Be Excellent To Each Other

But luckily Nissan in Sunderland will still get full, unrestricted, zero tariff and non-tarrif-barrier-free access to the Single Market, right? Like May promised?

At the Conservative Party conference a year ago, the Prime Minister promised British firms would maintain the ability to trade freely with and operate within the EU's single market.

Mrs May's words then shifted to "frictionless trade" - and are now "as frictionless as possible".

The industry has been told, however, that the UK will not apply regulations different to the EU.

Jaguar Land Rover goes further, saying the Government already accepts there will be no deviation from European standards at all.

"We made it quite clear that there is only one set of compliance in Europe - no noises from the UK Government that they (expect) any different from that," said Mr Gross.

https://twitter.com/PJTheEconomist/status/910033210981072897

Love that. I didn't identify myself as a 'citizen of nowhere' till that idiot came up with the phrase. Now I'll never forget it. I'll probably never forgive her for it, either.

Perhaps not overly wise of the Department of International Trade to show off the benefits of the CETA agreement between Canada and the EU, considering that's what we'll lose when we leave, and then unwiser to delete the tweet too.

I'm starting to think that deep down Mr Johnson is starting to realise that Brexit isn't going to produce a happy and prosperous land (at least in the short - medium term) and that the incumbent Prime Minister and party will be severely punished by the electorate as the economy worsens. Getting onto the backbenches so he can rally the faithful is probably going to be a far happier future for him than the premiership.

There's a classic line that the best thing that happened to Labour was losing in 1992: Brexit is like Black Wednesday times a million. But probably just the economic shock part, not the subsequent growth.

Boris Johnson – and goodness knows what we all did in a past life to deserve him – opportunistically backed Brexit as a career move. Despite his demonstrable buffoonery, he is astute enough to realise that Tory Brexit is spiralling into disaster. He risks going down in the history books as one of the principal architects of a national catastrophe. So now he plots and schemes, helping to plunge an already politically crippled Tory administration into further turmoil as Britain navigates through its postwar greatest crisis.

As Ken Clarke notes, in normal times Johnson would have been sacked. But these are not normal times, because the prime minister has no authority and heads a zombie administration united only by panic at the prospect of a Corbyn-led Labour government. It is speculated that Johnson wishes to be sacked, so then he can be a martyr rather than a deserter who can claim that Brexit went wrong because of May’s wrongheadedness, rather than by design. The Tory Brexiteers have already devised their alibis, the traditional “stab-in-the-back” myth of rightwing populists and nationalists, that betrayal and sabotage by opponents – “enemies of the people”, if you will – will be responsible for the process unravelling. The key Brexit strategist Dominic Cummings attempts to absolve himself of blame, too, claiming a premature triggering of Article 50 was like “putting a gun in mouth and kaboom” and the government was being “led like lambs to slaughter”.

As ever, a self-serving careerist making sure that he does okay, regardless of he outcome for everyone else.

As ever, a self-serving careerist making sure that he does okay, regardless of he outcome for everyone else.

Eh? I thought it was rather good!

(Did I repeat what Mali said? Soz if that's the case, Mali. Too subtle for me )

I think it's a band Curio likes.

Are people holding parties to watch the Prime Minister's big speech tomorrow? I'm really struggling to concentrate today what with all the anticipation in the air. It's like Christmas Eve.

Sitting at her desk, Theresa May is drafting her Florence speech for Friday. The time has come, she finally decides, to put country before party; to abandon the vain attempt to bind together her party’s utterly incompatible factions. What’s the point? There’s no possible EU deal that would induce John Redwood and Liam Fox to agree with Anna Soubry and Ken Clarke, no fence left to sit on. She must become the prime minister no one thinks she is.

“The time has come,” she writes, “to face the truth about Brexit. Our people have voted to leave, and so we shall. But no one asked how, on what terms or at what national or personal sacrifice. Nothing on that small ballot paper gave me any clue as to what each of 17,410,742 voters had in mind. So it falls to me to interpret the people’s will. And, as my chancellor says, no one voted to become poorer.

“In the 15 months since that vote, I have studied every option. I have listened to experts – yes, I believe in expertise. Businesses small and large almost with one voice warn that leaving the single market and the customs union risks devastating manufacturing, finance and services. Already we see banks and companies setting up new headquarters across the Channel. I see talented Europeans ready to depart, not least from the NHS: they need reassurance now.” The words begin to flow.

“To stay within the single market and the customs union, we must pay our dues: we will strike a fair price, fair for the gain that buys our economy. We will leave the EU’s councils and its parliament, as the vote requires. But we are not leaving our closest neighbours and old allies. Instead we shall seek to stay in the EEA, alongside Switzerland and Norway, who are thriving. And so shall we. There is no other solution to the problem of the Northern Irish border: the EU cannot leave open a back door; and it is my duty not to jeopardise the hard-won peace agreement. Nor will we put at risk the great good brought by all our fellow European citizens who have chosen to live with us, interwoven in the rich fabric of our cultural life.

“The time has come to refute the delirious fantasies of those who have led us out of the EU. My colleague Boris has just given another firework display of his own imagined glorious future. Words are his milieu, but mine is the real world in which ordinary people earn their living and hope to flourish. I have yet to see from him, or any of those who would plunge us over the cliff edge, any details as to how cutting off half our trade will do us anything but harm. I am shocked any minister of mine would wilfully ignore the chair of the UK Statistics Authority on a matter of fact.

“Some will still follow these pied pipers spinning airy dreams. No doubt some will challenge me. But I will stand and fight for the interests of my country against the whims of elements in my own party. I am prime minister of the country first, leader of my party second. Protecting the people is my prime duty, and I will condone no damage to all who have already suffered a hard decade since the start of this global recession.

“Judge me not as a party politician, but as a prime minister delivering my people’s wish to take Britain out of the European Union while seeing our country thrive and prosper. Out of the EU, yes, but we will stay close to our good neighbours after 70 years of mutual prosperity and peace. Here in Italy, as in France, Germany and all the EU nations, we rely on one another’s strengths and our common civilisation in a dangerous world. In Brexit, Britain will neither harm itself nor its good friends.”

Her peroration complete, she sits back to consider the words she has written, sighs, crumples the paper and throws it into the bin. She dare not, after all.

But it'll still be good, right?

Grayling on R4 this morning spoke absolute twatwaffle about May's speech and how Britain will change. It was incredibly nebulous, and he sounded like he was just reading it ans didn't believe it himself. I was amused.

I just made the mistake of listening to that. It was awful. Almost nothing of substantive content was said. What a waste of time.

He's as dumb as a box of hair.

I spent a couple of hours with him in his Parliament office when he was shadow transport sec'. He's as dumb as a box of hair whose entire career seems to be thanks to the fact that he willingly plays the role of lightning rod for the leader.

Also, she really can't do rousing speeches, and shouldn't try. That part was painful.

May just basically said that she wants a two year transition where basically nothing will change. Brexit can just firmly kicked two more years down the road

Do you think the EU will say "No deal, or stay" come 2019 and push away any transition stuff?

If they don't agree to the transition, we fall out of the EU in March 2019 automatically.

I'm pretty sure that if we came begging back, the EU would find a way. But I'm not sure we'd get the rebate back.

'Let's think creatively'.

Ugh.

"Ceci n'est pas une Brexit"