Concrete Achievements

Tag: uk politics

  • It goes without saying that this sort of bullshit needs to be opposed, and opposed…

    It goes without saying that this sort of bullshit needs to be opposed, and opposed strongly – but it’s also a sign of weakness. In the UK, the introduction of laws against teaching about gay relationships were the last defence of the homophobes. twitter.com/RemyBonny/stat…

    Those laws lasted too long, but once they were repealed by the 1997 Labour Government, the handbrake was off social change, and within two decades Britain had civil partnerships, equal adoption and equal marriage.

    So I don’t want to be overoptimistic, but this is a sign not of the strength of homophobia, but of its weakness. Now we the voters need to show our disapproval.

  • If there’s one good thing about Brexit, it’s that it puts an end to this “maybe we don’t…

    If there’s one good thing about Brexit, it’s that it puts an end to this “maybe we don’t have to have ever closer union, perhaps we can have special sovereignty rules” nonsense. The U.K. can’t live with free movement and ever closer union. Ok. theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

    If it really can’t, it can leave and stay as close as it wants to (taking the hit on trade, sovereignty etc). It’s not good for Europe or Britain but that’s how it is.

    But if Britain rejoins, as I suspect it will in a decade or so, then there is no more half-pregnant rubbish. In the euro, in schengen, part of the process for good or ill (and I think it would not only be good for the U.K. but an engaged UK would be great for Europe)

    The fact that all these are totally politically unachievable in the U.K. of 2019 is a shame but there we are. Things change. Politics change. I was 15 when section 28 came in and went to a same sex marriages when I was 42. You’ve just got to fight for the future you want. 🇪🇺

  • If there’s one good thing about Brexit, it’s that it puts an end to this “maybe we don’t…

    If there’s one good thing about Brexit, it’s that it puts an end to this “maybe we don’t have to have ever closer union, perhaps we can have special sovereignty rules” nonsense. The U.K. can’t live with free movement and ever closer union. Ok. theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

    If it really can’t, it can leave and stay as close as it wants to (taking the hit on trade, sovereignty etc). It’s not good for Europe or Britain but that’s how it is.

    But if Britain rejoins, as I suspect it will in a decade or so, then there is no more half-pregnant rubbish. In the euro, in schengen, part of the process for good or ill (and I think it would not only be good for the U.K. but an engaged UK would be great for Europe)

    The fact that all these are totally politically unachievable in the U.K. of 2019 is a shame but there we are. Things change. Politics change. I was 15 when section 28 came in and went to a same sex marriages when I was 42. You’ve just got to fight for the future you want. 🇪🇺

  • Where to start with this idiocy?

    Where to start with this idiocy?
    1. The EU has taken Ireland’s side from day one and their unity has been impressive
    2. The Irish public are overwhelmingly behind the common position
    3. A hard border would be the consequence of the UK’s failure to uphold GFA twitter.com/JohnRentoul/st…

    4. The border would exist because of a campaign led by Johnson that lied about or ignored consequences for Ireland and UK
    5. Johnson could, today, abandon UK’s discretionary red lines and end the prospect of a hard border, but chooses not to

    6.The WA removes the prospect of a hard border but UK negotiated it then refused to sign it, in a campaign led by Johnson and Davis
    7. Ireland has no duty to save the UK from the consequences of its bad policies, and understandably low trust in its promises (see 6)

    8. After a no-deal, the ending of a hard border (and money and citizens rights) would be the opening demands before any negotiation on an FTA starts, so a hard border won’t be forever

    9. Even if, implausibly, the UK still refused to nego;tiate, a unification referendum and/or state collapse in the UK would take away a hard border by other means.

  • Where to start with this idiocy?

    Where to start with this idiocy?
    1. The EU has taken Ireland’s side from day one and their unity has been impressive
    2. The Irish public are overwhelmingly behind the common position
    3. A hard border would be the consequence of the UK’s failure to uphold GFA twitter.com/JohnRentoul/st…

    4. The border would exist because of a campaign led by Johnson that lied about or ignored consequences for Ireland and UK
    5. Johnson could, today, abandon UK’s discretionary red lines and end the prospect of a hard border, but chooses not to

    6.The WA removes the prospect of a hard border but UK negotiated it then refused to sign it, in a campaign led by Johnson and Davis
    7. Ireland has no duty to save the UK from the consequences of its bad policies, and understandably low trust in its promises (see 6)

    8. After a no-deal, the ending of a hard border (and money and citizens rights) would be the opening demands before any negotiation on an FTA starts, so a hard border won’t be forever

    9. Even if, implausibly, the UK still refused to nego;tiate, a unification referendum and/or state collapse in the UK would take away a hard border by other means.

  • Links from the week of 22 July 2019

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.

  • Links from the week of 22 July 2019

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.

  • Links from the week of 15 July 2019

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.

  • Links from the week of 28 January 2019

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.

  • Links from the week of 28 January 2019

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.