June 2020 | 136 comments (136 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Can't stop thinking about this one today. "There's no evidence of corruption because officials appear to have spontaneously decided they should use public money to gift flight tickets, favours and business junkets to the PM's mistress" feels like it sums up an entire era. https://t.co/2srceDXiId
— Flying_Rodent (@flying_rodent) May 22, 2020

by generic on Fri May 22nd, 2020 at 12:24:17 PM EST
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Brexit security talks under threat after UK accused of illegally copying Schengen data.

"This is not a partner we can work with under these conditions," says Dutch MEP. [_link]
— Nick Reeves #FBPE #RuleOfLaw (@nickreeves9876) January 14, 2020

UK and EU clash over crime-fighting database in Brexit talks | The Guardian |

UK unlawfully copying data from EU police system | EU Observer - May 2018 |

The United Kingdom has been illegally copying classified personal information from a database reserved for members of the passport-free Schengen travel zone.
It has shared the information with US companies and it is demanding to keep access to the database after it leaves the EU next year

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri May 22nd, 2020 at 02:23:16 PM EST
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Downing Street Daily Briefing

Government was unable to reduce Coronavirus threat level below 4. Boris Johnson signalled on Wednesday it was likely to be reduced to 3, but the Joint Biosecurity Unit did not agree to this yesterday.

Lockdown lifting goes ahead nevertheless pic.twitter.com/Pt8cDzMVAq
— Sam Coates Sky (@SamCoatesSky) May 29, 2020

by generic on Fri May 29th, 2020 at 10:42:20 PM EST
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< wipes tears > (none / 0)

Interview on @RT_sputnik where @drbobgill tells @georgegalloway and @GayatriGalloway about Oliver Letwin, author of "Britain's Biggest Enterprise", which outlines an incremental path to dismantle the #NHS and replace it with a US healthcare modelhttps://t.co/fh5hrbk2SP pic.twitter.com/NYF8xjGqKJ
— John McCone (@McconeJohn) May 30, 2020

archived Sat Oct 19th, 2019

by Cat on Sat May 30th, 2020 at 06:37:35 PM EST
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'Good weekend reading': Barnier says UK backtracking on Brexit declaration - video [_link]
— The Guardian (@guardian) June 5, 2020

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Jun 5th, 2020 at 03:23:32 PM EST
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NI First Minister @DUPleader fears Brexit trade talks `are not going particularly well' [_link] pic.twitter.com/K3dXxfQzx3
— Belfast Telegraph (@BelTel) June 7, 2020

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 7th, 2020 at 09:29:26 PM EST
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Re: PFEFFLE'S EXIT (4.00 / 2)

Well, [No Shit, Sherlock!]

by Bernard (bernard) on Tue Jun 9th, 2020 at 08:26:29 PM EST
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If we respect our commitments in the Withdrawal Agreement & the Political Declaration, and if we keep our mutual respect, serenity and determination, I have no doubt that we can find a landing zone.

My comments following this week's 🇪 🇺 🇬 🇧 talks 👇🏻[_link] pic.twitter.com/yv20TSTnwo
— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) June 5, 2020

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Jun 5th, 2020 at 03:29:13 PM EST
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BREAKING: The U.K. economy shrinks a record 20.4% in April, as the country's coronavirus lockdown hit businesses and workers [_link] pic.twitter.com/Nt3srAMJJu
— Bloomberg (@business) June 12, 2020

GDP fell by a record 20.4% in April; services fell 19.0%, manufacturing fell 24.3% and construction fell 40.1% [_link] pic.twitter.com/x9kBJKerQZ
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) June 12, 2020

Britain's GDP falls 20.4% in April as economy is paralysed by lockdown | The Guardian |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Jun 12th, 2020 at 10:40:26 AM EST
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Poorest areas of England and Wales hit hardest by Covid-19 - ONS [_kink]
— The Guardian (@guardian) June 12, 2020

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Jun 12th, 2020 at 07:48:06 PM EST
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Coronavirus: "Petition calls on UK to declare war on New Zealand 'then immediately surrender."' Can we here in the U.S. Get in on the action too? Congress could declare war on NZ, cuz Trump"s doing as bsd a job as Johnson dealing w Covid19. [_link]
— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) June 15, 2020

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 15th, 2020 at 04:23:49 PM EST
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But I thought the Queen, not the government, has the right to declare war. Is it likely that she would agree to declare war on another of her subjects?

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Mon Jun 15th, 2020 at 04:35:38 PM EST
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Debriefed 🇪🇺 Ministers today #GAC on EU-UK negotiations.

We will work intensively to reach a comprehensive deal w/ 🇬🇧 - but we will maintain our principles, in line with the Political Declaration, and we will protect our interests.

Full, united support behind this approach. pic.twitter.com/ek9kDmSuNe
— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) June 16, 2020

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Wed Jun 17th, 2020 at 02:55:37 PM EST
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Brexit: Germany urges EU to plan for possible 'no deal 2.0' | The Guardian |

Brexit: Germany urges EU to plan for possible 'no deal 2.0' [_link]
— Guardian politics (@GdnPolitics) June 17, 2020

Failure of Brexit talks could lead to terrorism intelligence delays, say Lords [_link]
— Guardian politics (@GdnPolitics) June 16, 2020

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Wed Jun 17th, 2020 at 03:58:14 PM EST
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Meanwhile, the Brexiters are still pinning their hopes on Germany, who'll take the rotating EU presidency for the second half of 2020, to let them have cake and it it. Against all evidence.

While Germany does want a deal by the end of the year, all previous attempts by Brexiteers to frame Germany as the EU's Achilles' heel have been refuted both by the country's politicians and its industry lobbies https://t.co/pLxneNPyec
— POLITICOEurope (@POLITICOEurope) June 17, 2020

by Bernard (bernard) on Wed Jun 17th, 2020 at 06:11:34 PM EST
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Exclusive: Angela Merkel says the UK will have to "live with the consequences" of weaker ties to EU, hardening her tone on no-deal Brexit [_link]
— Philip Oltermann (@philipoltermann) June 26, 2020

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Jun 26th, 2020 at 03:37:49 PM EST
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Re: PFEFFLE'S EXIT (4.00 / 2)

So much for eating cake...

From the article:

After more than three years in which the German chancellor repeatedly emphasised her openness to a deal that would maintain the UK's current flows of trade with the bloc, she suggested the door leading to such a compromise had now closed.

It has apparently never crossed the British journalists' mind, even from The Guardian, that the "openness" was always linked to a "level playing field" and the UK had to agree to essential rules to keep access to the EU single market.

Now, is it the Continental side who decided they wouldn't agree to these rules?

by Bernard (bernard) on Fri Jun 26th, 2020 at 05:09:09 PM EST
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The economic recession will be deep and long ...wisdom is lacking. BoJo and his Conservatives are strongly allied with Trump's America. Trade policy and goods standards will be easier with the US than with the EU. The UK assumes the ties with the EU remain strong due to Five Eyes, security, intelligence, defence and NATO ties. Capitalism crosses all borders.

Britain's talks with the biggest economy in the world will not be a walk in the park

The U.K. and U.S. will launch trade talks, but they carry high risks for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is under heavy pressure not to buckle to U.S. President Donald Trump's demands on food standards and health.

A deal with the United States was long viewed as a Holy Grail by British politicians who wanted to pull the U.K. out of the European Union and deepen ties with the global Anglosphere.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Jun 26th, 2020 at 06:49:55 PM EST
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Food standards are the least of the problems. Any UK-US deal will hinge on tax treatment of US megacorporations and on financial services agreements. Good luck working those out in three months in the middle of an economic and financial disaster.

by asdf on Thu Jul 2nd, 2020 at 04:58:30 PM EST
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Trump is going to be too busy trying to get re-elected to conduct a trade negotiation.

Republicans in Congress are too busy trying to save their asses to approve any trade treaty.

Democrats in Congress don't want to give Trump any positive media so they will stall any trade agreement in the House.

So: forget it. Nothing will happen until 2021.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Mon Jul 6th, 2020 at 03:54:19 PM EST
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BoJo hands Dominic Cummings free reigns in destruction of Whitehall ... secrecy will be a merit. Public scrutiny and oversight gone out the window ...

Mark Sedwill to step down as UK's top civil servant [_link]
— The Guardian (@guardian) June 29, 2020

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 29th, 2020 at 11:08:30 AM EST
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Many civil servants will be yelling "Yes! The emperor has no clothes!" when they read this.
And some Tory MPs too (at least those who think that while Cummings is a proven campaigning genius, his ideas for reshaping government are deeply flawed)[_link]
— Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) July 4, 2020

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue Jul 7th, 2020 at 09:37:04 AM EST
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