Nigel Garvie

4 hours ago, Logosone said:

Yes, Boris Johnson fantasy of a "golden age" is just an embarassment to him now.

 

The dream of a stand-alone Britain could yet end up to be a nightmare. The cold divorce bill is still being negotiated with Europe. The debt mountain now taken on will be borne by generations to come.

 

What golden age?

The sad fantasy that "We've got the march on them", "Our Boris is playing a blinder" etc, persists against all the evidence. The EU no longer believe that the UK is serious about the negotiations, and see a hard Brexit as the likely outcome. 

"For some weeks the British government has been planning a “shock and awe” campaign to warn British businesses that they have less than six months to prepare for Brexit; but the EU has beaten them to it."

https://yorkshirebylines.co.uk/eu-launches-its-own-shock-and-awe-campaign-early/?fbclid=IwAR0KtWRPNjxiUndWkeIe7Zq30fVnAmYTXN6bdDFccwQQer83MYTtnUVsrZU

It is and interesting article which lays out in some detail exactly how much we will lose, not comfortable reading unfortunately. 

5 hours ago, transam said:

What a load..... more lefty bluster.......Do you not know that other folk actually read that cr_p, good job you're anonymous eh............

There are many people with left wing, or right wing views on TV (And all points in between). Everyone is entitled to their opinions and to debate them here within the rules. 

No left winger minds being called a lefty, and presumably right wingers would be happy to called "Rightys".

However to you describing some person or opinion as being "lefty" appears to be the ultimate insult. Might it be a good idea to make an intelligent reasoned adult critique of another posters views if you disagree with them, and not resort to childish name calling. 

3 hours ago, nauseus said:

 

It was not widely implied that Cummings might be working for Putin (or more specifically Russia). This story was about a letter from Emily Thornberry to Dominic Raab, which contained only suspicions but not a shred of evidence, of course. The remainer, Thornberry, could not resist a pot shot at the arch Brexiteer, Cummings. Of course, the story leaked out all across the media so that there was widespread coverage, once, in November 2019. There has been nothing since. Not a sniff, not a thing. Complete backfire. More sensationalist claims that disappear in a puff of smoke. Have a great weekend.

You have done your research, and although from what I read it was a bit broader than that, you are correct. However what I said was "Widely implied," you said "all across the media so that there was widespread coverage". Same thing really, thank you for confirming what I said. 

I am a patriot (Not a Nationalist which is different), and although I support Scottish Independence, I do care about the security of the UK. The idea of an unelected personal adviser, who the majority of the British people no longer trust, touring our secret military bases, is concerning. This though is truly scary:- 

"Recent photographs – showing his security pass has a green band – suggest that he has now been granted “developed vetting” (DV) clearance, allowing him to view top-secret files without supervision." (Indy)

Burgess and Maclean anyone?

Whatever the degree of his influence, Putin appears to be over the moon about Brexit, if you have heard him actually talk about it in public, and the more harmful to us, the better for him. 

And have a good weekend yourself.

1 hour ago, candide said:

I would tend to agree with you. The "standards" issue is a non-issue as it will be freedom INO anyway. It's more a question of finding a diplomatic way to express it. Other issues, however, may be more difficult to solve. So who knows?

 

However, there are also personal issues. BoJo may think he would have a more interesting job and a better opportunity to leave his mark on history in case of no-deal.

Yes there are those still gagging for a no deal, on some strange principle, and Bojo & co, might be excited at the go it alone prospects. As they have already distributed a lot of the "Covid" borrowings to their chums and companies based in tax havens, I expect there are no lengths to which they will not go to bleed the country dry. The fact is that if you combine Covid and Brexit you get an economic disaster of monster proportions.

It has been widely implied Dominic Cummings, Bojo's RH man, could be working for Putin. After failed business ventures during his long stay  in Russia he returned with friends and contacts in high places. Can you imagine a KGB Colonel not getting compro on him. Now he is visiting top security UK bases.

On the other hand Seamus Milne, Corbyn's RH man, was only too happy to promote the pro Russia line, also Corbyn himself, and others in his backroom team. 

What a weird co-incidence, maybe we should call it Putin's Brexit. Trump just does what Putin tells him of course, compro again?

No deal Brexit certainly suits Putin, no question about that.

2 hours ago, transam said:

Are you saying the Brexit winning voters are all funny peculiar...? ????

Well definitely not funny ha ha very often. ????

Brexiteers are like my dog Rover. He spent 10 years chasing the neighbours cat, then one day he actually cornered it and didn't have a clue what to do next. So he sat down and licked his bal!s. 

56 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

Having commented on the people who commented on the video, I guess I should respond to the contents, but having listened to it, I developed a stitch in my side from laughing, hence my delay.

 

If this is truly the best argument for maintaining the union then I am afraid that it is well and truly doomed. Some Tory parish councilor who nobody has ever heard of sums up that if Scotland becomes independent, all it has to offer is "the ability to wave flags and sing songs". That is the sum total of his challenge to independence. 

 

In fact, it is literally the strongest 'argument' in the 2 minutes of guff that this video contains. No wonder the narrator used a voice disguising tool to sound so robotic - he was probably ashamed of being associated with this utter garbage.  

 

 

I  am always careful when I read something where the site name is "Real politics". If that's real politics god knows what unreal politics would be like! It is like the sites where they have grabbed the name "The truth about cancer/whatever", you know immediately that the truth is one thing you will never find there. 

4 hours ago, vinny41 said:

If there is another vote for Scottish independence and the vote for independence is won by 1 vote we look forward to the SNP refusing to accept the results and calling for another vote

If there is another vote for Scottish independence and the vote for independence is won by 1 vote we look forward to the SNP accepting the results, and the majority of Scots being deliriously happy - a vast intake of intoxicating liquor may possibly follow.

( I think you got your knickers in a twist)????????

4 hours ago, earlinclaifornia said:

  7 hours ago, Krataiboy said:

Trump has been under attack from all sides - not least the Establishment and the left-leaning mass media - since the day he walked into the White House. He clearly wasn't the global elite's choice and they have never stopped doing all they possibly can to unseat him.

 

His stance against the destructive revolutionary forces of Black Lives Matter and Antifa (did you actually bother reading the the BLM mission statement or listen to any of the neo-Marxist twaddle espoused by the movement's leaders?) is in stark contrast to the Democrats' dangerous ploy of piggybacking on the back of a political movement bent on destroying America, the UK and Western democracies in general. 

 

https://democrats.org/black-lives-matter-organizing-resources/

Thanks so much for the laugh Krataiboy. 

"He clearly wasn't the global elite's choice". Well he certainly wasn't my choice or that of any of the sane people I know. But how wonderful, I now see myself as part of the "Global elite". I must comb my hair and see if I can find the tie I last used at a funeral 10 years ago. The funeral of Donald's pathetic lying tenure is fast approaching. 

1 hour ago, nauseus said:

Rubbish.

Just writing "Rubbish", illustrates to everyone that you can't answer the post with a reasoned coherent argument.

1 hour ago, vogie said:

What no-one has mentioned yet, do all the Scots that want independence also want to rejoin the EU? You may be correct in your assumption that the majority of Scots may want to disengage itself from the rest of the UK (at this very moment), but that does not automatically mean that the Scots want to rejoin the EU again, it just doesn't make sense that Scotland would get back power from Westminster and then hand it straight back to Brussels. That I'm sure would put a lot of Scots from voting to leave the Union, Jim Sillars the ex deputy leader of the SNP has suggested that there would be many abstensions from voters, deciding not to vote rather than vote againgst the SNP.

 

"And Nicola Sturgeon has been dancing up and down on the ball saying, you know you're stealing powers from us.

"The irony is that if she gets these powers, she wants to hand them all back to Brussels.

"That's a massive contradiction and her policy position.

"And I don't believe that if the SNP goes forward on a platform (that says) vote for independence and we take that automatically as a going into the European Union, I don't believe she'll get a majority." :Jim Sillars

 

 

 

You appear to forget that Scotland voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU. Every single constituency bar none voted to stay, even Tory and Labour unionist seats. 

The idea that EU membership where you are basically part of a club within agreed (And for most of us agreeable) terms, and where you retain sovereignty, is anything remotely like being controlled by another country with you retaining control over some of your own domestic affairs only, is utterly absurd.

As has been said many times before - just name a few of these awful EU laws (Not trade issues) that you find so disagreeable.

Jim Sillars past his sell by date years ago, he is history,  few in Scotland take him seriously. 

2 hours ago, Loiner said:

Yes we can buy our produce and all other products from around the world. They will be free of EU tariffs. 

Do you think it should all happen on one day -  1st Jan 2021? Probably not, but that taking back of control will be there forever, as a sovereign nation again. 

Thats is what the EU and Remainers still underestimate. 

I'm sorry Loiner, but I think we have been through this many many times before in this forum, but in case you didn't notice I will repeat. Britain never stopped being a sovereign nation, how do you think we had a referendum if we weren't sovereign. It was just another part of the lie package you were sold. 

That is the problem for Scotland, they are not currently a sovereign nation, therefore they cannot - so they say - have a referendum without UK agreement. I'm sure you can see the difference.

11 hours ago, tebee said:

The time for getting a deal on financial services has passed - we're not even going to be talking about it before the end of transition. 

 

See 

 

 https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/speech-barnier-eurofi-30062020_en.pdf

Interesting paper from Barnier, and pleasantly devoid of aggression, he just states the facts. 

We are leaving the EU and our financial sector wants to have access to the EU market and a  part in setting the rules for it's engagement. You would be told to get stuffed whatever market you wanted to join anywhere with that approach. 

We are burning our bridges one by one, I guess we will just be told to forget it. They don't need our financial services, they have their own. Forget the peanuts involved in fishing, this will cost us an unbelievable fortune. Our fin. service industry is the one significant thing that helps redress our awful imbalance between our exports and imports in almost all other areas. 

Looks like we are competing once more for the national self harm award. Johnson's  - hold out till the last -  approach to negotiations isn't working, his bluff has been called, the EU countries are preparing for a no deal exit. 

2 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

snips

 

2)Unfortunately, the competitiveness of UK companies within the EU is not the best. The productivity indices are unfortunately only in the lowest mediocrity.

After Brexit alone on the world market, tell me a few products where the UK is leading. Just for the sake of interest.

 

4. There must be something in the UK water that makes the Brexiteers smarter than all the other Brits since 47 years.

. There must be something in the UK water that makes the Brexiteers smarter than all the other Brits since 47 years.

Ah Tomacht, you must understand English exceptionalism. The only thing that is has been holding the UK back from being world dominating in all sorts of areas, is those beastly Europeans. Some people have been unkind enough as to suggest that we destroyed our own manufacturing industry in the 1980s because our government had a hand in setting the absurdly high interest rates that made investment nigh on impossible. 

We will triumph over all the odds with our Dunkirk spirit (OK it was a defeat, but forget that). Everybody will be so desperate to do trade deals with us that we will receive endless offers of deals which are hugely advantageous to us. All this talk of US and China taking advantage of us is just scaremongering. We are an importing nation, everyone wants to sell us goods. Exporting is totally overrated, never did much good to China, or Germany. Who cares about the balance of payments, we can just let the £ slide.

Why do we need young immigrants coming here and paying taxes so we can afford our pension bill, we can just have the occasional cull of old people who are considered to be lacking in true Brexiteer patriotism. 

If it hadn't been for the remainers we would have been flying high already. and Blah blah blah

4 hours ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

I personally thought Netherlands but Nigel Farage I assume knows better?

  Quote

Who will leave the European Union next?

According to Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, Brexit will have a massive impact on the EU, with Mr Farage predicting the bloc will collapse “within 10 years”.

Mr Farage told Parliament Magazine that Italy, Poland and Denmark would be next three countries to potentially leave the EU.

He said he will continue to campaign “all over Europe” against the EU in the coming months and years.

Of Italy, Poland and Denmark Mr Farage declared: “They are the frontrunners.”

"He said he will continue to campaign “all over Europe” against the EU in the coming months and years." Total idiocy from the conman.

Nigel Farage got treated appropriately when he came to Edinburgh, another part of Britain. 

Does anyone with a brain seriously believe that he would be welcomed by the ordinary people of other countries in the EU.....seriously.......... much more likely to be drowned in a vat of Brandy, or ratatouille.

This stat shows that the EU has become MORE popular with its voters, probably as a result of  watching the UK making such a mess of it.

What is it that leads people to such petty bitterness that makes them want other countries to do badly, whatever organisation they are part of, so childish.  So if Thailand leaves ASEAN do we expect the Thais to spend their time wishing Malasia, Singapore etc to do badly. 

I would like to see all countries do well, particularly with the vast problems they will face post Covid. 

3 hours ago, JonnyF said:

snip

 

With all the empty pedestals following the BLM vandalism, maybe a statue of David Frost would be apt.

 

 

Best erect it at the bottom of the Thames, save time.????????

20 hours ago, Lacessit said:

If you are over 75, can't even get it. 133,000 baht in the 71 - 75 age group, they are dreaming.

Nobody is coming to Thailand with these hurdles. Guess the ladies of Pattaya, Phuket and Bangkok will just have to go back to the rice fields, lots of hotels going bust.

Shooting oneself in the foot springs to mind.

Well this is a difficult one. Bypass the rapacious insurance industry issue for a moment, and ask yourself how do the Thai authorities see this themselves.

1) Everything is still under a Covid cloud, and they are justifiably scared of it starting again, this may simply be a cack handed attempt to address that issue.

2) If they are going to require this level of insurance long term then there are serious issues for many poorer falang residents here, but how much do they, or indeed can they be expected to,  care about that. 

3) Why should they be interested in the over 75s or indeed over 70s, if they are aiming for the mass tourist market - come here, spend money, go home.

This is very hard on pensioners married to Thais living the quiet life in rural Thailand, who managed well in the past. Trouble is times have changed.

Reading the above post makes me think:- (Generally , not in reference to the poster)

If Thailand means cheap booze, cheap rent, cheap food, sunshine, and cheap rumty tumpty and you are over 70, then you may no longer be in the right place. Maybe time to find some other 3rd world country where you can pay peanuts to <deleted> girls 1/3 or 1/4 your age. The idea that you are making a huge positive impact on the Thai tourist earnings is misplaced. Even the ladies of Pattaya have - like you - a sell by date, and will likely end up back on the farm anyway, albeit one that is more comfortable and modern thanks to their few years of enhanced earnings. 

The big issue here is how long will this insurance demand last, and can they use it as a tool for social manipulation if it makes them totally uncompetitive with any other country in the market.