RayC

Sorry but how does Trump/ the Republicans losing the November 2024 election help Ukraine win the war within the next 13 months? Although a landslide Democrat victory next November is probably the best outcome for Ukraine, it's still not clear to me how this will hasten Ukraine's victory in the medium term (12 months+) unless there is a vast increase in US/ NATO military aid/ resources.

That adds further evidence to Michel Barnier's assertion that there would be no winners from Brexit. I can't for the life of me see how this is in any way beneficial. But the point is that Brexit supporters need to construct a hypothesis that shows a causal link between a downturn in the EU economy(ies) and Brexit, similar to the OBR report on the effects of Brexit on the UK economy. Your first link demonstrates correlation not causation (although imo the casual link is almost certainly there). However, as I indicated previously, how an event that has a seemingly negative economic effect on both parties can be seen as a success is beyond me.

Certain factions in the US would like to scale back their commitment to NATO. Don't you think it wise that Europe should have plans to prepare for that possibility? Wise based on the fact that an EU member state - albeit the biggest economy - is currently faltering? I've asked this before and received no answer, but what is the relationship between Brexit and Germany's current economic malaise? Would its' economic woes be solved by either the UK rejoining the EU and/or Germany leaving (the EU)? For someone who has said that they bear Germany (or other individual EU member states) no ill will, you do post a lot of posts seemingly taking pleasure at Germany's current problems.

Maybe you don't equate the Soviet Union with Russia and/or consider former Warsaw Pact countries such as Czech (o)slovakia, (East) Germany, Hungary, Poland to be "western countries", in which case my following paragraph is null and void. You seem to have forgotten about the whole Cold War era; in particular, the Soviet Union's expansion into Central Europe and the presence of Soviet tanks in Budapest and Prague after demonstrations against the Soviet-backed regimes in Hungary and Czechoslovakia during the '50s and '60s. What exactly is it about Soviet/ Russian expansionism and domination that you find so appealing?

The sooner Ukraine wins the war the better but what makes you think that the war will end within 13 months? Imo reports suggest that, unfortunately, the current situation is something of a stalemate and that Russia does not have any plans to wind down operations.

Thanks for the link. Imo probably best to err on the side of caution and take the missus along. How could any woman resist the offer of a day out in CW?????????

Thanks.

Is it really as simple as that? No documentation required e.g. proof of income, passport photos, etc? One more question: Can a single-entry Non 'O' visa be extended for 60 days in the same way? Thanks.

Did you actually read the CEPR article? If so, perhaps you could highlight which parts of it show an "agenda driven ideology"? My conclusion is that it is a well-written nuanced piece. Imo it's always best to check one's own bias before laying the same charge at the feet of others. Wrt the europa.eu piece, my conclusion is that, unfortunately, the predictions for the German economy have worsened. However, I've no idea what that reveals about Brexit and/or a potential (unlikely) German exit from the EU.

So your conclusion is what? Germany should leave the EU to improve its' economic performance?

Well said. Unfortunately, your request seems to have fallen on some deaf ears.

However, the more pertinent question still remains i.e would the UK have been better off economically if it had remained in the EU? Most commentators believe that the answer is 'Yes'. Example link below. https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/impact-brexit-uk-economy-reviewing-evidence

It might well be construed as that, so just as well that's not what I am saying. It's obviously unclear what race the anonymous Tory quoted in the link below belongs to but I take his/her accusation seriously as well. Just a shame that they didn't have the courage to make themselves known. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/suella-braverman-home-secretary-dolls-essex-pub-rishi-sunak-racist-rhetoric-grooming-gangs-b1074141.html

No, pointing out that "Pakistani grooming gangs are Pakistani" isn't racist. It's a tautology. However, when an Asian, right-wing Tory accuses another Asian, right-wing Tory of using racist rhetoric, I'm inclined to think that there may be a case to answer.

Jokes aside. What practical benefits will this MoU bring to either side? I can only assume that this is an election ploy by both Sunak and the Governor of Washington ("Look what I've done for you. I've signed an agreement with a billion/trillion dollar economy"). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-and-washington-state-trade-cooperation-innovation-and-clean-energy-memorandum-of-understanding#:~:text=Policy paper-,UK and Washington State trade cooperation%2C innovation and clean energy,US%2C signed 25 September 2023.

Please see my previous post and link.

Steady on. We didn't leave the EU just to replace it with a different set of faceless bureaucrats from Beijing, Bombay, Brasilia or Babayeva telling us what to do! (Confession time: Yes, I know Bombay is now called Mumbai. I also admit that I had to search for "Cities in Russia beginning with B").

Agreed but it is isolationist and insular to seek to withdraw from international partnerships, conventions and agreements, especially when you seemingly have no idea what or how to replace their functions. Are you inferring that Indians are incapable of being racist? Her fellow Tory, Baroness Warsi, who I doubt is herself a member of the ".. Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati" seems to disagree. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/baroness-sayeeda-warsi-tory-peer-comments-suella-braverman-racist-b1073500.html Imo Braverman is a simply a nasty piece of work.

I find the prospect that the insular, isolationist, borderline racist homophobe Braverman might end up as leader of one of the two major UK-wide political parties truly horrific. I live in hope that having got their fingers burnt when they elected Truss, surely even Tory MPs and members wouldn't be stupid enough to appoint another mad woman to be party leader. (Before I'm accused of sexism, I fully accept that there are also plenty of madmen in the ERG)..

The aims of the 'levelling up' initiative might be a bit nebulous, but I doubt that they include rampant localised inflation. However, I do agree that the priority should have been on improving local transport links in the north, rather than shaving 20 mins off of a London - B'ham trip. Moreover, the spiralling costs cause a doubt over the Business Case for the HS2 project.

Thanks for the clarification; I'd forgotten about that incident. It seemed like a sensible decision to ensure that the EU agreed with May's proposal to the UK cabinet, although I'll admit that her flying to Berlin, rather than Brussels, does suggest that Germany were driving things at that moment.

As you infer, introducing a system of elected Commissioners would be far from straightforward, but I don't understand why you say that it would de facto generate a federal state? The nomination of Commissioners by member states is usually made according to party lines, so the problem you outline currently exists.

Indeed but the strategic direction of the EU is set by the European Council (Heads of Government of the member states). Again, agreed. It is very unlikely that a decision covering 27 member states will be optimal. Hopefully, it will be the best compromise decision. Agreed. Imo there is a strong argument for Commissioners, especially the President, to be directly elected. However, let's not pretend that UK national politics is any more democratic and doesn't itself throw up some poor results. You only need look at the membership of any UK cabinet this century. Imo V.d. Leyen was a strange choice. A judgement on her performance will be delivered next year when she is up for re-election. That Germany wields enormous influence within the EU shouldn't be a surprise. So too does France, as did the UK when it was a member. I don't understand the Theresa May reference? Most Commission Presidents and Commissioners emerge during the nomination period. Most candidates aren't widely known outside of their home country. Imo that's not a particular problem currently, but I accept that if they were to be elected directly by the public then something would need to be done to change the situation. However, surely the main thing is that the President and Commissioners are competent and on top of their respective briefs. I'm sure that you would agree that the same criteria should be applied to UK cabinet ministers.

So you consider the allegations outlined in this article to be "questionable to ridiculous"? How do you reach that conclusion? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66838794 It seems that you cannot differentiate between consensual sex and rape.

Imo unless you want the UK to shut itself off from the rest of the world like North Korea, 'taking back control' and the purity of national sovereignty is a myth. All political and trade deals have a cost; it just depends what price a nation is willing to pay. The idea that EU member states are ruled by "faceless men in Brussels" is nonsense. https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/law/how-eu-policy-decided_en#:~:text=EU decision-making process,representing the EU's overall interests