Sooo, they have a tentative Brexit agreement?

I am rather busy with other things. I do really enjoy talking with this unique and interesting group though.

It is somewhat annoying when we’re here having a serious and I hope mutually respectful conversation about some other topic and you want to drag it off on some completely unrelated thing about Trump. Especially as I believe you know I’m not particularly a fan of his. As a veteran, I don’t particularly care about any of the stuff you mention and most others don’t either. That theater is not for our benefit, it’s for yours.


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Sorry if you find it annoying, but I am fascinated and truly interested in your point of view.  Sometimes I even think you are a Russian troll, but then you post something that doesn't fit the profile.  I'm just trying to figure out how you've come to believe the things you do that seem so contradictory.

Your latest post is especially enigmatic, the idea that memorial services are just theatre for dumb civilians like me and most veterans don't give a toss that Trump obviously couldn't care less about their sacrifice.  I have to admit that at least this would explain why Trump continues to have widespread support among the military despite practically ridiculing them at every opportunity.  Obama salutes with a coffee cup in his hand and you'd think the world was ending, but Trump openly ridicules a war widow before the coffin is even buried and that's all cool.

I still hope that's not true and I want to live in a world where people honour those who have died for our freedom.  If that's theatre, then I'm buying tickets.  If that makes me suckered, that's OK.

Sirius, regardless of whether France can afford Brexit,,the idea that nobody thought of the Irish border until the French mentioned it is plain silly.

Sirius, regardless of whether France can afford Brexit,,the idea that nobody thought of the Irish border until the French mentioned it is plain silly.

Yet that is what an Irish ambassodor said. In case you don't know, the EEA already has  borders with non-EEA countries and there is no problem with this. The EU is not Europe. Europe has 44 countries, most of whom share borders.  The EU is just a group of some of those European countries.
e.g. Norway isnt a member of the EU, nor of the EU's Custom Union and they just have cameras on the borders with the EU countries.

The number of people who think that Europe is the EU, is staggering. 

Europe is not out to get England. Just let the war go for god's sake.

Some of the press reporting the 48 letters have been reached.

Sorry if you find it annoying, but I am fascinated and truly interested in your point of view.  Sometimes I even think you are a Russian troll, but then you post something that doesn't fit the profile.  I'm just trying to figure out how you've come to believe the things you do that seem so contradictory.

Your latest post is especially enigmatic, the idea that memorial services are just theatre for dumb civilians like me and most veterans don't give a toss that Trump obviously couldn't care less about their sacrifice.  I have to admit that at least this would explain why Trump continues to have widespread support among the military despite practically ridiculing them at every opportunity.  Obama salutes with a coffee cup in his hand and you'd think the world was ending, but Trump openly ridicules a war widow before the coffin is even buried and that's all cool.

I still hope that's not true and I want to live in a world where people honour those who have died for our freedom.  If that's theatre, then I'm buying tickets.  If that makes me suckered, that's OK.

And I would have those conversations, but start a different thread.

Memorial services are theater because civilians don’t know how to properly express their reverence/respect/appreciation, so heads of state/etc do it in a bit of theater that gives voice for civilians to what it’s hoped they’re thinking in a way that the civilians feel is fitting.

Veterans for the most part didn’t fight for you and are quite accomplished at expressing their appreciation for lost brothers & sisters - mostly by getting together and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Particularly as they’ve had so much practice.

As I understand it, Marine 1 was grounded in Paris due to weather & it wasn’t a reasonable alternative to drive. I’ve been a private pilot almost 15 years, was a helicopter pilot in the Army, worked a number of crashes. I really really respect decisions on weather. He did an alternate event. Then he returned late from overseas and pence I guess did the official deal at the tomb. Ok. All sounds reasonable to me. I’m not offended.

It’s just like a story I saw the other day saying Trump rant on California funding is a lie or something along those lines. Painting trump as unsympathetic about the fires & threatening to cut funding in midst of them if the state didn’t do what he said. Which was all complete crap.

Well before the fires he threatened to cut funding to sanctuary cities/states. Months and months later there is a fire. Federal funding is immediately available with a large commitment - more & quicker than conservative areas faced with hurricanes. And Trump made a pretty sympathetic statement along with a disaster declaration. You know, cause people struggling with disasters are obviously hanging on every word of a celebrity just waiting to be offended if it’s not sympathetic enough.

I also don’t care that Corbyn wore a raincoat to the London memorial service, or Prince Philip didn’t attend.

Don’t care at all about any of that.

I’m also pretty sure the Russians aren’t that interested in either Salisbury cathedral or influencing the like 50 people on this forum who don’t account for even a cross section of American expats in the UK & don’t drive influence over that community. So if you’re seeing the Russians behind everything you disagree with, maybe it’s a mirror you’re looking for.


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And I would have those conversations, but start a different thread.

Memorial services are theater because civilians don’t know how to properly express their reverence/respect/appreciation, so heads of state/etc do it in a bit of theater that gives voice for civilians to what it’s hoped they’re thinking in a way that the civilians feel is fitting.

Veterans for the most part didn’t fight for you and are quite accomplished at expressing their appreciation for lost brothers & sisters - mostly by getting together and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Particularly as they’ve had so much practice.

As I understand it, Marine 1 was grounded in Paris due to weather & it wasn’t a reasonable alternative to drive. I’ve been a private pilot almost 15 years, was a helicopter pilot in the Army, worked a number of crashes. I really really respect decisions on weather. He did an alternate event. Then he returned late from overseas and pence I guess did the official deal at the tomb. Ok. All sounds reasonable to me. I’m not offended.

It’s just like a story I saw the other day saying Trump rant on California funding is a lie or something along those lines. Painting trump as unsympathetic about the fires & threatening to cut funding in midst of them if the state didn’t do what he said. Which was all complete crap.

Well before the fires he threatened to cut funding to sanctuary cities/states. Months and months later there is a fire. Federal funding is immediately available with a large commitment - more & quicker than conservative areas faced with hurricanes. And Trump made a pretty sympathetic statement along with a disaster declaration. You know, cause people struggling with disasters are obviously hanging on every word of a celebrity just waiting to be offended if it’s not sympathetic enough.

I also don’t care that Corbyn wore a raincoat to the London memorial service, or Prince Philip didn’t attend.

Don’t care at all about any of that.

I’m also pretty sure the Russians aren’t that interested in either Salisbury cathedral or influencing the like 50 people on this forum who don’t account for even a cross section of American expats in the UK & don’t drive influence over that community. So if you’re seeing the Russians behind everything you disagree with, maybe it’s a mirror you’re looking for.


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Okay, we'll try it in a different thread another day.  I do appreciate your insight into memorial services.  I don't have time to find all the ins and outs about why Trump couldn't make the various events and I am sure we could argue for a while about what's true or not regarding that. It's especially hard when the office of the president is trying to obfuscate the truth.    I do know that Obama never seemed to suffer those problems.  There's plenty of great pictures of Obama SOAKED to the skin in some cemetary somewhere.  I'm sure he had problems getting there as well.

I also think Trump's tweets and the timing speak for themselves.  It's not necessary for me to say any more about that.

 I am surprised that a person who follows the news as closely as you must is not aware of the Russian influence on social media.  What do you think those thousands of paid trolls were (and still are) doing for Russia?  Coming onto forums just like this and posting stuff like "I've always been a Democrat and consider myself liberal, but does anyone else feel those foreigners are taking all our jobs?"  That kind of stuff sways public opinion.  If it didn't work, people wouldn't pay money for it. 

Why do you think Russians aren't interested in Salisbury?  They killed two people and then released a video specifically designed to humiliate the UK government. 

Okay, we'll try it in a different thread another day.  I do appreciate your insight into memorial services.  I don't have time to find all the ins and outs about why Trump couldn't make the various events and I am sure we could argue for a while about what's true or not regarding that. It's especially hard when the office of the president is trying to obfuscate the truth.    I do know that Obama never seemed to suffer those problems.  There's plenty of great pictures of Obama SOAKED to the skin in some cemetary somewhere.  I'm sure he had problems getting there as well.

I also think Trump's tweets and the timing speak for themselves.  It's not necessary for me to say any more about that.

 I am surprised that a person who follows the news as closely as you must is not aware of the Russian influence on social media.  What do you think those thousands of paid trolls were (and still are) doing for Russia?  Coming onto forums just like this and posting stuff like "I've always been a Democrat and consider myself liberal, but does anyone else feel those foreigners are taking all our jobs?"  That kind of stuff sways public opinion.  If it didn't work, people wouldn't pay money for it. 

Why do you think Russians aren't interested in Salisbury?  They killed two people and then released a video specifically designed to humiliate the UK government.

Of course I am aware of it. It is just that thinking there’s a Russian boogie man behind every door is ridiculous. If you look at what they’ve actually done, it’s quite small (it was dozens, not thousands). Versus what gets blamed on that effort, which seems to be everything that doesn’t fit into someone’s echo chamber.

It’s also not so significant relative to efforts by China, Ukraine, and a dozen other countries each pushing their own interests with equal vigor. Nor different than what the US has done abroad including in allied countries. For that matter, though the methodology has changed, foreign interference in US elections and US interference in foreign elections has been the rule far more than the exception. The fact that people have suddenly paid attention to this thing that’s always been present and not spoken of, or fixated on Russia to the exclusion of everyone else, or conveniently ignored all that the US does around the world to clandestinely advance its interests (which is why it’s not spoken of), is just a bit silly.

Salisbury? Seriously? People acquainted with British culture are supposed to get sarcasm.


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I think we've had this conversation before.   If I had time, I'd dig out the link to the report that the Russians actually held a campaign event on US soil with the sole intention of sowing division.

That sarcasm did go straight over my head.

I think we've had this conversation before.   If I had time, I'd dig out the link to the report that the Russians actually held a campaign event on US soil with the sole intention of sowing division.

That sarcasm did go straight over my head.

This is all stuff for another thread. I realize you want to talk all Trump all the time, but that’s not this conversation.


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That might not help you as much as you may be thinking as it will see the end of May.  It's May who is allowing you and your non-EEA citizen family to have bill free use of the NHS.. As you know, all the other EEA countries would bill you for all your medical care, as per EU Directive 2004 on the Free Movmement of Persons. Even your own EEA country would bill you for medication, GP visits etc. The EU have made it very clear that even if there is a Withdrawal Bill, another UK government can bill for use of the NHS: a new leader forms their own government.

The NHS is pretty much the lowest thing on my priority list right now. I have private health insurance, as does my daughter, and medical care is so cheap here I could pay for it out of pocket until I meet my policy deductibles if necessary.  There are many more important issues.

Yet that is what an Irish ambassodor said. In case you don't know, the EEA already has  borders with non-EEA countries and there is no problem with this. The EU is not Europe. Europe has 44 countries, most of whom share borders.  The EU is just a group of some of those European countries.
e.g. Norway isnt a member of the EU, nor of the EU's Custom Union and they just have cameras on the borders with the EU countries.

The number of people who think that Europe is the EU, is staggering. 

The border between the Republic and NI is entire 'nuther kettle of fish. A transparent border is one of the things that has kept the peace since the Good Friday agreement. That place is a tinderbox. Great care needs to be taken to remember that a large percentage of the people there consider the UK to be an occupying force. 

Some of the press reporting the 48 letters have been reached.

ooo?

Because Nan drew up a list of where medical care would be the cheapest for EEA citizens. Wouldn''t you?

The UK has already said that regardless of Breixt, all can stay, except criminals. That if there is no trade deal, the UK would look at ending benefits that EEA citizens and their non-EEA citizen Family Members claim from the UK.

The new Welfare Reform laws are taking care of the problem that all the poplular EEA countries have, where Free Movement is being used for what Germany calls "using free movement for what they can get". These laws are coming in regardless of Brexit and it's already been announced in parliament that France, Germany and Sweden would then give more money in benefits. This is nothing to do with Brexit as the new laws to stop the abusers, take years to come in.

I also drew up a list of tax outlays as well, I think. 

As to the UK saying that all can say - -  I want to see that codified in a formal agreement somewhere.  Right now, given past history, I have little faith in the UK government honoring their promises. They could just as well come back in five years and say "oopso, we changed our minds. Out you go."  Which they could, arguably, do even with a written agreement. But I'd feel a little safer with one.

ooo?

Unlike the Labour party, the Conservative MPs can get rid of a leader if they don't support their views . In this case, 48 MPs writing to their powerful 1922 Committee, will trigger a vote of no confidence in May. If the leader survives a vote of no confidence, they can't be touched for another year. The 1922 Committee is run by a well respected group of people and it's why they can summon a Conservative PM to explain themselves.

The unelected leaders of the EU were quick to say that the UK can withdraw the Article 50 and stay. No wonder other European countries have withdrawn their long standing application to join the EU. EU army anyone? Conscription?