Boris Johnson, former Prime Minister

[honeybee13]

Could you remind me which post please, TJ?

 

Marina Hyde has a new opinion piece out, very aptly put and entirely in the PM's favour.

If only the UK could panic-buy prime ministers who know what they’re doing | Marina Hyde | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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Boris Johnson was in New York this week, trying to dodge awkward conversations and ignore domestic shortages, says Guardian columnist...

 

[honeybee13]

Thank you.

 

[honeybee13]

Well said Adam Forrest.

[honeybee13]

How the European papers see Britain's problems, from the Independent.

 

European newspapers blame Brexit for UK supply chain crisis

WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK

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Continent’s press liken situation to 1970s Winter of Discontent and ‘boycotted Cuba’

 

[honeybee13]

Tony Connelly of RTE has been talking to people in Brussels. There is a view that HMG will invoke Article 16 of the NIP soon and the source/s think the EU will take legal action and/or impose tarriffs on British exports. 

 

https://twitter.com/tconnellyRTE/status/1441360546058567682

 

[honeybee13]

I'm not sure what game you mean, UB, but it's certain that Northern Ireland is turning to the Republic and Europe for supplies that are difficult to get from Britain.

 

We're back to what Frost negotiated; if you want a hard Brexit, you have to have a border and if you can't have it on the island of Ireland, it has to be in the Irish sea. No, you can't put the border between Ireland and the EU.

 

If we'd stayed in the SM and CU, it wouldn't have been a problem and it was never an aim at the beginning of the process, until the ERG bullied Theresa May into changing the aims.

[honeybee13]

Yes, I'm old enough to remember the Brexit debate.   Project Fear or, to me, Project Here, seems to have been replaced by 'Stop talking the country down' as a way to close down a discussion.

 

I see what you mean about the game now - I'm not sure it's going to work though.

 

ETA: Trade is already way down with Ireland.

 

 

[honeybee13]

That was a good move, HT. A lot of people would envy your husband in the freedom of movement the passport gives him, amongst other things.

 

A friend of ours who voted to Leave, still applied for a Dutch passport, so he could keep his options open. They came back and said he couldn't have two monarchs and would have to choose whether he wanted to be Dutch or British.

[honeybee13]

From France24. Good response from Macron.

 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday that he wants to "re-establish cooperation", Macron's office said, amid a diplomatic crisis over a submarine contract with Australia.

 

In the conversation, which the Elysee said came at Johnson's request, the British prime minister said he hoped for cooperation "in line with our values and our common interests", such as the battle against climate change, securing the Indo-Pacific region and the fight against terrorism.

 

Macron told Johnson that "he is awaiting his proposals", his office said in a brief statement.

 

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210924-france-says-britain-s-johnson-offered-to-re-establish-cooperation-amid-submarine-dispute

 

 

[honeybee13]

I know.

[honeybee13]

wish they would. It seems Labour prefers not to mention Brexit in case it upsets potential voters. I still haven't worked out what Keir Starmer stands for. 

 

The only Labour MP I've seen go for it is David Lammy.

 

ETA: David Lammy on Question Time on Thursday.

 

 

[honeybee13]

Here are David Allen Green's thoughts on issuing short term visas for lorry drivers and poultry workers.

 

I agree with what he's saying, particularly the part about visa applications. I did wonder if the Home Office would actually help with the process and how long it will take.

 

“Can any of you drive a lorry?” – The Law and Policy Blog

DAVIDALLENGREEN.COM

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25th September 2021 Some magazine covers are for the ages. This The New European cover captures the current predicament of the current United...

 

Another question is whether EU drivers will want to come back after how they've been treated and made to feel by the UK government.

[honeybee13]

Indeed, it sounds like a really tough life. HMG could provide proper trck stops to make things easier for them, but of course it means spending money.

[honeybee13]

I hope you manage to refuel, TJ. Please let us know how you get on.

[honeybee13]

[honeybee13]

That's it in a nutshell, UB. There is and was no plan. For anything, as far as I can see.

[honeybee13]

You're right, there would have been advice from civil servants, I didn't mean to say there wasn't. I just get the impression that the current government doesn't think ahead. Plus, it's restricting its own action because everything seems to be viewed through the prism of Brexit.

 

But a number of people think that ministers [particularly people like Priti Patel] don't think civil servants are good at their jobs, hence the huge numbers of expensive private consultants in Whitehall.

[honeybee13]

Interesting thoughts from a European truckers' union man.

 

It remains to be seen if he's right but he also mentions working conditions. 'The EU workers we speak to will not go to the UK for a short-term visa to help the UK out of the sh*t they created themselves.'

 

EU lorry drivers will not help Britain ease its fuel crisis, union says | Supply chain crisis | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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Official from Dutch-based FNV criticises visa plan as ‘dead end’ due to poor working conditions

 

David Allen Green's legal blog has pointed out that any trucker who comes over on a temporary visa will automatically become an illegal alien on 25th December as all visas are going to expire on Xmas Eve.

[honeybee13]

There seems to be plenty of fuel in storage depots, TJ, it just can't necessarily get to petrol stations fast enough.

[honeybee13]

This is from a report by the Transport select committee 2016/2017, not long after the referendum.

 

[honeybee13]

Well, the ex-head of civil contingencies is spot on IMO. Where's the communication with the public?

[honeybee13]

You'd never know there's a Tory party conference coming up, would you?

 

Bozo wants to send rockets into space for Galactic Britain rather than spend the money on hungry kids. [Crossed post with you, TJ].

 

Jersey hasn't issued all the fishing licences for French boats that were requested and are possibly expecting another blockade.

 

And apart from all the culture wars and blame of all and sundry except HMG and Brexit for the problems, some people who don't trust Frosty the No Man are concerned he might invoke Article 16 of the NIP.

 

Distractions from the real issues.

[honeybee13]

There's a rival one from Starmer though.

 

"My dad was a toolmaker.

"Although in a way, so was Boris Johnson's!"

[honeybee13]

Has the Oz deal been signed? I've lost track.

 

ETA: Maybe you meant the submarine deal, I was thinking about the trade one.

[honeybee13]

One of the papers in Holland, Volkskrant, has reported - in Dutch but someone on Twitter understood the article - that Europe is about to retaliate against the UK for not implementing measures that were agreed in the WA. There's mention of import duties, bans on companies trading in the EU and on research programmes. I hope it isn't that tough.

 

Johnson and Frost could well have made this worse by all the posturing since the beginning of the year and almost total inaction.