Boris Johnson humiliated.

Walt said:
Do you really think Macron will want to spend his limited political capital on helping the UK at this moment? It would be much beneficial for him to blame the UK for whatever problems France has.
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If you read that excellent Spectator article then you wouldn't have to ask silly questions!

There is another world leader, however, who could yet rescue Macron’s presidency. Intriguingly, incredibly, the French leader’s new best friend is Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Macron has suddenly stopped dis-respecting les rosbifs, something he did publicly at every opportunity, often several times a week, as he travelled around France calling Brexit insane and nationalist and propelled by liars. Yet now he appears to have fallen under BoJo’s spell.

What’s changed? Well, for a start, Macron likes power — and Johnson has plenty of it. With a majority of 80 and a five-year mandate, the Prime Minister is now one of the most stable leaders in Europe — a point not lost on the Americans and others seeking solid allies.

The career paths of Macron and Johnson could hardly have been more different. Both are products of their nation’s elite education system (Oxford for Johnson, École nationale d’administration for Macron) but Johnson went on to be a brilliant, incendiary journalist, whereas Macron became a clever but anonymous technocrat.

Boris entered politics with high ambitions but a sense of fun. Macron stayed in the shadows, emerging seemingly from nowhere to seize the presidency from his gormless boss, François Hollande. Boris improvises. Macron plans everything. Boris likes women and is with someone 24 years his junior. Macron married his high-school drama teacher, 24 years his senior.

Yet there is something going on between these two. The body language says they like each other. The video from the Nato summit reception at Buckingham Palace in December, at which Macron and Boris were literally shoulder-to-shoulder as they revelled in Justin Trudeau’s mockery of Trump, was telling. In Paris last summer, Boris was denounced for sticking his feet on the designer furniture in the Elysée — but Macron was photographed actually laughing.

What might these two enfants terribles get up to? An especially curious geometry presents itself in a post-Brexit era, when little will be more important to the British than preserving civility with the French. Brexit talks are about to start again, and it would suit the Prime Minister to have a president who knows which side his baguette is buttered. The absence of a trade deal could tip both the UK and the eurozone into recession.

And there’s much scope for these two leaders to work together. Macron needs help in his overextended foreign policy. France’s grinding conflict against militant Islamism in Africa looks bloody and inconclusive, as instability spreads in an expanding area of operations. Thirteen French troops died in a single incident in Mali a few weeks ago. Faced with further setbacks, Macron summoned African leaders to Paris last week, where he threatened to withdraw, but ended up committing 200 more troops.

In this fight, Britain is the only capable military ally France can call on. The Germans are useless. Theresa May promised France RAF logistic support — but failed to demand a quid pro quo on the Brexit front. Boris might well offer more substantial assistance, but in return he’d want to see Anglo-French co-operation expressing itself in trade talks.
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Walt said:
Do you really think Macron will want to spend his limited political capital on helping the UK at this moment? It would be much beneficial for him to blame the UK for whatever problems France has.
Click to expand...

If you read that excellent Spectator article then you wouldn't have to ask silly questions! It's clear that you really have much of a clue about the realities of Euro politics.
 
Havana Moon said:
If you read that excellent Spectator article then you wouldn't have to ask silly questions!
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So you think that some of Johnson's "greatness" would rub off on Macron. Well, lets start with the fact that Johnson really rubs the French the wrong way. ANY political alliance with him is poison with the French voters. There is no greatness in the voter's eyes.

Then we move on to the point that preserving civility is impossible with Johnson, and unwanted for the French voters. Voters support their leaders when those leaders go to war. They are willing to take all sorts of setbacks in that war. It even works if that is just a war of words.

And when there are bumps in the road, if they are allies, Macron has to take them all, whereas, if they are enemies, they can all be blamed on Johnson. Whatever happens, we know who Johnson will blame everything on, everyone else. At least if Macron is pointing the finger back at Johnson, he will not have to take the blame in France.

Standing up to Johnson may not be popular among British voters, but why should Macron care?
 
Walt said:
So you think that some of Johnson's "greatness" would rub off on Macron. Well, lets start with the fact that Johnson really rubs the French the wrong way. ANY political alliance with him is poison with the French voters. There is no greatness in the voter's eyes.

Then we move on to the point that preserving civility is impossible with Johnson, and unwanted for the French voters. Voters support their leaders when those leaders go to war. They are willing to take all sorts of setbacks in that war. It even works if that is just a war of words.

And when there are bumps in the road, if they are allies, Macron has to take them all, whereas, if they are enemies, they can all be blamed on Johnson. Whatever happens, we know who Johnson will blame everything on, everyone else. At least if Macron is pointing the finger back at Johnson, he will not have to take the blame in France.

Standing up to Johnson may not be popular among British voters, but why should Macron care?
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Sorry but I don't live in that parallel universe you inhabit. If the French truly detest the Brits then why are there over 300,000 living in London?
 
I've just seen a broadcast from the EU assembly- minus your destructive and petulant delegation, maggot. It's quite obvious that you don't have a friend. You will trade on EU terms or you is fucked.


Haw, haw...........................................haw.
 
UK GDP: British economy stalls amid political uncertainty
Zero growth figure reflects impasse in the final three months of last year

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/feb/11/uk-gdp-british-economy-zero-growth
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When will Johnson acknowledge his failure ? Just how far down the tubes will he push his country before accepting his humiliation ?


Brexit: EU chief gently mocks Johnson's backing for possible 'Australian' trade model - live news

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...for-possible-australian-trade-model-live-news
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I have an alternative to ' gently mocking ' the Eton Eejit.
 
84975955_1065307487185206_6818224255566610432_o.jpg



We're just warming up, Bozzie.


Haw, haw..........................haw.
 
Tranquillus in Exile said:
Says the Corbynist stalwart. :laugh:




Did I say they would? It's about what is best for both sides. It wouldn't be good, to say the least, for the EU to risk cutting trade with Britain when they run a £70 billion trade surplus. The only possible reason for vindictiveness would be to "encourage the others" not to think of leaving.

Maybe ideology will overcome common sense and they will try something like that. Probably not if British negotiators hold their nerve, but I don't know.
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I vote Plaid Cymru meself. There's nothing ideological about this question. The UK will lose hugely by dropping out of all the deals the EU has made, and the EU won't. The EU is feeling its way here - nobody is used to members behaving like full-time drunks, they know Johnson of old as a total liar, and it is difficult for them to believe in any deal with him, since he is a complete con-man, living from crisis to crisis by lying. I think they know the UK can't do without them at all, whereas they might lose a little. All they've got to do is wait for the time to run out.
 
The EU needs to introduce some form of filter system so the likes of the repugnant Nigel Farage and his cohorts are never allowed to hold MEP seats again. Member states, for example, should disbar MEP candidates who do not pledge support for the organization they are attempting to join.
 
Walt said:
There is no evidence that all of them will be able to stay, but even if they are, the lack of new people coming over will cost Eastern Europe.
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You should tell this guy:

Poland's ambassador to the UK has urged the hundreds of thousands of Poles living in Britain to "seriously consider" leaving the UK after Brexit.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/18/...en-letter-to-poles-brexit-gbr-intl/index.html


The Polsh government wants to discourage people from going to work abroad; and those that have gone, it wants back.

"The rapidly growing economy of our country creates more and more opportunities for citizens for development and having good living conditions in the country."

https://londyn.msz.gov.pl/en/news/ambassador_arkady_rzegocki_s_letter_topoles_in_uk_about_brexit
 
In wake of Brexit, EU to put Cayman Islands on tax haven blacklist
Decision on British overseas territory comes less than two weeks after UK left bloc

In a clear indication of the country’s loss of influence on the EU’s decision-making, the bloc’s 27 finance ministers are expected to sign off on the decision next week.

The EU’s blacklist is an attempt to clamp down on the estimated £506bn lost to aggressive tax avoidance every year but member states are not “screened” in the process of drawing up the blacklist.

Territories linked to member states have also avoided the blacklist and the UK had heavily lobbied to protect its overseas territories from such scrutiny in the past.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/13/eu-to-put-cayman-islands-on-tax-haven-blacklist
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Haw, haw.......................................................haw.
 
EU Parliament votes for resolution which includes Spain's veto on Gibraltar

The Spanish MEP Esteban Gonzalez Pons has told the European Parliament that Spain will defend its own priorities post-Brexit including the ‘decolonisation of Gibraltar’. This comes as the European Parliament today voted to support a Resolution on the EU's future relationship with the UK which includes Spain's right to veto any agreement between the EU and the UK over Gibraltar. This formed part of the text embracing the key positions of EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier.

0OvM8_eu_map.jpg


https://www.gbc.gi/news/eu-parliame...CckFd_tpQFeb3Rz46arZ0y_fDlf4ewcDFmfwlOZBMJoVU
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All so predictable. I'm starting to feel like Mystic Moon.


Haw, haw..............................................................haw.
 
moon said:
The Spanish MEP Esteban Gonzalez Pons has told the European Parliament that Spain will defend its own priorities post-Brexit including the ‘decolonisation of Gibraltar’.
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How does the esteemed senor feel about the 'decolonization' of Ceuta and Melilla, Mystic Moon? Let me guess: "That is an entirely different matter! The people of those two Spanish territories have no wish to be Moroccan."


The Blair government was actually considering joint sovereignty with Spain over Gibraltar about 20 years ago. So Gibraltar held its own referendum:

"Do you approve of the principle that Britain and Spain should share sovereignty over Gibraltar?"

Yes 187
No 17,900

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Gibraltar_sovereignty_referendum
 
You should be directing your enquiry to the EU.

Do tell- what would your expected result be if the Jewish squatters in Palestine were asked by referendum if they should comply with Palestinian sovereignty.



Haw, haw..................................haw.
 
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