The EU – after government told Brussels: “the trade talks are over”

 

Any dispassionate observer must acknowledge that the Covid Cabal, that lot which wants everybody in Lockdown, now, is not concerned about our health nor even about ‘controlling’ the virus but only about their own little political domain. Like bad actors they’ve fluffed their lines and dropped their masks. As for the Brexit talks – well, there’s interesting! More on that below.

First though, ‘Covid’. The politicians, that is the PM and the Mayor of Manchester were accusing each other of endangering lives on the one hand and of bullying on the other. This isn’t about locking areas and towns and cities down, now, because case numbers are rising, but about money. Northern Mayors issued a statement which makes this clear:

“The government is claiming that the north is divided and only interested in getting what we can for our own region,” the statement […] said. “That is simply not the case. We are all united in fighting for an 80 per cent furlough scheme for all people affected by regional lockdowns, wherever they are in the country. This is a fight for what is right.” (link, paywalled)

How nice of them – fighting ‘for what is right’ for the whole country: how Labourite! As usual, what is ‘right’ is ‘more money’.  Meanwhile they’re content to ‘let the virus rip’ during those negotiations. Meanwhile, the teachers’ trade unions don’t want to be forgotten either. “Following Teh Science”  – i.e. they talked to SAGEs – they demand everything to be closed, especially schools:

“Britain’s biggest teachers’ union has backed a “circuit-breaker” lockdown and called for secondary schools and colleges to be closed for an extended two-week half-term. The intervention by the National Education Union (NEU) comes amid sustained pressure on Boris Johnson from Labour, Government scientific advisers and the NHS for the reintroduction of draconian nationwide restrictions.” (paywalled link) 

Savour that last sentence! One doesn’t need more evidence for claiming there’s a Covid Cabal! These are all people who are working in the public sector. No worries about job losses or pay losses. Oh, they ‘do understand’ the worries of the great unwashed masses, but nevertheless feel called upon to preach from a great height. When I read what one of those teacher trade unionists had to say I nearly threw my coffee cup against the wall:

“Kevin Courtney, the joint general secretary of the NEU, said teachers understood the adverse impact that closing schools for an extra week would have on children’s education but added: “We also understand that, in exponential epidemics, early action is essential. Taking action now can avoid more disruption later.” (paywalled link) 

Yes, dear: “we” must take the action the TEU wants, now – because the TEU ‘believes’ SAGE and are afraid, very afraid, for their own personal safety. The kids they’re paid to teach can go to that proverbial place reserved for sinners!

Having had so much time on their hands one wonders why they haven’t made themselves familiar with the many arguments from reputable clinicians against Lockdown, demonstrating again and again that ‘Teh Science’ is questionable. Ah well – they’re Leftie Labourites – a tribe which refuses to look at anything which smells of being contrary to their beliefs. 

Perhaps the TEU and the rest of the assorted Lockdownians would be happy to keep schools closed and indeed all of us locked down  until another new test is available? There’s this announcement by scientists  about 1 million tests a day by Christmas. Mind you – this is only ‘a forecast’, i.e. ‘jam tomorrow’. The Times reports:

“Britain will be carrying out a million coronavirus tests a day by Christmas, scientists have predicted. The forecast came after ministers spent more than £500 million in the past fortnight on new laboratory-based testing machines that will more than triple the government’s present capacity of about 300,000 tests a day.” (link, paywalled)

This latest ‘offer’ of tests ought to satisfy the TEU, although I doubt it very much because it would mean they couldn’t demand a national lockdown, schools included:

“In addition schoolchildren will be offered weekly coronavirus screening as early as next week after government scientists approved a new rapid test using a saliva swab. It is being likened to a pregnancy test in that it can give results in as little as 15 minutes without needing to be sent to a laboratory. […] Pilot trials of the pregnancy-style mouth-swab coronavirus tests will begin in schools and universities as early as next week in infection hotspots in the north of England.” (link, paywalled)

So – no lockdowns needed after all, because ‘tests control the virus’? Hm …. Well, if I were an astute investor with money to spare, I’d have invested in shares of the “Testing Industry”! It is bound to be a growth market because we’re now on our way to become a nation of ‘testees’. Obviously, testing everything that moves on two legs, all the time, will ‘control’ the virus: no drugs, no hospital stays needed. 

Never mind that whole swathes of the population will be deemed ‘unclean’ and forced into personal quarantine, unable to do their jobs. Perhaps one ought to invest in shares of button- and patch-makers as well, because we’ll certainly need something to put on our outerwear to show that we’ve been tested and are not lepers. Don’t even think of that place and the time where people were forced to wear a star on their coats – you’re not a horrible extreme-ultra-right person, are you! 

There are elusive hints that some Tories and even SAGEs, in private, are dissatisfied with the Covid Cabal, but it comes under the old biblical saying ‘put not your trust in princes’:

“Critics of Sage have demanded that there be greater economic input into decision-making to balance the models created by specialists. Some Sage members, uncomfortable at the influence they wield, have made the same point themselves.” (link, paywalled)

Before you can say ‘ah – some sanity returns’, the cabal uses this as the perfect argument for Lockdown: surely the economy would be damaged if the whole country has fallen ill with the virus! How they’re still daring to use these scare imagery is beyond me:

“Some advisers are framing their arguments in economic terms. If cases continue to increase, at some point they will exceed NHS capacity, the argument goes. If people die in hospital car parks there will be no other choice but another protracted national lockdown. “The economy suffers badly if the whole thing gets overwhelmed and that’s when you end up having to do more extreme measures,” one key figure said.” (link, paywalled)

People dying in hospital car parks? Did that actually happen here at the beginning of the Covid outbreak, forcing us into Lockdown? Hm …  And: who is this ‘key figure’? There are so many of them in the limelight, pushing for National Lockdown. Iain Duncan Smith has an opinion piece in the DT where he doesn’t mince words about SAGE. We’ll look at that in detail elsewhere later today.

And so to Brexit and the Trade Negotiations. While Remainers are desperately trying to spin this into ‘we still must talk’, the government statement could not have been more stark. This statement was addressed to Brussels generally and Barnier in particular. It was not meant for ‘internal consumption’ only, to be chewed over and re-interpreted by Remain in the hope of dragging things out:

“The trade talks are over. The EU have effectively ended them by saying that they do not want to change their negotiating position,” the [government] spokesman said. […] After a telephone call with Mr Barnier yesterday, Lord Frost […] told him to cancel a planned meeting because “there was no basis for negotiations”.” (link, paywalled)

Is that clear enough? Moreover, someone in Frostie’s team ‘leaked’ – perhaps it was the man himself – to make this even clearer:

“During what was a tense call, Lord Frost told Mr Barnier that there would be no negotiations until Brussels gave clear and precise assurances. He said that discussions could continue only on the basis of tabled legal texts and that all issues, not just Mr Barnier’s preferred ones, must be addressed.” (link, paywalled)

In a lovely example for what is best described as ‘clutching at straws’, see what cher Michel had to sy:

“Last night Mr Barnier said he would speak by video conference with Lord Frost on Monday as “both chief negotiators agreed to talk again on Monday to discuss the structure of these talks”.” (link, paywalled)

Thank God for video conferencing, innit! After all, Barnier was told that he ‘would not be welcome in London … but one can always continue by video … to prolong the agony. As Macron vows to ‘fight’ for the last French fisherman we have the prime example of the two top Germans in the EU displaying their tone-deafness as Ms Merkel and Ms vdLeyen claimed the talks would continue, working for a deal but ‘not at any price’ (paywalled link).

However, there’s that EU deadline by which a deal must be agreed. It’s the end of this month because the Eu needs to ratify this ‘deal’. ‘Sources’ told the DT’s Remain correspondent that this might be stretched to the first week of November (paywalled link). Do they still think that dragging this out will gain them anything?

RemainCentral, in their editorial today, is also desperate to keep talks going, showing their traitorous Remain attitude to the full. Who needs Barnier and cohorts when those Remain editors denounce the government statement as ‘posturing’, when they call it ‘brinkmanship’, when they bring up again the tired warning about the dangers of No Deal, and when they propose ‘compromises’ BJ ought to make, on state aid (that famous ‘level playing field’) and on Fisheries (link, paywalled).

Oh how Remain hopes for a last-minute cave-in by BJ! Trying to be even-handed, they warn BJ and Macron that a No Deal outcome ‘would be a failure of statecraft.’ (link, paywalled)! That criticism surely must be addressed to Brussels, but nooo …! Even now Remain shows that they’ve understood nothing. This editorial is another proof.

Why don’t they get it: there’s no basis for negotiations! It’s over! Any talks are now a mopping-up exercise designed, generously from our side, to allow Barnier and perhaps even Brussels, to ‘save face’. 

Meanwhile, we have to deal with the ongoing covid madness and Lockdown hysteria. So, just for today, let’s enjoy this government ‘posturing’, telling Brussels that it’s over, and 

 

KBO!

 

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