Awol

This is simply wrong, as the many compiled videos of leading figures on both sides saying that’s what leaving meant, demonstrate. I can’t be arsed to have a 3 year old argument with you though, so knock yourself out.

What a charmer. Have a word...

This is such a caricature. By all means have another referendum, after the promise to implement the result of the first one has been delivered. Also what leaving meant was clear: out of the customs union, the single market and ECJ jurisdiction. I’m quite happy to accept that’s a process rather than an event, but it still has to be delivered. If politicians are allowed to chin-off the result of one nationwide democratic vote b/c they don’t like it, the fundamental damage it will cause to faith in the entire system can’t be taken back. I realize some people think that’s a price worth paying, I think they’re profoundly & dangerously wrong.

On the whole I think the public did that in 2016, it’s the politicians who refuse to do so. Jo Swinson for example, has said that even if Remainers lost a second referendum she still wouldn’t accept the result. Without the losers consent democracy simply cannot work, b/c it makes a mockery of the entire process.

Take your point, but having now renegotiated a deal (despite all supposedly informed commentary to the contrary) if it's then blocked by Parliament I reckon he can build a winning campaign on that. Parliament Vs the People has been Cummings strategy all along. With the Jews best mate leading the opposition I think Johnson has a very good chance. The SNP are gagging for a GE too so I think he’ll get the numbers for it.

The EU can’t block the HoC sovereignty, neither can the Benn Act can’t instruct the EU in what to do. Only the UK government can negotiate international treaties, our MPs think otherwise but they are wrong - as the EU well knows.

Very possibly. I can’t see our Remain Parliament passing any form of deal. Will likely take a GE now to get to a resolution, but even then it’s not guaranteed unless Johnson gets a majority.

I don’t think that’s correct - but haven’t read the 64 page pdf yet! It seems that: 1) NI stays in UK customs union, so benefits from future UK trade deals with RoW. 2) NI continues to apply EU rules and regs that ensure no hard border in Ireland. 3) Every four years Stormont gets the chance to opt out of EU alignment by a simple majority vote - meeting the consent mechanism & democratic legitimacy in NI. The problem with 3 is not meeting the double majority required for constitutional change in NI under the GFA, so it may fall under legal challenge anyway. Conclusion: dunno yet.

If you prefer. Fact is May said the withdrawal agreement couldn’t be reopened. So did Brussels, Dublin, Paris & Berlin. Not only has it been reopened but the backstop has been removed which the same bunch of people said could never happen. I don’t like Johnson either, he’s a giant bell. But, he’s done the things that for last two years we’ve all been told couldn’t be done. That’s pretty good going, posh boy or not.

Danke.

I don’t really care what he believes in his heart of hearts, it’s not a theological test. The simple fact is he led the Leave campaign, won the referendum, became PM & now has a deal that - at the least - removed the backstop. Objectively that’s a pretty good effort.

You’re ahead of me mate, do you have a link to the treaty text?

As the bloke who led the Leave campaign I think it’s fair to classify him as a Leaver.

Not read it yet so can’t offer an informed opinion, but it’s interesting that points that could never be negotiated or removed, like the backstop, clearly have been - confirmed by Barnier. That’s the difference between having a Remainer and a Leaver as PM.

It’s going to get interesting on Saturday. The anti no-dealers will have to out themselves as anti any-dealers. Reckon it’ll be voted down, extension applied for then a GE with clear, unambiguous positions. Corbyn already saying Labour won’t vote for it - despite not having seen it!

Russia is more interested in what’s offshore than onshore - the eastern Med’ is floating on natural gas. If properly developed those fields could offer Europe a viable strategic alternative to Russian supplies, reducing Moscow’s leverage over Germany in particular. Not surprising that Putin’s very keen to either control the project, or act as a spoiler for it if necessary.

Pity the coup against him failed, as quite a few people mentioned at the time. Reuters reporting Erdogan’s latest threats in a televised speech this morning. Apparently if Europe continues to label Turkey’s invasion of Syria as an invasion, he will open the border and drive more Syrian refugees into Europe. Meanwhile the Iranians are mulling sending 1000’s of security force personnel into Iraq to quell the anti-government demonstrations. NE Syria (& our Kurdish partners) are the nexus around which that whole theatre pivots. It effects Iran, Iraq, Turkey & Syria directly. The fact Trump did this after a chat with Erdogan, who has sought & gained Putin’s consent, tells you everything. Bad ju ju.

Media not a great source for this stuff & it’s also pretty difficult for Western governments to admit having built up the loss of the Caliphate as terminal for ISIS. They began preparing a return to waging insurgency even before Mosul was retaken. ISIS are in it for the long haul & maintain support because the underlying social factors that enabled their rise (corruption, political sectarianism etc) remain unchanged in Iraq & Syria. If you fancy digging into it google the Institute for the Study of War, they do great work tracking what’s really happening.

Massive anti-government protests growing across southern Iraq, scores of civilians murdered by security forces & Iranian aligned militias. Turkey preparing to invade NE Syria & smash the US backed Syrian Democratic Forces - Syrian Kurds plus some local Arab tribes. ISIS recovering rapidly, carrying out a devastating assassination campaign within areas it formerly occupied, and is assessed to have the strength to attack and take a major urban centre in Iraq or Syria if it chose to (but more likely to continue rebuilding its operational strength, for now). Far too many plates spinning in the region right now & odds of another major disaster unfolding are shortening quickly.

Those behind the US decision to pull the plug on the JCPOA seemed to believe (against all historical evidence) that ramping up sanctions would push Iran back to the negotiating table - to incorporate their conventional missile programme, support for terrorism & non-state armed groups - & into a new, improved JCPOA. Those sanctions have pretty much closed down Iranian oil exports & the attacks in Saudi are them pushing back against the US by demonstrating they can hold global energy supplies at risk. IMO they’ve got the measure of Trump’s bluster (all fart & no s**t) & are trying to force an end to US sanctions, gambling he won’t risk conflict before the 2020 elections. Concurrently, Iranian, Chinese & Russian naval forces are shortly to conduct joint exercises in the Gulf of Oman, next to the Straits of Hormuz. This bandwagoning of illiberal states (increasingly to include Turkey) is part of a wider challenge to the so called ‘rules based liberal order’, freedom of navigation at sea, etc. FWIW I think things might get quite bumpy over the next few years with lots of possible flash points - Korean Peninsula, South China Sea, Persian Gulf, Ukraine et al. The West is unprepared materially or psychologically to deal with any of it, which isn’t great. Also looks like we might be in for the next round of Arab uprisings, the Egyptians are getting back on the streets demanding Sisi is removed - he’s locked up 60,000 political prisoners since coming to power & is more repressive than Mubarak ever was. I don’t know enough about the internal politics of Israel to understand how that’s gonna turn out, but externally it seems likely they’ll be in a big fight with Hezbollah before too long. That really depends on how it goes between the US & Iran. The IDF hitting Iranian militia & IRGC targets in Iraq (x3) has raised some eyebrows!

Any events in particular? There's quite a lot happening!

Yes we were poor, individual and team performance. But WT actual F happened at the end?? Put VAR in the bin because that was a Farking joke.

Trez challenge for 2nd yellow was a shocker.

Set pieces are shite.

All of this but the likes of Trez & Jack aren’t trying to beat their man, always looking for the pass instead of taking people on. We’re lacking aggression in attack.