Guy Verhofstadt says “Happy Brexit Day”

I don't know who wrote this (I found it on QUORA). Obviously it was penned some time ago... but it did make me chuckle...

BREXIT EXPLAINED

David Cameron made a promise he didn't think he'd have to keep to have a referendum he didn't think he would lose.

Boris Johnson decided to back the side he didn't believe in because he didn't think it would win. Then Gove, who said he wouldn't run, did, and Boris who said he would run, said he wouldn't, and Theresa May who didn't vote for Brexit got the job of making it happen.

She called the election she said she wouldn't and lost the majority David Cameron hadn't expected to win in the first place. She triggered Article 50 when we didn't need to and said we would talk about trade at the same time as the divorce deal and the EU said they wouldn't so we didn't.

People thought she wouldn't get the divorce settled but she did, but only by agreeing to separate arrangements for Northern Ireland when she had promised the DUP she wouldn't.

Then the Cabinet agreed a deal but they hadn't, and David Davis who was Brexit Secretary but wasn't said it wasn't what people had voted for and he couldn't support what he had just supported and left.

Boris Johnson who hadn't left then wished that he had and did, but it was a bit late for that.

Dominic Raab became the new Brexit secretary.

People thought Theresa May wouldn't get a withdrawal agreement negotiated, but once she had they wished that she hadn't, because hardly anybody liked it whether they wanted to leave or not.

Jacob Rees-Mogg kept threatening a vote of no confidence in her, but not enough people were confident enough that people would not have confidence in her to confidently call a no confidence vote.

Dominic Raab said he hadn't really been Brexit Secretary either and resigned, and somebody else took the job but it probably isn't worth remembering who they are as they're not really doing the job either as Olly Robbins is.

Then she said she would call a vote and didn't, that she wouldn't release some legal advice but had to, that she would get some concessions but didn't, and got cross that Juncker was calling her nebulous when he wasn't but probably should have been.

Why, when BSE is still with us is the eu lifting the ban on feeding animal remains to livestock.
All is not as perfect as some would like us to believe.

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/22/eu-to-lift-its-ban-on-feeding-animal-remains-to-domestic-livestock

It's not a question of regarding the EU as perfect, Meryl. I don't notice much perfection in the UK at the moment, and with the 'Bonfire of EU Regulations that the government is trying to stampede through Parliament things could get a great deal worse.

Had we still been in the EU we could have challenged the lifting of the ban...

Leaving the EU has caused immense damage to the UK economy, with all its knock on effects on people's lives and livelihoods and there is little prospect of us being able to repair that damage (apart from in the heads of fantasists) for a long time, if ever.

It has also deprived people of valued freedoms. No amount of telling them that they can go further afield compensates for that.

Still haven't learned of any advantages we have gained.

MaizieD

Leaving the EU has caused immense damage to the UK economy, with all its knock on effects on people's lives and livelihoods and there is little prospect of us being able to repair that damage (apart from in the heads of fantasists) for a long time, if ever.

I think, truly, that our way of life has changed permanently. Talk of re-joining is pie-in-the-sky in any meaningful sense.

If I had to explain it to an alien landing on earth and demanding to know "wassup then?" I'd say that, basically, we Brits are not team-players - we want to be the first among equals. I believe that when people talk about "our once great country" during political debate, they are consciously or otherwise referring to the days of the British Empire. The nation's psyche cannot accept that Britain is no longer top-dog. From that perspective, leaving the EU 'makes sense' - we were re-asserting our 'sovereignty'. Unfortunately, having lost the 'Empire' along with most of our heavy industry and the associated skills that went with it - one has to ask, what price sovereignty? Sure, the EU is no longer "telling us what to do" (aka obeying the rules of a club we joined), but what good will that new-found sovereignty do for the average working man or woman?

Instead of the EU 'dictating our lives' we now have a cabal of mendacious, self-focused politicians representing the Corporate world and its shareholders who want an ever-rising share price, and more than a 'bit' of a dividend each year. And they, of course, will be the main beneficiaries of Brexit.

Well said Dickens. I agree that a return to the EU is unlikely in the short or medium term, but I hope that there will gradually be greater alignment of trading regulations and movement towards the "outer circle" that Macron has suggested. I suspect that is where Labour and the Liberal Democrats are heading, but can't say so without unleashing the venom of the right-leaning media.

Mamie

Well said Dickens. I agree that a return to the EU is unlikely in the short or medium term, but I hope that there will gradually be greater alignment of trading regulations and movement towards the "outer circle" that Macron has suggested. I suspect that is where Labour and the Liberal Democrats are heading, but can't say so without unleashing the venom of the right-leaning media.

Yes

Virtually everyone I know, including family, voted Remain. I still feel sick about what happened and so sad that, though we shall certainly re-join, it won't happen in my remaining years.

I think those who think Brexit was a good thing are swimming against the tide of experts and those who are feeling its effects - locally to me farmers, small shops which import from Europe, many of my artist friends who can no longer afford to send work abroad or buy materials abroad (that applies to me too), my European sketching holidays which I run occasionally have suffered dwindling numbers, fishing industry (so much was exported to Europe and now isn't), manufacturing and financial services moving HQs abroad, the position of the pound, struggling to find anyone I know who has benefitted - oh one, a friend has a job in the port of Dover helping companies with their paperwork, doing 4 days on, four days off, 4 nights on and on minimum wage.

Biggest mistake ever. It is costing us far more than we have saved.

Can anyone explain why B Johnson is backing Ukraine’s bid to join the EU?

vegansrock

Can anyone explain why B Johnson is backing Ukraine’s bid to join the EU?

Just the usual Johnson garbage, I think, *vegansrock^

Johnson is grandstanding to elbow Sunak and hopes to return as PM (God help us). Ukraine won't get anywhere near joining despite being a candidate for maybe ten years. There are other countries ahead of them in the queue and as one of the largest but poorest European nations they represent an enormous cost to EU funds and would turn poor countries like Portugal into net contributors rather than beneficiaries. The EU does not want to be on the hook for post-war repairs. So Johnson knows he can push the case without it happening any time soon - grandstanding without cost!

^ and as one of the largest but poorest European nations they represent an enormous cost to EU funds^

I thought that their large contribution to the world supply of grain helped their GDP (though, of course, this has been disrupted in the past year)

And I'm sure that I read a while ago that Ukraine possibly has valuable lithium deposits.

I thought that the purpose of EU subsidies to poorer regions/countries (which we were in receipt of when members) was to aid their economic development in order to reduce reliance on subsidies?

YOU MUST BE JOKING GUY V!

I think the point about the coalition Lib Dems ditching the WASPIs over pensions is that the Tories could not have got it through the Commons without LibDem support. It was obvious to me at the time that once the Court ruled for pension equality a Tory government would save money by increasing women's eligibility age to 65. There was no chance they would reduce men's to 60 or go halfway. The moral is don't ask the Court to rule on ideological matters till you know what the practical outcome will be. Given the saving to Treasury I doubt Labour would alter the situation whatever they say before a GE.

MerylStreep

Why, when BSE is still with us is the eu lifting the ban on feeding animal remains to livestock.
All is not as perfect as some would like us to believe.

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/22/eu-to-lift-its-ban-on-feeding-animal-remains-to-domestic-livestock

Good point MerylStreep but note, it just gets ‘brushed aside’ as in ‘none of us are perfect’.
😁

Further on Ukraine and EU membership, when former Soviet states joined the EU at Enlargement countries like Ireland and the Netherlands suddenly found themselves paying in to the budget. That is not quite the same as receiving one-off regional grants as the UK did pre-Brexit. The main problem is the Common Ag Policy from which Ukraine would be a large beneficiary. The UK of course had a large rebate on that thanks to Thatcher (which the Brexiteers including Johnson chose to ignore when making claims on the side of the bus).

LiliWenFach44

YOU MUST BE JOKING GUY V!

Yes, he is

Urmstongran

MerylStreep

Why, when BSE is still with us is the eu lifting the ban on feeding animal remains to livestock.
All is not as perfect as some would like us to believe.

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/22/eu-to-lift-its-ban-on-feeding-animal-remains-to-domestic-livestock

Good point MerylStreep but note, it just gets ‘brushed aside’ as in ‘none of us are perfect’.
😁

It's micro as opposed to macro, Ug.

It's seeing the big picture as opposed to focussing on a small detail.

It's judging whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

The words "Happy" and "Brexit" don't go together, as far as I'm concerned. Pretty much an oxymoron. I really wondered at the time (and still do) how limited a view of the world people must have had in order to vote to leave the EU.

Whitewavemark2

LiliWenFach44

YOU MUST BE JOKING GUY V!

Yes, he is

He was trolling us...

MaizieD
That was the purpose of the subsidies. But as it all areas where eye watering sums of money are concerned, corruption follows.
Having had personal experience of €20 million disappearing into the ether when I lived in Bulgaria it’s a subject that I’ve taken an interest in.

www.nytimes.com/2019/12/11/world/europe/eu-farm-subsidy-lobbying.html

Brexit has been a disaster. It is our grandchildren who have had their standard of living reduced and face living in a country that is struggling to keep afloat.

What do you Brexit lot think about Boris Johnson saying that Ukraine joining the EU would be a good thing?

MerylStreep

MaizieD
That was the purpose of the subsidies. But as it all areas where eye watering sums of money are concerned, corruption follows.
Having had personal experience of €20 million disappearing into the ether when I lived in Bulgaria it’s a subject that I’ve taken an interest in.

www.nytimes.com/2019/12/11/world/europe/eu-farm-subsidy-lobbying.html

Only 20 million, Meryl? Chickenfeed.

We can do much better than that in the UK.

How many £billions disappeared into the ether (or tory donor's pockets) during covid?