buctootim

I don't think he's necessarily thick, just non conformist and 'difficult'. He brother Piers, the wacky weather forecaster is the same. Some people are genetically pre programmed to draw different conclusions from the same facts. Sometimes thats an asset, most often not. In psychological makeup I imagine hes more similar to JRM, Farage or George Galloway than a successful leader like Blair or Thatcher Nice house though! https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4000628/To-manor-born-Idyllic-five-bedroom-mansion-Jeremy-Corbyn-grew-sale-650-000.html

...

"You need to compromise". "No! YOU need compromise" etc.

Like all news which casts Brexit in a negative light. You can read itself in the US Trade Representative's Objectives for UK-UK trade. https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/Summary_of_U.S.-UK_Negotiating_Objectives.pdf

Around three years ago Wes was saying we'd be free, get our sovereignty back, be richer, not have to pay etc - the usual Brexit gumph. I said we wouldn't because we'd end up like Norway, a rule taker and the benefits didn't outweigh the costs. We had a £50 bet for charity on who was right.

Not really. Although the methodologies are different both show are based on confidence being higher or lower than 'normal'. Normal in the German survey is 100 and in the UK its zero. Germany is trending higher than normal and Britain is lower.

Torn between paying off Vote Leave's fine and Medical Aid for Palestine

Looking like Common Market 2.0 might pass tonight.

You can switch your car off too. Kind of defeats the purpose of having them though.

Tidiness is important in a graph f'sure. Personally I'm a wee bit more concerned by the fact that German business confidence has generally been on an upward swing whereas British confidence has been in negative territory for most of the past three years

Business Confidence UK Germany

Maybe we should just tell Brexiteers we've left. 90% wouldnt notice the difference

There were. If you look at the polls for the past five years or so they show remain consistently until about a month or so before and about six months after. This article is good. Although written from a remain perspective the poll of poll numbers speak for themselves https://theferret.scot/brexit-poll-analysis-backs-remain/

Is Wes not back yet? I'm sure he said he'd be back to gloat on 29th March.

But they all knew exactly what they were voting for in the referendum and want exactly the same thing....

Two piquant quotes today 1. I said to one cabinet minister: "So why is the Prime Minister holding a vote when she's pretty sure she's going to lose?"' 'Using very strong language this cabinet minister said to me "F*** knows! I'm past caring. It's like the living dead in here. "Theresa May is the sole architect of this mess. It is her inability to engage in the most basic human interactions that brought us here. Cabinet has totally broken down, ministers say their bit. She gives nothing away. One side thinks X will happen. The other side think Y will happen. And the Prime Minister decides on Z." 2. Emily Maitlis told minister Tobias Ellwood: 'You're putting back on the table a horse so dead, flogged to death, it's practically a glue stick.'

Yeah I said that

Note to self. Must read properly

That already happens if you carry a mobile phone

There was an opinion poll in NI showing large majorities for remain amongst both loyalist and nationalists - keeping the border open is a big deal to both communities.

We won't leave this side of 2020

Quoting yourself and then arguing against what you wrote? Multiple personalities or logins?

Public opinion is conflicted though. A majority don't want a second referendum, but if there were one then around 58% would vote to remain. If you dont have a majority for change, particularly constitutional change then you stick with the status quo. The only mandate really is to remain.

Apologies for being tetchy - more irritated than angry. What ****es me off is the slightly lazy assumption that the problems are somehow excused or insurmountable because 'its always been that way. Its simpler than that. We aren't still hating on the Dutch or Americans because of wars in the 18th century. People who are alive now had family members killed because of sectarian violence in living memory. I'm only alive because my dad left Belfast to get away from from discrimination and poverty and violence and met my mum in England. Most people in England don't really 'get it' - even the PM who should know better. Ian Paisley, the man who described Catholics as vermin and promised to send 'troublemakers' to heaven founded the DUP. What message does it send that even in 2019 the British Government is prepared to skew NI politics and damage the economy for 10 votes to support her 'deal'.