RayC

Republic is a pressure group with one aim; the replacement of the UK monarchy with an elected head of state. Why - as a group - should they be expected to campaign/ contribute to schemes aimed at helping Britain's homeless? You might as well criticise the RSPCA. As far as I'm aware they do nothing to aid the homeless (humans) either.

I do wish that people wouldn't introduce empirical evidence into the discussion!????

Entirely relevant. There may be instances like yours where the distance between buyer and seller does not matter, but it is a generally accepted principle that being closer to the market is an advantage: This seems to apply not only to goods, but also to financial services. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2018/02/23/why-distance-matters-in-trade/ https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/scpwps/ecb.wp2252~ff1d083655.en.pdf

On the assumption that the conditions attached to this deal are favourable, then this is good news. However, a bit of perspective is needed. As the article says, "It remains to be seen how much the deal actually benefits Britain’s growth prospects. Based on the government’s own estimates, the deal will raise long-term domestic GDP by just 0.08%, which will have little impact to offset European trade losses as a result of Brexit".

More from the man. I hope that something has been lost in translation; sadly, I doubt it. What hope for Thailand while these unelected "guardians" of Thailand pull the strings? "If there is condition to lead our country to conflict, like amending or abolishing Section 112 and the constitution, we can't allow that to happen," senator Somchai Sawangkarn said in a social media video ahead of the vote. "We will vote to protect people of the whole country because that is better than letting Thailand get a prime minister and coalition government who will be a danger and a threat to the country." (Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation website)

Pita is the chosen PM candidate of Move Forward and Pheu Thai. Between them, these two parties achieved 67% of 'Party List' votes cast and 49.9% of the 'Constituency' vote. Throw in the votes for the other parties in the coalition and I'd suggest that's a pretty compelling argument in support of Pita's nomination as PM.

You raise a good point. My opinion is that if this escalates into a nationwide protest - e.g. protests in Pattaya, Phuket, etc. as well as Bangkok - then tourist numbers will drop; otherwise, probably (tourism) business as normal.

Probably better off buying them in Margate unless you want to involve yourself in a lot of red tape????

If you can show where I have misinterpreted your comments, I will withdraw my remarks and apologise.

Nothing like taking quotes out of context, is there? Firstly, you questioned why EU nationals should be put off from mitigating to the UK post-Brexit. I pointed out the blindingly obvious fact that the withdrawal of freedom of movement had created a barrier to entry which did not previously exist. In the same post, you stated that, ".. a bit more scrutiny on tax and NI payments required when working". The implication being that this was not possible and/or more difficult pre-Brexit. I replied that there was nothing to prevent the UK authorities increasing their focus on tax avoidance pre-Brexit and that, moreover, it is the employer's responsibility to ensure that their employees are made known to HMRC. Again, this is no different pre- and post-Brexit. Finally, you state that, "nationality of employees is irrelevant. That is until non-UK nationals need a new visa." When I ask you to explain this somewhat cryptic comment, you accuse me of creating ".. obstacles that are simply not there"!!! (huh?). I'm not going round in circles. I'm trying to navigate the 'Alice in Wonderland' environment which you create.

???? Same old, same old. When it is clearly shown - and you realise - that your premise and/or argument is flawed, you accuse the person who has challenged you of being disingenuous, rather than either admit your mistake or simply let it drop.

If this is what it's like when Australia win, Christ knows what it will be like if they lose!

If they are caught then they should be prosecuted. Why is that relevant? And if it is, what is the difference between the situation pre- and post-Brexit?

Police officers killing individuals for avoiding arrest for an apparently minor offence does not bode well for society

If an employer is honest, they are obliged to deduct tax and NI contributions from their employees. The nationality of the employee is therefore irrelevant. Verstappen won another Grand Prix and England lost another cricket test yesterday. Just a simple comparison.

A very mature reaction! You asked why EU nationals might be less inclined to immigrate to the UK post-Brexit. I gave you some reasons. Hardly my fault that this doesn't fit your narrative. What is the relevance of this comment? What have the requirements, which Thailand places on ex-pats got to do with a discussion about the UK and EU? (And before you go off on another tangent, I'm aware that this is a Thai based forum). Obviously but that doesn't explain why you imply that evading tax and NI contributions were less scrutinized when the UK was an EU member compared to post-Brexit.

Which sounds something like my own upbringing. Maybe I was a bit naive - given that the SPG were operational in South London, and they were seemingly a law unto themselves - but the thought never crossed my mind that I might end up dead at the hands of the police. I simply can't understand how it can be considered acceptable for a police officer to act as judge, jury and (literally) executioner in a case where a relatively petty crime may have been committed.

What was preventing HMRC investigating matters if 'cash-in-hand' payment jobs were considered a major problem when we were in the EU? I would have thought that the answer was obvious. The freedom to move as and when the individual wants, without restriction, without administrative costs (financial and time) and the ability to arrive in a country and then search for a job and move between jobs (I e. have the same rights as nationals), is a lot more attractive than having to jump through administrative hoops (e.g. find a job and sponsor in advance) with possible additional financial costs to the individual.

And yet you still continue to engage in a discussion with me? What is weird is burying your head in the sand and not considering the possibility that maybe, just maybe, the wrong decision was reached and that we might consider changing it. Thanks for the advice. The wife retires in a couple of years and that's one of the options. You seem to think that the Single Market has ceased to exist? Just to be clear, freedom of movement still operates for the nationals of the remaining (no pun intended) 27 member states. The UK in its' wisdom decided that it would be a good idea to limit the job opportunities available to its' nationals. Thanks for caring. I'm pretty sure that one of the EU countries will have us if we decide that's what we want. Concentrate on your own mental well-being: You appear to have a problem coping with those who don't share your views. Thanks but a bit premature for that.

The police officer allegedly said, "I am going to shoot you in the head". Whether this is true and/or whether the officer intended to kill doesn't alter the fact that a young man has ended up dead. It appears from your posts that you think that this is a perfectly acceptable outcome?

Was there any indication that the boy would run over innocent people? Anyone driving erratically can be seen as a potential danger to pedestrians. Is it ok for the police to shoot them?

According to the data, to date Covid has affected the UK economy more than Brexit which, in turn, has had a greater effect than the war in Ukraine. (I've posted the supporting links previously. I can't be bothered to post the same thing every time the comment about Covid and the Ukraine war appears) I don't understand what effect Brexit has meant to have had on money laundering? Simple solution: If you find 'Us lot' boring, don't engage with or listen to us. Life's not too bad for me personally, but it was better when the UK was in the EU. It could be improved for me now by not having to deal with small but tedious and unnecessary irritations e.g. at border control when travelling to the continent. I understand that is not a good enough reason to reverse Brexit, but the on-going damage being done to the UK economy and the withdrawal of opportunities for future generations are. Neither is it helpful or constructive to ignore mistakes especially when they can be rectified.

Worked both ways. Brits in EU member states were entitled to the same benefits as locals when the UK was an EU member. I can't remember a post from any remainer denying that the Covid lockdowns, or the Ukraine war, has negatively affected the UK economy. However, there are a number of Leavers who - despite the wealth of evidence from reputable sources - continue to refuse to acknowledge that Brexit has had a negative economic effect on the UK economy.

I don't know how easy it was for EU nationals to get settled status, but it is not that straightforward for EU nationals to now immigrate to the UK, especially when you consider that pre-Brexit, the process was basically 1) buy flight/ Eurostar ticket 2) Remember to take ID card/ passport. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-uks-points-based-immigration-system-information-for-eu-citizens

From the AA website: "Alcoholics Anonymous has only one requirement for membership and that is the desire to stop drinking. There is room in AA for people of all shades of belief and non-belief." I hope that you can find a solution(s) to your problem(s).