There's a two-part documentary starting tonight on BBC2 about Britain's on-and-off romance with the continent. Might be of interest for some background.
'The Wee Bleu Book'. Not written by ['our absent friend'-ed]. Might peruse this over the weekend.
I was wondering, now we have a formal "No" party, will they get 9 million quid to send a leaflet to every house in the UK as well?
Would be a bit unfair if the government can spend this money for their "Yes" view and the "No" party can't
Would be a bit unfair if the government can spend this money for their "Yes" view and the "No" party can't
asfish wrote:
I was wondering, now we have a formal "No" party, will they get 9 million quid to send a leaflet to every house in the UK as well?
Would be a bit unfair if the government can spend this money for their "Yes" view and the "No" party can't
Would be a bit unfair if the government can spend this money for their "Yes" view and the "No" party can't
That depends on where the 9 million came from. What fund or budget was it allocated to?
asfish wrote:
I was wondering, now we have a formal "No" party, will they get 9 million quid to send a leaflet to every house in the UK as well?
Not quite. Each official side gets £600,000 to play with from public funds and can spend up to £7 million. They both get a mailshot. The government's Protect and Survive referendum blurb was done outside of the referendum campaigns.
Parliament's website now has a page with links to a large number of EU-related material if you find yourself unable to sleep without knowing the intricacies of, say, Northern Ireland's relationship with the EU.
Anyone read any good books arguing for either side?
Anyone read any good books arguing for either side?
Referendum propaganda update: was handed a 'Remain' leaflet produced by the Labour party yesterday. I'm still uninspired by either side, and arguing that only the EU can protect workers' rights suggests a complete lack of ambition on the part of the Labour folk to ever re-enter government.
Also, Mr Cameron appears to have seen Mr Johnson's 'Hitler' jibe and raised to 'Isis'. Under five weeks, people.
Still, at least we didn't come last at Eurovision.
Also, Mr Cameron appears to have seen Mr Johnson's 'Hitler' jibe and raised to 'Isis'. Under five weeks, people.
Still, at least we didn't come last at Eurovision.
I am yet to see an unbiased list of pros and cons where the leave and remain options are contrasted side by side i.e.
Code:
######Leave##########Remain#####
#All dogs killed###All dogs fed#
#All dogs killed###All dogs fed#
Vote 'Stay' to show support for sinister megaglobal corporations doing shady backroom deals. Vote 'Leave' to show support for sinister xenophobes.
"Remain means [insert horror here]!"
"No, Leave means [same horror]!"
"Vote Leave for X!"
"NO! Vote REMAIN for X!"
Sigh. No one has any idea what will happen, do they?
"No, Leave means [same horror]!"
"Vote Leave for X!"
"NO! Vote REMAIN for X!"
Sigh. No one has any idea what will happen, do they?
The lack of idealism on either side is grating. Why aren't the stay people trying harder to sell the idea of European Unity, of closer co-operation, of a federal dream, or even of the EU as it currently exists? Why aren't the remain side offering a vision of a free, independent country?
And why the hell am I slowly turning into ['a former deputy editor of a long-defunct Amiga gaming magazine'-Ed.] over this?
And why the hell am I slowly turning into ['a former deputy editor of a long-defunct Amiga gaming magazine'-Ed.] over this?
There's no paradise of a federal European super state because that's not a great idea nor something I think that most of he country wants.
I've actually just been in a Ministerial debate on the referendum with the Minister for the Caninet Office (get me!) and the ideal is really to have the 'best of both worlds'. Obviously he's spinning things towards his side, but really now that the 'ever closer union' clause is gone, and we have a way to prevent getting overruled by the inner circle of Schengen/Eurozone countries, we're not actually in too bad a place.
I've actually just been in a Ministerial debate on the referendum with the Minister for the Caninet Office (get me!) and the ideal is really to have the 'best of both worlds'. Obviously he's spinning things towards his side, but really now that the 'ever closer union' clause is gone, and we have a way to prevent getting overruled by the inner circle of Schengen/Eurozone countries, we're not actually in too bad a place.
hah! I have often felt this way when actors feel the need to comment on stuff.
Bloody hell, Curio's a Cabinet Minister!
/starts shredding
/starts shredding
Cavey wrote:
Bloody hell, Curio's a Cabinet Minister!
/starts shredding
/starts shredding
Yes, I think that's known as being, ahem, well and truly "pwned". 
I am fetching my coat as we speak.
I am fetching my coat as we speak.
Leaflet watch: just received another flyer from the remain camp, telling me that it's important I have the facts so I can make 'the best and safest choice'. On the other side it has a picture of Richard Branson saying that leaving would be 'very very damaging'. Please don't make me act out of spite, remainers.
Still nothing from the Leave side: am I marked on their database as not worth the effort? Shame. I don't take rejection well.
I also got my polling card today too. Shit just got real.
Still nothing from the Leave side: am I marked on their database as not worth the effort? Shame. I don't take rejection well.
I also got my polling card today too. Shit just got real.
Just watched 'Paxman in Brussels: who really rules us?' . Worth watching if you're after an overview of how the EU works and its implications on sovereignty.
[Important contribution to thread]
If Belgium left the EU that would be a BeeXit
[Contributions ends#
If Belgium left the EU that would be a BeeXit
[Contributions ends#
Nigel Farage was in town today on his big purple battle bus. I've watched the footage on the local news website but without sound.
There's people in the crowd waving at him on his bus like he's some kind of mega star. They all look like typical UKIP voters... It's all a bit ridiculous to be honest.
There's people in the crowd waving at him on his bus like he's some kind of mega star. They all look like typical UKIP voters... It's all a bit ridiculous to be honest.
I didn't know they did Sunshine Buses in purple now.
TheVision wrote:
It's all a bit ridiculous to be honest.
And in the interests of balance, I give you 'VOTIN' [sic].
TheVision wrote:
Nigel Farage was in town today on his big purple battle bus
Now I feel nauseous.
My regular weekend cycle route (well the lead off into the country) passes his driveway. Sadly I rarely need a piss that early on.
Kern wrote:
TheVision wrote:
It's all a bit ridiculous to be honest.
And in the interests of balance, I give you 'VOTIN' [sic].
Someone should make an Intercloud thingy to allow you to make your own "votin" pics. Get to it!
Votin was hideous. Why did I watch that?
I'm still not convinced that it isn't a wind up.
The Beeb's yoof debate was a bit of a car-crash, although it did serve to remind me how good Alan Johnson is.
Kern wrote:
The Beeb's yoof debate was a bit of a car-crash, although it did serve to remind me how good Alan Johnson is.
I really enjoyed it, apart from a bit of bickering from the audience. It was really refreshing to get some positives out of the remain camp. A shame the same couldn't be said of the leave lot. Everything was still all "there are too many foreigners here" with things like
Quote:
if we kick out 2.2 million EU citizens, then that's most of the 2.7 million uk unemployed sorted...
I wasn't convinced, and it's a real shame that both sides haven't been more positive.
Malc wrote:
Quote:
if we kick out 2.2 million EU citizens, then that's most of the 2.7 million uk unemployed sorted...
I wasn't convinced, and it's a real shame that both sides haven't been more positive.
Yeah, that's just simplistic bullshit.
I'm waiting for Leave to say 'vote Brexit for a proper, dark blue hard backed passport that makes you look like someone important, not that maroon EU floppy thing'. That might swing it for me.
Fun Brexit Fact:
If we leave the EU, the Republic of Ireland will stil be in the EU.
There will still be open borders between RoI and NI, and between NI and England, as they're enshrined by the Good Friday Agreement.
If we leave the EU, the Republic of Ireland will stil be in the EU.
There will still be open borders between RoI and NI, and between NI and England, as they're enshrined by the Good Friday Agreement.
Curiosity wrote:
and between NI and England, as they're enshrined by the Good Friday Agreement.
But not Scotland?
Curiosity wrote:
Fun Brexit Fact:
If we leave the EU, the Republic of Ireland will stil be in the EU.
There will still be open borders between RoI and NI, and between NI and England, as they're enshrined by the Good Friday Agreement.
If we leave the EU, the Republic of Ireland will stil be in the EU.
There will still be open borders between RoI and NI, and between NI and England, as they're enshrined by the Good Friday Agreement.
Irrelevant. It's all covered by the CTA anyway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Travel_Area
Lonewolves wrote:
Curiosity wrote:
Fun Brexit Fact:
If we leave the EU, the Republic of Ireland will stil be in the EU.
There will still be open borders between RoI and NI, and between NI and England, as they're enshrined by the Good Friday Agreement.
If we leave the EU, the Republic of Ireland will stil be in the EU.
There will still be open borders between RoI and NI, and between NI and England, as they're enshrined by the Good Friday Agreement.
Irrelevant. It's all covered by the CTA anyway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Travel_Area
And the RoI isn't in Schengen, either, so doesn't have completely open borders with Europe.
Lonewolves wrote:
Curiosity wrote:
Fun Brexit Fact:
If we leave the EU, the Republic of Ireland will stil be in the EU.
There will still be open borders between RoI and NI, and between NI and England, as they're enshrined by the Good Friday Agreement.
If we leave the EU, the Republic of Ireland will stil be in the EU.
There will still be open borders between RoI and NI, and between NI and England, as they're enshrined by the Good Friday Agreement.
Irrelevant. It's all covered by the CTA anyway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Travel_Area
Well, if we exited the EU, you'd rather expect that we'd exit the CTA. But we kinda can't exit the Good Friday Agreement.
Cras wrote:
Well, if we exited the EU, you'd rather expect that we'd exit the CTA.
Very unlikely. Why would you think that?
Because the ROI has contingent free travel arrangements with the EU that we would no longer be part of.
Cras wrote:
Because the ROI has contingent free travel arrangements with the EU that we would no longer be part of.
If we exit the CTA then you wouldn't be able to travel to the IOM or the Channel Islands freely. I would expect Ireland would have to exit the CTA if anything, considering they'd still be in the EU.
Anyway, either way, leaving the EU will not make the country a right wing heaven of no immigration. Not that the Leave campaign has a single fucking clue what they would do if we did vote to leave, as all the various figures have utterly different and mutually exclusive plans, none of which are remotely feasible in reality.
Should we be having some kind of sweepstake on the result of this?
Lonewolves wrote:
Cras wrote:
Because the ROI has contingent free travel arrangements with the EU that we would no longer be part of.
If we exit the CTA then you wouldn't be able to travel to the IOM or the Channel Islands freely. I would expect Ireland would have to exit the CTA if anything, considering they'd still be in the EU.
With apologies to our Manx brethren, same difference.
Cras wrote:
Lonewolves wrote:
Cras wrote:
Because the ROI has contingent free travel arrangements with the EU that we would no longer be part of.
If we exit the CTA then you wouldn't be able to travel to the IOM or the Channel Islands freely. I would expect Ireland would have to exit the CTA if anything, considering they'd still be in the EU.
With apologies to our Manx brethren, same difference.
What you mean is that you were highly likely to be technically incorrect?
Oh dear.
BBC: Vote Leave launches £50m Euro 2016 football contest
Next week, they'll start building a giant wicker Manneken Pis for the MEPs we won't be needing.
BBC: Vote Leave launches £50m Euro 2016 football contest
Next week, they'll start building a giant wicker Manneken Pis for the MEPs we won't be needing.
If you haven't decided yet, Antoine de Caunes and Jean Paul Gaultier will be on Channel 4 on Friday to help you choose.
Anyway. I might be eligible for an Irish passport. unless having kids has fucked this
I've been thinking about it since the days of Labour's ID Card scheme. I can drink Guinness and sing loudly in pubs, so I think I qualify.
MaliA wrote:
Anyway. I might be eligible for an Irish passport. unless having kids has fucked this
About 10 people have asked me if I've applied for one yet. Despite my name, I don't qualify at all.
ApplePieOfDestiny wrote:
MaliA wrote:
Anyway. I might be eligible for an Irish passport. unless having kids has fucked this
About 10 people have asked me if I've applied for one yet. Despite my name, I don't qualify at all.
Chris?
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