@martin52.bsky.social
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I fear you are right, Mark. And this is a more fundamental problem than Farage, because it shows the UK's profound misunderstanding of the whole European project. That will be a bar to membership long after Farage has left the scene.
December 21, 2025 at 7:37 PM
I fear you are right, Mark. And this is a more fundamental problem than Farage, because it shows the UK's profound misunderstanding of the whole European project. That will be a bar to membership long after Farage has left the scene.
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Well, it is certainly trying to avoid having to align with one or the other---but then, it always has. All the business about being 'the bridge between the US and the EU' really meant it wasn't fully committed to either. That posture is becoming less and less tenable.
December 21, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Well, it is certainly trying to avoid having to align with one or the other---but then, it always has. All the business about being 'the bridge between the US and the EU' really meant it wasn't fully committed to either. That posture is becoming less and less tenable.
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Redlines seem to have reduced to one, freedom of movement
December 21, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Redlines seem to have reduced to one, freedom of movement
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Not sure that will turn the tanker round. At all. It may just power the tanker on into the iceberg.
But, if the Greens and Libdems take votes from Labour in more worrying numbers than Reform, then maybe there’ll be a rethink big enough to change the direction of travel. It’s a mess.
But, if the Greens and Libdems take votes from Labour in more worrying numbers than Reform, then maybe there’ll be a rethink big enough to change the direction of travel. It’s a mess.
December 21, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Not sure that will turn the tanker round. At all. It may just power the tanker on into the iceberg.
But, if the Greens and Libdems take votes from Labour in more worrying numbers than Reform, then maybe there’ll be a rethink big enough to change the direction of travel. It’s a mess.
But, if the Greens and Libdems take votes from Labour in more worrying numbers than Reform, then maybe there’ll be a rethink big enough to change the direction of travel. It’s a mess.
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Wanting an economic partnership with the EU without freedom of movement is like wanting to get fit without doing any exercise.
Delusional.
And quite an obnoxious aim if you think about what it actually means.
Delusional.
And quite an obnoxious aim if you think about what it actually means.
December 21, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Wanting an economic partnership with the EU without freedom of movement is like wanting to get fit without doing any exercise.
Delusional.
And quite an obnoxious aim if you think about what it actually means.
Delusional.
And quite an obnoxious aim if you think about what it actually means.
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Indeed.
It’s a pity.
In the era of Putin, Trump and Xi, the only island of hope for sanity is provided by the pan European cooperation and even that is under pressure.
That’s why any responsible politician on the continent should push for more European solidarity.
It’s a pity.
In the era of Putin, Trump and Xi, the only island of hope for sanity is provided by the pan European cooperation and even that is under pressure.
That’s why any responsible politician on the continent should push for more European solidarity.
December 21, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Indeed.
It’s a pity.
In the era of Putin, Trump and Xi, the only island of hope for sanity is provided by the pan European cooperation and even that is under pressure.
That’s why any responsible politician on the continent should push for more European solidarity.
It’s a pity.
In the era of Putin, Trump and Xi, the only island of hope for sanity is provided by the pan European cooperation and even that is under pressure.
That’s why any responsible politician on the continent should push for more European solidarity.
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Fully agree. I'm a Lib Dem, but I voted Labour last year to get rid of the Tory. I'm sure plenty of Labour supporters reciprocated in Tory/LD marginals.
It'd be nice to have an electoral system that allowed us to vote *for* something, rather than being forced to go for the "least worst" option.
It'd be nice to have an electoral system that allowed us to vote *for* something, rather than being forced to go for the "least worst" option.
December 21, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Fully agree. I'm a Lib Dem, but I voted Labour last year to get rid of the Tory. I'm sure plenty of Labour supporters reciprocated in Tory/LD marginals.
It'd be nice to have an electoral system that allowed us to vote *for* something, rather than being forced to go for the "least worst" option.
It'd be nice to have an electoral system that allowed us to vote *for* something, rather than being forced to go for the "least worst" option.
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That's not to say anyone else should clear up the mess, just to identify the real reason for it.
The UK won't improve without a proper constitution and a democratic voting system.
The UK won't improve without a proper constitution and a democratic voting system.
December 21, 2025 at 9:21 AM
That's not to say anyone else should clear up the mess, just to identify the real reason for it.
The UK won't improve without a proper constitution and a democratic voting system.
The UK won't improve without a proper constitution and a democratic voting system.
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The governance of the UK needs rebuilding from scratch. It's based on two contradictory fictions: the obvious one being the monarchy (everything being theoretically at the command of the king). The more subtle one being that we're a democracy, governed for the people, by the people. >>>
December 21, 2025 at 11:26 AM
The governance of the UK needs rebuilding from scratch. It's based on two contradictory fictions: the obvious one being the monarchy (everything being theoretically at the command of the king). The more subtle one being that we're a democracy, governed for the people, by the people. >>>
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A union is only good if both sides agree it is beneficial to them both. My friends in Scotland now feel they are paying too high a price for that union with no benefits, and see they are being exploited. They vote against independence to stay in Europe but we're dragged out by the EU referendum
December 20, 2025 at 8:42 PM
A union is only good if both sides agree it is beneficial to them both. My friends in Scotland now feel they are paying too high a price for that union with no benefits, and see they are being exploited. They vote against independence to stay in Europe but we're dragged out by the EU referendum