EU referendum are you in or out

[zip accident]

I thought the dick who won't shut up opposite was "the honourable member" (which is how I remember it) or honourable lady/gentleman, whilst anyone on the same side was "my honourable friend"? But it seems that sometimes the opposition are 'friends' now which is unusual but I suppose the speaker wouldn't object to increased respect across the aisle especially after some of the behaviour they've been exhibiting lately.

Private Eye used "friend" to mean someone we are allowed to call names, because it's all in fun and no harm is meant, they certainly tried it on in court, maybe they even got away with it. That might have been the 1990s, or maybe the 2000s.

[KlaxonCow]

Private Eye used "friend" to mean someone we are allowed to call names, because it's all in fun and no harm is meant, they certainly tried it on in court, maybe they even got away with it. That might have been the 1990s, or maybe the 2000s.

Allegedly.

[gilesgoat]

UK seems to be 'a master' in using euphemisms ...

[edit] i.e. "it's not a complete dick" .. "it's a man of original opinions" .. it's not "war" .. it's "a problematic situation" ... it's not "illegal" .. it's "of questionable law challenging" .. etc. ..

[merman]

Boris must be on plan W by now..

"Um.. No hard border, but customs posts inside Ireland.. No backstop, but we have to get a deal done in 4 years.. Are there any thighs I can grope to make this easier?"

He is trying to say "my deal or No Deal", but it's clear he wants to blame the EU when it rejects this latest pitiful attempt at negotiation.

[Rhythm]

He's just submitted his letter to the EU. Appears to pinky-promise that NI will adhere to all EU regs and that checks should only be needed between NI and mainland UK. Which feels like the old "customs border in the Irish Sea" proposal that got rubbished early in the proposals. Also says that a new council in NI would decide every 4 years whether this arrangement continues or not.

DUP have "agreed" it, but they appear to have not read it properly, as their letter suggests that they think it means NI would be out of Single Market and Customs Union.

Either way, it seems more money has been bunged their way, with Boris promising a "New Deal for NI"...

Link to the "explainer" document

Link to the actual letter

[gilesgoat]

*SNIP* that checks should only be needed between NI and mainland UK.*SNIP*

.. and .. isn't this precisely a "hard border" ?

Of course Ireland would NOT need ANY check between Ireland and EU because they still ARE EU ..

[Rhythm]

*SNIP* that checks should only be needed between NI and mainland UK.*SNIP*

.. and .. isn't this precisely a "hard border" ?

Of course Ireland would NOT need ANY check between Ireland and EU because they still ARE EU ..

The explainer's even worse, Giles. Suggests they're proposing the UK would have a customs zone but wouldn't necessarily perform checks. The loopholes in this are so wide you could drive a bus filled with questionable electronics straight through them

[gilesgoat]

While you are doing all this I just read on the news the new commander of the ISS is an Italian guy The duty been passed from Ovchinin to Luca Parmitano He's the 3rd European to get that ..

.. no news of UK yet

[Harlequin]

On a different note, one thing I have found curious among recent proceedings in the House has been Conservative members referring to now Independent ex-members as "my friend" or even "my honourable friend", when those sacked members are no longer "friends" in the parliamentary sense let alone "honourable" in the sense of being Privy Councillors. I am surprised that Bercow has not corrected them.

I thought all MPs were "Honourable," and Privy Counsellors were "Right Honourable." Have I got it wrong?

Oops! Yes, you are quite correct. I meant '"my honourable friend" or even "my right honourable friend"'.

Link to the actual letter

Why does "A Fair and Reasonable Compromise" remind me of Swift's "A Modest Proposal" for Ireland?

[Little stoned kiwi]

It's the memes I'm looking forward to. Halloween is going to be off the hook this year.

[skab]

Boris must be on plan W by now..

No, no, this is still plan A. Just fuck around till the time runs out and the UK leaves by default. Which means Boris is still winning the war, despite all those perceived lost battles.

What's the worst that could happen? If Johnson ignores the Benn Act, there are no direct consequences, just a lot of maybe. Maybe impeachment, maybe a trial. Maybe he doesn't have to ignore it at all, just ask for an extension and then rely on a EU member state to just say "fuck no". Maybe a state he promised some shady backdoor deal?

Since Corbyn clearly ruled out stepping back for a less-controversial and more-electable (for the mutinous Tories, the rest of the opposition parties, and half his own party MPs) interim PM candidate this way out seems to be blocked as well.

So if you crash out in a month's time, you can not only thank Boris and his cohorts, but also Corbyn as well. Both archetypes of power hungry and self-centered politicians, too bad they happened to come to power at a moment as crucial as this. In short, you're fucked.

[Rhythm]

So if you crash out in a month's time, you can not only thank Boris and his cohorts, but also Corbyn as well.

But Corbyn's playing, like, 3D chess, man. You just can't understand how he's playing the Tories, like

[merman]

Boris must be on plan W by now..

No, no, this is still plan A. Just fuck around till the time runs out and the UK leaves by default. Which means Boris is still winning the war, despite all those perceived lost battles.

What's the worst that could happen? If Johnson ignores the Benn Act, there are no direct consequences, just a lot of maybe. Maybe impeachment, maybe a trial. Maybe he doesn't have to ignore it at all, just ask for an extension and then rely on a EU member state to just say "fuck no". Maybe a state he promised some shady backdoor deal?

Since Corbyn clearly ruled out stepping back for a less-controversial and more-electable (for the mutinous Tories, the rest of the opposition parties, and half his own party MPs) interim PM candidate this way out seems to be blocked as well.

So if you crash out in a month's time, you can not only thank Boris and his cohorts, but also Corbyn as well. Both archetypes of power hungry and self-centered politicians, too bad they happened to come to power at a moment as crucial as this. In short, you're fucked.

Corbyn is not the problem.
Jo Swinson and the Lib Dems are, even going so far to say they would rather have No Deal than Corbyn as caretaker PM.

[skab]

Corbyn is not the problem.
Jo Swinson and the Lib Dems are, even going so far to say they would rather have No Deal than Corbyn as caretaker PM.

More power games. But still, Corbyn's the problem. Even if all of Labour and the LibDems would vote for him, you still need the other opposition parties and some Tory rebels for a safe majority. Corbyn is far too extreme to be a compromise candidate. But they simply don't fucking care:

A senior Labour source said: “People who want a government of national unity are playing fantasy football teams. It’s absolute, complete nonsense. Not only would no such thing ever be agreed, but the idea that such a government could exist for six months with no mandate is pure, utter nonsense.”

You can shorten that to "national unity is utter nonsense" and you get a proper description of the state of the UK right now.

[Harlequin]

Corbyn is not the problem.
Jo Swinson and the Lib Dems are, even going so far to say they would rather have No Deal than Corbyn as caretaker PM.

More power games. But still, Corbyn's the problem. Even if all of Labour and the LibDems would vote for him, you still need the other opposition parties and some Tory rebels for a safe majority. Corbyn is far too extreme to be a compromise candidate.…

Or, at least, is perceived to be. Which means the same thing in regard to controlling a majority of the current Parliament.