David Frost - prospective Tory MP?

Fleurpepper

Thanks for this. I remember one thing Hannan said during the campaign, as if it was yesterday 'no-one but no-one is even thinking of leaving the Single Market and the Customs Union'

does anyone else remember this?

Of course the early Britons were Celts, and the Angles and Saxons, Jutes, Picts- invadors from northern-eastern Europe. And the Normans were not French- but Viking cousins of those who had invaded Britain- Harold and William- Vikings both of the same family. What nonsense!

does anyone else remember this?

Of course. But at the time, how much did it resonate - because there were many other claims; one along the lines of 'them' needing us more than we needed them and, another... something about a post-Brexit free trade deal with the EU being the "easiest deal in human history". Then there was all that money that would be available to spend on the NHS.

But - none of these were promises, just hype bandied around by various interested parties.

Also, numbers of the Brexit-voting public didn't want to stay in the single market anyway because one of the 'four freedoms' - the free movement of people - was the very thing they were opposed to. Others wanted a 'hard' Brexit and, if some of the pre-referendum social-media rhetoric is anything to judge by, there were even those who'd have been happy to declare a mini-war on France who - apparently - have never forgiven us for rescuing them during WW2; or one with Germany to stave off the "Fourth Reich" machinations which would allow them to continue where they left of during the same period.

Then post-Brexit there was Mr Rees-Mogg, languidly informing us - in a way that indicated it was something we should have instinctively understood, that the actual benefits of Brexit might take decades to filter through... and it was jolly well silly of us not to have realised this.

I forget who, but some talking-head also explained the big-red-bus and that £350million... it wasn't a promise to spend it on the NHS, just an 'indication' of what we could do with all that money which we'd no longer have to give to the EU.

Michael Gove and Boris Johnson - and Labour's Gisela Stuart - writing for The Sun - wanted to scrap the VAT on energy bills but the EU rules prevented it. They, these leading campaigners, were concerned about the burden on the "poorest" households (of course). Well, we've left the EU and are no longer bound by this rule, but the VAT remains on the bills.

So - lots of things were said, lots of 'possibilities' floated around, but it's now irrelevant because (a) Brexit voters have got what they wanted and are no longer interested, and (b) politicians and leading-lights always propagandise when they want to sell you something... more fool us if we believe them.

Meanwhile, Social-Care funding remains in the long-grass, the NHS, not to labour the point, is in an awful state, the cost of living day-to-day is for very many almost impossible. Fuel bills remain high, hurting almost every ordinary citizen... and then we have Ukraine, and now Palestine and Israel.

No one's going to care that Mr Hannan has done a volte-face!

I've never read a better explanation of why, to the surprise of so many, Brexit won the day, than this excerpt from 'THE FINANCIAL' (an Australian publication) - The real reason Britons voted for Brexit. Short and sweet and to the point.

Hmmm

Doesn't quite explain why the British happily voted for the 'elite' to get them out of the EU...

Here, Hannan's exact words.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkof9CVerrQ

Now he is saying we should have stayed in !!!

Maybe he can replace Peter Bone if his disciplinary action results in yet another bye election…

Thanks for this. I remember one thing Hannan said during the campaign, as if it was yesterday 'no-one but no-one is even thinking of leaving the Single Market and the Customs Union'

does anyone else remember this?

Of course the early Britons were Celts, and the Angles and Saxons, Jutes, Picts- invadors from northern-eastern Europe. And the Normans were not French- but Viking cousins of those who had invaded Britain- Harold and William- Vikings both of the same family. What nonsense!

Grantanow

Brexit is a complete disaster and it will take many decades to remedy in a Britain lacking economic growth and productivity improvement if (and it's a big 'if') the voters can elect competent governments not driven by Little England bigotry.

I've never read a better explanation of why, to the surprise of so many, Brexit won the day, than this excerpt from 'THE FINANCIAL' (an Australian publication) - The real reason Britons voted for Brexit. Short and sweet and to the point.

It's a 3-5 minute read.
www.afr.com/world/europe/the-real-reason-britons-voted-for-brexit-20210301-p576so

Brexit is a complete disaster and it will take many decades to remedy in a Britain lacking economic growth and productivity improvement if (and it's a big 'if') the voters can elect competent governments not driven by Little England bigotry.

Well yes, so so many other promises. But in Frost's case, due to his role in the negotiations, and the fact he very actively campaigned against Brexit as he knew the dire consequences for British businesses- it is particularly valid to mention.

Fleurpepper

Dickens- ''Many of us will not live to see even a flicker of light on that brighter future which we've been promised over the last 14 years.''

but that is the point of my post above- Frost never did promise a brighter future with Brexit. He explained clearly that Brexit would be a disaster for business. HE KNEW.

Well I wasn't thinking particularly about Brexit I have to admit - I realise what he was saying and I agree...

... it's just those promises of yet another 'brighter future'.

But, at least this one's got 'stepping stones'

Dickens- ''Many of us will not live to see even a flicker of light on that brighter future which we've been promised over the last 14 years.''

but that is the point of my post above- Frost never did promise a brighter future with Brexit. He explained clearly that Brexit would be a disaster for business. HE KNEW.

Before then, I’ll be setting out at greater length a vision for how we get Britain back on track: the stepping stones that can take us to a brighter future.”

... marketing puffery.

I've lost count of the number of politicians, captains of industry, etc, who are going to lead us to a brighter future.

The future is not bright - not by any stretch of the imagination - the average person will at some point be affected by further cuts to public spending (the "tough decisions" that Jeremy Hunt referred to recently) and a continuation of the high cost-of-living.

Many of us will not live to see even a flicker of light on that brighter future which we've been promised over the last 14 years.

Callistamom I was the same my first reaction was blimey has he come back 😳

If the tories want to present themselves as a changed party, then they need to do better than Frost, who will always be associated with poor negotiation skills and failed policies.

Useless.

Apologies to any other David Frosts who might be reading this.

But he was the one and only 🙂

Well he made a complete pigs ear of the Brexit negotiations, is a total numpty , so I guess he would appeal to Tory voters.

Callistemon21

Well that gave me a bit of a turn.

There will only ever be one David Frost for me.

Yes! Same here.

Well that gave me a bit of a turn.

There will only ever be one David Frost for me.

and he never even pushed for a Norway, Switzerland or Canada deal, but for the most extreme of Brexit!

Such a hypocrite, who sold his soul for a bit of fame beside Johnson

DAVID FROST, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE SCOTCH WHISKY ASSOCIATION

‘As an industry we live on our exports. Scotch whisky is the biggest single contributor to Britain’s trade balance in goods. Ninety percent of our production – £4bn a year – is exported. About a third of that goes to the EU. The single set of rules in the single market makes it easier for us to operate across all of Europe.

‘Outside Europe, when we export, we face all kinds of barriers: high tariffs, like the 150% tariff in India; discriminatory taxes; burdensome licensing; or complex labelling rules. The EU helps us secure fairer access to those markets. For example, the free trade deals with Korea and Vietnam will cut the tariff on Scotch to zero.

‘The EU also helps us protect the term “Scotch whisky”. European rules make it illegal to misuse the term within the EU, and help us chase down those unfairly taking advantage of our reputation by embedding it in free trade deals.

‘Of course, many point out – rightly – that we would still trade with the EU without being a member of it. And it is true that Scotch whisky’s existence does not depend on the EU – but, without it, life would be much more complex, burdensome and uncertain.

‘Exports to the EU would face additional paperwork and other border formalities. We would find it much harder to influence EU rules that affected the Scotch whisky industry. And Scotch whisky would no longer be covered by European free trade deals, so tariffs could go up.

‘In short, we have nothing to gain, and a lot to lose, from Britain having the status of Norway, Switzerland or Canada, the models pushed by the proponents of Brexit, still less from relying on WTO rules only.

‘For all the EU’s frustrations, it makes production easier, paperwork simpler and competition stronger – and hence prices cheaper. Let’s not turn our back on the world's greatest free trade area, on our own doorstep: instead, let’s make it work.’