Renton

Hey man, I even explained my reasons for "liking" it, you bell whiff.

Depends I guess. This "turn of phrase", it wasn't something like "play the white man" was it?

I'm genuinely glad you're optimistic. I do think you are sort of ignoring the EU side of things a bit, but fair enough. The other thing though is the boiling frog problem. Everything is getting worse but at such a pace it's become normalised. Empty supermarket shelves? Sadly, the tories have been very good at deflecting the issues and blaming them on the pandemic and the Ukraine. Meanwhile as we speak they are literally performing a scorched Earth operation on EU statute. Still 2 years left of it.

That could just have well as been me writing that post unfortunately.

So the Swiss thing is a red herring imo. It's not a single agreement as such, just a series of bilateral deals which everybody hates, especially the EU who ruled it out as an option for the UK on day one. Switzerland has to de facto accept FoM for it to work, yet depite the fact they are in Schenghen there is still substantial friction to goods trades at all of Switzerland's borders. If there is any truth at all in us wanting a Swiss deal I will bet you it will just be the tories talking amonst themselves without any input from the EU, as usual. It's not ever happening.

Did you miss out the wink in your second sentence? There are many forms of PR, most of which seem to work in Europe (but not all). The ERG have directed our policy since 2010 and at best represent 20% of voters imo.

I don't want to like this, I don't want to agree, but when I look at every metric concerning the UK it's really hard not to agree.

PR lets these people be represented democratically and proportionately. It stops the perverse situation whereby they have managed to take over an entire principal party and are thus massively over represented. PR would neutralise the nutters, unless we truly are a nation of nutters, in which case fair enough.

I'm really struggling to reconcile this post with the one above, where you state: If we have any success outside the EU, it will be because we have done things differently, "supply side reform" as the cunts like to call it. That means lower levels of worker's rights, pay, environment, and all the other shit you might associate with the USA for instance (except the lower pay bit, that will be reserved for us only). Let's say you make a widget which complies with EU specifications on functionality and safety. That is not enough to be part of the SM. It also has to be produced in a way that is compatible with the EU so the EU is not undercut in the cost of production. That is, the afore mentioned workers' rights, environment etc. Now we are already diverging from the EU on these points and honestly I can't see the direction of travel changing, even under Labour from what Starmer has said recently. The cunts have won. To rejoin even the SM now would mean realigning our entire economy to EU values, something other countries in line with ascension have real difficulties with (countries like Turkey, Ukraine). I'm not being pessimistic here, this is just cold hard logic. The longer we are out of the EU, the harder it will be for us, and in truth, it may already be too late. Scotland will probably be your best option.

But the more we diverge from the EU (reduced worker rights, environmental standards, any trade deal we have with the USA or China, genetically modifed crops etc), the harder it will be for us to reintegrate. It takes just one country to veto our entry and that's that. My feeling from other forums which have European contributors is that probably the majority of people are happy we have left and do not want us back as long as there is any chance we'd do this shit again. And can we ever guarantee that? Only with electoral reform I'd think. The ERG are like a cancer, you might think you are in remission but unless you eradicate every single one of them, they will grow back. For these reasons I've always been an advocate of joining the SM. But I increasingly just don't think we can ever accept being a rule taker. The UK is too large and proud for that.

Curious to this uptick in UK "expats" coming home on this graph. This will be fucking gammon pensioners who have been thrown out the costas, won't it? More expense to our collapsing NHS and stresses on housing stock. So much winning.

I agree, I posted it because its an opinion which tallies with my own. The crucial point though which I think people including on this board also fail to address is why would the EU want us back? They can progress better without us and have taken a lot of our trade/services for themselves. And to top it off we are a shining example to uppity member states life is not better out the block. Like it or not, people from the UK have never felt part of EU in the way continental Europeans have, you can see it framed here also, it's us and them. And the longer we are out, the more this is reinforced. Anyway, decent podcast on the Newsagents yesterday with Blair that touches on this. We really miss his pragmatism.

Lauren Laverne is probably the only thing from Sunderland I'd like to keep (in my cellar). Meanwhile, apparently they are the true geordies. Quick, someone tell True Geordie.

Depressing article but worth reading for anyone who thinks we can rejoin the EU or SM in the next 20 years.

I'd love to but vetoed by my family unfortunately. Can't imagine they're cheap to rent mind, and they are astronomically expensive to buy.

Naah, nothing to add other than I'm jealous as fuck. As Toonpack says, the whole NW Highlands is amazing, although in truth I rarely ventured much North of Fort Bill and Glen Coe (which is also stuning), can't even manage this now really with kids. Once stayed in the Torridon in erm, Torridon, which was amazing. Hiked around Beinn Alligin and Liathach, but the weather wasn't kind unfortunately. I'll be too old and decrepit to walk on these again by the time I am kid free now unfortunately cos Scottish hills are brutal. Still great places on the level though of course and the whole place just oozes geological and sometimes clan history. And wild life. If I was in your neck of the woods I would fork out on the sleeper train (to Fort Bill), wake up to herds of deer on Rannoch moor. Ideal for someone who loces trains and mountains. Difficult to justify that here as I'd actually have to travel down to London to start the trip!

Surely if he's grossly overweight this is the highlight of his day?

What, I'm supposed to converse with EDF via twitter!? We had another bloke from some third party try to connect our smart meter up with their network at the weekend and will have to wait a few days to find out if its worked apparently. I'm not hopeful and just want to change supplier at this point, not that that will likely improve things. When I moved here, EDF charged me £600 for 6 months in an empy house with the heating off. Couldn't prove it was wrong because I hadn't read the old meter before they replace it with their fucking "smart" meter, but I doubt the workmen used that much for their power tools. On a broader note, literally everything in this country doesn't seem top work anymore, how much of this is related to the shitshow we've had in government for the past 12 years I don't know. Transport, NHS, energy, DWP, HMRC etc., all a complete shambles.

My estimated electric is going up from about £120 a month to £850 a month apparently, accrding to a letter I received at the weekend. Just can't figure out my bill at all, obviously hope this is a mistake as there is no way of getting in contact with the useless tossers at EDF. Certainly doesn't appear to appear to tally with my unit use from my smart meter which in fact is a dumb meter because it's never worked. I'm pretty much completely blind to my utility usage.

I don't mind the eye candy and I'd love to be able to afford staying at the hotel mind. Just seems very soap operaish. Not seen succession either.

Haven't seen the first series but Mrs Rents is watching this. How's it class? Fuck all has happened in the first 4 episodes.

10 years ago today since Gary Speed died. Where does time go?

There is some horrendous data coming out about our trade with the EU at the moment. Thank fuck we have all these great deals that Truss negotiated with the rest of the World like, erm, USA, China, India, or erm Japan. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/nov/26/brexit-britain-japan-trade-deal-exports-slump?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Sheep shagger would also be racist in the context of a Welsh person anyway. The owner of the site (I think), Roger, seems to be okay (I mean talk about a thankless task), but some of the mods are compete spanners.

I am going to have to have to watch the fewm when they see this.