccine data is ready to be sent to the MHR according to Matt Hancock, hopefully it will be available at the beginning of January.

Not all all Retiredwell. Maybe I didn’t make myself clear for which I apologise. You must think I have very dodgy friends ha!

No, our Spanish friend Vincente works & lives here in the UK. He earns good money driving around this country only. Pays his taxes etc yet saves more here apparently than he could at home in Spain.

Result for him.

And biba please don’t cast aspersions on my tale about the Spaniard who works full time for a hospital Trust in the UK. it is not ‘you say’. It is a fact. He has worked over here for many years and told his aunt (my friend) that Brexit won’t impinge on his choice. His wife & children are here, have been for many years but eventually he will retire back to Spain. The money and a better contract is what keeps him here.

By the way, I know many doctors (GPs) who pay a locum so they can take time off over Christmas. It is possible. Yes, it is expensive but doctors here are very well paid & the ones I know socially say every now and again they consider it worth it to spend time with their families. Again, it comes down to lifestyle choices so please don’t come the martyr by pretending it is impossible.

Obviously your financial situation was and is none of my business. I am just wishing here to demonstrate that it has always been possible to do such a thing. The doctors I know who did it, did so only occasionally at Christmas - but it was most certainly a viable decision.

GrannyGravy13

Well at least we are ahead in our vaccination programme ???

Hmm.

The Health Authorities are becoming concerned at the lack of vaccine.

50% of Hospital Trusts have never received any vaccine

66% of GPS have no vaccine.

They have raised the alarm that this new variant will become rampant unless we get a head start with the vaccine.

Jeremy Hunt has already said that we will run out of vaccine in January, with nothing due until March.

This governments default setting is cock-up.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Well at least we are ahead in our vaccination programme ???

There have been several variants of Covid-19 it’s what viruses do, they mutate to survive.

Where have you got your information that the so called UK. variant was discovered months ago please?

The WHO information differs from yours biba70

Urmstongran

Some of us just love Europe but not the EU.
Plus - we’d rather live in the UK .

Choices!
??

my post was about your dig about 'choices'

your Spanish friends work in the UK for the money- you say. Well I can assure you they would gt much better money and conditions in part of EU or EEA- for sure, but ...

Choices- yes. Some make choices for money, for some it is just called 'life' - you fall in love, it changes your life, it changes your future and where you will live. Not because you want to escape where you were, but because life is life.

As for not visiting my parents at Christmas, that was NEVER a choice. If you are married to someone who in on duty one night in 3, and has to work right through the holidays, 1 day in 3 - then you can't travel. It is, what it is. And as for choosing to be nearer to my parents in their last few hours of need- I think this is what loving children do- for their parents. I am proud that we did- first with my MIL then for them.

Fact is- GB is finding itself totally isolated from its neighbours and allies. And the future is bleak.

Have you just watched Hancock at the daily briefing- he sounded really serious and worried - and widening Tier 4 - and yet they have known for months now. THAT was a choice, a disastrous one.

Urmstongran regarding your post at 14:53, European based hauliers are very restricted to what they can load while in Britain. It basically amounts to them bringing freight into the UK and then making one or two collections to make up a return load to return to Europe with.

Therefore, If your haulier friend is operating as you describe without his vehicle(s) being registered in Britain and being part of a British Business he/she is operating illegally

As I remember it was the Tory party members idol Margret Thacher who first complained that the then Common Market was not a level playing field regarding British Manufactured products. They not to be trusted Europeans were subsidising their industries at the expense of Britain

All I can say is well done Maggie then.
Seems we had to shame them all into fairer governance!

?

Sterling’s shot up!
A deal is about to be announced!
?

I know a lady in Malaga (married a Spaniard) and her nephew (totally Spanish) has worked over here as a nurse in the UK for almost 20 years. I asked her why? I’d read that Spain didn’t have enough nurses. She told me his contract is far better in the UK.! His words ‘the Spanish offer shit contracts to nursing staff by comparison’.

Anecdotal evidence of course. But it highlights that not everything over in Europe is wonderful whilst everything here is rubbish.

I personally know a Spanish haulier. He has a villa in the campo. Yet he works all year round in the UK and goes back to Spain ‘for his holidays’. Reason? More money and better T&C. He is banking his money faster in the hope to retire quicker to his villa. Pay off his mortgage that bit sooner.

Choices eh?

Well said retiredwell....

GrannyGravy13

I love Europe, I just do not like how the EEC has morphed into the EU (United States of Europe).

As I remember it was the Tory party members idol Margret Thacher who first complained that the then Common Market was not a level playing field regarding British Manufactured products. They not to be trusted Europeans were subsidising their industries at the expense of Britain.

So, on winning that argument the Common Market Commission had to introduce laws that had to be agreed by all members of the market. Hence there had to be a debating place for all the arguments to be made and debated on, which then became the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, and through that, the European Union was formed.

So those that berate the European Union for being overly political need only need look no further than Maggie Thacher and the Tory governments of the 1980s and 90s for all that coming about.

I'm guessing biba is on the search for the best of all worlds, (do excuse my "French nonsense" reference to Voltaire biba).
The irony is that Utopia does not exist. What works for one country does not work for another. Mentalities are very different, and why should either side change or give in?
I love Europe too, and I left the UK to marry a Frenchman. But the tit for tat behaviour of the EU countries baffles me. The closest I come to agreeing with them, is to agree to disagree.
Macron is just a product of his own country and its culture as is Merkel, as is Johnson.