Unbelievable Jeff

We don't play 5 at the back when attacking, you do realise that?

At least all our insurance bets will come off...

It's really not.

I think the problem is that the squad doesn't have the right players...

We have an 18% conversion rate since Hassenhuttl has come in. The best ever in the Premier League in a season is 17.5%.

No he won't, stop being such a pussy. We should have strengthened, we didn't. Just got to try our hardest until the end of the season.

It's definitely true that a lot of leavers have doubled down on their position, even in the face of all the difficulties we have/are facing, but there are also a lot that have decided that the current and potential economic issues aren't worth it. I think for a lot of Brexiteers it will be that they will reap what they sow - especially if they have index linked pensions...

I think the issue is you don't really understand what the EU is, or what it does.

Let's say he did miss it at the time (which I doubt he did), aren't you missing the point that we're going to be signing an inferior deal - and will be worse off due to that. I know it's difficult, but try playing the ball and not the man sometimes.

That makes sense.

That's a very fair prediction of what has happened.

Edit

"The difference between patriotism and nationalism is that the patriot is proud of his country for what it does, and the nationalist is proud of his country no matter what it does; the first attitude creates a feeling of responsibility, but the second a feeling of blind arrogance that leads to war." Sydney J. Harris

Why was this moved to the Kindergarten thread?

We're just debating it - sharing knowledge on a very complex area where very few of us have all the answers.

I actually disagree, it's because he has a resting b1tch face.

Sorry, I think I used the wrong language - we cannot formally negotiate and sign any trade deals. I guess we'll see what Liam Fox has got up his sleeve on the 29th March...

Because until we Leave the EU we cannot start negotiating our own trade deals - it's in our interests to leave quicker. But as said above, Article 50 is poorly written, but that's how leaving the EU works...

As someone who has met him numerous times, and spent time with him at meals etc, he's not got an attitude. However, he is an intelligent, serious professional, and Managers of the like of Pell and Hughes have caused issues with his "positivity" - and it would do. However, his actual professionalism in regards to training/playing etc has never been in question. Looking forward to seeing him back - he's a good player and good bloke.

They are two different things though - one is dealing with the legal framework or extracting ourselves from a number of very complex treaties, and the financial, legal and humanitarian result of these. The trading deal part of the withdrawal agreement is actually a bit of a misnomer IMO as it's only an interim before the proper negotiations begin. These then feed into and shape the type of trading deal we can negotiate with the EU after that. Don't forget that Article 50 was written in a way to try to get people NOT to invoke it - and the EU never really saw it being invoked. It is poorly written, but it won't be superseded as it is such a barrier to leaving. The issue was May and the Government didn't understand what they wanted or needed before they invoked it. If they'd have sat back and thought about it then we wouldn't be hurtling towards leaving without a withdrawal agreement. The Backstop agreement is just a start to the issue with the Irish border. The problem is unless we are in the customs union - which is one of May's red lines - the backstop will permanently be in place because there is no technological advancement that allows us to deal with split customs without having a hard border. It's creating an issue now, and it will create an issue in the future negotiations as well as there is no solution to it. That's how I understand it anyway.

But with a hard border it could well lead to a rise in violence as they can no longer move freely across the border, which could result in a return to militarisation of the border.

So what does Trimble reckon will happen on March 29th then? What is his end game solution, because I am sure the Government/EU would love to hear it as it will remove the need for the Backstop.

I know it seems like a small thing but asking EU importing and exporting businesses to stop and start new processes in relation to customs and excise is a right pain the arse - it's great for people like me who look to define and solve these issues, but for businesses it costs money, takes time and creates disruption. If we go out with No Deal and go onto WTO rules, there's pain point number one. If we then negotiate to go onto a Canada or Norway deal, there's pain point number 2, within a year or two. It sounds small, but it's uphaul and a pain in the arse.

Exactly. Even leaving with "No deal" doesn't mean we can't negotiate a Canada or Norway style agreement with the EU past the 29th March. It's irrelevant to the Withdrawal Agreement. The withdrawal agreement is an interim measure to allow continued frictionless trade UNTIL we have agreed to a new trading agreement with the EU. This is where the non payment of the £39b doesn't make sense. If we leave with no deal (IE withdrawal agreement), and don't pay it, then the EU will take it back through larger payments to get the Norway or Canada deal. I think they're getting confused that a "deal" is not a future trading deal with the EU, it's an agreement on the interim relationship with the EU. Maybe we should stop talking about deals as it's clearly confusing people.

Scotland will 100% go for independence. A vote for Brexit was a vote for the breakup of the United Kingdom. Make Britain, sorry, England, great again.