Things Noticeable this week

[Greenman]

Had the Government EU booklet through the post this morning. Makes interesting reading but I am still not sure yet - around 50-50 at present. I still need to hear what the average person is going to get out of it. Some of the leaflets from Leave are a little obscure.

Congratulations to Danny Willett-what a great win for Britain in the Masters Golf, not been an English winner since Sir Nick Faldo.

I wonder if the irony has occcured to people. It is goodbye to TATA Steel and hello British Steel-but hang on, wasn't it called that beforehand-hardly original At least those poor people whose livelihoods depend on steel making might get to keep their jobs which I hope will also include Port Talbot, Wales.

[gedly]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...ievers-7734629

I couldn't help but take notice of these remarks by Alan Duncan MP. “We risk having a House of Commons stuffed full of low achievers who hate enterprise, hate people who look after their own families and know absolutely nothing about the outside world.” Bit rich coming from a Tory MP like him. The son of an RAF CO, he went to two elite public schools, followed by Oxford and a lucrative career in the oil industry. Sounds just like the sort of person who knows all about the "outside world".

[Greenman]

Fiery veteran MP Dennis 'The Beast of Bolsover' Skinner refused to apologise to the House and Mr Speaker for his outburst earlier and was thrown out of the Commons. He's always called a spade a "bloody shovel" as they say up North and he wasn't about to be pushed about. If he leaves the Commons at the next General Election it will be a big loss to a colourful character that's for sure.

[vannax]

I note that Bryan Adams has boycotted Mississippi because the state no longer forces bed and breakfast owners to cater to gay folk should they not wish to, and Bruce Springsteen canceled a concert elsewhere because some other state won't let men into the womens bathrooms.

Basically, these people are activists for more state intrusion into individuals lives and businesses. Authoritarians, in other words.

[CARLTON BROWN]

Got the silly government booklet about remaining in the EU this morning. What a load of patronizing claptrap. Thanks Dave! This nonsense only cost the taxpayer £10 million. Some of us know exactly why you called the referendum, but perhaps you'd like to clearly explain your reasons to the general public, as you never actually wanted to leave. You might also tell us why nobody thinks much of the great deal you did with the EU to fix all our many concerns and make every adult in the UK want to stay.

[vannax]

Originally Posted by CARLTON BROWN

Got the silly government booklet about remaining in the EU this morning. What a load of patronizing claptrap. Thanks Dave! This nonsense only cost the taxpayer £10 million. Some of us know exactly why you called the referendum, but perhaps you'd like to clearly explain your reasons to the general public, as you never actually wanted to leave. You might also tell us why nobody thinks much of the great deal you did with the EU to fix all our many concerns and make every adult in the UK want to stay.

There was once a day when if someone made serious efforts to hand legislative and logistical sovereignty to a bunch of foreigners, they'd have been shot for treason, and rightly so.

[otokonomidori]

Originally Posted by vannax

Bryan Adams has boycotted Mississippi , and Bruce Springsteen canceled a concert

Sounds like it's a win win situation for the people of Mississippi.

[seany65]

It seems that the deal for the steel plant in wales means that the workers will have to take a pay cut and have lower pension benefits.

What's the bet that in a year or two's time, after the new company starts to seriously struggle to get orders 'cos the brit govt. will carry on buying cheap foreign steel (as that's the best thing to do to save taxpayer's money in these times of economic pressure...), and they still won't do anything about the even cheaper chinese steel that the chinese govt are deliberately dumping on the world to ruin the international steel industry so that china can get a monopoly on it, that the plant will be up for sale again and again there'll be a new deal which means the workers have to take a pay cut and lower pension benefits in order to get another company to buy it?

[gedly]

Originally Posted by vannax

There was once a day when if someone made serious efforts to hand legislative and logistical sovereignty to a bunch of foreigners, they'd have been shot for treason, and rightly so.

There was once a time when sovereignty was fought over out of the barrel of a gun. Both Napoleon and Hitler tried to create European super states by this very method. Britain created the largest empire in history and was quite happy to use force to keep it. Some places, like the US, did manage to leave but not after a long and bloody fight (with the odd cheeky attempt to take Canada). In the 21st century, sovereignty is not fought over but compromised. I've read that EU leaflet and found it very lightweight and most of it I know already. I get the feeling its been written by some Whitehall mandarins who seem to share a vested with the Brussels Eurocrats. I'm inclined to agree with it to a certain extent. Even if the UK adopted the "Norway model" we'd still have to make considerable compromises with EU.

[gedly]

Originally Posted by seany65

It seems that the deal for the steel plant in wales means that the workers will have to take a pay cut and have lower pension benefits.

What's the bet that in a year or two's time, after the new company starts to seriously struggle to get orders 'cos the brit govt. will carry on buying cheap foreign steel (as that's the best thing to do to save taxpayer's money in these times of economic pressure...), and they still won't do anything about the even cheaper chinese steel that the chinese govt are deliberately dumping on the world to ruin the international steel industry so that china can get a monopoly on it, that the plant will be up for sale again and again there'll be a new deal which means the workers have to take a pay cut and lower pension benefits in order to get another company to buy it?

Problem is China is to steel what Saudi Arabia is to oil. China produces half the steel in the world. The UK is about 20th in the world now. I remember when BMW was seen as the saving grace of the long troubled Longbridge car plant. It still went to the wall. As I've said before, I've seen millions of British people lose their jobs and cities lose their industries, so my sympathy for these steel workers is limited.