Brexit

And Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain, so how do you think that will work out? once we've fecked the border in NI and done away with the most significant ar for Scotland staying in the union?

I know they haven't serious significance in the grand scheme of things, but Gibraltar voted 96% to remain, and they'll have to go too. The equivalent of their PM says he hopes brexit will be cancelled. They've kind of gone under the radar in negotiations.
 
Wish these two guys would cancel each other out.

Guy V and Farage, two dangerous characters in my opinion.

https://twitter.com/guyverhofstadt/status/1122869490155491328?s=21
Agreed, verhofstadt isn't someone I'd be a fan of at all

He doesn't do anything to help himself alright. Charisma wouldn't be high up the list.

Found out during the week farages attendance in the EU parliament votes is just over 40%. That's a disgrace. If anyone else showed up to work 2 days in 5, you'd be out the door.

I don't care if you believe in the EU or not. If you're put there to represent people, you represent them. You do the job you were elected to do.

Maybe the EU would do more for the UK if their MEP's could be bothered to show up in the morning.
 
Guy Verhofstadt (suitably pronounced 'Gee') was Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008. His party the VLD went from 23% in the '99 election which resulted in a coalition of Liberals, Socialists and Greens to 15% in 2005 and 12% in 2007 when the people finally got rid of him. Some of his achievements as prime minister were, the legalisation of euthanasia, legislation of same-sex marriage and faster naturalisation of foreigners.

He then served as a senator in Belgium until ascending to the European parliament in 2009. He was instantly 'elected' leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (not a joke!) Group, the same group Fianna Fail are members of. To his credit Brian Crowley left that group and joined the European Conservative Group in 2014, to Michael Martin's fury.

Anyway back to Gee, he was 'named' spokeperson of the European Parliament on Brexit after a lunch with Barnier and Tusk. Throughout his career as his popularity with the voters fell his position of power rose. He is truly a dangerous man, in a parliament of dangerous, unelectables.

The dream of a federal European state is fast becoming real, sure didn't he write the book. In 2006..

9781903403860.jpg
 
He doesn't do anything to help himself alright. Charisma wouldn't be high up the list.

Found out during the week farages attendance in the EU parliament votes is just over 40%. That's a disgrace. If anyone else showed up to work 2 days in 5, you'd be out the door.

I don't care if you believe in the EU or not. If you're put there to represent people, you represent them. You do the job you were elected to do.

Maybe the EU would do more for the UK if their MEP's could be bothered to show up in the morning.

Brian Crowley didn't attend too many meetings in the past few years either and he didn't resign. I'm not sure if any of his proxies did either.
 
Brian Crowley didn't attend too many meetings in the past few years either and he didn't resign. I'm not sure if any of his proxies did either.
To be fair he has challenges not many of us would be able to handle as well as he has. I met him once, struck me as a very vibrant, human person, very unlike the usual preening, mirror gazers reps we have.
 
To be fair he has challenges not many of us would be able to handle as well as he has. I met him once, struck me as a very vibrant, human person, very unlike the usual preening, mirror gazers reps we have.

Very valid point and well made.
 
Brian Crowley didn't attend too many meetings in the past few years either and he didn't resign. I'm not sure if any of his proxies did either.
As 6600 said, Crowley has faced big challenges. He hasnt been in good health lately too, there was an article lately where there was talk of his legs being amputated.

Farage has no excuse.
Guy Verhofstadt (suitably pronounced 'Gee') was Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008. His party the VLD went from 23% in the '99 election which resulted in a coalition of Liberals, Socialists and Greens to 15% in 2005 and 12% in 2007 when the people finally got rid of him. Some of his achievements as prime minister were, the legalisation of euthanasia, legislation of same-sex marriage and faster naturalisation of foreigners.

He then served as a senator in Belgium until ascending to the European parliament in 2009. He was instantly 'elected' leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (not a joke!) Group, the same group Fianna Fail are members of. To his credit Brian Crowley left that group and joined the European Conservative Group in 2014, to Michael Martin's fury.

Anyway back to Gee, he was 'named' spokeperson of the European Parliament on Brexit after a lunch with Barnier and Tusk. Throughout his career as his popularity with the voters fell his position of power rose. He is truly a dangerous man, in a parliament of dangerous, unelectables.

The dream of a federal European state is fast becoming real, sure didn't he write the book. In 2006..

9781903403860.jpg
I don't think the views of one loon are representative of the parliament. Even tusk and juncker scoff at his notion of this us of europe. Plus, theres more monarchies in tue EU than the Uk, cant see any of them plumping for that.

You could look at danny healy rae talking about god above controlling the weather, and if you were an outsider looking in that wasn't any more informed l, you could believe all irish politicians are like that.

I'd never heard of his book, and i admit i was concerned about him. Most reviews dismiss the book as hogwash.
 
Guy Verhofstadt (suitably pronounced 'Gee') was Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008. His party the VLD went from 23% in the '99 election which resulted in a coalition of Liberals, Socialists and Greens to 15% in 2005 and 12% in 2007 when the people finally got rid of him. Some of his achievements as prime minister were, the legalisation of euthanasia, legislation of same-sex marriage and faster naturalisation of foreigners.

You view all of these achievements as negatives then?
 
To be fair to Brian Crowley I think he was done a diservice by FF. I've no doubt that he was made a political football of by the senior members.
 
Farage isn't dangerous
He wants to repeal the firearm laws prohibiting hand guns that were introduced after the Dunblane massacre, calling the regulations ludicrous.

He was also linked to the shorting of the pound that occurred the night of the Brexit referendum, which seen hedge funds make hundreds of millions of pounds at the cost of the British tax payer.

Jury is out on that i'm afraid.
 
He wants to repeal the firearm laws prohibiting hand guns that were introduced after the Dunblane massacre, calling the regulations ludicrous.

He was also linked to the shorting of the pound that occurred the night of the Brexit referendum, which seen hedge funds make hundreds of millions of pounds at the cost of the British tax payer.

Jury is out on that i'm afraid.
1. How did that cost the taxpayers anything?
2. That's what hedge funds do. Just happened to be the pound that day.
3. Is there something wrong with making money? If you think so then the EU is the place to be.
4. He hardly spent a lifetime working for a referendum just to take an option on the pound one day now did he?
 
1. How did that cost the taxpayers anything?
2. That's what hedge funds do. Just happened to be the pound that day.
3. Is there something wrong with making money? If you think so then the EU is the place to be.
4. He hardly spent a lifetime working for a referendum just to take an option on the pound one day now did he?
It is still not proven but if he, as many believe he did, released false information and profited from it, when he conceded the referendum when all Mercer's info told him he had won, then that might be considered insider trading and totally illegal.
But then seeing as I have a conection to Rob. Mer. and his modus operandi, lying down with canines and getting up with an itch springs to mind.
 
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1. How did that cost the taxpayers anything?
2. That's what hedge funds do. Just happened to be the pound that day.
3. Is there something wrong with making money? If you think so then the EU is the place to be.
4. He hardly spent a lifetime working for a referendum just to take an option on the pound one day now did he?
1 it drives down the value of the currency, thus reducing purchasing power. Who picks up the tab of the short? The UK Treasury. Same thing as happened on black Wednesday in 1992
2 Yes, i take no issues with capitalism. But their use of exit polling was controversial. Also see point 3.
3 Nothing wrong with making money. Its just not appropriate for an elected official to do that. Conflict of interest?
4. He didnt solely devote his time to that. He was also working for numerous commodities trading companies on the side during his tenure in parliament. Might explain his 40% attendance rate

While arguably not illegal, i certainly think it questionable on a moral and professional level. It certainly isnt appropriate for an elected official. And if as gone states that when he conceded defeat in the referendum, after they had conducted their exit polling that they were trying to effect market confidence, that could be classified as insider trading which is illegal

I dont see anyone trying to defend his handgun stance. That was why i really though he was dangerous. The short was a bit of a tangent.

And also. How is being in the EU a bad place to make money? My parents like others were born in the 60's, and they seen pre EU poverty.

Im not by any means an out and out europhile. Im quite indifferent. I liken the EU to my welder. Its useful in some ways. Its probably not the most efficient. The welder my father would have had wasnt hectic, so the welder i have is surely better. The alternative is no welder.
 
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1 it drives down the value of the currency, thus reducing purchasing power. Who picks up the tab of the short? The UK Treasury. Same thing as happened on black Wednesday in 1992
2 Yes, i take no issues with capitalism. But their use of exit polling was controversial. Also see point 3.
3 Nothing wrong with making money. Its just not appropriate for an elected official to do that. Conflict of interest?
4. He didnt solely devote his time to that. He was also working for numerous commodities trading companies on the side during his tenure in parliament. Might explain his 40% attendance rate

While arguably not illegal, i certainly think it questionable on a moral and professional level. It certainly isnt appropriate for an elected official. And if as gone states that when he conceded defeat in the referendum, after they had conducted their exit polling that they were trying to effect market confidence, that could be classified as insider trading which is illegal

I dont see anyone trying to defend his handgun stance. That was why i really though he was dangerous. The short was a bit of a tangent.

And also. How is being in the EU a bad place to make money? My parents like others were born in the 60's, and they seen pre EU poverty.

Im not by any means an out and out europhile. Im quite indifferent. I liken the EU to my welder. Its useful in some ways. Its probably not the most efficient. The welder my father would have had wasnt hectic, so the welder i have is surely better. The alternative is no welder.
When he conceded in the small hours it did seem all hope for Brexit was lost. All the polls showed Brexit on the losing side. He had the good grace to concede. Similar to Trump's election the reporters and pollsters didn't stray too far out of their college educated, liberal comfort zone and were wrong.
Politicians profit from their policy decisions all the time but the criticism is only of the few.
  • James Reilly was appointed Health Minister here when he owned nursing homes and up to his armpits in debt, surely a conflict of interest when their main source if revenue is the state. Guess what both the subvention and occupancy rose, big surprise. That was Enda's biggest error of judgement imo.
  • Coveney, dear Lord where will I start, appointed Ag minister when his brother was CEO of Greencore, previously the youngest CFO ever in Ireland at 27, an age at which he had a whole 2 or 3 years post-qualified experience and also is a non-exec director of Glanbia, one of the biggest milk processors in the country.
  • How many politicians directly benefit from the land leasing exemption, forestry subsidies or teachers' pension and permanent post benefits?
  • Theresa May's husband has a senior position in Capital Group, the largest shareholder in British Aerospace, who are currently supplying the Saudi government with weapons to bomb the shit out of Yemen, which is British foreign policy.
  • David Cameron is reportedly worth £50 million and is currently using his position as an ex-PM door opener to put together a £1 billion UK-China investment fund.
  • And for a bit of nostalgia, when our country was small, repressive and inward-looking Bertie was given a house.
To single out one politician for being connected with business is missing the point. Most of them are, intimately and everyone seems okay about it so long as they toe the line.
 
When he conceded in the small hours it did seem all hope for Brexit was lost. All the polls showed Brexit on the losing side. He had the good grace to concede. Similar to Trump's election the reporters and pollsters didn't stray too far out of their college educated, liberal comfort zone and were wrong.
Politicians profit from their policy decisions all the time but the criticism is only of the few.
  • James Reilly was appointed Health Minister here when he owned nursing homes and up to his armpits in debt, surely a conflict of interest when their main source if revenue is the state. Guess what both the subvention and occupancy rose, big surprise. That was Enda's biggest error of judgement imo.
  • Coveney, dear Lord where will I start, appointed Ag minister when his brother was CEO of Greencore, previously the youngest CFO ever in Ireland at 27, an age at which he had a whole 2 or 3 years post-qualified experience and also is a non-exec director of Glanbia, one of the biggest milk processors in the country.
  • How many politicians directly benefit from the land leasing exemption, forestry subsidies or teachers' pension and permanent post benefits?
  • Theresa May's husband has a senior position in Capital Group, the largest shareholder in British Aerospace, who are currently supplying the Saudi government with weapons to bomb the shit out of Yemen, which is British foreign policy.
  • David Cameron is reportedly worth £50 million and is currently using his position as an ex-PM door opener to put together a £1 billion UK-China investment fund.
  • And for a bit of nostalgia, when our country was small, repressive and inward-looking Bertie was given a house.
To single out one politician for being connected with business is missing the point. Most of them are, intimately and everyone seems okay about it so long as they toe the line.
You're dead right about trump. Middle America was his stomping ground, where Hillary sent a cardboard cut out of herself instead of showing up.

Yes, they are all very fair points. But they are inherently different to what he did. Corruption will always exist in politics and thats something we have to live with. However, the population also benefited from some of policyl listed. Farages example is just him out for himself and the hedge fund. I didnt single him out, merely was suggesting why i felt he was dangerous when it was said he wasnt.

Im not obviously suggesting he wanted to leave the EU just to conduct this short. He was probably approached to be their puppet and felt it was his severance pay for his 17 years in Parliament. When he made his little announcement, the pound rallied to 1.52 against the dollar. Then it dropped to 1.32 the morning after the crash. That rally widened their margin, making their short more profitable. To me, it clearly looks like insider trading.

We're obviously not going to agree on him and that's fair enough. I dont fancy starting another row in this thread because there has been enough of them. But look at the lies he told in the campaign. Turkey were joining the EU. He lied about the budget contributions. The day after the vote he conceded that they could not spend the money they were saving from contributions on the NHS.

He once famously tweeted that there would be private health care in the UK before long.

Asides from all of that, i find it hard to defend any of his rhetoric. You dont use the word chink in public. You don't blame immigrants for making you late. You dont say the gender pay gap exists because women are worth less. Once you open the lid on that kind of populism, it's very hard stopped.

Foreigners are an easy target. I cant defend him because i have been an immigrant in Britain. He has blamed the EUs stance on the border for stoking Irish nationalism into wanting a united Ireland. Hypocrisy.

If you look at who he sympathises with it doesn't make for a great list. Putin, senator Roy moore, and the AFD.

What was he doing the 60% of the time he was supposed to be in parliament and he wasnt?
 
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He wants to repeal the firearm laws prohibiting hand guns that were introduced after the Dunblane massacre, calling the regulations ludicrous.

He was also linked to the shorting of the pound that occurred the night of the Brexit referendum, which seen hedge funds make hundreds of millions of pounds at the cost of the British tax payer.

Jury is out on that i'm afraid.
He wants to change politics
 
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