Enda

Manchester Orchestra's Black Mile to the Surface.

Traveling salesman knocks on a door. Five year-old boy answers drinking a scotch and smoking a cigar. Traveling salesman asks him, "Excuse me, little boy, are your parents home?" Kids sips his scotch and says, "What the f*ck do you think?"

A man at a funeral goes up to the widow and whispers "....plethora". Crying, she grabs his arm in thanks, "It means a lot."

Dunno why you think I disagree with any of that.

Go on then, put your money where you mouth is. Betfair give us 7/2 for promotion, or about a 1-in-4 chance. Same website gives Brentford 14/1.

With two matches in such a short space of time, and in fairness us still knocking on the door of the play-offs, I don't think there's an absolutely urgent need to replace Bruce. This conversation would be much tempered if Glen Whelan cleared that ball at the edge of the box. Should we replace him? 90% yes. Could he still do enough to get us to the playoffs this season? 70% yes If Bruce doesn't get four points from the next two games, I think he should go. If he gets six points from the next two games, then maybe we should still replace him and get someone new in for January. But the advantage of getting someone in this week? Pretty minimal, I think.

I'm the only one who thinks he should get these two next games then?

We were in 17th when RDM got sacked if I recall correctly.

Is this a hard Brexit I see before me?

That's the gist of it, yep. Ireland never had a referendum to leave. We had a referendum to ratify Lisbon, which was rejected for many reasons but mostly people didn't really trust it. People like my Dad will vote No unless he's convinced something is a good idea, and people like him weren't convinced. The vote was something like 45-55 with No winning. A year later, after a big information campaign actually explaining the facts of the matter it was put to the people again and passed something like 70-30. I think the UK could learn a lesson from this tbh.

And I bet the EU will be just fine with re-admitting you as an equal member of the Union. That means you lose the rebate Thatcher negotiated though, which is worth about £5bn a year. Seems fair.

...so basically what you're suggesting is the UK just cancels Brexit.

These already exist. The single market has free movement of workers, not of people. When you move to another EU country, you are allowed three months to find a job without the government bothering you. (You have no guaranteed right to social assistance in those first three months though.) After those three months, if you become a burden on the welfare budget (i.e. unless you can support yourself) you do not have a guaranteed right to remain in that country.

Speaking of tough stances in British-Irish negotiations and the problem of the border, December 5th marks the 96th anniversary of Lloyd George threatening Irish delegates with "terrible and immediate war" if the Anglo-Irish Treaty were not signed that day.

Remember the Brexit drum-banging about how Treasury's forecast was so far off? The one that said UK GDP would be 1.5% lower after 18 months? Well, eh, here's some new research:

The member-states had two rounds of voting based on the merits of cities' proposals. Frankfurt was eliminated in the first round. Denmark abstained from the second round, leaving 26 votes to play for. Dublin got 13 votes and Paris got 13 votes, and so it was at that point they flipped a coin --- exactly as would happen in a UK general election.

I don't agree that the UK loses out massively from Irish tax policy but if you think corporate taxes are a zero-sum game, then maybe the UK and Ireland should be part of some economic-political union to address these issues

Correct a silly claim on an internet forum isn't having an "agenda"

Lol mate, are you messing? Yes the UK economy is 10x the Irish one, but the population is 14x the size. Ireland has a higher per person base, and a higher growth rate on that higher base. Unemployment is a little high (6%) but falling. It's one of the best performing economies in the OECD. "EU is already looking at it" -- is vague as hell, so let me state this completely clearly: the EU has absolutely zero say over what corporate tax rate Ireland sets. Zero. It is the exclusive competence of the member state. The Apple case is because the Commission claims we didn't challenge Apple as hard as on their tax affairs as we would have other companies. Thus the Commission asserts they know Irish tax enforcement better than the Irish tax authorities, and I believe the Commission is completely incorrect on this. Ireland is appealing that case, and I suspect will win. It's 12.5% and corporate taxes are ultimately paid for by workers (at least in part) anyway. It's sustainable once you have a decent income tax base.

Irish PPP per capita: $57,000; UK PPP per capita: $42,000. Growth rate of Irish economy: 5.8%; Growth rate of UK economy: 1.3%. Irish inflation rate (over past 12 months): 0.6%; UK inflation rate (over past 12 months): 2.8%. Change in unemployment in Ireland (over past 12 months): -1.2%; Change in unemployment in UK (over past 12 months): -0.5%. Now, tell us again how Ireland's economy is frail.

Jaysus. The good posters of VT have more understanding of the Irish position than your Foreign Secretary. You're all up the creek, folks.

Not quite, you lot are welcome to stay in the single market and customs union, and that would avoid a border. This deal would sacrifice any voting power on EU law, but you get some vague sense of independence/not being in the EU. Least worst scenario from this shambles, imho.

Do me a favour. Please define modern. Please define neo-liberal. Please define infinite growth economist. Please back up your assertion that for these people, economic growth is directly proportional to population growth. Thanks.

Hutton didn't disgrace himself + Steve Bruce.

I know you're messing, but you'd be surprised how pervasive the "he's too educated, not in touch with the real world" mindset is. Many people have completely the wrong view of academics. Everything from out of touch elitists milking the system to communist hacks hoping to destroy society, even though those two things are essentially the opposite of each other. Anyway, this post by an Irish woman in the UK (married to a British soldier) on what it's like to be foreign in the UK right now is one of the best pieces of writing I've read in ages. Would recommend to anyone.