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More Of The Same |
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Last night even blinkered Westminster politicians could pretend that the donkey was alive no longer. Some still hoped for a miracle. But a donkey resurrection just did not happen. In a rare case of honesty a few politicians are even proposing that parliament honour its 2016 referendum promises of A once in a generation decision and The Government will implement what you decide. Even though they are still outnumbered by MPs who have decided that they know better than the majority of their constituents and indeed the majority of the UK. So today we have a Prime Minister who will not resign voluntarily and seems unlikely to be pushed hard enough to go. The mess just gets worse and worse ... |
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tags: Leave, No Deal, 72 days away, dead-end plan |
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Public Petitions |
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Next Monday (14-Jan-2019) has now been scheduled for parliament to debate no less than seven separate petitions related to leaving the European Union. The actual numbers behind each request - as at today - vary widely and only the top three get above the 100,000 figure normally required to qualify for a debate.
315,271 - Leave the EU without a deal in March 2019 |
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tags: Leave, No Deal, 79 days away, split decisions |
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March Armageddon |
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Now that the Christmas / New Year break is just a memory many Grandads ought to be making plans for some time away from home in what was once called a holiday but with retirement has become just a change of scenery.
The seas will turn blood red, the dead will rise up and everyone will be thrown into the final battle at the end of the UK’s world. In response Grandads are advised that they should take their holidays early in the year, stock up on canned food and convert any savings into krugerrands. Then they should equip a small boat and head to a remote island with a religious mystic for protection. The problem is, however, that almost all the stocks of boats have already been bought by those wanting to stay in the EU. Since many plan to head en-masse across the Channel, in a sort of reverse Dunkirk, and claim asylum in mainland Europe. They know that if enough boats make a co-ordinated crossing then the authorities will not be able to stop them. To avoid this Armageddon our leaders promise that if we could just give Big Brother control over our lands in perpetuity everything would be rosey. To quote the concluding lines of 1984 by George Orwell - But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother. |
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tags: Leave, No Deal, 83 days away, inept politicians |
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The Dane-Geld |
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It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation, Joseph Rudyard Kipling (30 Dec 1865 – 18 Jan 1936) Only the name has changed over time - it was appeasement in the 1930’s and a national divorce bill today. |
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tags: Pay to Leave, billions, ransom, extortion, corrupt, without foundation |
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Simply Leave! |
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At the time of writing 189,000 UK citizens had taken the time to vote in support of an option that many thought was what they had voted for back in 2016. Leaving was never offered as an outcome that was subject to the EU agreeing on a deal with the UK. It was simply leave. Our political leaders followed up the 2016 vote with the slogan No Deal is Better than a Bad Deal. Now they say Any Deal is Better Than No Deal. The voting public were told in no uncertain terms that continued membership of the EU was in the country’s best interests and that leaving was an uncertain route. They still voted to leave; just leave. After all the wasted time and effort to create a Frankenstein exit plan it is clear that Just Leave was the best course of action from day one. Now will this petition actually change minds in Westminster? There is some hope but very little expectation ... |
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tags: Brexit, EU, leave, no more delays, people, vote |
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Once In A Generation |
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tags: Brexit, EU, delays, diversions, anti-democratic, deceit |
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A Lack Of Volunteers |
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Today in Westminster we have a Conservative party in power but with over a hundred of its members not in support of their leader. Meanwhile their allies, the DUP members, have pulled their support - meaning that the Conservatives are in a minority; no matter what. In this weakened situation the opposition have all the fire power needed to take the government apart. Yet no one seems prepared to make a decisive move. And so far Labour, LibDem and SNP members have done little more than rant a little louder than usual. Grandad can only assume that the prospect of taking the poison chalice from Mrs May’s grasp is too great a risk to their comfortable existence on the opposition benches. Without a Brexit agreement in place they would have to come up with one themselves - or capitulate. Sadly the quality of the opposition is such that they could then make the situation even worse. To quote Blur - Modern life is rubbish ... |
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tags: Brexit, EU, delays, diversions, anti-democratic, poison chalice |
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Meme of the Day |
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tags: Brexit, EU, hopeless, plan, delays, diversions, anti-democratic |
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From Bad To Worse |
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Nine hundred days ago it was hard to imagine that a UK government could spend all this time and then come up with a plan that is worse than either staying put or leaving without a deal. Somehow Olly and Theresa have achieved just that. With project fear turned up to max against a clean break no deal exit - will the majority now be convinced to scrap the whole sorry charade? Who knows? |
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tags: Brexit, EU, hopeless, bad deal plan, 900 days gone |
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Sixth Anniversary |
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Well so much as happened around the world to so many people - and businesses - since 2012 that we have to restrict things to just that mini-world of topics that were covered here. And tellingly many of the issues raised in 2012 have made very little progress and some remain unresolved. Scotland tried and failed to leave the UK. The UK tried to leave the EU but is still stuck in limbo. While at the more trivial level - road signs are still in miles and yards; penny coins are still in use despite being worth even less; DAB radio is still be pushed as the replacement for FM channels despite missing all its take-up targets and the Daily Express is still printing wildly inaccurate weather predictions. Even the successful Crossrail project has yet to carry its first paying passenger. But looking at the topics that have reached the top of in-tray during the past six years it is clear that somethings do change much more quickly than others. Take retail for example where the six years have seen massive changes and some big names fail. From British Home Stores to Toys R Us from Mothercare to Maplin closures have been changing both the High Street and the retail parks. The stats show just how bad it has been with an estimated 10,000 stores closing since the start of 2013. But it’s not all been bad news. And despite some gloomy prospects on the political front we still look forward with hope to more rewarding years of postings. And to making more attempts at sticking a pin in the elephant of bureaucracy. |
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tags: six years, little voice, free speech, keep right on |
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Meanwhile In Other News |
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With Christmas shopping out of the way for now it’s time for a quick check back on the Jurassic Park that is international politics.
Sadly the current Brexit convulsions in Westminster show just how far standards have slipped. Neither of the two main UK political parties can be relied on to deliver what their constituents voted for. Labour MPs have campaigned to remain despite their constituents voting to leave. And our Conservative Prime Minister and her cabinet have claimed to be delivering the best leaving plan possible - while locking the country into EU colony status without end. A permanent remain solution dressed up as leaving. This web blog post from a few days ago hits the mark for those Grandads that have been dismayed to witness politicians of various parties allowing the gradual switch of the EU from a trading block into a Europa Reich - Brexiteers have been vilified, labelled as extremists, called dumb, and completely denounced, ignored from the EU negotiations or debate. Remainer, Theresa May, and her adjutant, Oily Robbins, a staunch remainer, have effectively hijacked the whole Brexit process, and have proposed a deal which leaves the UK completely vulnerable to the EU, and ties it in to the Customs Union, indefinitely thus relinquishing any way of conducting global trade deals. The remainer PM, has even gone through two ‘Brexit secretaries’ a job which is nothing more than a glorified tea boy, with no power or role in the process of exiting the EU. The EU referendum, was the largest democratic vote ever held in the UK, and 52% voted to Leave the EU. We are not dumb, we knew very well what this entailed. It meant leaving the EU Customs Union, the ECJ, the CAP, the CFP, the Single Market and all the other EU constructs designed to imprison countries, whilst making Brussels and the few favoured nations running the show richer. It’s as simple as that. The media are billing the next few days as the breaking point for the current UK exit plan - but after all these months of political ineffectiveness it seems more likely the year 2018 will end without a clear result. What a mess ... |
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tags: plot, scheme, treason, deceit |
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Christmas Shopping Day 4 |
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tags: gin, drown sorrows, demon drink, mother’s ruin, Brussels breakfast |
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Christmas Shopping Day 3 |
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tags: games, PS4, Last of Us, Rage, Uncharted, Doom Eternal, signs of the times |
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Christmas Shopping Day 2 |
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tags: DVD, movie, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, lesson from history |
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Christmas Shopping Day 1 |
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tags: DVD, game, all the family, deal, no deal |
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Plotting At Parliament 2 |
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tags: plot, scheme, treason, deceit, 803 years, Westminster, EU |
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Meme of the Day |
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tags: Brexit, EU, toxic deal, project fear, would i lie, Juncker motto, meme |
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Meme of the Day |
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tags: Brexit, EU, fudge, toxic, surrender, lies, fatal, meme |
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Could We Simply Remain? |
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Faced with such an unattractive Brexit plan the option of trying to remain in the EU seems to be a serious contender again. A move that should appeal to all those now wanting a simple, quick fix that puts things back as they were. It would no doubt also have support from many multi-nationals, politicians and senior civil servants. But this simplistic reversal does not allow for some rather obvious issues. One being the fact that Britain would not be returning to membership on its previous terms. All those special exceptions that the UK enjoyed in the past would not be available going forward. And worst of all the EU would still be committed to its master plan of creating a European super state unifying and integrating all its countries economically, politically and socially. This remains the only vision of the future that politicians in Brussels will allow.
So ignoring the majority and forcing Britain to remain a member would not provide a safe, stable or familiar future within the EU. Rather it would commit the country to a series of destructive changes at colossal expense. At the same time our reduced voting capacity would mean that even fewer British plans would gain support in Brussels. And with poorer member states easily outnumbering the votes of net-contributors, like the UK, more EU laws would be weighted towards benefiting them. Benefits that would have escalating costs paid for by us. Yes trying to remain by reversing the Article 50 request is an option. And it may even be a better option than the final Olly and Theresa plan. But both plans are spiders webs of rules and restrictions that incur huge sums of tax payers cash for very little in return. Leaving with no deal makes more and more sense as time ticks by .. |
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tags: democracy, populism, Brexit, manipulation, comedy, tragedy, no deal |
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Meme of the Day |
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tags: Theresa, De Vil, Brexit, thief, movie, future |
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Le Départ Fictif |
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One of the features of the annual Tour de France cycle race is for each stage to start in, say, a town centre - but for the racing to not actually start until reaching some clearer roads. A fictional start some distance before the real one.
The small print of the UK Withdrawal Agreement leaves plenty of scope for a never-ending subservience to the EU - and the smirks on the faces of the Eurocrats when receiving their copies in Brussels last week tells us that they will exploit it to the full. How different for the UK side, with Raab refusing to fly to Brussels - then resigning - to avoid being forced to take part in a photo opp at the handing over of our surrender terms. Today the old Days Not Out scoreboard has been brought back into use and extended to cope with thousands - since the countdown clock no longer has anything definite to countdown to ... |
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tags: Brexit, EU, Chamberlain, sell out, 878 days gone, unlimited days to go |
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EuroBillions |
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With winners in 27 different countries there was concern that the prize per person would be reduced. But the vast amounts involved means that everyone will get a handsome prize - especially those lucky enough to have multiple winning tickets. In fact the total prize-fund had become too large to count. The bean counters in Brussels had estimated 40,000 million euros at their last report - but that figure could double or even treble. This is because the guaranteed prize list includes regular incomes for life. Prizes that will be funded by countries that did not have enough winning tickets. Current results indicate that no one in the UK has won a top prize. Full results will be available once cleared by the auditors. |
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tags: Brexit, EU, useless, helpless, 875 days gone, unlimited days to go |
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Meme Of The Day |
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tags: Barnier, EU, Brexit, Walzer, Whitehall, Played Like a Fiddle, Robbins, May, weak, disgrace |
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Virtual Living |
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Today’s message from our friendly monster retailer to its covert agents -
So just the thing for those Grandads with large audiences and the right engagement metrics ... who want a vanity URL to help their social media sharing efforts. I’m starting to feel several generations out of touch ... |
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tags: retail, death, high street, online, black day |
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Plotting At Parliament |
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Remember, remember! An event re-enacted in the English bonfire and fireworks tradition that continues to this very day ... Even though modern restrictions have stopped having fires in every street along with roasting potatoes in the flames and rock hard plot toffee. |
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tags: plot, scheme, treason, 413 years, Westminster, Europe |
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For the past three months, or more, Theresa and Olly have been clinging to the false hope that their Chequers donkey was just resting when anyone with any sense could see it was well and truly dead.
But numbers aside the views expressed show just how split the public - and the activists - are on the issue. And even though most support a no deal Brexit there are significant minorities wanting either to remain or have another referendum. There are no signs that peace will break out anytime soon...
However this year we have been informed by our superiors that if we continue with our stupid demands to leave the European Union deal-free then the final days of March will mark the end of civilised existence for anyone still holding a British passport.
Some things remain good advice despite the passage of time ...
When it comes to a choice between saving the nation - or protecting their own position - far too many of today’s politicians seem to put their own self-interest first.
So it has come to this .. Our Prime Minister reduced to leading her government into a political dead-end with the prospect of an overwhelming defeat. Her master plan for leaving the European Union has pleased no one except the eurocrats. It is a plan so weak and subservient to the EU that both pro-leave and pro-remain supporters have combined to condemned it - and that’s just within her own party!
It’s six years since the start of this website - so how much as changed?
And today’s fantasy world is seemingly dominated by opportunistic, self enrichment and egotistical power grabs. A world where open and honest leadership mandated by the will of the people has all but disappeared - along with true public service.
The pound would have to go, along with imperial measurements and an independent military. While the much despised British rebate is already being lined up for removal along with our veto powers over key policy areas. Obviously the free movement of people would be strictly enforced, despite UK objections, since it is one of the articles of EU faith that cannot be challenged.
Now it seems that this concept has been applied to Brexit - with the March 2019 fictional departure being just a photo opportunity for the politicians and sponsors. While the real departure day is planned for another year, or two, or three, or .... down the road. However in the case of the cycle race the competitors do soon reach the real race start - something that the average British Grandad may never live to see with the current Brexit plans.
Happy jackpot winners are celebrating their success in last night’s once-in-a-lifetime multi-billion euro lottery.
Fancy earning extra advertising fees from your social media profiles?
Guy Fawkes is the only one of the 1605 bomb plotters that most people remember; along with the rhyme -|
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FOOTNOTES |
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1. We don’t claim copyright on any of this stuff. We won’t hassle you if you reuse it. If you don’t like it here then just move on. We don’t use cookies because we never track your actions. Some of this stuff may link to other sites. What they do is their responsibility. We used to have have links that promised to pay us for any traffic generated but the amounts were peanuts. So these are now being cleared out. |
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2. We haven’t been mis-sold any financial services. We don’t want to make any legal claims against anyone. We don’t want to help you move your offshore funds. We don’t have parcels that could not be delivered. We do have the best deals on utilities. Our web page rankings are not a problem ... |
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