Whitehall
What an amazing collection of reports and stories in today’s papers! The most astonishing fact though is that there’s nothing on the actual negotiations with Barnier which started yesterday.
It looks as if the ‘terms of reference’ which we mentioned on Saturday (here) seem to be observed: no documents submitted by the Frost team to be published, nor to be circulated to EU member state governments. In other words: the ‘sources’ have had nothing to leak, to launch their observations in the hope to influence opinion at home. So far, that is.
Instead, everywhere you look we have ‘the Corona virus’, we have Priti Patel, and a couple of opinion pieces. Oh – we also read that Spain has been running 4,000 incursions into our waters around Gibraltar (link). The important EU news are of course only found here – a report on a slush fund to set up the EU Army. Read the whole thing!
Given the absence of material so far, Michael Lynn writes in the DT that France will be the main obstacle to concluding that Treaty. He makes these points:
“We can expect to hear a defiant “Non!” several times over the next few months as French negotiators throw their toys out of their pram. The conventional view will be that President Emmanuel Macron is fighting to protect the EU, preserve the single market and press forward with greater integration. The real answer is very different. It is France that has the most to lose from a more liberal, free-trading deregulated Britain. […] Paris is going to be our most formidable obstacle to getting a deal.” (paywalled link)
Referring to France’s economy, especially their welfare budget, Mr Lynn observes that this is the reason why France will insist on that ‘level playing field’:
“France’s social model is the most lavish anywhere. […] It spends 24pc of GDP on “social protection”, the highest in the EU alongside Finland. Ireland, by contrast, spends 9pc of GDP. The Irish don’t have to worry too much about being undercut by a more deregulated, lower-tax Britain. The French do. Their model is wildly uncompetitive – and the only way to preserve it is to lock out the competition.” (paywalled link)
There’s more, and it’s wonderful that our Remain MSM preferred to dedicate space to Ms de Montchalin’s fighting remarks about ‘things becoming nasty’ rather than asking the reasons for this intransigence. Here’s another good point:
“Finally, [France] doesn’t have much to lose from taking a tough line. Unlike most EU countries, they sell a bit of stuff to us and we sell some back. The account is slightly in their favour (French exports to Britain run at £44bn a year, imports at £41bn) but not by much. Unlike Germany or Spain which have a lot at stake, it doesn’t make much difference to the French whether there is a deal with Britain. They might lose a bit, gain a bit and end up roughly where they started.” (paywalled link)
Mr Lynn’s conclusions are a fair estimate of what we can expect to hear:
“The EU as always will dress up the negotiations with fancy rhetoric. We will hear grand statements about protecting workers and companies, condemnations of a “race to the bottom”, and demands that standards be upheld. In truth, the talks will, as always, be about money, jobs and power. France has the most to lose from a deregulated UK and the least to gain from a trade deal. Which is why we should expect Paris to fight and fight to tie us to European standards. And why we should be prepared, just as Gen de Gaulle did with our first application for EU membership in the Sixties, for the possibility it will veto a deal completely.” (paywalled link)
I’m sure I don’t have to point out that M Barnier is French, nor do I have to point out that Ms Merkel has bunkered down somewhere in Berlin, unable to face the imminent new migration wave from Turkey. Greece is resisting with all it’s might, being left to deal with this without help from the EU – Ms vdLeyen is ‘concerned’, and that’s all.
There’s also no concerted effort by the EU to address that Corona virus. EU member states are apparently left to do their own thing while Ms vdLeyen is … concerned. Well, we’re doing our ‘own thing here’, with a ‘battle plan’ to be presented to us today by the government. The leaks so far show that it’ll be, well, ahem, ‘formidable’:
“On Tuesday, the Prime Minister will set out the steps that could be taken if the virus continues to spread after warning on Monday that a “significant” rise in cases in Britain was “clearly on the cards”. Cancellation of mass gatherings, efforts to dissuade the public from needless travel and the use of retired medics are among emergency measures that could be brought in if the outbreak continues to worsen. […] Health officials stressed that there was no need to take such steps now but urged the public to be prepared to respond quickly if the measures become necessary.” (paywalled link)
Ah well – the good old Dunkirk spirit to the fore, only this time round there are all the snowflakes who, with the help of the MSM, are already wailing that ‘we need protection’, i.e. “Johnson must do something” while there are still stories about flood victims demanding Johnson must go out and see them, Corona virus or not. It’s all the fault of the government, see. Meanwhile, this report about the epidemic in China apparently receding wasn’t getting much attention, nor this interesting piece of news:
“Customers should wash their hands after touching banknotes because infectious Covid-19 may cling to the surface for a number of days, the UN agency [WHO] warned on Monday night. To prevent the spread of the disease, people should use contactless technology where possible, a spokesman added. Last night the Bank of England acknowledged that banknotes “can carry bacteria or viruses” and urged people to regularly wash their hands.” (paywalled link)
I am of course not saying that vested interests which have been trying to create the ‘cashless society’ are using this outbreak to promote this agenda, of course not! But I dunno why we’re not ‘advised’ to wear gloves … not sufficiently high-tech, perhaps?
And then there’s Ms Patel, who now has the combined MSM on her back. There’s going to be an inquiry, but to set the scene, we’re told about that earlier ‘bullying’ incident from 2015 because the bullyee tried to commit suicide. The Times, in an aside, reports that this ‘victim’ had already tried to do so a year before but we’re of course not told why.
RemainCentral drops the mask in an opinion piece, showing quite clearly that this is about ultimately getting rid not just of Ms Patel but of Dominic Cumming. It’s obvious that this is a concerted effort coming from within Whitehall:
“The problem is that the bust-up at the Home Office is part of a wider culture of fear emanating from No 10. Mr Cummings seems to thrive on belittling those around him. […] Some worry that Sir Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary, is too timid in standing up for the civil service. “He is so desperate to be in with Cummings and co that he’s rather thrown his permanent secretaries to the wolves,” according to one Whitehall veteran. “Once they realise they’re not being protected by him this kind of Armageddon happens. The role of the civil service is to speak truth to power and Sir Philip was right to challenge proposals that he believed were outside the rule of law.” (link, paywalled)
Sir Mark Sedwill is timid? Blimey! Is that why he’s the chief of the civil service? But read again that last sentence: the phrase ‘speaking truth to power’ is straight out of the lefty playbook and illustrates how far and deeply Common Purpose has penetrated Whitehall.
These are the Remain serpents about whom we’ve been writing for a long time. These are the ‘advisers’ who themselves are ‘the power’ to whom nobody dares ‘speak truth’. That’s why this war in the Home Office matters: Remain will do anything to keep us in, even unto destroying a Home office Minister and never mind that she should be protected by those Common Purpose bullies, being a Hindu. Lefty ‘principles’, to stand up for women of colour, only matter when said women are Labour Left.
Meanwhile, keep well, keep washing your hands, and above all
KBO!
Photo by mathrock 
In the pandemic battle plan will be the cancellation of mass gatherings. What’s the betting the first to be cancelled will be the mass demo outside the Luton court when Tommy Robinson is yet again appearing for giving an ” Asian” perv a bloody nose.
The only reason I ever went to France, was the 1966 and 67 Le Manns race, famous for the Ford GT40s, otherwise they are just in the way for me to drive to Italy ! ….. Fear of the British doing well under WTO rules is common with the EU at large, but we can add a further fact against France ! – They put EU interests behind the National interests of France. – This is so non EU ! – German sales to us would indicate that Germany, whilst toeing the EU line of course, stand to lose the most, yet that little Macron creature is banging on about scuppering any trade with the UK of GB. ….. We have already left the EU little man, so get used to it !
The Civil? Service needs to be put in its place once and for all and the time is now or its never. The cold virus needs the same. I said they could start a war to keep us all inline, it seems they have by different means. Disobey and you will pay.
Has anyone tasted Somerset Brie on hot crusty British bread? Delicious! Swilled down with a Californian wine. Lush!
The Government must support Priti Patel to the hilt. She is carryout the mandate of the people to get Brexit done and to drain the swamp. Go cry in your cornflakes all you Remainer, Whitehall and MSM EU puppets. I hope you take stock of the fact that Britain is now an independent sovereign country and that any subversive actions on behalf of the foreign EU is definitely, without doubt, treason.
We are still in all the arrangements with the EU but have no voice. Hold the champers until we actually leave.
Coronavirus.( All this excepting new discoveries )( My understanding and assumptions as of 11pm.2Mar 20. ) ( It will be interesting to see what we won’t betold )
First. There is no known immunity . So we are all going to get it sooner or later Trying to stop it seems useless
We do not even seem to know yet if it confers its own immunity
..
Slowing it down is possible and is a political decision. But this decision will have many unintended consequences, whatever it is.
Either the figures fed to us are total nonsense, or I cannot understand the worry.
IT HARDLY TOUCHES SCHOOL OR WORKING AGE PEOPLE. Maybe one in couple of thousand will get a bad sore throat or cough and die of it But they’ll mainly be pensioners and ready for it anyway.
I am pretty sure statistically that the best course is to just carry on as if its a bad new flu strain. Schools and working should not stop. We may have an inctrease above an extra type of flu
I am pretty sure statistically, that the best course is to just carry on.WE MUST NOT HAVE A PANIC CHINESE TYPE LOCK DOWN. It hardly touches working age or school children..
An economic breakdown could be unbelievably worse than the desease itself.
Take absolutely no notice at all of the idiots who think ( And act on the belief ) the Government could feed or pay us.if we don’t work.. The government doesn’t earn an old fashioned Farthing for itself.
It will be really interesting to see where and how TPTB disappear . I wonderif the internet will survive.
This is my present belief. I’ve thought hard about this. I believe we should all know and hear the commplete story..If we aren’t getting it,. Tough. This is dangerous stuff, but if nobody says it. What then ?
“Pretty sure” is not good enough.
In what way are you qualified to come to any conclusions at all?
The general rule is ‘don’t feed the troll, But I’ll bite:-
He was decapitated. Are you a doctor? How can you say he was dead?
He was decapitated. Are you a lawyer? How can you say he was dead?
One ‘carrier’ at a football match and infection galore – certain.
Unless of course it is woman’s football – then its just ‘sure to spread’.
What steps are being taken to was bank notes
money laundering is illegal.
And there I thought the UK was in the top quartile of money launderers!!!
Washing money is against the law!
It appears that the UK have left the EU not a minute too soon. If anything we should have left over a year ago.
There seems so many cracks appearing in the EU project.
The individual demands of member states.
The immigrant scandal.
The Euro house of cards.
The Corona virus outbreak.
The EU’s falling share of the world economy.
Some these points have spin offs and I am sure there are more.
So when dealing with what could be their biggest problem Brexit these other fracture points will all coalesce.
Let us hope we can take some survivors with us. How about Hungary and Poland for starters.
I don’t want to be a wet rag, but I don’t think we will be unscathed by the ugly picture that is forming. We are still signed up inter alia to UN Global Migration Compact which will soon rear its head. Plus I think the “Withdrawal Treaty” makes us liable for much of the coming EU financial failures. Plus I suggest reading Ralph Protheroe’s contributions to this forum eg his comments here: https://independencedaily.co.uk/remainers-remain-true-to-their-remain-faith/comment-page-1/#comment-114485 Plus his articles. Incidentally re migration crisis RT News says Erdogan is letting SCORES into Europe but Voice of Europe paints a different picture.
Aye, thank God we’re out Kim.