Brexdemic
Brexdemic
Brexdemic Mix 2 disasters and you have the recepie for Brexdemic . Make no mistake, i love Britain and most of the Brits but i don't envy them for the Gov. they don't deserve. The Brits are not alone in this mess since we witness many governments around the globe not living up to scale. Brazil for example, Thaiand, Myanmar, Ukraine, France, Germany in the waitinglist, Hungary and Poland, Australia the list is endless. Apart from the usual reasons Covid 19 has put extra pressure on our dear leaders how to run a country. Compared to that Cambodia sticks out like a beacon of hope.
Only Britain has been forced to deal with a Brexdemic
William Keegan
All countries have suffered Covid, but the UK has uniquely been exposed to the economic and moral damage of Brexit too
So far, the Johnson government has hidden behind the disruption of Covid to divert attention from the consequences of Brexit.
But not for much longer. The chaos caused by the removal of the Team GB economy from the single market while leaving Northern Ireland within is already manifest. It is also abundantly clear that the disruption of Northern Ireland’s trade cannot be blamed on, or confused with, Covid-induced damage.
Up to now the British economy has been suffering from what one might call a Brexdemic. Much of the huge collapse in output in 2020 can be attributed to the Covid clampdown, and the same is true of many other economies. But we have had the extra damage caused by Brexit. This is a country that seems addicted to self-harm.
Day by day we see evidence of the folly. The good work of half a century of being closely integrated into Europe is being undone. The inconvenience and disruption make previous complaints about “Brussels bureaucracy” look like a sick joke.
Ironically, as my colleague Phillip Inman pointed out in this space last week, the so-called red-wall seats of the north-east are being especially badly hit. Just how long will it be before so many Brexiters wake up to the fact that they have been “had”?
A general dawning of the reality about Brexit would be good news for Keir Starmer, who has been far too anxious to please Brexit Labour voters instead of gently putting them right. In which context it is good news that Labour’s new shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, recently used an interview with the Financial Times to make clear that Labour wants to work with Brussels to fill in “gaps” in Johnson’s Brexit deal.
In a delicate use of English understatement, Reeves said Johnson had a “blind spot” when it came to relations with the EU. Alas, I fear it is not so much a blind spot as open hostility, his lieutenant being his so-called negotiator David Frost, who did not learn much about diplomacy during his not-very-successful Foreign Office career. Given that the 80% of the economy accounted for by services hardly entered into the “agreement”, Reeves would have been justified in using the word “chasms” rather than “gaps”.
But she is not yet chancellor. Rishi Sunak is, and his reputation has so far benefited from the contribution of the furlough scheme and the temporary boost to payments of universal credit. But the National Institute of Economic and Social Research reckons that the end of the furlough scheme will throw another 150,000 out of work, and Sunak has been resisting calls for an extension of the boost to universal credit.
It is not just Brexit. It is what Brexit brought in its wake: the erosion of respect for the rule of law, and a corruption and coarsening of standards
Whether you call what is happening now a “recovery” or just the reopening of those parts of the economy that have not gone under, the outlook is fraught with risks. It is not surprising that the International Monetary Fund and so many independent observers are urging caution about any tightening of monetary and fiscal policy.
Amid the fray, there is much speculation about a putative disagreement between an allegedly big-spending prime minister and a fundamentally low-tax/low-spending chancellor who wishes to clamp down. But even that formerly stout Thatcherite William Hague now thinks that big government and state intervention are more than just a temporary expedient necessitated by Covid. The winds of change are blowing over economic policy, both in the US and the eurozone, and the UK should take note.
However, “Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look”. Sunak is generally thought to be “on manoeuvres”, readying himself for the possibility that the Teflon finally wears off his next-door neighbour in Downing Street – of which there have recently been early signs.
To my mind, Sunak has already consigned himself to the sin bin by championing Brexit, and over his disgraceful role in cutting overseas aid. Opponents of Johnson should not raise their hopes too high if he is eventually unseated.
And it is not just Brexit. It is what Brexit brought in its wake: the erosion of respect for the rule of law, and a general corruption and coarsening of standards. This was captured recently by Annette Dittert, the London bureau chief for Germany’s public broadcaster, in an article in the New Statesman entitled The Politics of Lies. As she points out, it was Dominic Cummings and Johnson who “first ushered in the post-truth era in Great Britain, thereby destroying the very basis on which a minister, or even Johnson, can still be held accountable”.
As Juvenal, one of my favourite Roman poets, observed: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (Who is to guard the guards themselves?) Step forward the leader of the opposition, Keir Starmer. If ever there were a Labour leader well qualified to start the fightback against the standards of this government, it is a former director of public prosecutions.
source:https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... -brexdemic
Only Britain has been forced to deal with a Brexdemic
William Keegan
All countries have suffered Covid, but the UK has uniquely been exposed to the economic and moral damage of Brexit too
So far, the Johnson government has hidden behind the disruption of Covid to divert attention from the consequences of Brexit.
But not for much longer. The chaos caused by the removal of the Team GB economy from the single market while leaving Northern Ireland within is already manifest. It is also abundantly clear that the disruption of Northern Ireland’s trade cannot be blamed on, or confused with, Covid-induced damage.
Up to now the British economy has been suffering from what one might call a Brexdemic. Much of the huge collapse in output in 2020 can be attributed to the Covid clampdown, and the same is true of many other economies. But we have had the extra damage caused by Brexit. This is a country that seems addicted to self-harm.
Day by day we see evidence of the folly. The good work of half a century of being closely integrated into Europe is being undone. The inconvenience and disruption make previous complaints about “Brussels bureaucracy” look like a sick joke.
Ironically, as my colleague Phillip Inman pointed out in this space last week, the so-called red-wall seats of the north-east are being especially badly hit. Just how long will it be before so many Brexiters wake up to the fact that they have been “had”?
A general dawning of the reality about Brexit would be good news for Keir Starmer, who has been far too anxious to please Brexit Labour voters instead of gently putting them right. In which context it is good news that Labour’s new shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, recently used an interview with the Financial Times to make clear that Labour wants to work with Brussels to fill in “gaps” in Johnson’s Brexit deal.
In a delicate use of English understatement, Reeves said Johnson had a “blind spot” when it came to relations with the EU. Alas, I fear it is not so much a blind spot as open hostility, his lieutenant being his so-called negotiator David Frost, who did not learn much about diplomacy during his not-very-successful Foreign Office career. Given that the 80% of the economy accounted for by services hardly entered into the “agreement”, Reeves would have been justified in using the word “chasms” rather than “gaps”.
But she is not yet chancellor. Rishi Sunak is, and his reputation has so far benefited from the contribution of the furlough scheme and the temporary boost to payments of universal credit. But the National Institute of Economic and Social Research reckons that the end of the furlough scheme will throw another 150,000 out of work, and Sunak has been resisting calls for an extension of the boost to universal credit.
It is not just Brexit. It is what Brexit brought in its wake: the erosion of respect for the rule of law, and a corruption and coarsening of standards
Whether you call what is happening now a “recovery” or just the reopening of those parts of the economy that have not gone under, the outlook is fraught with risks. It is not surprising that the International Monetary Fund and so many independent observers are urging caution about any tightening of monetary and fiscal policy.
Amid the fray, there is much speculation about a putative disagreement between an allegedly big-spending prime minister and a fundamentally low-tax/low-spending chancellor who wishes to clamp down. But even that formerly stout Thatcherite William Hague now thinks that big government and state intervention are more than just a temporary expedient necessitated by Covid. The winds of change are blowing over economic policy, both in the US and the eurozone, and the UK should take note.
However, “Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look”. Sunak is generally thought to be “on manoeuvres”, readying himself for the possibility that the Teflon finally wears off his next-door neighbour in Downing Street – of which there have recently been early signs.
To my mind, Sunak has already consigned himself to the sin bin by championing Brexit, and over his disgraceful role in cutting overseas aid. Opponents of Johnson should not raise their hopes too high if he is eventually unseated.
And it is not just Brexit. It is what Brexit brought in its wake: the erosion of respect for the rule of law, and a general corruption and coarsening of standards. This was captured recently by Annette Dittert, the London bureau chief for Germany’s public broadcaster, in an article in the New Statesman entitled The Politics of Lies. As she points out, it was Dominic Cummings and Johnson who “first ushered in the post-truth era in Great Britain, thereby destroying the very basis on which a minister, or even Johnson, can still be held accountable”.
As Juvenal, one of my favourite Roman poets, observed: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (Who is to guard the guards themselves?) Step forward the leader of the opposition, Keir Starmer. If ever there were a Labour leader well qualified to start the fightback against the standards of this government, it is a former director of public prosecutions.
source:https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... -brexdemic
If you're going to cite from somewhere as tendentious as The Guardian has become, you probably need to stick one up from The Daily Express for reasonable balance.
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- MerkinMaker
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Don't get me wrong, Boris is a buffoon. But this article is a work of fiction.
Last time I checked, the UK had one of the fastest vaccine rollouts of any major country.
We currently have no Covid restrictions at all, having already seen the Delta wave peak, with deaths a mere fraction of what was seen previously.
And the same paper were only just reporting how this year the UK is forecast to see record growth: https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... forecaster
And all that happened despite Boris. I've got nothing against Boris, besides his being a bit of a twit. But I think he's a careerist politician at a time where we needed war time generals.
Anyway, somehow he seems to have Forest Gump'd his way through it, so he's probably due some credit.
Last time I checked, the UK had one of the fastest vaccine rollouts of any major country.
We currently have no Covid restrictions at all, having already seen the Delta wave peak, with deaths a mere fraction of what was seen previously.
And the same paper were only just reporting how this year the UK is forecast to see record growth: https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... forecaster
And all that happened despite Boris. I've got nothing against Boris, besides his being a bit of a twit. But I think he's a careerist politician at a time where we needed war time generals.
Anyway, somehow he seems to have Forest Gump'd his way through it, so he's probably due some credit.
Good oneAnyway, somehow he seems to have Forest Gump'd his way through it, so he's probably due some credit.
France and Germany doing not that bad either
Australia is a surprisingly (to me) absolute disaster
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- MerkinMaker
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I think some countries actually believed they could outwit a virus with blunt government policy. When in reality they were just getting a pass because the maths didn't work climate/demographics/season/variant.
Like death, everyone is going to get their turn sooner or later, so all things considered it's probably best not to be the first or the last.
Like death, everyone is going to get their turn sooner or later, so all things considered it's probably best not to be the first or the last.
starkmonster what do you think about BoJo's commitment to building back a more carbon and gender neutral Britain?
Also, why do you call him a buffoon?
Also, why do you call him a buffoon?
Perhaps you should check again. The UK has been caught up and overtaken by many European countries, and is currently stalling as it struggles to persuade 18-29 year olds to get the jab. The rate of first jabs is currently a pitiful 25,000 or so a day.starkmonster wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 1:37 pmDon't get me wrong, Boris is a buffoon. But this article is a work of fiction.
Last time I checked, the UK had one of the fastest vaccine rollouts of any major country.
The UK is also getting 25,000-30,000 new infections daily, one of the worst rates in the world. Yesterday, only third-world shitholes India and Iran had more cases recorded.
Nope. UK is still ahead in its vaccination rollout and has eased lockdowns, unlike Europe.Guest wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 4:34 pmPerhaps you should check again. The UK has been caught up and overtaken by many European countries, and is currently stalling as it struggles to persuade 18-29 year olds to get the jab. The rate of first jabs is currently a pitiful 25,000 or so a day.starkmonster wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 1:37 pmDon't get me wrong, Boris is a buffoon. But this article is a work of fiction.
Last time I checked, the UK had one of the fastest vaccine rollouts of any major country.
The UK is also getting 25,000-30,000 new infections daily, one of the worst rates in the world. Yesterday, only third-world shitholes India and Iran had more cases recorded.
pew, pew, pew, pew!
It really isn't, unless you call being behind most of the Middle East, Canada, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Ireland 'being ahead'.YaTingPom wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 5:06 pmNope. UK is still ahead in its vaccination rollout and has eased lockdowns, unlike Europe.Guest wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 4:34 pmPerhaps you should check again. The UK has been caught up and overtaken by many European countries, and is currently stalling as it struggles to persuade 18-29 year olds to get the jab. The rate of first jabs is currently a pitiful 25,000 or so a day.starkmonster wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 1:37 pmDon't get me wrong, Boris is a buffoon. But this article is a work of fiction.
Last time I checked, the UK had one of the fastest vaccine rollouts of any major country.
The UK is also getting 25,000-30,000 new infections daily, one of the worst rates in the world. Yesterday, only third-world shitholes India and Iran had more cases recorded.
As for easing lockdowns. Well yes you're right. That's why the UK still have 27000 new infections a day.
Well I googled it and multiple websites say different.
But moving on…
But moving on…
pew, pew, pew, pew!
LONDON, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Britain has reported 25,161 new cases of COVID-19, government data showed on Monday, meaning the rise in cases between Aug. 3 and Aug. 9 stood at 5.2% compared with the previous seven days.
source:https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britai ... 021-08-09/
source:https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britai ... 021-08-09/
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- I have some social problems
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UK is also testing around 1m people per day, only behind India in absolute terms.Guest wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 4:34 pm
The UK is also getting 25,000-30,000 new infections daily, one of the worst rates in the world. Yesterday, only third-world shitholes India and Iran had more cases recorded.
Therefore 25000 doesn't look bad. (In comparison Cambodia has a positivity rate 3 times higher than UK)
- Starving Pelican
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Infection rates are largely irrelevant. It's the hospitalisation and death rates that matter, and the UK's are low.
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