But had to get a IMF bail-out after the financial crash of 2008, Tourism makes up a good percentage of it’s economy, and it has a huge aluminium sector because electricity is essentially free.

I think you can make pros and cons for every small nation, I don’t think there’s any reason why Wales couldn’t make a go of being a small nation inside the EU. But like Scotland, Wales currency would probably have to be the Euro, I don’t know how well that would go down really.

Cadwalladr had no facts to support the claims she made against Banks

Not true. She had no facts to support what Bank’s team said could be inferred from one particular claim. The actual claim was that he lied about his connections to the Russian government. And he did. They tried to make it about funding and intention, neither of which could be proven, so there was no attempted defence or truthfulness, but then how could there be, the claim was simply that he lied about contact with the Russian government.

It felt like I’d stepped into the pages of a Kafka novel. The judge’s ruling meant that I was going to be put on trial to defend the truth of a statement I’d never actually said or meant.

When news broke that I’d withdrawn the truth defence and would instead be defending it only on public interest, it sent the rightwing media system into meltdown. A tsunami of abusive articles, tweets, pronouncements from commentators and MPs…

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/commentisfree/2022/jun/19/arron-banks-set-out-to-crush-me-in-court-instead-my-quest-for-the-facts-was-vindicated

As I’m not in the public eye, I can call it as it is… Banks is most probably a Russian operative married to a Russian spy, who has successfully obscured the fact that his wealth is a result of Russian state sponsorship and assistance.

We helped Putin to destabilise both Europe and trans Atlantic cooperation when we we voted to leave the EU.

“We helped Putin to destabilise both Europe and trans Atlantic cooperation when we we voted to leave the EU.”

Didn’t we just.. Interestingly I saw a clip of Divid Cameron the other day, warning that us leaving the EU could lead to war. Dismissed as project fear of course.

Though for many of is the thought occurs that if he was smart enough to see that danger, why was he so stupid as to run the risk of that eventuality occurring?

As I’m not in the public eye, I can call it as it is… Banks is most probably a Russian operative married to a Russian spy, who has successfully obscured the fact that his wealth is a result of Russian state sponsorship and assistance.

On behalf of Singletracks lawyers, I’d like to add the word “allegedly” to that sentence.

Iceland manages to be independent…  …without being in the EU

Although not in the EU, Iceland is in the single market. GB needs to rejoin the single market asap.

Iceland is in the single market.

And an independent Scotland or Wales could be as well. They wouldn’t have to join the EU for decades… if at all. They probably would join pretty quickly… but there is no need for any independence arguments to be dominated by an in/out of EU discussion. If operating as if within the Single Market, yet still trading with rUK, is good enough for Northern Ireland…

And an independent Scotland or Wales could be as well.

They’d need a hard border though.

Has NI got a hard border? [ discuss ]

but there is no need for any independence arguments to be dominated by an in/out of EU discussion. If operating as if within the Single Market, yet still trading with rUK, is good enough for Northern Ireland…

It’s possibly a huge issue and one that I hope is thoroughly interrogated should IndyRef2 become a thing- unlike the GB/NI border in the Brexit referendum.
N.I is only permitted to operate as it does in order to maintain the GFA – which was signed when, and only works when, both parties are part of the EU. It is by the EU’s admission a unique situation.
If Wales and Scotland become independent and join the EU or EEA then there will be hard borders on their boundaries with England. I don’t see how the EU could possibly protect their single market otherwise ?
Iceland may well be in the single market but it was never in a Customs Union with the EU and there is effectively a hard border as a result – customs paperwork etc.

Has NI got a hard border? [ discuss ]

Yes, Commercial Invoices are required when sending goods GB>NI with a value in excess of 135 pounds.

Oh, they’d be customs paperwork alright. Selling into Scotland or Wales would become as much of a pain for England based companies as selling into NI is now. But the NI situation has shown that operating in the Single Market doesn’t have to result in economic Armageddon for small countries with historic and geographic links to GB. Hell, that’s even more true for the country of Ireland.

But the NI situation has shown that operating in the Single Market doesn’t have to result in economic Armageddon for small countries with historic and geographic links to GB. Hell, that’s even more true for the country of Ireland.

The NI economy has been strongly affected. Armageddon ? No, but still significantly affected.
It’s an easy win for the No campaign to argue that the cost of a hard border with the UK – bureaucracy, tariffs, logistical expenses, on a huge proportion of existing trade -is a crippling burden on a Nation attempting to finance Independence. They’d have a strong argument.
I have no skin in this game. I don’t really like Nationalism of any flavour but if people want to determine their own futures then fair enough, good luck to them.
My only point is that the border issue needs to be looked at forensically and objectively in a way GB/NI/RoI never was during the Brexit Campaign.

The NI economy has been strongly affected.

er… ok

The NI economy has been strongly affected

Positively or negatively in your view? NI’s unique position as both in and out of the EU is having some upside.

The NI economy has been strongly affected. Armageddon ? No, but still significantly affected.

As alluded to above, you might want to go check out NI’s economic performance compared to the UK average at the moment.

Due to the protocol it’s actually in the goldilocks zone for business/ trade currently.

Rather inconvenient for the DUP…

The reason that quite a few online businesses are moving to NI has absolutely nothing to do with Brexit and the NI Protocol….purely coincidental

Two weeks ago saw one of our remaining two Erasmus+ events happening. We took 9 early years educators out to Malta to work with Maltese, Spanish, Slovak and Belgian coleagues.

We’ve been doing this for years across a dozen Erasmus+ learning/sharing programmes for teachers and educators.

That was great.

Thing is, we watched a programme with dozens of training weeks all across Europe in the last fortnight. Thousands of early years eductors, from every country across Europe. Using the Standards and Handbook that we in the UK helped develop.

Not one UK educator will benefit, we can’t take part.
Additionally, we’ve gone from €380k annually to a big fat €0 next year.

But once more, with feeling please, wave your blue passports at the sunshine bathing the uplands of the UK economy and cultural engagement.

🙁

Just look at map. The two main rail lines and the two biggest roads go to England, and there are reasons for this. The main north-south road is a winding country road, precisely because there’s hardly any traffic on it.

Having no knowledge what so ever, but whats to stop Wales to consider turning the traffic around to head for the coast to ports to ship goods to Ireland and into the EU, removing the need to go through England to access the EU?

Having no knowledge what so ever, but whats to stop Wales to consider turning the traffic around to head for the coast to ports to ship goods to Ireland and into the EU, removing the need to go through England to access the EU?

In theory yes, the roads and railways were made to link up with ports. In fact the road that is now the A55 in North Wales along with the railway line were developed to open up Holyhead as a port for shipping to Ireland. iW would clearly need a lot of trade with its nearest neighbour in any case.

But the point about the roads is that it highlights Wales’s history as just another part of England that was developed and exploited for the benefit of the British economy and its rich industrialists. This is why it’s different to other small countries in Europe and also different to Scotland.

Where do you think the motorways in Slovenia go to?

Stop the presses lads! The Haunted Victorian Pencil has finally come up with one of those pesky EU regulations we can do away with!

"If you go through the Dartford Tunnel…we've got very funny numbers, and this is all because of an EU regulation."

Jacob Rees-Mogg reflects on "ridiculous" EU laws he is happy to see scrapped. pic.twitter.com/32jI3SONRq

— LBC (@LBC) June 24, 2022

Ooh and on the 6th anniversary of the vote 🙂

I finally learn another of the laws that they were so keen to repeal that made leaving the eu so important 🙂

I finally learn another of the laws that they were so keen to repeal that made leaving the eu so important

So far I have:

– non-wonky bananas
– non-wibbly distances in the Dartford tunnel
– blue passports
– and let us not forget ‘taking back control’

What have I missed?

I may have heard one about allowing champagne in plastic bottles.

And don’t forget tampon tax.

There was the ability not to charge VAT on energy bills.
However that seems to have been quietly forgotten.

I may have heard one about allowing champagne in plastic bottles.

Wouldn’t they bulge or explode? The pressure is higher than carbonated soft drinks, no?

Wouldn’t they bulge or explode? The pressure is higher than carbonated soft drinks, no?

Thats why there was a cry of “bollocks to this idea” by folk in the industry, 50 psi or 3.5 bar in a plastic bottle with a plastic cap would lead to explosions

One thing riding around the ireland and NI has shown me is how absurd the border is. I crossed it half a dozen times in one days ride.

Ooh yes, it’s a really bad idea some one in the wine industry have mentioned that’s it’s a health and safety no,no.

I’m not sure if RM is just a massive piss taker or just a terrible bell endian.

I can’t see anyone taking advantage of his cunning stunts to bother its like the pint champagne bottle, it’s just a way of limiting to where you can sell your product which isn’t usually what you want to do.

One thing riding around the ireland and NI has shown me is how absurd the border is. I crossed it half a dozen times in one days ride.

Technology was the buzzword back In the day that was going to solve it.

Did you have a trail dog with you 🙂

Stop the presses lads! The Haunted Victorian Pencil has finally come up with one of those pesky EU regulations we can do away with!

And the stupid thing is, it was our choice to use intervals of 25 metres (it’s a maximum) on the distance signs and convert them into yards – we could’ve just used 25 yards.

Where do you think the motorways in Slovenia go to?

To Ljubljana by the look of it.

Maybe we need another thread for this.

Wouldn’t they bulge or explode? The pressure is higher than carbonated soft drinks, no?

Thats why there was a cry of “bollocks to this idea” by folk in the industry, 50 psi or 3.5 bar in a plastic bottle with a plastic cap would lead to explosions

They are stronger than you would think. I had a ghetto tubeless inflator made out of a 2L soft drinks bottle with the normal cap and it could take at least 120 psi no problem. May have been more prone to eruption if bumped by something pointy though… but left on its own, I wouldn’t worry about it (unless it was under my pillow)

The “internet” says 150psi max for appropriate plastic bottles, champagne requires “only” 90psi. So there you go. No idea if that makes transporting and storing viable. 🤷🏻‍♂️

They are stronger than you would think.

I’ve had a 500ml Coke bottle explode on a car seat when left in the summer sun.

There was the ability not to charge VAT on energy bills.
However that seems to have been quietly forgotten.

Which should have happened on freedom day 🙂 as an instant Brexit bonus.

What I do remember is the instant run away from the promised NHS bus money.

Yep… Spain have just cut the Vat on leccie by another 5%

Approximately a year ago we lowered VAT on electricity from 21% to 10% and on Saturday we are going to lower VAT from 10% to 5%,” the president said, a measure that should reduce electricity bills even further.

The reduction of VAT on electricity to 10%, together with the special tax on electricity to the authorised minimum of 0.5% and the suspension of the 7% tax on the Value of Production of Electric Energy, was agreed for the first time in December 2021.

Ah well didn’t take long for the new law to get used.

That Brexit protestor Steve Bray has been shut down.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/28/police-swoop-on-stop-brexit-man-under-new-anti-protest-law

If I’ve read that right (I may not have) he was arrested under an older law?

The new act is obviously wrong, but seemed unconnected to the actual case?