TELEGRAPH COMPLAINS UK BEING FORCED OUR OF GALILEO

The Telegraph was at the forefront of the leave campaign, telling us the EU is finished and we have to leave lest we be dragged down with it, they are now complaining the EU is "pushing us out of the space race" (HERE) claiming they want to cancel "Galileo" contracts with UK companies after 2019. Galileo is the new European satellite navigation system.

It all looks totally pathetic. What did The Telegraph think would happen?  They said we had to "take back control" but are now complaining we are being forced out of something we wanted to remain in. How the Europeans must be laughing at us.

TELEGRAPH FORECASTS STERLING WILL BOUNCE BACK IN 2017

The Telegraph, whistling to keep up their spirits, carry a report claiming that the pound will "bounce back" this years to $1.38 or so.  They say the currency is seriously undervalued. (HERE).

This is the same newspaper that said it was overvalued last year!

TELEGRAPH - EU SAYS WE MUST STAY IN TILL 2022

The Telegraph is now claiming the EU say we will have to stay in until 2022. They have suggested a three year transition during which we will need to comply with all normal commitments - ECJ, customs, etc (HERE).

THE TELEGRAPH'S ROSE TINTED SPECS

The Telegraph (HERE) has a piece this week claiming the UK economy is firing on all cylinders as signs of more balanced growth emerge. It's true the economy has held up well over the past few months but inflation is creeping up and labour shortages are appearing. I am certain it is just a matter of time before it all begins to go south. 

When it does I'll remind The Telegraph what it said.

DIE WELT'S VIEW OF MAY'S SPEECH

There is fascinating piece in Die Welt's on-line in English in response to Mrs May's speech on Tuesday (HERE). It notes that many of her points began with "I want" and says she is blind to reality.

Far from being a conciliatory address, May's speech was a catalogue of demands topped with a dash of threat. A great many of her sentences began with: "I want."

And

She wants to keep one foot in the customs union but hopes to keep the other outside -- though she didn't explain how she intends to perform this bit of gymnastics. The disadvantage of May's speech is that she has now convinced the rest of Europe beyond a shadow of a doubt that the British government isn't just nasty, but is also prepared to take the gloves off.

I am afraid that it is a frighteningly rational setting out of the view inside the EU. The threats make us look like a small time thug working a protection racket a bit like the Monty Python sketch show gangsters threatening the MoD. As the piece notes, we have opted for the path of wilful self mutilation.

ROGER BOOTLE THINKS IT'S THE END OF THE EU

Roger Bootle of Capital Economics thinks it's not too soon to begin planning for the end of the EU (HERE). Most of the article is behind a pay wall but since we know Mr Bootle is a confirmed brexiteer we don't need to read all of it to know he thinks the EU is doomed.

I think the UK will come to an end before the EU does.

BORIS - A FOOL FOR OUR TIMES

A journalist from the EU, Jean Quatremer, has a hard hitting piece in The Guardian about Boris Johnson (HERE) who is described as a buffoon and one that has damaged irreparably what little goodwill we had left in Europe and made the negotiations far more difficult.

BoJo is taken to task for being a political clown and the writer also refers to another article about Johnson (HERE) describing the lies he wrote as a Telegraph correspondent in Brussels. It is almost impossible to overstate what Johnson has done to us, making himself and the nation a laughing stock across Europe.

What an idiot this man is.

THE EU'S ATTITUDE IS HARDENING

This morning on the Today programme we heard a German MEP, leader of a group in the EU parliament talking about Theresa May's first summit meeting where she said Britain expected to play a full part in EU discussions until we exited the union (HERE).

This has apparently not gone down well (HERE) since some UK minister has talked about blocking things which the EU want to do in the future on cyber security and other things which will have no impact on the UK at all.  Talk about how not to win friends!  It would not be a shock to learn the EU does not want a trade deal with us at all and are happy to go along with WTO rules.

Also, we caught a bit of Question Time last night. Yanis Varoufakis, the former Greek finance minister said Theresa May has committed to compensating Nissan if tariffs are imposed - and he accused Conrad Black of living in a parallel universe for saying he thought the EU would "come to its senses" and offer us a good deal.  If anyone knows how hard line the EU can be it is Mr Varoufakis.

EU President Donald Tusk told May that her desire for the U.K. to be a “strong and dependable” partner may be easier said than done as he ignored her protests to say that the remaining 27 members would continue to meet without Britain.

HARD BREXIT HERE WE COME

The EU have obviously been listening to the rhetoric coming from the government and leave supporter this week and have concluded (HERE) that we are headed for total separation from the single market and the customs union, otherwise known as a hard brexit.

Donald Tusk, president of the EU council, in a speech in Brussels says the UK has a choice between a hard brexit and no brexit at all (HERE). In a dig at Boris Johnson's cake metaphor and his suggestion that we could get a better trade deal with the EU after leaving, he had this to say:

“That was pure illusion, that one can have the EU cake and eat it too. To all who believe in it, I propose a simple experiment. Buy a cake, eat it, and see if it is still there on the plate.”

We look increasingly stupid and pathetic.  The pound keeps edging south and is trading below $1.22 this morning.  

LAUGHING STOCK

We are rapidly becoming a laughing stock. The column by Michael Deacon (HERE) is amusing but has a serious point. Bernard Jenkins says the Leave campaign was always clear about leaving the single market (actually this is not true since Matthew Elliot's 1000 page tome about Brexit before the referendum gave the Norway option as one possible outcome on page 232 HERE) but as Mr Deacon points out this is just one of the claims made by Brexiteers but the only one they are standing by - ignoring the £350m a week for the NHS, VAT on fuel and others.

Then BoJo is offering to help Turkey join the EU after scaremongering about the very same thing in the campaign while David Davis seems to think coming repeatedly to the house to say the same thing amounts to a policy and said:

“The mandate for Britain to leave the EU is clear, overwhelming and unarguable. No one should seek to find ways to thwart the will of the people.”

Clear?  Overwhelming? Unarguable?  What is surprising is that the government thinks it has a mandate for "something" but doesn't really know what.  The decision on the 23rd of June is taken as the settled will of the British people on a matter of stunning complexity but it has taken three months and all the experts in government and still we have no idea what we are going to get.

BREXITEERS CRAZY ESSAYS

Ian Duncan Smith's Centre for Social Justice has published what they say is a plan for Brexit although it is titled the Brexit Essay Collection (HERE). Contributors included IDS himself and Peter Lilley but the best one is by John Redwood.  Twitter users are scathing about the whole thing describing it as laughable and blind stupidity (HERE).

It is indeed laughably stupid.  Mr Redwood's action plan for Bexit is (literally) this:

1. Offer talks on trade and tariffs if they wish to change anything, saying we are happy to offer them no change to current arrangements.

2. In other words, we stay in the Single Market as now, without freedom of movement and the contributions.

3. The advantage we have on trading is that we are happy with the status quo, so they are the ones with a problem if they wish to change it.

4. This reverses the presumption of many commentators that the UK needs to negotiate with the rest of the EU and is the supplicant.

In other words, unilaterally withdraw from freedom of movement, refuse to pay contributions then say we are now happy with the (new) status quo and if YOU refuse it will all be your fault.  This from a grown man!  It is all reminiscent of the old union barons that he used to criticise.

And they all claim to know why people voted leave, all different reasons but no one apparently voted leave to get an extra £350 million a week for the NHS - their main campaign bus slogan!

BREXIT NEGOTIATOR SEEMS EXASPERRATED

Guy Verhofstadt, the EU parliament's chief negotiator has expressed surprise and disbelief at recent comments from BoJo, Michael Fallon and Liam Fox (HERE).

Johnson has said the UK is prepared to help Turkey in any way it can - including presumably joining the EU. Verhofstadt, responding to BoJo's comments said:

“So Boris Johnson wants to help Turkey join the EU – after he just campaigned for the UK to leave the EU on the basis that Turkey would be joining the EU in the near future,” the former Belgian prime minister wrote on Facebook (see Tom Brake on it HERE)

He also took a pop at Michael Fallon for saying he would block any move to create an EU army and at Liam Fox who he said had “indicated the UK will leave the EU’s customs union because he thinks other markets are more important – while his prime minister tells us the EU27 ‘will sign’ an ambitious trade deal with the UK”.

The Europeans really must be wondering what's wrong with us.

BoJo HUMILIATES US - AGAIN

Boris Johnson's remarks this week about there being no connection between single market access and freedom of movement (in fact he said it was "baloney" - see HERE) has provoked a humiliating response from the French and Germans (HERE).

Wolfgang Schauble says he can send Her Majesty's Foreign Minister a copy of the Lisbon Treaty where he can read there is a link. He even offered to come over and explain it to Mr Johnson in English!

Each time Boris opens his mouth he demonstrates how stupid he is and how he simply cannot be bothered to read the details.

On the same day Martin Schultz, President of the EU Parliament says "under no circumstances" can we have access to the single market without accepting freedom of movement (HERE).  How long are we going to keep up the pretence that we can?

LOOKING FOR SIGNS?

There was apparently a meeting this week (HERE) of EU ambassadors held at the invitation of the Slovaks but allowing Oliver Robbins, the top civil servant in the British Department for Exiting the European Union, to brief UK-based diplomats from EU states on the status of Brexit preparations.

Those who attended say in the talks he asked for a signal from the EU about what kind of Brexit deal it is willing to accept before triggering divorce talks.

One person present said: "They do not seem to have made up their minds about anything."

Three months on and we still have no idea what Brexit is going to mean - apart from Brexit that is!

HANNAN AGAIN

Daniel Hannan (HERE) is now saying that leaving the EU was not an end in itself, only a means to an end and that we shouldn't have left if we "fail to press home the global opportunities that open up".

What an amazing statement from a prominent leave campaigner. In other words this is akin to throwing someone in the deep end and telling them they could become an Olympic swimmer. The only problem is you don't know if they are a 12 year old strong swimmer or a fat, ageing asthmatic who cannot manage a stroke.

Mr Hannan won't know who he has thrown in until we're in the water.  What an extraordinary gamble.

DOUGLAS CARSWELL AND THE TIDES OF HISTORY

The UKIP MP Douglas Carswell has made a bit of a fool of himself in a twitter exchange with a scientist (HERE).  The scientist, a professor, had been explaining the "gravity" model of trade, something set out in the government documents released in the run up to the referendum.

The professor said we did more trade with Ireland then China, although China was bigger it was much further away and therefore affected trade less - liken it to the moon's effect on tides.  Carswell then tweeted that it was the sun and not the moon that affected tides!

If that had been me I would have taken up the life of a hermit on a remote island and never again appeared in public.  No doubt Mr Carswell will be pontificating again soon on things he knows nothing about. As you can see on the sidebar he once told us it was absurd to think Brexit would cause a downturn. 

METRICATION & VACUUM CLEANERS

The Sun has a piece by Bill Cash (HERE) blaming (if that's the word) the EU for metrification athough as InFacts point out we adopted a lot of metric measurements in 1965 well before we joined the EU because it made sense.  I assume Mr Cash would like us to return to feet and inches or even cubits - for good measure!  

The Sun then rails against efficient vacuum cleaners because the EU has banned those that use too much energy. Soon they will be calling for models in cast iron and mahogany with giant motors that cause the lights to dim when switched on.  They won't suck up more dirt but The Sun isn't bothered about that.  

These people were in the vanguard of calling for us to leave the EU and this is what they were worried about - amazing.

VISA MAY BE NEEDED TO VISIT EUROPE AFTER BREXIT

The Guardian are claiming that the EU are considering introducing a visa requirement similar to the US system where visitors have to apply on-line and pay a fee for the privilege (HERE). The scheme would cover all visitors to the passport-free 26-nation Schengen zone – of which Britain is not a member – from countries that do not need a visa to enter, EU sources confirmed.

FAISAL ISLAM IN SUNDERLAND

The Channel 4 reporter Faisal Islam has visited Sunderland and his report (HERE) in The Guardian makes stunning reading.  One woman voted to leave because of the £350m per week going to the NHA and seems genuinely shocked to learn this is a fantasy, even talking about hiring a bus to go and see Boris Johnson.

A man says Nissan will never, ever leave Sunderland because of the workers there.  I wish I had his certainty - no doubt the shipyard workers in the fifties felt the same about their jobs.  Someone else thinks the shipyards and coal mines will reopen!  A woman is expecting cheaper food, gas and oil.

This is in a region that is more dependent on EU funding than anywhere else in England, relies on exports to the EU more per capita than anywhere else and has the smallest proportion of non British residents.  Actually, Sunderland has the fastest shrinking population of any UK city with the figure dropping by 8% since the 1980s so they need immigration more than anywhere else.  It's an amazing article and well worth reading.

CORNWALL WANT TO KEEP OFFICE IN BRUSSELS

In a display not unlike Boris Johnson's policy on cake (pro having it and pro eating it) Cornwall Council (HERE) want to retain their office in Brussels even after we have formally left the EU.

The portfolio holder for economy and culture on the council, Mr Julian German, apparently said:

“There are still funding streams that are open to non-EU countries. In terms of trading and a wider fiduciary and cultural relationship, being in Brussels is beneficial,” 

My advice to him is not to hold his breath for any EU funding after we leave.

Update:  Birmingham and Bristol (HERE) also apparently plan to keep Brussels offices open after we leave!