Brexit discussion thread XIV (Please read OP before posting)

Leroy42

Was it suspended pending a deeper review or suspended because it was unlawful?

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118581866#Comment_118581866

Mr Justice Colton confirmed that inspections on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain must continue pending the outcome of legal challenges to the step taken by Mr Poots. ... “I propose to make an order, suspending the order or instruction given by the Minister for Agriculture until further order of this court or completion of these proceedings.”

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/courts/edwin-poots-order-to-halt-ni-protocol-checks-at-ports-suspended-by-high-court-judge-41312912.html

murphaph

As if the DUP couldn't make themselves look even more impotent. Bizarre.

Capt'n Midnight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118582564#Comment_118582564

Have you seen how they are squabbling over who's to run in which constituency in the upcoming Assembly elections ? It's like they are fighting for a seat on the Ark and it's already started raining.

Or this appeal asking a dead duck prime minister to take on the EU on their behalf when he's busy muddying the water and looking for people to throw under buses.

Donaldson told BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster: “I met with the prime minister last week, I asked the prime minister two straight questions. I asked him what he thought were the prospects of agreement being reached with the EU on the protocol within the next few weeks.

“His answer was ‘20 to 30% chance of agreement’.

“I then asked the prime minister for a clear commitment that in the absence of an agreement with the EU, the UK government would do what they said in their command paper last July … and take unilateral action … the prime minister could not give me that commitment in those circumstances.”

NI's political upheavel is barely registering in England. Something Scotland can refer to in their next independence bid.

murphaph

What's Ulster Scots for thrown under a bus?

The DUP are spectacularly bad politicians. They've been nothing but useful idiots for the right wing of the Tory party and the whole sinister Brexit movement, shuffling money about like a drug dealers' runner.

I cannot see how they aren't seriously wounded come the next elections. The UUP has accepted the reality of the protocol, as has a majority of the NI electorate. Work with it or waste energy kicking back against it.

Peregrinus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118581343#Comment_118581343

To be fair to Larkin, we don't know what question Poots put to him, and we don't know what answer he gave. All Poots has said is that he took this step after taking legal advice — carefully saying very little about the legal advice, I think.

The word on the street is that Poots was lawyer-shopping for some time - taking advice from a a succession of lawyers, and probably reframing his question each time, until he found a lawyer whose answer to the question put to him was not "Oh my God, don't do that!"

Also worth pointing out that in the political system that prevails in the UK (and Ireland) a government minister seeking advice about the discharge of his official functions would usually get that advice from the government legal service - in this case, the Attorney General for Northern Ireland. Larkin is a respected lawyer in private practice who has held the position of AG for NI, but he's not the current AG. That would be Brenda King. We don't know whether Poots sought advice from her office. If he did, we don't know what advice was given. If he didn't. we don't know why not.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592676#Comment_118592676

You just make up Ulster Scots as you go along (there are at least three "official" translations of the name of the St Andrews Agreement, let alone the content) so, erm, "thrane unner a bhus"?

Seth Brundle

UK Cabinet reshuffle and...

https://twitter.com/PickardJE/status/1491039968269320192

Not sure if that is rewarding JRM or punishing him!

Needless to say, many people are seeing the humour in this. I thought this response to the above is quite amusing (if you are familiar with Around The World in 80 Days)...

Brussels Sprout

Johnson appears to be trolling everyone at this stage given that JRM appointment.

breezy1985

There should be strict rules about ministerial posts the stop this politicized BS of "Brexit opportunities" and "leveling up"

Nody

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118600345#Comment_118600345

It's Boris so we know it's all about protecting himself from more letters; I'd guess it's an attempt to shore up the Brexit falangs by giving them an ardent brexiteer to show the benefits.

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118600065#Comment_118600065

Haha!! Easiest job in history. Sure JRM already said the benefits might not be seen for 50 years. He can sit on his hole till he dies in that job!

Leroy42

As far as I can tell it is somewhat of a demotion for JRM. He is now a minister of state, down from the leader of the commons - I could have this totally wrong though.

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118601049#Comment_118601049

Indeed, leader of the commons with its historic context and role of dictating the day to day business of the commons would seem far more appealing to someone like Mogg.

ArmaniJeanss

Vaguely interesting that the word 'Brexit' is now official parlance enshrined in the title of a ministerial post. It started off as a handy made-up slang word with various people having claimed to be the originator.

That 'Brexit' geographically excludes NI in a way that 'UKexit' doesn't was something I always thought would prevent it becoming an official term. Though arguably that makes it quite suitable.

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118600599#Comment_118600599

Reminds me of the old Dustin the turkey when he was a politician claiming to be the minister for glass hammers.

looksee

I honestly thought that was a spoof post/tweet. 'Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government efficiency' is apparently a genuine thing though. It sounds like a satirical sketch in a comedy show.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118602159#Comment_118602159

It is essentially Minister for Propaganda in all but name, but the name they've given it will play very well with Johnson's base.

I doubt any politician with any serious ambitions would want to touch such an obvious nonsensical ministry, but Rees-Mogg surely knows that his political career is at it's peak and it's never going to get better than what he has now, yet another tory who is all style over substance.

Peregrinus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118601049#Comment_118601049

No, I think you're right. As Leader of the House and Lord President of the Council, Rees-Mogg was a full cabinet member. In his new role he's a Minister of State who attends cabinet. There is a significant difference in both status and influence between being a cabinet member and merely attending cabinet.

salonfire

Two good news stories for Brexit UK with its tech sector seeing its best year ever in terms of investment. If manufacturering does take a hit with Brexit, this will be a welcome pivot for its economy.

https://www.cityam.com/2021-best-year-ever-for-26bn-uk-tech-sector-with-larger-vc-inflows-116-unicorns-record-london-listings-more-jobs-and-new-futurecorns/?amp=1

On busy days, delays at Dover will be just four hours. A negligible amount really compared to trans continental journey times and nothing compared to extra journey time from Ireland now by ferry.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/expect-four-hour-delays-at-dover-but-overall-picture-is-positive-haulage-boss/ar-AATBm5J?li=BBoPRmx

Cookie_Monster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118603836#Comment_118603836

That 4 hour delay at Dover is when you finally get there right, after the 18 hours sitting on the motorway...

Peregrinus

Wait, the fact that Brexit-imposed delays at Dover will hopefully be got down to 4 hours is a good news story?

In what weird inverted universe are problems imposed by Brexit a "good news story for Brexit UK"?

rameire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118603836#Comment_118603836

That 3 to 4 hour delay is after the Customs Truck depot at Ashford that could take up to 30 hours.

yagan

It is hilarious that obvious deterioration in general trade conditions is measured as positive.

moritz1234

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118603836#Comment_118603836

The 4 hour delay after queuing for hours and hours to get to the 4 hour delay is some brexit spin 🤣

Akrasia

'Good news your cancer is responding to treatment'

It is good news, but you've still got cancer which is bad news

Brexit is a cancer on the UK economy and their people and anyone who needs to deal with the UK in trade or politics

It has been eating away at their core and will continue to do so until they reverse course and change their mindset from 'Britain first' to the partnership model that has brought unprecedented peace and prosperity to the continent of Europe since the formation of the European Coal and Steel community about 70 years ago

Igotadose

What did Brexit have to do with VC investment? And creation of 'unicorns...' It's just gambling at the end of the day. All that VC investment usually means huge returns for VC's, company founders and not many others. So, color me bemused by the attempt to tie it to Brexit. Most VC investment fails.

yagan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118604353#Comment_118604353

These UK unicorn start up stories are simply weekly press releases now. It's all very Pravda, tractor production beats records etc......

Akrasia

The hyping up of 'Unicorn' start-ups is the beginning of the next big collapsing bubble

After the last tech crash, start-ups were being valued at ludicrous sums by venture capitalists and as soon as the first cracks appeared, their values collapsed almost overnight

Targetting headlines like X number of Unicorn floations in the past 12 months is a recipe for another economic meltdown if these companies are not fundamentally sound value propositions

We have companies with global brands that are massively over-valued, and we have start-ups that nobody has ever heard of being valued at $1,000,000,000 + on the promise of products that are not even fully developed yet

ancapailldorcha

I'd a friend try to recruit me to one in the West of Ireland. I gave it some thought but these things literally exist to be bought out by a corporation and nothing more. I think we need a more holistic metric to show Brexit benefiting the UK, assuming of course that one exists.