EU
The chances of a deal with the EU seem to be receeding says the Express.
THE chances of no deal Brexit have increased to nearly 50 percent an EU official said after Brussels concluded no substantial progress had been made on Brexit talks at the EU summit on Friday.
An EU prime minister sitting around the summit table said he was alarmed by the tone of Theresa May’s words on Brexit, an official he briefed on the discussion told Bloomberg.
He left the meeting thinking the risk of a “no deal” Brexit had increased from about 20 percent to nearly 50 percent, the official said.
The EU prime minister is said to have been alarmed by Mrs May’s suggestion there was a real possibility of the talks collapsing.
The EU leader’s comments have been echoed by former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt who also argued “the risk is increasing”.
Speaking on Sky News, Mr Bildt told host Adam Boulton that the lack of progress in negotiations between the UK and European Union meant the likelihood of a no-deal scenario is increasing by the day.
The Independent also reports the position.
EU negotiators have abandoned all hope that a Brexit deal will be signed with the UK at October’s European Council summit, The Independent has learned.
Brussels officials said a complete standstill in talks with Britain means securing settlements on major outstanding issues in the remaining three-and-a-half months is fanciful.
They point to the political logjam in Theresa May’s government as the obstacle blocking negotiations, piling pressure on the prime minister to break the deadlock this week.
She is set to meet her full cabinet on Friday at Chequers for a meeting that may go late into the night, in a bid to finally thrash out the government’s approach to post-Brexit relations with the EU.
The EU officials were speaking after last week’s European Council summit which saw the bloc focus on tackling immigration from north Africa, while warning Ms May that time to secure a deal is now running out.
And the Guardian quotes a rival paper.
EU negotiators have abandoned all hope that a Brexit deal will be signed with the UK at October’s European Council summit, The Independent has learned.
Brussels officials said a complete standstill in talks with Britain means securing settlements on major outstanding issues in the remaining three-and-a-half months is fanciful.
They point to the political logjam in Theresa May’s government as the obstacle blocking negotiations, piling pressure on the prime minister to break the deadlock this week.
She is set to meet her full cabinet on Friday at Chequers for a meeting that may go late into the night, in a bid to finally thrash out the government’s approach to post-Brexit relations with the EU.
The EU officials were speaking after last week’s European Council summit which saw the bloc focus on tackling immigration from north Africa, while warning Ms May that time to secure a deal is now running out.
The Times reports a problem with the deal to cut migration.
A deal to cut the flow of migrants from Africa may not be worth the paper it is written on because it has failed to bridge deep divisions across European capitals, senior EU figures admitted yesterday.
Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, played down an agreement that he brokered in tense all-night talks because of continued political tensions over who takes responsibility for migrants.
“It is far too early to talk about a success,” he said. “We have managed to reach an agreement in the European Council but this is in fact the easiest part of the task compared to what awaits us on the ground when we start implementing it.
Brexit
Trade agreements are already being discussed says the Times.
One of Donald Trump’s most trusted advisers held a secret meeting with senior Conservative Eurosceptic MPs where he revealed that the US president wants to accelerate a trade deal after Brexit, The Sunday Telegraph can disclose.
John Bolton, Mr Trump’s national security adviser, spent more than an hour discussing Brexit with members of the European Research Group of
Conservative MPs in London last week.
He used the meeting to stress the president’s enthusiasm for Brexit and his belief that the US and UK can agree a trade deal two years after Britain leaves the European Union.
Ireland
And the Irish Prime Minister is still making threats, says the Express.
IRISH Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has sparked fury among Brexiteers for saying Britain cannot be allowed to “destroy” the EU in his latest patronising rant.
His comments came after he claimed Theresa May had given him exclusive access to paperwork mapping out he UK’s ambitions post-Brexit, in which he also warned the Prime Minister about “cherry picking” of EU rules and regulations.
He said: “While we regret them leaving, we are not going to let them destroy it.”
Mr Varadkar also said Britain should know its place after Brexit and that it was not an equal partner to the bloc, The Sun reports.
He also attacked Britain for not developing a post-Brexit plan two years ago when the historic EU referendum saw the country vote to cut all ties with Brussels.
Turkey
The country’s hopes of joining the EU are in jeopard,y reports the Express.
TURKISH hardline politician Devlet Bacheli and his National Movement Party (MHP) make up the majority of Recep Tayyip’s Erdogan’s government – but his anti-immigration stance could spell disaster for the country’s ambitions to gain full EU membership.
Mr Bacheli, 70 – seen as one of Turkey’s most ultranationalist politicians – is ready to bring right wing, anti-migration stance to the country as a migrant crisis grips Europe.
His party were previously sidelined as an ageing relic of nationalist politics and faced near extinction – but on Friday the right-wing figure declared himself a key figure in President Erdogan’s reshuffled cabinet.
A hardline Turkish nationalist faction, the MHP allied with Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) just before the elections, endowing Erdogan with dual electoral victories.
According to the FT, Mr Bacheli – a former Deputy Prime Minister for the country’s AK party 16 years ago – hailed the MHP’s success, adding: ”We have overcome all the obstacles, defeated the game playing and frustrated the dark plots.
Conservative Party
The Tories ‘ internal struggles are coming out, says the Times.
Theresa May has vowed to defy cabinet plotters, telling aides that she will not be bullied out of office by ministers or hardline Brexiteers opposed to her EU plans.
The prime minister has decided to stand and fight if Tory MPs force a vote to oust her — declaring that she is content to “win by one vote”.
That means the rebels would need 159 MPs to bring her down, more than three times the 48 who would be needed to trigger a vote of no confidence.
May’s decision comes as she faces crunch Brexit talks with the cabinet at Chequers this week and MPs revealed that six senior ministers are plotting to succeed her.
The Sun reports on the Prime Minister’s problems.
THERESA May has been ordered not to give in to Brussels’ bullies ahead of leaving the EU – by her own MPs.
The PM must show “courage and leadership” in the face of people desperate to undermine the referendum result.
Nearly three dozen Tory MPs have signed a letter to Mrs May demanding she gets tough with counterparts in Brussels.
It comes days after President of the European Council Donald Tusk said the PM has been given a “last call” to explain her Brexit demands.
In the letter – signed by MPs including ex-Ministerial aide Andrea Jenkyns and Simon Clarke – demands are made not to extend the transition period beyond December 2020.
They also state they will not accept any extension to the two-year withdrawal period in March next year.
The Telegraph claims she’s fighting back.
Theresa May has launched an appeal for MPs, peers and party members to submit 1,000 policy ideas to form the basis of the Conservative party’s bid to win the next general election.
The Prime Minister has announced she has set up a new Conservative Policy Commission in the biggest overhaul of the party’s policy thinking in more than a decade, personally appealing to Brexit voters in particular to offer up their own ideas.
The new Commission, chaired by Chris Skidmore MP, has been charged with developing the ideas in time for the Tory party conference next year.
The next general election is expected in 2022 but the relatively short timetable means Mrs May will be presented with a ready-made policy.
The Prime Minister has called for more policy ideas, reports the Express.
THERESA May has called on Conservative MPs and peers to propose 1000 new policy proposals to the Government to form the new Tory manifesto for the next General Election, in a bid to beat Labour at the polls.
Downing Street has launched a new Conservative Policy Commission in a landmark move to develop new policies ahead of the Conservative Party conference next year.
The Prime Minister indicated she hoped the policy overhaul would cater to Pro-Brexit voters and lead to greater inclusion within the Conservative Party.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Mrs May said: “The Commission’s task forces will undertake the most extensive exercise of policy renewal ever conducted by a party in Government.
“I want it to produce fresh, innovative thinking. Above all, I want to listen to the communities who voted for change two years ago.”
Brexiteer Micxhael Gove is getting tough, reports BBC News
Environment Secretary Michael Gove physically ripped up a report on Theresa May’s preferred option for a new customs partnership with the EU.
He was said to have been “livid” as he felt the government document downplayed his objections to the proposal.
It comes amid cabinet splits over the future shape of Brexit, which Mrs May hopes to resolve on Friday.
European Council president Donald Tusk has said the UK must agree its position and “lay its cards on the table”.
And one of her senior advisors made a basic mistake says the Times.
Theresa May’s Europe adviser was involved in a security breach that threatened to derail Britain’s negotiating position on Brexit, The Sunday Times can reveal.
A folder belonging to Oliver Robbins containing “cabinet-level briefings” and correspondence with the prime minister was left on a train in an embarrassing lapse that caused panic at the Department for Exiting the European Union (Dexeu).
The paperwork, which was marked with Robbins’s handwriting and reflected the positions Britain was planning to take on the customs union and migration, was discovered by a retired school teacher on a Eurostar train travelling from Brussels to London.
Air travel
The French air strike is causing havoc for some holidaymakers, reports the Mail.
Thousands of passengers have been stranded as confusion over French air strike has cancelled flights for the seventh weekend in a row.
Up to 300 flights have been grounded today and tomorrow after the French air traffic control called a strike – only to cancel their industrial action at the last minute.
Ryanair and easyJet had already taken the steps of cancelling or offering customers refunds, but the cancelled industrial action has left the airlines with little to no time to reinstate the previously scheduled journeys.
easyJet said it was trying to reinstate some of the cancelled flights to and from France today although Ryanair said all its cancellations will remain in place.
In a statement, easyJet said: ‘Unfortunately, at this late stage, it will not be possible to reinstate many of the affected flights however we are working hard to see if it is possible to reinstate some flights.
BBC
Our national broadcaster is accused of bias, says Breitbart.
Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó had to chide BBC anchor Emily Maitlis for “unbalanced, one-sided” journalism after she lost her temper and launched into a rant about the EU standing for “tolerance, diversity, and human rights”.
Speaking to Szijjártó on the publicly-funded broadcaster’s flagship BBC Newsnightprogramme, Maitlis took umbrage with the Hungarian statesman’s claim that “the current migration policy of the European Union can be very easily translated as an invitation” to illegal migrants.
“On World Refugee Day this week, you passed a new law which makes it illegal to help migrants. It criminalises helping undocumented immigrants, and that includes asylum seekers. Why would you do that?” she asked.
Szijjártó attempted to correct the presenter, saying that the anti-illegal immigration package — dubbed ‘Stop Soros’ — was aimed only at those organisations which “help people to ask for asylum even if they have no legal basis for that… and promoting [immigration] opportunities with no legal basis”.
Aliens
And the Star has a typically wacky stiory.
A FORMER NASA research scientist has claimed aliens exist but many governments have covered up extraterrestrial encounters.
Kevin Knuth, who is now a professor of physics at the University of Albany, believes there is “plenty of evidence” to support the existence of UFOs in our universe.
The former NASA worker says humanity needs to “face the possibility” UFO sightings may be “visitors from afar” and insists more research needs to be done on the topic as it would benefit mankind.
The confession comes the day before UFO day, which has been observed every year on July 2 since the holiday’s inception by UFO hunter Haktan Akdogan in 2001.
Hi Debbie many thanks for proving this unique what the papers say.
Thanks Debbie on keeping this column going.
Although this link from Adapt 20130 focusses on Global Warming that’s not what caught my eye. After opening the link I suggest you pause on the map that pops up before listening to the video.
This clearly shows how China is setting itself up in the region around the North Indian Ocean and beyond.
Are we witnessing the beginnings of a Chinese Empire with colonies across the globe? Those that are familiar with British history may see, what to me, are some uncannily similar parallels with the strategies and methodologies employed then and now.
As for China itself, as an outside observer with no detailed knowledge of its internal workings, I do see something that, superficially at least, closely resembles the medieval feudal system.
However, there are of course differences. As a modern communist state that fully embraces its own unique brand of capitalism, but with no pesky voters or trade unions to worry about, China could perhaps also be regarded as being a huge single company with very deep pockets. (They can print their own money.) They can buy not only any politician, but at times, even entire countries. The map also seems to suggest a pronounced proclivity for doing business with Islamic countries and (unsurprisingly) those with East Asian populations.
I’ve drawn two pieces of the puzzle not from the video, but my own experience. 1. About 15 years ago a choir friend, a Brit, told me he worked for a well-known South African bank which was now headquartered in the UK. In discussion I learned to my surprise that it had, in effect, been bought by China. He regaled me with tales of doing deals for eye-watering amounts of money buying assets, mainly in Africa. He expressed amazement at how readily funds were secured for each deal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOWJdqqWM08 Arctic Port Need Icebreakers in July & China Grabs the Indian Ocean
2. Some years ago, I think about 1960 while I was still in South Africa, there was much discussion about the Chinese taking over the Okavango Delta, killing the animals, using DDT to eliminate the mosquitos and cultivating rice there. At the time this created quite a furore which then died down.
But now it’s started again, in a more subtle, dangerous form. Superficially it’s now about generating electricity and of course they don’t even consider building a coal-fired power station (because of Global Warming and CO2!)
https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2013/11/18/africas-okavango-delta-for-future-generations/
https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2014/05/27/sold-up-the-river-hydro-power-threat-re-opens-debate/
Conservative party:
“Our Survey. Next Tory Leader. Javid tops the poll for the first time.”
https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2018/07/our-survey-next-tory-leader-javid-tops-the-poll-for-the-first-time.html
They may well end up with a Muslim leader. Not necessarily that the majority of Conservative members are enthusiastic about Islam, more that the alternatives will split the anti-Islam vote.
Echoes of Bolton in UKIP, and Corbyn in Labour – not necessarily what everyone wanted, due to vote splitting.
A friend has been in contact with Jacob Rees-Mogg, Islam being referred to in passing. We have to be tolerant, apparently! Tolerant of what exactly? Even intelligent, well spoken and otherwise well informed MPs do not seem to have read the Koran, or are aware that they may be being deceived (taqiyya).
Boris Johnson is the only senior Conservative who seems to have read the Koran. He quoted from it (badly) on Question Time shortly after the London bombings in 2005. I notice that he has not repeated that “mistake” since, as far as I am aware.
Taqiyya is exactly right and what Javid is all about.
We’re outnumbered in our capital city,which has a Muslim Mayor, we’re very soon to be outnumbered in our second city and may even have a Muslim Prime-Minister very soon.
All Sharisa May can do is offer us six years in prison if we criticise Islam and she wants to keep us tied to the EU and our borders open so the invasion can continue.
Treason beyond belief!!
Flyer, I don’t know who is going to save us from this situation.
Not the Conservatives, Labour, or Lib Dems.
UKIP possibly, but it has to get its ideas straight first, and they clearly are not. Gerard is a good man, who has a solid grasp of what is at stake. How many in UKIP are behind him? How many others have repeated his strong words regarding Islam? Not Bill Etheridge, judging by his speech at the branch recently. How many others are not fully “getting it” in UKIP?
Maybe For Britain will save us, but it is really hard starting a party from scratch. That may be what is needed if UKIP backslides once Gerard steps down. It may seem like splitting the vote, but I see no alternative – For Britain has to continue, as an insurance policy against that backsliding eventuality. The stakes are far too high to get this wrong. Time is running out rapidly.
Not read the Koran, not aware of taqiyya? Or alternatively, part of the problem/plan? Tommy Robinsons/Peter McLoughlin’s “Mohammeds Koran” or Harry Richardson’s ” The Story of Mohammed Islam Unveiled” makes the true nature of islam perfectly clear and both are written in very plain English and are very readable. There are of course many other books (and websites) but the point is that there is absolutely no excuse for anyone never mind our “leaders” remaining ignorant of the truth about this so called religion.
So if and when someone like JR-G says we must be tolerant of Islam then I immediately become very suspicious. Being tolerant of the intolerant is part of the PC dogma that has reduced this country to what we have now. Then again I do not have any faith in the LibLabCon to do anything for this country, only true and real patriots are going to save this country and I don’t see any in their ranks.
Jim, of course there is no excuse for ignorance. The Koran has been freely available online since at least 2005 to my knowledge (which is when I read it for the first time following the London bombings). I do recommend people read Mohammed’s Koran. The first 100 pages spell out the scope of the problem, in an easily readable manner.
Regarding the EU trade deal. Let us hope that at the Friday cabinet meeting someone has the guts to propose that we leave immediately with a no deal and put them on WTO rules. They can go to ‘the back of the queue’ for a trade deal whilst we get on negotiating with countries that are lining up for a deal.
EU:
“THE chances of no deal Brexit have increased to nearly 50 percent…” I believe that 50% is well understated; there was never any possibility of getting a deal from the EU which would not be to our disadvantage and their advantage. Pity that 2 years have been wasted (and likely more to come) in getting to this point.
The danger now is ever more capitulation from May leading to a “Brexit” in name only.
“The danger now is ever more capitulation from May leading to a “Brexit” in name only.”
“Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”
If there is a ‘no deal’, Jack T, how does that work.
My question is, how do you capitulate, inside a ‘no deal’ framework ?
Though I am sure PM T May is well capable of it.
When she goes to the check out at the supermarket she probably offers them
£5,000 and full usage of her car for groceries valued at £87.45