So, Brits. How's Brexit Going?

[Pat Mustard]

My mum voted Brexit because she doesn't like the Germans (she was a child during WW2). In her mind, that emotion trumps any argument that many of her grandchildren , nephews, nieces etc work in the supply side for the foreign owned car industry, and their jobs could be under threat. She has a "this was their finest hour - we will never surrender" view of British exceptionalism and repeats "I think we will be alright" to my arguments about brexit downsides.

You should try the "eceonomic chaos and need to buy food from the EU will make Englamd (and mybe Wales) an effective German vassal" line, then.

[I_am_not_mafia]

Revealed: detail of exclusive Russian deal offered to Arron Banks in Brexit run-up

Banks has consistently denied receiving money from Russia, but the source of his wealth has been under scrutiny since he gave £9m to Leave.EU, the largest political donation in British history.

A seven-slide presentation, seen for the first time, shows how Banks – the main donor behind Leave.EU – was offered the chance of making potentially enormous profits in a deal featuring a Russian gold company.

The offer was made through Alexander Yakovenko, Russia’s ambassador in London.

Some MPs have said it raises new questions about Moscow’s role in Brexit, and whether the Kremlin sought to enrich leading Brexit campaigners in the run-up to the 2016 referendum via a series of covert business deals.

[Minimalist]

Apparently, unlike the Brexiteers, Putin knows that Britain will go down the shitter because of it.

[robvalue]

Fantastic. Add this to the fact that at least two Brexit MPs were promoting leaving just to try and boost their careers, and we have the people of Britain being totally manipulated for the benefits of others.

[downbeatplumb]

Fantastic. Add this to the fact that at least two Brexit MPs were promoting leaving just to try and boost their careers, and we have the people of Britain being totally manipulated for the benefits of others.

Yep.

[Minimalist]

Things not looking so good.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po...19636.html

Mr Barnier’s comments came in an interview with newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, in which he told European carmakers they would need to shun British manufacturers in order to enjoy low tariffs on their global exports.

“The British have a choice,” he said. “They could stay in the single market, like Norway, which is also not a member of the EU, but they would then have to accept all the regulations and make contributions to European solidarity.

“But if we let the British cherry pick which of our regulations to follow, that would have serious consequences: all sorts of other third countries could insist that we offer them the same deal.

[Anomalocaris]

Apparently, unlike the Brexiteers, Putin knows that Britain will go down the shitter because of it.

Putin is not a very big fool.  It takes a big fool to not realize Britain will go down the shitter because of it.  It takes a person foolish even for a British conservative to think Britain will come out ahead on this.

Britain has shown ample evidence of being truly exceptional.  No other country in the world has ever managed to go from controlling 1/4 of the world to controlling just parts of a modest archipelago within roughly 2 generations, much having the obliviousness (called “stiff upper lip” in those parts) to still call itself “Great”.

Trump has that same obliviousness, but he is not a country, just the indictment of one.

[I_am_not_mafia]

Britain has shown ample evidence of being truly exceptional.  No other country in the world has ever managed to go from controlling 1/4 of the world to controlling just parts of a modest archipelago within roughly 2 generations, much having the obliviousness (called “stiff upper lip” in those parts) to still call itself “Great”.

While I agree that Brexiteers isolationists (far better term for them) are utterly foolish, and the Tory party too, I actually think that losing our empire like this was actually a real achievement. I may have misunderstood you but it seems like you're implying that giving up our empire was foolish?

If so, do you think Britain would still be able command an empire 1/4 of the world? Empires mostly fall. Giving it away meant that we did not waste resources trying to hold onto something that we could not keep. So we pillaged the resources of the world and then slunk back to a small island with few consequences when it was clear that we could no longer continue, but still benefitted from our colonial past by living off our reputation by referring to it as the Commonwealth and allowing immigrants from countries that we impoverished to come to our island and work for very little money, boosting our economy while we treat them like shit.

The problem Britain faces is that it still has an empire mentality. This is why these utterly foolish isolationists think that Britain can continue to exist as it is without the EU. I am hoping that all this might kill off our empire mentality once and for all.

[Minimalist]

I guess it is getting down to crunch time?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/21/world...=695583779

Where Brexit Hurts: The Nurses and Doctors Leaving London

In London, a city long sustained by European bankers, builders and baristas — “a place that makes you dream,” Ms. Pardela said — the departures are beginning to hurt. Construction companies and coffee shops are struggling to recruit. Top universities worry about retaining talent. And nowhere are the concerns more elemental than in Britain’s treasured and already overstretched National Health Service.

Long before Brexit, the N.H.S. suffered from chronic staffing shortages, and today the country has 40,000 nursing vacancies. But recruiting nurses from the European Union had helped plug the gap — especially in London, where the share of nurses from the Continent is about 14 percent, or twice the national average. King’s College Hospital, the massive institution where Ms. Pardela works, is short of 528 nurses and midwives, and 318 doctors.

Maybe Theresa May will cook up a big pot of chicken soup?

[robvalue]

It seems May is asking for extra time to sort things out regarding the new "Europe" border that’s going to suddenly be erected in the middle of Ireland after this shit is done with. Apparently some tories are calling for her resignation over it. (I got this from some scum press in a waiting room so best check it for accuracy.) I’d normally jump on any chance to kick her to the curb, but trying to stop a fucking war in Ireland is a decent cause.