It is both irrational and immoral to ban miss Semenya from running unless she takes medicine that reduces her naturally "high" level of testosterone in her blood. She has been proven to be woman both genetically and physically. The scientific evidence is in her favour. She is not cheating.
All of us have varying levels of both oestrogen and testosterone in are blood and if a natural higher level of testosterone gives an athlete an advantage - then so what. Longer legs give jumpers and advantage. There is no doubt that being tall gave Usain Bolt an advantage. Bolt rarely got beaten; is anyone suggesting that he should have been handicapped to level the field? No one tries to ban men with naturally occurring high levels of testosterone; so why should women?
It would seem that miss Semenya's times come no where near to challenging the times of the elite men in the same events. Why therefore should she be banned fro female competition? There is little evidence to suggest that other female athletes are withdrawing from competition against her. It also seems that male sprinters were not driven out of the the sprinting events because of Bolt's dominance. They just strove harder to compete.
The IAAF and CAS have done their best to eliminating cheating in their sport from athletes using performance enhancing drugs. It is now ironic that they should prevent some athletes from competing unless they take performance reducing drugs. Surely this is both irrational and immoral. Medicine should not be driven to the the cause of administrating unnecessary and possibly damaging treatment.
It is time for a rethink based upon science, evidence and common sense. Miss Semenya should be allowed to run without medical treatment for a condition that does no harm to her or her sport.
https://theconversation.com/caster-semenyas-impossible-situation-testosterone-gets-special-scrutiny-but-doesnt-necessarily-make-her-faster-116407
Tuesday, 7 May 2019
Tuesday, 9 April 2019
UK Parliamentary Sovereignty
In the 2016 Referendum regarding EU membership there is at least one thing that most voters agreed upon: the UK parliament is sovereign. Members of Parliament decide upon the law of the land and can over rule the government. The 2016 referendum was only advisory; the government and parliament were not legally obliged to implement its result. If the referendum had been mandatory we probably would have left the EU by now. Also, the supreme court made clear to the government that the executive could not take the UK out of the EU without the approval of parliament.
It is obvious that referendums should not be mandatory. What would happen if a UK government was mandated by the Northern Irish electorate to arrange for Northern Ireland to be incorporated into the Republic of Ireland and the civil war broke out again? The UK government would be under pressure to revoke such a referendum to ensure the peace.
What would happen if there was a mandatory referendum to abolish the Monarchy and it won by just one vote in a first past the post system. Royalists would quite rightly feel cheated upon especially if a substantial number of people did not vote in such a referendum. How would the Northern Irish feel if England and Wales voted for a Republic but Northern Ireland voted to retain the Monarchy.
Referendums are dangerous if they are not managed properly. The 2016 referendum should only have been made mandatory if there was a super majority to change the status quo and also only if a majority of the constituent nations of the UK voted for it. The 2016 referendum left us with a divided nation and union which is becoming more divided by the minute.
The divisions within the governing Tory party and its reliance upon the DUP have left the Prime Minister in a weak state to negotiate a satisfactory deal with the EU, which is both economically, diplomatically and militarily more powerful than the UK. The withdrawal agreements reflects this balance of power. It binds the UK into the economic and political orbit of the EU without a say in decision making. It is simply a terrible deal for the UK. The DUP are right about at least one thing; it is unacceptable that Northern Ireland should be held in the single market whilst the UK breaks away. Whilst Northern Ireland legally remains in the UK it should not be treated any differently on the international or diplomatic front.
Scotland voted to remain in the EU and its views should be taken into account. It is not lost on Scotland that the Republic of Ireland has now become diplomatically more powerful than the UK as a result of its continuing membership of the EU. Eventually the Scots will vote to leave the UK, if we leave the EU, and they will openly be welcomed by Bruxelles. The EU is now the glue that holds the UK together.
Gibraltar will be in a precarious position if the UK leaves the EU. Gibraltar will then be recognised by the EU as a colony of the UK. Spain will then have the right to call for its decolonisation and the EU will be obliged to follow that decision. Membership of the EU prevents revanchism and its claims.
It is quite possible that a United Kingdom which leaves the EU could be faced with the stresses of deciding a new relationship with the EU whilst negotiating with Scotland after a border poll for it to leave the UK. Add to that the possibility of the troubles starting again in Northern Ireland because the rest of the UK has denied them a say on their future. You then have a recipe for a severe, political, economic and diplomatic crisis.
I surmise that the Prime Minister has contemplated revoking Brexit.
Parliament is sovereign and it has a duty to represent the interests of everyone in the country. This includes the 13 million people who did not vote in the referendum and the youngsters who were not old enough to vote. It is not the will of the people that Brexit should either be executed in full or in disastrous part.
Parliament is quite entitled to change its mind, after it has voted for Brexit to be implemented, especially after the poor deal which has been negotiated. If parliament could not change its mind we would still have badger baiting as a sport. Women would be imprisoned for having back street abortions and you would still be obliged to pay a tax to the Church of England.
A sovereign parliament exists to protect you from stupid actions such as going to unnecessary wars with your neighbours or declaring a Republic based on a one vote majority.
The Prime Minister has looked over the political and economic cliff edge and does not like what she sees. That is why she goes cap in hand to Bruxelles to ask for an extension to EU membership. If the referendum had been mandatory we would already be looking at political, economic, diplomatic, and administrative chaos. Scotland would probably have been on the way out of our precious union.
Parliament has protected us from the worse excesses of Brexit. Hopefully, it will vote to get us the best deal possible which is to Remain in the EU. All this trouble from a poorly conceived and managed referendum and its aftermath - was it really worth it?
It is obvious that referendums should not be mandatory. What would happen if a UK government was mandated by the Northern Irish electorate to arrange for Northern Ireland to be incorporated into the Republic of Ireland and the civil war broke out again? The UK government would be under pressure to revoke such a referendum to ensure the peace.
What would happen if there was a mandatory referendum to abolish the Monarchy and it won by just one vote in a first past the post system. Royalists would quite rightly feel cheated upon especially if a substantial number of people did not vote in such a referendum. How would the Northern Irish feel if England and Wales voted for a Republic but Northern Ireland voted to retain the Monarchy.
Referendums are dangerous if they are not managed properly. The 2016 referendum should only have been made mandatory if there was a super majority to change the status quo and also only if a majority of the constituent nations of the UK voted for it. The 2016 referendum left us with a divided nation and union which is becoming more divided by the minute.
The divisions within the governing Tory party and its reliance upon the DUP have left the Prime Minister in a weak state to negotiate a satisfactory deal with the EU, which is both economically, diplomatically and militarily more powerful than the UK. The withdrawal agreements reflects this balance of power. It binds the UK into the economic and political orbit of the EU without a say in decision making. It is simply a terrible deal for the UK. The DUP are right about at least one thing; it is unacceptable that Northern Ireland should be held in the single market whilst the UK breaks away. Whilst Northern Ireland legally remains in the UK it should not be treated any differently on the international or diplomatic front.
Scotland voted to remain in the EU and its views should be taken into account. It is not lost on Scotland that the Republic of Ireland has now become diplomatically more powerful than the UK as a result of its continuing membership of the EU. Eventually the Scots will vote to leave the UK, if we leave the EU, and they will openly be welcomed by Bruxelles. The EU is now the glue that holds the UK together.
Gibraltar will be in a precarious position if the UK leaves the EU. Gibraltar will then be recognised by the EU as a colony of the UK. Spain will then have the right to call for its decolonisation and the EU will be obliged to follow that decision. Membership of the EU prevents revanchism and its claims.
It is quite possible that a United Kingdom which leaves the EU could be faced with the stresses of deciding a new relationship with the EU whilst negotiating with Scotland after a border poll for it to leave the UK. Add to that the possibility of the troubles starting again in Northern Ireland because the rest of the UK has denied them a say on their future. You then have a recipe for a severe, political, economic and diplomatic crisis.
I surmise that the Prime Minister has contemplated revoking Brexit.
Parliament is sovereign and it has a duty to represent the interests of everyone in the country. This includes the 13 million people who did not vote in the referendum and the youngsters who were not old enough to vote. It is not the will of the people that Brexit should either be executed in full or in disastrous part.
Parliament is quite entitled to change its mind, after it has voted for Brexit to be implemented, especially after the poor deal which has been negotiated. If parliament could not change its mind we would still have badger baiting as a sport. Women would be imprisoned for having back street abortions and you would still be obliged to pay a tax to the Church of England.
A sovereign parliament exists to protect you from stupid actions such as going to unnecessary wars with your neighbours or declaring a Republic based on a one vote majority.
The Prime Minister has looked over the political and economic cliff edge and does not like what she sees. That is why she goes cap in hand to Bruxelles to ask for an extension to EU membership. If the referendum had been mandatory we would already be looking at political, economic, diplomatic, and administrative chaos. Scotland would probably have been on the way out of our precious union.
Parliament has protected us from the worse excesses of Brexit. Hopefully, it will vote to get us the best deal possible which is to Remain in the EU. All this trouble from a poorly conceived and managed referendum and its aftermath - was it really worth it?
Friday, 15 March 2019
The Christchurch Atrocity
How do we stop atrocities such as occurred in Christchurch today from happening. We can start by changing the way we think about race, religion and migrants.
We need to base our thinking upon evidence and our opinions upon defending human rights.
All the scientific evidence points to there being only one human race; from a genetic point of view we are all almost identical. The colour of your skin cannot define you as part of one race or another any more than the colour of your eyes. Possibly the Neanderthals were members of the same species, Homo sapiens, as us, but they were a separate "race". They died out 30,00 years ago to leave just one human race : us. It really is ignorant to believe that your neighbour could be a member of a separate race from you. There can be no white supremacy or black supremacy. Every child at school should be educated to believe that there is only one human race based upon the scientific evidence.
The constitution of the republic of France has been amended to delete all reference to race, to recognise the scientific evidence, but of course the constitution recognises that every citizen deserves the equality of treatment by law.
Human beings originated somewhere in Africa and subsequently spread across the world. This means that every American is an African American by descent and skin colour has nothing to do with this African heritage. Early human beings spread across the world therefore we are all the descendants of migrants, we are all the sons and daughters of immigrants.
To distinguish between individuals based upon the false view of race or immigration status is both irrational and immoral and further more it is dangerous. Let every child be taught this at school and by their parents.
Religion has been with us since humans existed. However, you are not born a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu or Buddhist. Children were being born before any of these religions existed. You are educated and encouraged by the society that you live in to follow a religion. It is, however, a matter of personal choice. You can be forced to show the outward signs of a religious faith but you cannot be forced to believe. There is no doubt that some people can lose their faith and belief. And there has probably been an atheist Pope who was feeling too physically comfortable to resign.
It is your human right to believe in whatever religion you want and to practise that religion. It is your human right not to be persecuted or murdered for your faith. Equally, it is your human right to be a non-believer and it is your right not to be persecuted. It should be your human right not to be punished or persecuted for changing your religion or to become an open apostate. It should be your right to be treated equally to every one else if you are a homosexual.
I am not a believer in any religion but I respect others rights to believe. Sometimes, I go into churches for family occasions and weddings etc. : just for cultural reasons. I am certain that some Muslims and Jews feel the same way as me. In fact I know that they do, I have worked with " Muslims", "Jews" and "Christians" who are atheists but hide it from their families; who am I to expose them.
Most of the worshippers in the mosques in Christchurch were praying for peace and a good life. They were harmless and good people and citizens. Some of the attendees could have been atheists and agnostics but were in the mosque for friendship and solidarity reasons. No one has the right to harm them in a hate filled attack whatever their reasons for being in a place of worship.
Every human being has the right to live in peace, whatever their background, migration status, religion, sexuality or skin colour.
If all of us do not recognise this, there will always be some crazed individual who will ignore the science and the value of human rights, and who will commit atrocities.
Lets change the world and lead our lives according to the scientific evidence and the recognition of human rights.
We need to base our thinking upon evidence and our opinions upon defending human rights.
All the scientific evidence points to there being only one human race; from a genetic point of view we are all almost identical. The colour of your skin cannot define you as part of one race or another any more than the colour of your eyes. Possibly the Neanderthals were members of the same species, Homo sapiens, as us, but they were a separate "race". They died out 30,00 years ago to leave just one human race : us. It really is ignorant to believe that your neighbour could be a member of a separate race from you. There can be no white supremacy or black supremacy. Every child at school should be educated to believe that there is only one human race based upon the scientific evidence.
The constitution of the republic of France has been amended to delete all reference to race, to recognise the scientific evidence, but of course the constitution recognises that every citizen deserves the equality of treatment by law.
Human beings originated somewhere in Africa and subsequently spread across the world. This means that every American is an African American by descent and skin colour has nothing to do with this African heritage. Early human beings spread across the world therefore we are all the descendants of migrants, we are all the sons and daughters of immigrants.
To distinguish between individuals based upon the false view of race or immigration status is both irrational and immoral and further more it is dangerous. Let every child be taught this at school and by their parents.
Religion has been with us since humans existed. However, you are not born a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu or Buddhist. Children were being born before any of these religions existed. You are educated and encouraged by the society that you live in to follow a religion. It is, however, a matter of personal choice. You can be forced to show the outward signs of a religious faith but you cannot be forced to believe. There is no doubt that some people can lose their faith and belief. And there has probably been an atheist Pope who was feeling too physically comfortable to resign.
It is your human right to believe in whatever religion you want and to practise that religion. It is your human right not to be persecuted or murdered for your faith. Equally, it is your human right to be a non-believer and it is your right not to be persecuted. It should be your human right not to be punished or persecuted for changing your religion or to become an open apostate. It should be your right to be treated equally to every one else if you are a homosexual.
I am not a believer in any religion but I respect others rights to believe. Sometimes, I go into churches for family occasions and weddings etc. : just for cultural reasons. I am certain that some Muslims and Jews feel the same way as me. In fact I know that they do, I have worked with " Muslims", "Jews" and "Christians" who are atheists but hide it from their families; who am I to expose them.
Most of the worshippers in the mosques in Christchurch were praying for peace and a good life. They were harmless and good people and citizens. Some of the attendees could have been atheists and agnostics but were in the mosque for friendship and solidarity reasons. No one has the right to harm them in a hate filled attack whatever their reasons for being in a place of worship.
Every human being has the right to live in peace, whatever their background, migration status, religion, sexuality or skin colour.
If all of us do not recognise this, there will always be some crazed individual who will ignore the science and the value of human rights, and who will commit atrocities.
Lets change the world and lead our lives according to the scientific evidence and the recognition of human rights.
Friday, 1 March 2019
Clean Hard Brexit
Surely, whether you are a Brexit supporter or not you must admit to yourself that the whole political process has been a fiasco. We are now 4 weeks away from leaving the EU, and if there is no political intervention to either ratify the withdrawal agreement or delay Brexit then we leave without a deal. We make a clean break.
The short term consequences of a clean break are tremendous. The nation is simply not ready to leave from a legal, economic and administrative point of view.
The long term consequences are worse.
Freedom of movement between the EU and the UK will stop. This does not mean that immigration will either stop or even be reduced as promised; all the evidence suggests that immigration will continue unabated unless there is some sort of economic recession which makes the UK unattractive for economic migrants.
A clean break will mean that people who do not have any means of obtaining dual UK/EU nationality will become second class citizens. Irish citizens will have the right to work and live in the UK and the right to live and work in the EU. Any EU citizen, with UK indefinite leave to remain, will also have the right to live and work in the UK and the EU. British young people who do not have such privileges will be at the back of the queue to work for big international companies. There will be no escaping Britain to go to work in the EU, or anywhere else for that matter, if there is an increase in unemployment.
You had better hope that your son or daughter does not fall in love with a partner from the EU; the EU partner will not be able to come to live in the UK so you might find your son or daughter setting up home in the EU. You might need a visa to go and visit them.
Britain will lose a lot of diplomatic power. The government recently threatened to send an aircraft carrier to the South China sea. In response China broke off trade talks - brilliant.
The USA will take us to the cleaners negotiating a new trade deal, as our country will be almost powerless to resist chlorinated chicken, reduce food standards and the partial privatisation of the NHS by US companies. The UK will have Investor State Dispute Settlements forced upon us - the sovereignty of the UK will be compromised - another broken promise.
If we have a clean break from the EU then we will lose all of the free trade deals negotiated on our behalf by the Commission. Trade deals of which we have had a major say. We lose everything including the free trade deal with the EU, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Mexico etc. We will be left with temporary free trade deals with Switzerland and the Faroe islands. We will have to start from scratch. It will be like committing a trade war against ourselves. It is mad.
When we leave the single market, Japanese investment in UK industry will almost entirely disappear which means most of our car industry will disappear and their ancillary industries. All governments, since the Thatcher government, have guaranteed that the UK will stay in the single market. To the Japanese, the UK will have been seen to have acted in bad faith or even dishonourably. Britain will suffer because of this.
Perhaps, the worse aspect of a hard Brexit will be the damage that will be done to our relationship with Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement. A hard border in Ireland could lead to social disorder and possibly a return to terrorist violence both in Ireland and in the UK . Do we really wan to return to the troubles even if the risk is small?
Brexit could even lead to the dismantlement of the UK. There is a fair chance that Scotland and Northern Ireland will vote for a split from the UK. This will mean further legal, economic and administrative disruption.
The EU has helped maintain the peace in Europe after centuries of warfare. The UK breaking away could inspire others. Disunity in Europe could lead to renewed conflict.
Why should the UK take the risk of Brexit? Brexiter politicians have no plan for what happens after we leave. They have broken their promise that the transition would be smooth. They have no plan to improve the economic, political and administrative position of the UK after we leave.
We are facing chaos.
If the worse comes to the worse then Leave voters will have no moral right to complain. Everyone will suffer excepting the rich elite - Leaver and Remain elites the like. Leave voters voted in the referendum to improve their lives; their hopes will have been dashed. I hope that they demonstrate their disappointment peacefully.
The short term consequences of a clean break are tremendous. The nation is simply not ready to leave from a legal, economic and administrative point of view.
The long term consequences are worse.
Freedom of movement between the EU and the UK will stop. This does not mean that immigration will either stop or even be reduced as promised; all the evidence suggests that immigration will continue unabated unless there is some sort of economic recession which makes the UK unattractive for economic migrants.
A clean break will mean that people who do not have any means of obtaining dual UK/EU nationality will become second class citizens. Irish citizens will have the right to work and live in the UK and the right to live and work in the EU. Any EU citizen, with UK indefinite leave to remain, will also have the right to live and work in the UK and the EU. British young people who do not have such privileges will be at the back of the queue to work for big international companies. There will be no escaping Britain to go to work in the EU, or anywhere else for that matter, if there is an increase in unemployment.
You had better hope that your son or daughter does not fall in love with a partner from the EU; the EU partner will not be able to come to live in the UK so you might find your son or daughter setting up home in the EU. You might need a visa to go and visit them.
Britain will lose a lot of diplomatic power. The government recently threatened to send an aircraft carrier to the South China sea. In response China broke off trade talks - brilliant.
The USA will take us to the cleaners negotiating a new trade deal, as our country will be almost powerless to resist chlorinated chicken, reduce food standards and the partial privatisation of the NHS by US companies. The UK will have Investor State Dispute Settlements forced upon us - the sovereignty of the UK will be compromised - another broken promise.
If we have a clean break from the EU then we will lose all of the free trade deals negotiated on our behalf by the Commission. Trade deals of which we have had a major say. We lose everything including the free trade deal with the EU, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Mexico etc. We will be left with temporary free trade deals with Switzerland and the Faroe islands. We will have to start from scratch. It will be like committing a trade war against ourselves. It is mad.
When we leave the single market, Japanese investment in UK industry will almost entirely disappear which means most of our car industry will disappear and their ancillary industries. All governments, since the Thatcher government, have guaranteed that the UK will stay in the single market. To the Japanese, the UK will have been seen to have acted in bad faith or even dishonourably. Britain will suffer because of this.
Perhaps, the worse aspect of a hard Brexit will be the damage that will be done to our relationship with Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement. A hard border in Ireland could lead to social disorder and possibly a return to terrorist violence both in Ireland and in the UK . Do we really wan to return to the troubles even if the risk is small?
Brexit could even lead to the dismantlement of the UK. There is a fair chance that Scotland and Northern Ireland will vote for a split from the UK. This will mean further legal, economic and administrative disruption.
The EU has helped maintain the peace in Europe after centuries of warfare. The UK breaking away could inspire others. Disunity in Europe could lead to renewed conflict.
Why should the UK take the risk of Brexit? Brexiter politicians have no plan for what happens after we leave. They have broken their promise that the transition would be smooth. They have no plan to improve the economic, political and administrative position of the UK after we leave.
We are facing chaos.
If the worse comes to the worse then Leave voters will have no moral right to complain. Everyone will suffer excepting the rich elite - Leaver and Remain elites the like. Leave voters voted in the referendum to improve their lives; their hopes will have been dashed. I hope that they demonstrate their disappointment peacefully.
Thursday, 31 January 2019
Brexit hokey pokey
As predicted the whole Brexit project is becoming a farce and our nation is becoming an international laughing stock.
Leave voters have been completely deceived and continue to be deceived. Brexit politicians continue to short the public by making more and more ridiculous assertions.
Everything is not going to be wonderful on the night. If we leave the EU without a deal then there will be severe commercial consequences.
Customs controls between the UK and the EU will have to be implemented and there is the potential for chaos at the borders. There will be long queues. Holland and France have recruited hundreds more customs officers. What do Brexit politicians think they will be doing? Playing snap: no they will be inspecting lorries for contraband, compliance with EU customs rules and security.
The last time I passed through the border posts at the Eurotunnel it was easy to see a queue of cars building up to a kilometre long, even though it was a quiet day and most car checks were only taking two minutes. What will happen when thousands of lorries are subjected to customs checks which also include scanning for "illegal" migrants etc.
Hauliers will be reluctant to send lorries across the channel if they are stuck in queues wasting time and money whilst going and coming back.
The whole idea of a customs union and single market was to save lots of time and money; if you pull out of membership of both these institutions, then you lose the commercial benefits of being part of the biggest and most comprehensive free trade area ever invented. It's bonkers, we will be worse off for ever.
The Brexiters have not got anywhere near replacing the the free trade deals that we have with other nations as a result of being in the customs union. They have proposed joining the pacific free trade area which consists of Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. Hey presto, the EU customs union has already got agreements with Japan, Canada and Mexico and also South Korea thrown in. We shall lose all of the agreements if we leave without a deal and replacing them will take years. This is shooting yourself in the foot.
The Trade Secretary was boasting at Davos that the UK had signed a free trade deal with Israel - in principle. And guess what, we already have a free trade trade by courtesy of the EU, so it's back to square one. Why not put this on the side of a red bus.
The biggest and most colossal mistake of the negotiations to make our country worse off and weaker socially and diplomatically is the problem of the Northern Irish border with the EU. The Brexiters are treating the Northern Irish and the Irish with contempt. It is obvious to most rational people that the Belfast Agreement has preserved the peace in both the UK and Ireland for many years. The Belfast Agreement is underpinned by membership of the EU with open borders and tariff and quota free trade, along with standardised phyto-sanitary standards for agriculture. If you put any of this in jeopardy then you could easily compromise the peace. You also jeopardise the living standards of both communities on either side of the border. Ireland as a whole deserves better than to be cheated on once again by the British.
The Brexiters were prepared to sell Northern Ireland down the river, in the initial negotiations, by conceding to the EU that there should be a customs border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. When Northern Ireland politicians complained, the Brexiteers insisted that the only solution was for the UK, as a whole, to stay in the customs union as a temporary measure. This temporary measure -the backstop- would remain in place until both the EU and the UK agreed it would stop. The withdrawal agreement was signed only for the UK parliament not to ratify it. The UK government now wants to change the withdrawal agreement by annulling the back stop - a backstop which they insisted upon. It is no wonder that the EU says no - they simply do not trust the UK.
To add to the confusion it is clear that the UK will not be ready either commercially, legally or administratively to leave the EU without a deal on the 29th of March: the UK will probably ask for an extension of EU membership. The EU will extract more concessions from the UK to allow this. Spain could ask for Gibraltar back - Gibraltar voted 99% to stay in the EU and the UK.
The English nationalist Brexiters have also sold Scotland down the river. To encourage Scotland to vote, in their independence referendum, to stay in the UK they promised continued EU membership. Naturally, the Scots feel let down by Brexit and they will undoubtedly press for a further independence referendum.
One of the worst aspects of Brexit is the sell out of most of our youth who will be denied free movement even if we get a deal. The EU was one of the last regions of the world where young Britons were free to roam, work and love. Luckily, for them, the youth of Northern Ireland will be able to get Irish citizenship which will allow them to move freely in both the EU and the UK.This will give them an advantage over their now second class brothers from Manchester, Liverpool and London who might not have Irish connections. The DUP should beware, if you drive the youth of Northern Ireland to obtain Irish passports they will no doubt feel more Irish and will feel more inclined to vote for Irish unity.
Brexiters have sold Scotland, Ireland and Gibraltar down the river. They have also sold the UK down the river but worse of all they have sold their leave voters down the river. It is no wonder the UK is a divided, confused and unhappy state None of the Brexit promises will ever be kept. If we leave without a deal on the 29th of March 2019 it will be no use crying, demonstrating or complaining. It will be too late and it will take years to get back to the status quo, indeed if ever. The UK will be lost.
Leave voters have been completely deceived and continue to be deceived. Brexit politicians continue to short the public by making more and more ridiculous assertions.
Everything is not going to be wonderful on the night. If we leave the EU without a deal then there will be severe commercial consequences.
Customs controls between the UK and the EU will have to be implemented and there is the potential for chaos at the borders. There will be long queues. Holland and France have recruited hundreds more customs officers. What do Brexit politicians think they will be doing? Playing snap: no they will be inspecting lorries for contraband, compliance with EU customs rules and security.
The last time I passed through the border posts at the Eurotunnel it was easy to see a queue of cars building up to a kilometre long, even though it was a quiet day and most car checks were only taking two minutes. What will happen when thousands of lorries are subjected to customs checks which also include scanning for "illegal" migrants etc.
Hauliers will be reluctant to send lorries across the channel if they are stuck in queues wasting time and money whilst going and coming back.
The whole idea of a customs union and single market was to save lots of time and money; if you pull out of membership of both these institutions, then you lose the commercial benefits of being part of the biggest and most comprehensive free trade area ever invented. It's bonkers, we will be worse off for ever.
The Brexiters have not got anywhere near replacing the the free trade deals that we have with other nations as a result of being in the customs union. They have proposed joining the pacific free trade area which consists of Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. Hey presto, the EU customs union has already got agreements with Japan, Canada and Mexico and also South Korea thrown in. We shall lose all of the agreements if we leave without a deal and replacing them will take years. This is shooting yourself in the foot.
The Trade Secretary was boasting at Davos that the UK had signed a free trade deal with Israel - in principle. And guess what, we already have a free trade trade by courtesy of the EU, so it's back to square one. Why not put this on the side of a red bus.
The biggest and most colossal mistake of the negotiations to make our country worse off and weaker socially and diplomatically is the problem of the Northern Irish border with the EU. The Brexiters are treating the Northern Irish and the Irish with contempt. It is obvious to most rational people that the Belfast Agreement has preserved the peace in both the UK and Ireland for many years. The Belfast Agreement is underpinned by membership of the EU with open borders and tariff and quota free trade, along with standardised phyto-sanitary standards for agriculture. If you put any of this in jeopardy then you could easily compromise the peace. You also jeopardise the living standards of both communities on either side of the border. Ireland as a whole deserves better than to be cheated on once again by the British.
The Brexiters were prepared to sell Northern Ireland down the river, in the initial negotiations, by conceding to the EU that there should be a customs border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. When Northern Ireland politicians complained, the Brexiteers insisted that the only solution was for the UK, as a whole, to stay in the customs union as a temporary measure. This temporary measure -the backstop- would remain in place until both the EU and the UK agreed it would stop. The withdrawal agreement was signed only for the UK parliament not to ratify it. The UK government now wants to change the withdrawal agreement by annulling the back stop - a backstop which they insisted upon. It is no wonder that the EU says no - they simply do not trust the UK.
To add to the confusion it is clear that the UK will not be ready either commercially, legally or administratively to leave the EU without a deal on the 29th of March: the UK will probably ask for an extension of EU membership. The EU will extract more concessions from the UK to allow this. Spain could ask for Gibraltar back - Gibraltar voted 99% to stay in the EU and the UK.
The English nationalist Brexiters have also sold Scotland down the river. To encourage Scotland to vote, in their independence referendum, to stay in the UK they promised continued EU membership. Naturally, the Scots feel let down by Brexit and they will undoubtedly press for a further independence referendum.
One of the worst aspects of Brexit is the sell out of most of our youth who will be denied free movement even if we get a deal. The EU was one of the last regions of the world where young Britons were free to roam, work and love. Luckily, for them, the youth of Northern Ireland will be able to get Irish citizenship which will allow them to move freely in both the EU and the UK.This will give them an advantage over their now second class brothers from Manchester, Liverpool and London who might not have Irish connections. The DUP should beware, if you drive the youth of Northern Ireland to obtain Irish passports they will no doubt feel more Irish and will feel more inclined to vote for Irish unity.
Brexiters have sold Scotland, Ireland and Gibraltar down the river. They have also sold the UK down the river but worse of all they have sold their leave voters down the river. It is no wonder the UK is a divided, confused and unhappy state None of the Brexit promises will ever be kept. If we leave without a deal on the 29th of March 2019 it will be no use crying, demonstrating or complaining. It will be too late and it will take years to get back to the status quo, indeed if ever. The UK will be lost.
Wednesday, 9 January 2019
Political Abuse
It is unacceptable for anyone to be subjected to violence or abusive insults for expressing their political beliefs. Freedom of expression is enshrined in the constitution of some countries such as the US and France and it is enshrined in law in the UK.It must be defended at all costs.
It does not matter whether it is Nigel Farage sitting down for a pub lunch in Downe Kent, with his family. Whether it is Jacob Rees-Mogg being mobbed outside of his home or Anna Soubry outside of Parliament.
All MP's should be allowed to carry out their business without death threats. Political based murder is both completely cruel and unjustified. UK MP's are not evil people and they deserve respect.
It is not just MP's who are affected by thuggish behaviour: it is families, journalists and workers who are associated with them who are also victims.
When I was a youngster I was taught not to be abusive or violent towards women. Equality for women does not mean that they should be treated with contempt. The same applies to ethnic minority people or gay people. Men in general should also be treated with equal respect.
Shouting down journalists because they happen to be women is cowardly. Every journalist is entitled to equal respect.
If we are not careful Britain will sink into a morass of abuse and insults and perhaps, even worse, more political violence.
It is time for the abuse and insults to stop we can all do better than this.
It does not matter whether it is Nigel Farage sitting down for a pub lunch in Downe Kent, with his family. Whether it is Jacob Rees-Mogg being mobbed outside of his home or Anna Soubry outside of Parliament.
All MP's should be allowed to carry out their business without death threats. Political based murder is both completely cruel and unjustified. UK MP's are not evil people and they deserve respect.
It is not just MP's who are affected by thuggish behaviour: it is families, journalists and workers who are associated with them who are also victims.
When I was a youngster I was taught not to be abusive or violent towards women. Equality for women does not mean that they should be treated with contempt. The same applies to ethnic minority people or gay people. Men in general should also be treated with equal respect.
Shouting down journalists because they happen to be women is cowardly. Every journalist is entitled to equal respect.
If we are not careful Britain will sink into a morass of abuse and insults and perhaps, even worse, more political violence.
It is time for the abuse and insults to stop we can all do better than this.
Wednesday, 19 December 2018
Decadence rules
We see it all around us, governments, political parties and businesses are declining and are now acting against the public good.
The self indulgence of our politicians is staggering. With regard to Brexit they are playing ideological games which could result in disaster. The confusion, indecision and complacency could lead to a political crisis of unparalleled proportions in recent times, this political crisis will then lead to an economic crisis.
The right wing political elements want a society that is almost completely deregulated based on so called free markets. The extreme left wing elements want the reverse. They are using the Brexit crisis to try get their way. Both sides are paralysing effective government at a time of enormous consequence. However, if either side eventually succeeds, Britain's future will depend upon wild swings of public opinion and alternating governments which will impose a regime of constant economic change and instability.
Some British politicians are indulging in the luxury of proselytising economic theories which will weaken our country both economically and politically. It is time for change and for our politicians to wake up: we need constitutional change rather than completely changing our relationship with Europe. We need a constitution which prevents political factions from paralysing good governance.
We need hard headed reform of our system of voting and the appointment and approval of government ministers. We need a system of government similar to the system in the USA but updated and adapted to the situation in Britain.
This week we have learnt that some businesses in the supply and service industries are penalising by increasing the fees for loyal customers but discounting new customers. Most people are too busy to be constantly changing their suppliers by joining tedious switch web sites; they have much better things to do with their time. It is all easy money.
We have also learnt that banks are cashing in when their customers inadvertently go overdrawn when using the internet or cash cards to buy goods and services: it's easy money again.
For years internet companies have been tricking customers into parting with more cash by designing websites which set out to fool customers who simply do not have the time to watch out for scams.
All businesses have a moral obligation not to rip off their customers in this way. Governments also have a moral duty to protect consumers.
How can a parliament which indulges in the luxury of ideological warfare protect voters? It is time for the decadence to stop.
The self indulgence of our politicians is staggering. With regard to Brexit they are playing ideological games which could result in disaster. The confusion, indecision and complacency could lead to a political crisis of unparalleled proportions in recent times, this political crisis will then lead to an economic crisis.
The right wing political elements want a society that is almost completely deregulated based on so called free markets. The extreme left wing elements want the reverse. They are using the Brexit crisis to try get their way. Both sides are paralysing effective government at a time of enormous consequence. However, if either side eventually succeeds, Britain's future will depend upon wild swings of public opinion and alternating governments which will impose a regime of constant economic change and instability.
Some British politicians are indulging in the luxury of proselytising economic theories which will weaken our country both economically and politically. It is time for change and for our politicians to wake up: we need constitutional change rather than completely changing our relationship with Europe. We need a constitution which prevents political factions from paralysing good governance.
We need hard headed reform of our system of voting and the appointment and approval of government ministers. We need a system of government similar to the system in the USA but updated and adapted to the situation in Britain.
This week we have learnt that some businesses in the supply and service industries are penalising by increasing the fees for loyal customers but discounting new customers. Most people are too busy to be constantly changing their suppliers by joining tedious switch web sites; they have much better things to do with their time. It is all easy money.
We have also learnt that banks are cashing in when their customers inadvertently go overdrawn when using the internet or cash cards to buy goods and services: it's easy money again.
For years internet companies have been tricking customers into parting with more cash by designing websites which set out to fool customers who simply do not have the time to watch out for scams.
All businesses have a moral obligation not to rip off their customers in this way. Governments also have a moral duty to protect consumers.
How can a parliament which indulges in the luxury of ideological warfare protect voters? It is time for the decadence to stop.
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