The General Political Thread

[Tharan]

It's fun to think how we have not even left the EU yet and yet the housing market is already on a verge of a crash.

[Ambiguous]

It's fun to think how we have not even left the EU yet and yet the housing market is already on a verge of a crash.

But you will have the freedom to post memes.

[DaMonkey]

By housing market crash do you mean a deflation of prices, or something else? I don't really follow Britbong or Euro politics.

[Ambiguous]

By housing market crash do you mean a deflation of prices, or something else? I don't really follow Britbong or Euro politics.

Oh hi mr president

[Duuring]

Withdrawal agreement has been finalised (at least between the technical teams) and agreed to in principle behind the scenes. May and Merkel sidelined Barnier and thrashed out a deal between London and Berlin.

Won't be made fully public for a while, a few politicians need to get their pictures taken and Barnier will want to eat a few more cakes at taxpayer's expense, but it's a done deal. May is trying to sell it to the Brits, Merkel is trying to sell it to Brussels. Only thing that can wreck it is either a) internal Tory party plotting (can't be ruled out) or b) some idiot in the EU Commission (probably Selmayr) trying to take on Berlin.

Yeah, okay. It's not that I don't want to believe you, it's just that everything I see in the news, everything I see being done in the Netherlands and everything I hear from friends who work for the national government is pretty much entirely opposed to what you say.

[StevenChilton]

Well, there's three possibilities:
a) This is just theatrics aimed at extracting some side concessions (probably over NI backstop)
b) May did not get the kind of guarantee she thought she did from Merkel
c) Merkel has betrayed May (either voluntarily or her hand has been forced by others)

It's probably 'a'. I'm fairly confident that 95-99% of Chequers will pass, there will be some kind of fudge on the remaining 1-5%, and a load of journalists will let us know by tweeting 'Breakthrough!' at 3am on a Sunday morning. This will be followed by gushing 'insider accounts' of how Michel Barnier single-handedly saved the Brexit process or some shit.

[Duuring]

But that would mean EVERYBODY is on board and NOBODY is dropping ANYTHING. For one, that's impossible and borderline conspiracy theory, and for another, how do you know? An educated guess?

[StevenChilton]

But that would mean EVERYBODY is on board and NOBODY is dropping ANYTHING. For one, that's impossible and borderline conspiracy theory, and for another, how do you know? An educated guess?

Not sure what you mean by 'everybody on board' etc. It's probably just several key leaders looking to get some concessions. The journalists will always react like that because they like a good 'last minute deal amid high drama' narrative. Barnier will obviously try and take a lot of credit because he wants to succeed Juncker. None of this is a conspiracy, it's just a prediction of how things will pan out.

[Duuring]

Ah okay. So you're guessing.

[StevenChilton]

Ah okay. So you're guessing.

Based on past events, yes. We went through the exact same thing with the migrant deal, Greece, Euro bailouts, Lisbon Treaty, etc. Always high drama followed by last minute deal with everyone trying to take credit. Some of the positions that EU leaders are coming up with ('Norway option or nothing!', 'Why can't they just vote again?!?!' etc) are too stupid to be real.

Just Google: european union "marathon talks" or european union "breakthrough" from different year ranges and you'll see what I mean. Same script every time.

[junedragon]

[Edwin]

So I just got ID'd in Tesco trying to buy an energy drink. I think we have bigger problems than Brexit on our hands.

[StevenChilton]

So I just got ID'd in Tesco trying to buy an energy drink. I think we have bigger problems than Brexit on our hands.

Energy drinks are as bad as smoking.

[AeroNinja]

Hell I'm not going to fight. Fuck off with conscription. They can shoot a bullet through my head I don't care.

[Riddlez]

Calm yourself keyboard warrior. We both know you'd shit your pants just before they'd pull the trigger.