The meeja clever dicks are already up in arms about the PM’s priorities for Brexit, kick-off timed for the end March BST. But the ever-fickle markets for money seem to approve and have swiftly reversed the Brexit discount they applied yesterday before she spoke. So I approve too, given the sterling nature of my pensions.
Being British but not being liberal or elite, I applaud the idea of explaining slowly and loudly to the Continentals in English that there’s more than one way to trade together, to deal with immigration and to subsidise worthwhile activities – none of them involving the EU, its legal set-up and its federal ambitions. And more fool the Europrats if they can’t follow the logic or see the light.
Keep calm and carry the day, Ms May.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Hear Hear…..I thought that her speech was excellent.
Me too. Actually I am somewhat at a loss as to why the EU should want to make trouble and drag it all out. Surely not in their interest as we are too damned close as neighbours?
I think that trump’s offer of a trading deal strengthens her hand whether or not it comes to fruition…..
I was delighted with Mrs May’s speech – way to go! While talking to Belgian neighbours last week, I was asked whether I was happy about Brexit. When I replied “yes” in ringing tones, my neighbour sighed and said mournfully that in Belgium they just had to put up with things and carry on. And that was not the first time I have heard this envy of Brexit expressed on the continent. What Juncker, Schulz, Verhofstadt and other of the europrat elite say has little to do with what the people of the EU think.
Indeed. My Belgian friends said the same, I have a feeling that the Europrats thought that the threat of being cast out would weaken the British resolve to get a good deal. Playing into our hands.
I think they are in such a ‘bubble’ that we are all reduced to ‘snowflakes’ in one way or another!
No balls, no guts, just like them.
What they will never understand is that some of us would rather be a little poorer and be able to call our country, customs and borders our own, not what we have imposed from THEM. Obviously an alien concept!
(THEM being any other SOB beyond the ‘ditch’ and the ‘pond’) Don’t tell me that there are not an awful lot of Europeans that are not pig sick we are getting away and would give their eye teeth to do likewise. Especially the poor bloody krauts with a spare million psychotic wogs wandering around courtesy of that stupid cow!
Mmm feeling choleric this morning! More coffee, less rain and roll on the greenhouse season, only two weeks to go before the grand sowing of seeds starts!
Hm. We have sun with frost. Not unpleasant but wearing for the old bones.
Isn’t it. Only thing to do is turn the heating up, curse and pay the wretched power bill! One of the good things of moving nearer town, we have gas now not fuel oil, the central heating is literally a third of what it was for a very similar sized house. We couldn’t believe it when we have a winter month bill for heating , cooking and water of no more than $140.! Would have been a good 400 at the old place per month!
I tried to listen to it – unfortunately my internet connection was somewhat intermittent.
I loved the way it was delivered. No blustering, no thumping tables – just a very firm reminder that the EU needs good relations on all levels with an independent Britain. So very British – no histrionics. An unequivocal statement that this IS what Britain is going to do – and if she doesn’t get what she wants, then she will do exactly what is necessary to make Brexit a success.
I see that the German High Command is still talking about Britain not being able to cherry-pick the bits of the EU it wants. Something must have got lost in their translations. I heard a very firm statement that Britain is leaving the EU lock, stock and barrel, she is taking her bat and ball (for which read money!) and going back to determining her own destiny, her own laws, her own financial priorities and her own trading partners. Which bit of ‘out’ was not understood?
On the weather side – it is stinky, stinky hot here – turn down the air-con!
I agree with Boadicea. It was an excellent speech — measured and sensible. I sometimes wondered if her muddled approach was intended to lead the EU to underestimate her. The responses from the Corridors of Power on the Continent and that cretin leading the Limp Dims were amusing.
The United Kingdom was one of four countries which actually had fierce debates about the EU and what it entails. Norway and Iceland chose not to join, the United Kingdom and Denmark joined with many reservations. Many establishment politicians on the continent simply don’t grasp the concept that the entirety of the post-war European order can be rejected. The Swiss, Norwegians and Icelanders opted out of joining but they out of necessity had to go along with many demands. Norway and Iceland are so heavily integrated into the Nordic region as a whole that, when Denmark and later Sweden joined, they had to reach some sort of settlement that allowed that regional economy to function. The Swiss rely heavily on trade with Germany and France. If that was impeded, the Helvetic Confederation would find itself up against a wall. The United Kingdom is none of these. There has been a consensus for some time that the UK loses quite a bit by being part of the EU. Charles de Gaulle recognised that the UK would never temperamentally be suited for any sort of Europe save for the cartographic variety. The British establishment largely deluded itself into believing that the EU was somehow other than it was in the same way that the EU establishment deluded itself into thinking that the UK could be anything but what it was. With the UK leaving, the UK’s establishment have had to accept that things on the Continent will never be different than they are and are prepared to get on with it. The EU still doesn’t grasp that the UK does not function like a Continental country and never will.
And thank God for that!
Just send the claret and cheese and call it a day!
I read a Bill Clinton quote a few weeks ago. I think, re-adjusted, it applies here. The UK’s establishment thought they had changed people’s minds – all they had done was silence their voices. The shock and horror when the establishment lost the referendum was a joy tto behold!
Despite her claim that her negotiating tactics will not be revealed, Ms May has in fact adopted the classic starting position: maximum demands; thus forcing the other side to bid lower! What will they reply to the pitch that Britain wants no part of their border rules, trading bloc or migrant plans?
We haven’t won yet.
Janus: The EU have very little room. It’s a matter of degree, not substance. Trump is keen to complete a trade deal with the UK as soon as possible and Brazil, China, Australia, NZ and Canada have already started informal negotiations. Even India has held trade talks with the UK. The UK is moving ahead quickly, the EU is still splitting hairs and debating whether they should issue directives concerning the proper disposal of the faecal matter excreted by angels dancing on the heads of pins.
Boadicea: Bill Clinton was trying to dissuade Hillary from focusing on esoteric issues and identity politics. He was trying to convince her to focus on economic issues and to develop a favourable alternative economic plan in order to appeal to working-class voters. Hillary and her campaign manager sidelined him and pressed ahead with their failing strategy. Bill Clinton, whatever his personal failures, understood poor and working class voters instinctively. He grew up in a poor family. He was arguably the last truly successful Democratic president because of that. Obama won, but he dragged his party down.
Chin up, Jazz! 🙂
Boa, the Grauniad commentators are tragicomedy at its best!
It could well turn into a largely meaningless statement. Two years from now the French and/or the Italians, Netherlands and Hungary could have voted to leave the EU, in which case it might well be the EU that is negotiating to survive. In addition, if the commission is childish enough to start a punitive tariff war, are companies like Mercedes, Bosch, Citroen and Seat all going to be prepared to see their products to become way more expensive in the UK marketplace when compared to similar goods manufactured in India and China. It would cost them billions of euros worth of sales, do you reckon will they agree to that just to keep the EU dream alive? I wonder…….
It ain’t over ’til it’s over !
The biggest danger to Brexit lies not on the continent but at home where we have a lot of quislings and traitors in the civil service, politics and the media who will do their damnedest to derail the negotiations. They are playing with fire of course, but I’m not sure that they realise it.
Jazz – You’re right – “We” (I count myself as “We” even if I couldn’t vote!) haven’t won yet. But the statement was pretty clear – especially to those who kept saying that Brexiters didn’t know what they voted for.
A lot of what May said was absolutely straightforward – and I think the Tories are sufficiently politically astute to know that the voting public has understood from her speech that OUT does really mean out as far as Sovereignty, unlimited immigration, vast sums of money being sent to the EU, and the freedom to make trade agreements with whomsoever Britain wants to trade is concerned. It must have taken a lot of work behind the scenes for her to be able to make such a speech. But I doubt that many Tories will be willing to renege on that speech – they would do well to fear for their future if they did.
The biggest battle is going to be with the judiciary, who, as far as I’m concerned, have got far, far too big for their boots. They really need slapping down and reminded that their role is not to make law but to enforce it. I just might concede that they can point out anomalies in the law, but for them to think that their rulings should override the Will of the People is, to me, outrageous.
But then many pollies seem to think their role is to do what they want – rather than what their electorate want. This is a battle a long time acoming. For far too long MPs have refused to accept that they are mere “representatives” and have abrogated what they see as the power of early monarchs to themselves. Not that any medieval monarch ever wielded the power that Westminster now has.
Yes, I forgot to add the judiciary who are long overdue for a ‘sorting out’.
A belated Happy New Year to all and all the best for the forthcoming 26th January to B & B and any other reader in the real Godzone should I not be back by then.
I have to say that the media coverage of May’s speech, especially on the BBC, was some of the most biased broadcasting I have heard in a long, long time. This morning, for example, Auntie interviewed everyone from Keir Starmer, Labour’s Brexit spokesman, to Nick Clegg’s missus FFS, including La Sturgeon and Tiny Tim Farron in between! Compared with these fifth columnists at home, in which I include all of the BBC’s political, economic and European correspondents and the prominent
autocuenews readers George and Huw, dealing with Juncker et al will be a doddle, but the former could still seriously damage or even derail Britain’s negotiating position. I favour a Christina approach and machine-gun the lot of ’em as it’s cold as a witch’s whatsit here and I’m emptying the log store with some alacrity. Harrumph!OZ
First para; que?
Janus – it’s Austraya Day.
Thanks OZ, ‘ave a good one! 🙂
Oh, I see. Good on yer, mates.
The Beeb et al can only criticise because Britain has already voted and Ms May is crystal clear as to the chosen path. Meanwhile the great and not-so-good in Davos are clicheeing themselves towards a good dinner again without making any solid proposals on solving the problems they identify. I doubt whether they or Auntie will be able to do much about Juncker’s terminal decline.
Now then, once we have collected all the claret and cheese, THEN we bomb Brussels.
Two for the price of one there, get the unelected bureaucrats and the psychotic wogs of Molenbeek!
Simple………………………Much more fun than starting WWIII.
I see from today’s meeja that the EU officials are still givin’ it large the Britain must get an inferior deal, but still haven’t read the text! Ms May has ruled out cherry-picking but the prats are rattling on about not offering it! Several less ardent members seem to like the speech – which bodes well for the trade talks in due course.
As far as I can see, there is little negotiation involved with border controls; with tariffs yes. And the member states will all wish as individuals to protect their own trade, both imports and exports, whatever Brussels would like to decide on their behalf.
I do wonder how many commentators really listened to or have read May’s speech. Perhaps a few EU translators need to be sacked!
She made it very clear that she wasn’t intending to cherry-pick – she made it very clear that the UK was leaving the single market, and best of all, she made it clear that no large sums were going to be sent on a regular basis to the EU.
I’m afraid the Europrats have agreed the party line and are too arrogant to modify it.
Boadicea: As I wrote before, the EU are so accustomed to European states signing up for the Common Market that they simply don’t grasp that the UK is angling for a regular trade deal. These are uncharted waters. Contrary to what talking heads predicted, it is the EU that is utterly out of its depth — not the United Kingdom. Instead of the United Kingdom being steam-rolled by the EU’s negotiators, the EU has been caught completely off guard.
Janus: Europrats could never have been accused of being overly aware of the tides of public sentiment. Now, they’re revealing themselves to be out of their depths and completely clueless. They can try to hammer their points, but the British position is at least being taken seriously in national capitals. France, Italy and the Netherlands are proving increasingly volatile and even the Hunnish citizenry aren’t as complacent as they once were.
Btw, I also wonder if having the Court Jester, BoJo, around isn’t a stroke of genius. He keeps the diplomatic community on its toes and remind both the British and foreign reps of their responsibilities, often with humour which scares the bejasus out of the Europrats.
Christopher
I thought your earlier comment was spot on (it’s a shame that WordPress removed comment numbering!) It really was a case of two totally different mindsets trying to pretend that the other ‘side’ was not that different and would or could change.
And I also think you are right in your last comment. The EU heads are totally out of their depth. It seems to me that they have memorised the formula that ‘access to the single market = certain conditions” and have forgotten that countries can and do have simple and regular (ie pre-EU and non-political) trade deals. Yet, even the EU does (eventually) make non-political trade deals with the rest of the world.
It also seems to me that the EU europrats were so certain that Britain would not give up access to the single market (blame Cameron for that) that the UK would do anything to stay in that market. They’ve just been told they are mistaken – but I don’t think the penny has quite dropped – and the EU bureaucrats are like a stuck record repeating the same mantra again, and again, and ..
They do not realise that the record has been changed by people that they never understood and totally underestimated.
I cannot but think that the present chest-thumping has more to do with the fact that May said, unequivocally, that Britain will no longer contribute to the EU budget. Sure, she sweetened the pill – by saying Britain would contribute to certain cause. But, she made it clear that the UK would decide what those issues were. No more would Britain be required to subsidise large parts of Europe.
I just hope that May and Co can keep their heads and will be able to push their agenda through the mass of idiots, cowards, and others who have no faith in the UK.
Ms May has just explained it all again to the Davos elite and the Pound has risen again! Go, Theresa!
Boadicea: Absolutely. The EU looks like an over-rated “singer” who forgets which song she’s supposed to sing and is caught lip-syncing. Whereas the singer would promptly realise that she had been caught out, the EU continues lip-syncing in the most Pythonesque of ways. “No, mes cheres, your ears and eyes are very much wrong. I am singing the right song, no matter what you see or hear”. “I assure you, Mesieurs et Mesdames Europrat, that track was changed long ago”.
I like Hammond’s line (interpreted): Don’t mess with us or we’ll play dirty! Love it!
I just loved the comment from some EU prat who said it wasn’t helpful to start negotiations with threats – excuse me but what else have the EU done since Brexit + one day?
The EU has been good on threats since it was the EEC. Plus ça change …