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Leaked Brexit Docs Predict Food, Medicine Shortages

The Guardian reports:

The UK will be hit with a three-month meltdown at its ports, a hard Irish border and shortages of food and medicine if it leaves the EU without a deal, according to government documents on Operation Yellowhammer.

The documents predict severe extended delays to medicine supplies and shortages of some fresh foods combined with price rises as a likely scenario if the UK leaves without a withdrawal agreement, which is due to happen on 31 October.

They suggest there has been a worsening of the risk since documents leaked to the Guardian showed some of the government’s “reasonable worst-case scenarios” (RWCS) involved risk to medicine supplies and disruption to food chains.

CNN reports:

With less than 75 days until Britain is set to exit the European Union, a government report leaked to newspaper the Sunday Times reveals the disastrous effects a no-deal Brexit would unleash on the country.

Medical supplies coming from Europe will be “vulnerable to severe extended delays,” and the availability of fresh food will be reduced, causing prices to rise, the newspaper reported.

“This is not Project Fear — this is the most realistic assessment of what the public face with no deal,” a senior government source told the Sunday Times. “These are likely, basic, reasonable scenarios — not the worst case.”

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by Anonymousreply 69August 31, 2019 12:30 AM

I’m going to London soon. Very excited for the dying pound

by Anonymousreply 1August 18, 2019 12:07 PM

Just another day of the garbage Guardian promoting its agenda.

by Anonymousreply 2August 18, 2019 12:17 PM

who would have thunk?

by Anonymousreply 3August 18, 2019 12:17 PM

Stop scaremongering, OP! You must be a Communist remoaner who hates the queen and doesn't want the UK to become the greatest empire in history once again - you know, a country where the poor know their place and are grateful if they can eat once a week, there aren't any blacks or browns or people with funny accents (the only funny accents admissible are the regional ones that servants use in grand estates), and the rich accumulate outrageous amounts of wealth at the expense of the planet... We want the death penalty back! The queers should be sent to mental institutions for corrective therapy! We don't want Muslims and brownies (unless they are Saudi royalty or are maniacal right-wingers like Priti Patel)! This is a Christian country (even though the majority of people haven't set foot in a church in their lives, and lead decidedly un-Christian lives)! White power... I mean, we want to preserve our culture and traditions!

Never mind that most brexiteers are functionally illiterate, poor or of recently acquired middle class status and that their livelihoods will be, in many cases, destroyed by Brexit. Arrogant, barely mediocre and Narcissistic toffs like Slobris Johnson, Little Lord Rees-Moggroy and Nigel Farage say that everything will be great and the average Little Englander will become a millionaire when the foreigners leave, so all is fine.

Of course, the fact that they have all rushed to get nationalities from EU countries and already live within the EU (Nigel Farage, anyone?), or have moved their companies overseas to avoid paying taxes while demanding restricted movement across borders for others (Dyson, Jim Ratcliffe), is irrelevant. They know that everything shall be great because well, the great unwashed will become cheap labour once again and they will make a killing by privatizing basic services, while enjoying all the privileges of living in, or keeping their businesses within the EU.

You see? You remoaners who demand equality, justice and respect for all are deranged. True glory lies in Dickensian hells!

Oh, and before I forget: death to Jeremy Corbyn! Why? Oh... Er... He's a Communist pro-Russian who hates Jews and he married an effing foreigner!

by Anonymousreply 4August 18, 2019 12:23 PM

It’s not going to be armageddon. No matter how rough the transition will be, the UK will be fine.

by Anonymousreply 5August 18, 2019 12:28 PM

Great post, R4

by Anonymousreply 6August 18, 2019 12:29 PM

[quote]: death to Jeremy Corbyn! Why? Oh... He hates Jews

R4 got one bit right.

by Anonymousreply 7August 18, 2019 12:34 PM

Why are we discussing this when I was just BRUTALLY ATTACKED for being a twink journalist by the right wing, at a pub at 3am!!!

I have no proof that these men were right wingers but they were clearly hunting me to Target me and my journalism!

But why are we talking about this?? People are suffering somewhere! Don't look at me!

by Anonymousreply 8August 18, 2019 12:35 PM

All the white racists in the house deny the facts.

by Anonymousreply 9August 18, 2019 12:38 PM

[quote]Medical supplies coming from Europe will be “vulnerable to severe extended delays,” and the availability of fresh food will be reduced, causing prices to rise, the newspaper reported.

I can’t believe that no matter how much animosity the EU expresses, its leaders would be so vile that they would withhold or delay medicine and food to punish the UK. I can’t believe it until I see it.

by Anonymousreply 10August 18, 2019 12:38 PM

So dumb R10

by Anonymousreply 11August 18, 2019 12:39 PM

R10 You are a cretin.

by Anonymousreply 12August 18, 2019 1:01 PM

R4, you are a typical lunatic who automatically assumes any post here you don't agree with is posted by some "scare monger". It's just a goddamn article I saw at Joe My God, so instead of reacting like some stereotypical mental case just keep your insane assumptions about me to yourself.

by Anonymousreply 13August 18, 2019 1:11 PM

R13 you realize r4 was being sarcastic, right

by Anonymousreply 14August 18, 2019 1:14 PM

Such is the price of freedom. Britain had rations up until 1958.

A country unable to give up butter to secure freedom will either ultimately lose freedom or already has lost freedom.

by Anonymousreply 15August 18, 2019 1:17 PM

Didn't seem like sarcasm to me. But then I'm much older than many around here and I find that the art of sarcasm has been lost on the younger generations. They simply don't know how to do it well.

But, if R4's post was just sarcasm then he has my apologies.

by Anonymousreply 16August 18, 2019 1:19 PM

Brtis never felt better about themselves than when they were rationing food and clothes, huddled in the Underground singing, and hating foreign invaders.

by Anonymousreply 17August 18, 2019 1:31 PM

OP, dear, r4 was definitely being sarcastic.

I imagine the pound will take a slide in a big way. At least tourism will be up.

by Anonymousreply 18August 18, 2019 1:32 PM

R18 Foreign governments will probably advise against travel to the UK due to the inevitable civil unrest. We've had demonstrations of up to a million people over Brexit - add in food shortages, medicine shortages and price hikes to an already terribly divided society and there will be trouble.

by Anonymousreply 19August 18, 2019 2:13 PM

"Foreign governments will probably advise against travel to the UK due to the inevitable civil unrest."

Please, r19. That won't happen. The UK is not going to suddenly become a banana republic.

by Anonymousreply 20August 18, 2019 2:26 PM

I’m sure Putin is pleased.

by Anonymousreply 21August 18, 2019 2:31 PM

R20 Who said the UK would suddenly become a banana republic?

There will be rioting if there are food shortages, medicine shortages and price hikes. They'll make the 2011 riots look peaceful in comparison. Our society has a deep schism between those who voted for Brexit and those who didn't. The protests have been mainly peaceful so far but there will be mayhem when the population starts suffering and they know who they can blame.

The societal effects of Brexit are already being felt - I know of families who aren't speaking anymore because one generation voted for Brexit and another voted against. If the government itself is planning for wide scale disruption to basic things like food and medicine, then there will be unrest on the streets.

by Anonymousreply 22August 18, 2019 2:57 PM

The point, r22, is that the UK won't be so bad there will be travel advisories, any more than there are travel advisories against traveling to the US, despite the polarization of society here, the constant mass shootings, etc.

by Anonymousreply 23August 18, 2019 2:59 PM

[quote]A country unable to give up butter to secure freedom will either ultimately lose freedom or already has lost freedom.

But it has butter. Yum!

by Anonymousreply 24August 18, 2019 3:03 PM

R23 And my point is that governments advise against travel to countries where there is widespread unrest. You don't think there will be widespread unrest if the situation in the leaked papers comes about? I live in London and have done most of my life and I can see it happening very easily.

by Anonymousreply 25August 18, 2019 3:05 PM

The short answer is no, r25, I don't. Travel advisories? Come on.

by Anonymousreply 26August 18, 2019 3:12 PM

[quote] any more than there are travel advisories against traveling to the US

But there are Blanch, there are!

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by Anonymousreply 27August 18, 2019 3:19 PM

Ah, r27--I forgot about that. As well there should be.

by Anonymousreply 28August 18, 2019 3:21 PM

Question for Brits here. Are people beginning to stock up on food staples in advance of a no deal brexit? Might be a good idea to start stocking up on canned goods, dry goods, & filling freezers with meats if you're a meat eater. I also think it would be smart for doctors to start giving out prescriptions that allow purchases of much larger supplies while the pharmacies can get the drugs in easily.

by Anonymousreply 29August 18, 2019 3:24 PM

R29 they are already. Businesses too.

by Anonymousreply 30August 18, 2019 3:25 PM

If they have to start importing a lot more of their food stuffs and medicines from the the Americas or Asia & Australia the prices are probably going to go sky high.

by Anonymousreply 31August 18, 2019 3:28 PM

Well, they voted for Brexit. And here we are. When you voted your xenophobia, this is exactly what you get. Same thing with the US.

by Anonymousreply 32August 18, 2019 3:32 PM

The US will step in with another Marshall Plan. As we always do.

by Anonymousreply 33August 18, 2019 3:33 PM

The main issue with importing medicine is all NHS medicine has to be approved by NICE so they can't just simply switch suppliers.

There has been talk of stockpiling but no real evidence of it so far 'on the high street'. There has been a lot of talk of businesses preparing for shortfalls in supplies but everything's so up in the air at the moment I don't think the reality of the situation has really set in yet. A lot of people still think Brexit won't happen. It's a weird limbo to be living in.

by Anonymousreply 34August 18, 2019 3:35 PM

R32 is best buds with Corbyn, aren't ya?

by Anonymousreply 35August 18, 2019 3:35 PM

????? WTF r35??? r 32 didn't even mention Corbyn (who's a closet Brexiter himself; that's why Labour hasn't taken any real advantage of the chaos among the Tories).

Take a deep breath, dear.

by Anonymousreply 36August 18, 2019 3:38 PM

[quote]The point, [R22], is that the UK won't be so bad there will be travel advisories, any more than there are travel advisories against traveling to the US, despite the polarization of society here, the constant mass shootings, etc.

Uh, US tourism is at an all-time low, dear.

by Anonymousreply 37August 18, 2019 3:45 PM

Not in NYC it isn't , r37.

by Anonymousreply 38August 18, 2019 3:57 PM

[quote] I can’t believe that no matter how much animosity the EU expresses, its leaders would be so vile that they would withhold or delay medicine and food to punish the UK.

Are you really that dumb ?

Honey, nobody wants to withhold or delay. The UK decided to leave without a deal. It means there's no trade deal. It means every truck, plane, parcel, freight, will have to be documented. It means paperwork. It means everything and everybody gets stuck at *their* customs for days.

This is the UK's responsibility. They had what, three years now to agree *among themselves* and OK their own deal, they didn't. The EU gave them an extension already. Now they elected their own Trump over there yapping about crashing out. Idiots.

by Anonymousreply 39August 18, 2019 4:15 PM

Man everyone on this thread hates each other. The "dears" and "honeys" are dripping with venom.

by Anonymousreply 40August 18, 2019 4:36 PM

[quote]This is the UK's responsibility. They had what, three years now to agree *among themselves* and OK their own deal, they didn't.

Let's be honest. The only reason this has come about is because David Cameron played a game of chicken and lost.

by Anonymousreply 41August 18, 2019 4:37 PM

[quote]It means every truck, plane, parcel, freight, will have to be documented. It means paperwork.

We know the basis that could be used to punish the UK. The question is whether the EU will actually apply it to delay food and medicine during an emergency.

by Anonymousreply 42August 18, 2019 11:35 PM

The UK wants to go by WTO rules, that means port inspections and all that. The EU is preparing for it at their ports. Ireland is also building a new port to handle all the traffic the UK won't be getting anymore.

It's not a question of the EU "punishing" the UK by having them follow the same rules every other country has to follow.

However, that will not stop all the UK politicians from blaming every little delay and problem on the EU, which they have been doing for decades. Hopefully at some point the idiots who voted for Brexit will realize it wasn't the EU causing the majority of the problems, it was their own shitty government.

by Anonymousreply 43August 19, 2019 12:47 AM

Shall I send some roots I found? You've been generous to me, um, some years back.

by Anonymousreply 44August 25, 2019 5:48 PM

[quote]The US will step in with another Marshall Plan. As we always do.

Really? Who (or perhaps, what US leader) will step up to the plate to help the UK?

by Anonymousreply 45August 25, 2019 6:24 PM

If the US really wanted to help UK it would have made sure it remained in EU.

by Anonymousreply 46August 26, 2019 6:05 AM

How was that supposed to happen, r46?

by Anonymousreply 47August 26, 2019 1:57 PM

[quote]If the US really wanted to help UK it would have made sure it remained in EU.

Barack Obama tried to talk the UK out of it. He even threatened them by saying that if they voted for Brexit, they would go to the back of the line in trade deals.

by Anonymousreply 48August 26, 2019 2:09 PM

If the UK crashes out of the EU with no agreement, unprepared to impose full border formalities, and shortages occur as a result, those shortages will be 100% self-inflicted because there's an easy alternative:

* On day 0 post-Brexit, inspect some small random percentage of incoming shipments from the EU, and wave the rest through. The EU's laws were good enough 'yesterday', and it's not worth crashing the UK's economy on day 0 just to make a political point.

* Over the next few months, as procedures solidify & inspection capacity increases, inspect more & more. Tweak the selection algorithm to bias it towards inspecting smaller importers over larger ones, on the rationale that smaller ones are statistically more likely to try and cheat, while large corporations tend to be more transparently compliant (if THEY try to cheat, they tend to be open about it... or at least, once they get caught, their mischief is officially documented & easy to prosecute and punish).

The point is, imports from the EU are implicitly more trustworthy on day 0 than imports from elsewhere, so there's NO NEED to go full-on-toxic-bureaucracy from the very start with them. At least, for importers willing to certify that the goods they want to bring into the UK are already IN the EU, could legally be sold in the EU, and wouldn't have been subject to any scrutiny at all the day before Brexit.

Ditto, for the border between Ireland & Northern Ireland. Just treat it like the border between California & Nevada... accept the fact that individuals will openly transport things they shouldn't across that border (including into England/Scotland/Wales via NI from RoI), and settle for knowing at least large corporations like Tesco & Asda-Walmart will officially respect the law.

Case in point: it's illegal to transport more than a gallon of alcohol or a few cartons of cigarettes from Georgia into Florida for personal use, and outright illegal to do it for commercial resale. The few who try to do it commercially end up getting caught & severely punished, and 99.9% of individuals get ignored unless they're pulled over for something & found to have a vehicle packed to the gills with alcohol and/or cigarettes.

Ditto, with California. There's absolutely NOTHING to stop a Californian from buying a non-CARB-approved lawn mower from a Home Depot in Las Vegas or Yuma & taking it home. But the law DOES effectively prevent stores like Home Depot & Walmart from selling non-CARB-approved lawnmowers in California itself... and occasionally, they go after landscaping companies that use illegally-imported equipment.

The point is, non-dysfunctional borders are ALWAYS 'leaky'. You skim off the big targets & low-hanging fruit, and ignore the small offenders who don't matter much anyway... enough to prevent organized commercial exploitation of the leaks, without turning the border into a day-long delay.

by Anonymousreply 49August 26, 2019 3:15 PM

R49 It has been said over and over in the press that imports aren’t the issue. It’s the massive tailbacks as lorries arrive back at EU borders from the UK and will have to wait to be inspected there as the UK will ba third country without an agreement. There won’t be enough throughput to keep supermarket shelves stocked plus hauliers will direct lorries to stay within the EU to avoid all this. Your post is a prime example of the simplistic thinking that has got the UK into this mess. Well that and the desire for Tory party backers to get out before EU anti-tax evasion directives come into force next year.

by Anonymousreply 50August 26, 2019 3:35 PM

[quote] while large corporations tend to be more transparently compliant... or at least, once they get caught, their mischief is officially documented & easy to prosecute and punish

What are you R49,12? Large corporations routinely cheat, smuggle goods into EVERY country, and when caught, lie, cheat and obfuscate via the legal process to the point that it is very, very difficult (if at all possible) to prosecute and punish. And that's in countries that [italic]want[/italic] to catch and punish cheating corporations.

[quote] it's not worth crashing the UK's economy on day 0 just to make a political point.

Umm, it's not the EU that will be crushed under the weight of the UK's bad decision, it's the UK that was bamboozled by the far-right and aided and abetted by Putin in his muck-raking scheme to destabilize Western democracies into "exiting" the EU, and it is the UK that will have to reimpose its trade and tariff program on goods and services entering the UK... which they are not prepared to do given that they can't decide whether or not to proceed on Brexit, what to do about it, and/or elect anyone with the skills, experience and know-how to get the job done. The only political point to be made by this international border fiasco is that UK citizens were manipulated into a situation that is bad for themselves and the EU, but great for forces around the world looking to create a smokescreen of FUD to obscure their geopolitical agenda. The treasonous part comes in that the political right in these Western democracies are perfectly happy to help Putin and his oligarch cronies sew discord... so long as it keeps the right in power.

Let me put it to you this way: Do you think any wealthy Brit is going to go hungry or without medicine?

by Anonymousreply 51August 26, 2019 3:37 PM

R31 It does really matter to the English people if the government (NHS) have to import drugs from more expensive sources as we only pay £9 ($11) per item (usually 2 months supply), or £104 ($135) per year for an all you can eat season ticket.

Pensioners, children and people on low income do not pay at all. Neither bizarrely do residents in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

It'll be pretty expensive for the government though.

by Anonymousreply 52August 26, 2019 3:57 PM

r50, I wasn't aware of that. It does change the equation a bit.

That said, if truck-availability becomes a chokepoint, the likely outcome won't be sudden shortages of food & medicine in the UK, it'll be a radical spike in the cost of transporting goods into the UK, and a smaller spike in the cost of trucking goods within the EU. Customers within the UK will grudgingly pay more and more to keep goods moving, and eventually pay enough to outbid EU customers & pay for more & more trucks to jus sit at the border waiting to re-enter the EU (taking them out of BOTH UK *and* EU commerce, and driving up trucking costs for EVERYONE on BOTH sides of the border.

I know that if *I* were a German trucking company that could make $20,000 by having a truck & its drivers making 36 hours of deliveries within Germany, or make the same amount with the truck sitting at the border for 28 hours doing nothing, I'd have it sitting at the border... less fuel cost, less wear & tear on the truck, and drivers who are getting paid to sit in line and watch cat videos on their phones while I make the same amount I would anyway. Waiting in line sucks a lot less when you're getting paid the same amount (or more) that you'd be getting paid to do actual work.

by Anonymousreply 53August 26, 2019 4:25 PM

[quote]Pensioners, children and people on low income do not pay at all. Neither bizarrely do residents in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

So who's left? That sounds like the entire population of the UK.

by Anonymousreply 54August 26, 2019 4:29 PM

r51, my point isn't that large corporations don't do ethically-questionable things... it's that they do ethically-questionable things boldly & openly. Individuals within a corporation might try to hide things for the sake of not getting fired, but very few corporations are genuinely capable of being secretly evil for long as a matter of official company policy. Eventually, someone blows a whistle, or the company gets caught red-handed & uses its own internal transparency as its official excuse... "if we genuinely thought it was wrong, would we have openly documented doing it?" They always argue it was either the work of a rogue faction of employees, or argue their lawyers signed off on it & assured them it was ok. When a large corporation does, in fact, knowingly do illegal things as a matter of policy, it make headlines & goes down in history (eg, Enron, A.H. Robbins, etc).

The fact is, very few middle managers in a publicly-held corporation will knowingly risk imprisonment just to make senior management & shareholders wealthier unless the corporation itself crosses the line from 'business' to 'organized crime syndicate'.

by Anonymousreply 55August 26, 2019 4:39 PM

Fortunately R53, you aren’t a german trucking firm and just an ill-informed pundit on Datalounge. I’ll think of you when my cost groceries spike and fresh fruit and vegetables are hard to get, coz clearly you’ve got it all figured out.

by Anonymousreply 56August 26, 2019 4:43 PM

r56, I'm *not* arguing that Brexit was in any way, shape, or form a good idea or desirable.

I am, however, pointing out that the British press has a long, proud history of breathlessly predicting crisis and disaster at every opportunity... latching onto the worst possible edge case, then exaggerating & projecting it as a universal norm. To Americans, British media looks like a cross between Fox News, the National Enquirer, and an episode of Jerry Springer.

by Anonymousreply 57August 26, 2019 5:15 PM

[QUOTE] R54 So who's left? That sounds like the entire population of the UK.

The only people liable to pay are the 10% of the English population who only need occasional medication so don't make use of the £104 12 month 'Season Ticket ' option.

There are still exclusions there though as Cancer, Diabetes, Epilepsy HIV and Sexual Health drugs are free for everyone, regardless of income.

by Anonymousreply 58August 26, 2019 5:50 PM

[quote]It has been said over and over in the press that imports aren’t the issue. It’s the massive tailbacks as lorries arrive back at EU borders from the UK and will have to wait to be inspected there as the UK will be a third country without an agreement.

It’s not true that people or countries “have to” fully follow the rules during an emergency. Maybe it’s a European thing liked what caused countries to declare war like dominoes in WWI, or for Germans in WWII to follow orders, but hopefully modern Europeans have learned that compassion trumps regulation.

by Anonymousreply 59August 27, 2019 7:07 AM

Building on R59's point... if most of those trucks are empty, how long does it really *have* to take to inspect them? ESPECIALLY during the first few weeks post-Brexit. I mean, what possible contraband could someone even meaningfully smuggle INTO the EU from the UK at this point? A Raspberry Pi made with non-RoHS solder? Chocolate chip cookies with unlawful ratio of cocoa butter to partially-hydrogenated shortening? Middle-Eastern candy not properly labeled for individual sale? A pint bottle of shampoo with 568mL, instead of a 500mL bottle with 17.59oz? Oh, the horror!

Not to mention... how many trucks per day can enter & exit the UK via ferry and tunnel ANYWAY? It's not like there's a 16-lane freeway under the English Channel with bumper-to-bumper 80mph lorry traffic today that's suddenly going to grind to a halt. The daily vehicle rate is ALREADY massively constrained by the capacity of the existing transport infrastructure.

Worst-case, France could triage inbound lorry traffic into two lines... empty trucks from EU firms that can be cleared quickly, empty trucks from UK firms that can be cleared almost as quickly, and non-empty trucks requiring inspection. Within days, you'd see trucking companies with partial loads paying each other to consolidate them on the UK side so that fewer would get stuck with a long wait on the French side.

The points being... it's good that Parliament evaluated the risk & has taken it seriously, but the media have taken that report's wording totally out of context for the sake of scary, sensationalized headlines. Brexit will probably prove to have been a mistake and bad idea, but hospital patients aren't going to be dying as supplies run out, nor will the public be forced to subsist on potato crisps & cold breakfast cereal for weeks due to food shortages & riots.

The EU isn't out for vengeance or blood. At this point, the UK is kind of like a drama-queen housemate endlessly threatening to move out, and whom everyone else just wishes would get on with it and leave them alone. Bureaucrats aren't known for being creative or agile... until there's political pressure to BE creative & agile. Post-Brexit, that pressure will certainly exist.

The REAL impact will be long-term... once the early crisis has subsided, the initial lines have become sane, then the lines just slowly grow over time like a slow cancer (like at most US-Canadian border crossings).

by Anonymousreply 60August 27, 2019 2:28 PM

I have a friend with plans to visit London in mid October,I know the pound will be low but do you think it will it be chaotic or business as usual?

by Anonymousreply 61August 30, 2019 11:31 AM

[quote]I have a friend with plans to visit London in mid October,I know the pound will be low but do you think it will it be chaotic or business as usual?

If the Remainers are correct, you’ll get to see the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse laying waste to the city; otherwise, business as usual.

by Anonymousreply 62August 30, 2019 11:46 AM

[quote] “This is not Project Fear"

That's exactly what it is.

The German Navy has only six submarines and of that only maybe two can sail. They aren't really set up for a blockade like in 1940.

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by Anonymousreply 63August 30, 2019 11:54 AM

I'm staying out of the UK until the middle of next year, at least. It's going to be chaos just changing planes at Heathrow and Gatwick in November.

by Anonymousreply 64August 30, 2019 12:02 PM

At first I agreed with accepted wisdom that Putin wanted to weaken the US and the NATO and EU countries. But now I’m convinced he wants much more than that. His goal, IMO, is world power. He will install his own puppets and make sure he and his oligarch buddies reap all the benefits. He’s Hitler on steroids.

by Anonymousreply 65August 30, 2019 12:08 PM

Putin's just your average mafia crook who's embezzled billions and billions of dollars from Russia. Now he's just desperately trying to stop Russian people from finding it out and tearing his limbs apart one by one.

by Anonymousreply 66August 30, 2019 12:18 PM

"Gordon Brown has said the European Union will next week "withdraw" the current deadline for Brexit and remove any excuse for no-deal on October 31.

The former Labour Prime Minister said his belief was based on talks with EU leaders in recent days. "

Boris must be sweating.

by Anonymousreply 67August 30, 2019 4:02 PM

Gordon Brown is as delusional as Johnson if he really believes that.

BoJo seems truly to believe that threatening a no-deal Brexit will get the EU to cave in on the Irish backstop.

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by Anonymousreply 68August 30, 2019 8:10 PM

If the EU permits (yet another) extension, that messes with Boris's panic ploy, giving Parliament time for a vote of no-confidence and/or a snap election and/or another referendum to vote for a specific WA or not. Oh who am I kidding.

I did like the thought that Macron was receptive to an extension because the whole world, and the EU in particular, has seen what a disaster it's been for the UK and that would be enough to stifle any other exit movements.

by Anonymousreply 69August 31, 2019 12:30 AM
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