You were BRIXMIS, right? It's one of his favorite topics, though he wasn't part of it (I basically wrote the German Wikipedia entry on the Allied missions to East Germany based upon books he bombed me with). I'm sure he'd like to get in touch. I'll ping him and PM you when he replies.

Question for TacFoley, somewhat tangentially related.

HM The Queen has the power to give Royal Assent, as do Her Governors General in Commonwealth Realms. (I know this because my ex is a Kiwi, and a former Governor General was a friend of the family.) Does HM The Queen have the power to veto bills passed?

quote:

I am also curious to what role, if any, the Queen has played in this?

None whatsoever.

The monarchy has NO role in government and can only 'give assent' to Laws and Acts that are put to her by the government. That's why there IS a government. She can, and does, offer her best advice, and with 66 years of experience, it's usually the best there is. The days of the monarch suspending her parliament ended in 1642, and a bloody civil war ensued for over seven years, tearing the country in half and dividing families and territories down the years right up to the present day.

Kinda makes you wonder why there is a monarchy at all?

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

I am also curious to what role, if any, the Queen has played in this?

None whatsoever.

The monarchy has NO role in government and can only 'give assent' to Laws and Acts that are put to her by the government. That's why there IS a government. She can, and does, offer her best advice, and with 66 years of experience, it's usually the best there is. The days of the monarch suspending her parliament ended in 1642, and a bloody civil war ensued for over seven years, tearing the country in half and dividing families and territories down the years right up to the present day.

Kinda makes you wonder why there is a monarchy at all?

Without the monarchy, Britain (England and Scotland) would be just a place with a lot of old castles, a place with an interesting History, and a place with so-so cooking; they would be like a France, but with lousier weather.

quote:

Originally posted by hile:
Question for TacFoley, somewhat tangentially related.

HM The Queen has the power to give Royal Assent, as do Her Governors General in Commonwealth Realms. (I know this because my ex is a Kiwi, and a former Governor General was a friend of the family.) Does HM The Queen have the power to veto bills passed?

She DOES, BUT....please read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_assent

quote:

Originally posted by 2BobTanner:

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

I am also curious to what role, if any, the Queen has played in this?

None whatsoever.

The monarchy has NO role in government and can only 'give assent' to Laws and Acts that are put to her by the government. That's why there IS a government. She can, and does, offer her best advice, and with 66 years of experience, it's usually the best there is. The days of the monarch suspending her parliament ended in 1642, and a bloody civil war ensued for over seven years, tearing the country in half and dividing families and territories down the years right up to the present day.

Kinda makes you wonder why there is a monarchy at all?

Without the monarchy, Britain (England and Scotland) would be just a place with a lot of old castles, a place with an interesting History, and a place with so-so cooking; they would be like a France, but with lousier weather.

You left off Wales, which also has a lot of precipitation. And Northern Ireland, which shares its weather with Scotland.

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:

You left off Wales, which also has a lot of precipitation. And Northern Ireland, which shares its weather with Scotland.

With Scotland at least you have Scotch which counts for a lot .... and some nice Golf courses.

quote:

Originally posted by 2BobTanner:
... and a place with so-so cooking; they would be like a France, but with lousier weather.

You owe me a new keyboard!

We have friends in France (Lyon) who have literally said to me that ONLY the French know how to cook and the rest of the world are heathens! They actually believed that ALL Americans eat at McDonalds every night. When my wife made a very tasty pasta dish in the middle of the African bush they could not believe it.

Thanks for the laugh!

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
We have friends in France (Lyon) who have literally said to me that ONLY the French know how to cook and the rest of the world are heathens! They actually believed that ALL Americans eat at McDonalds every night. When my wife made a very tasty pasta dish in the middle of the African bush they could not believe it.

Thanks for the laugh!

Those in Lyon eat pretty damn good, even the Parisians are jealous. The Euros, especially the French love to skewer the US about McD's...until they see their own kids eating there once they go off to university.

Europe To May: 'Drop Dead' - Support For Second "People's" Referendum Grows

Any confidence boost that might have followed Theresa May's triumph this week over her party's implacable Brexiteers has probably already faded. Because if there was anything to be learned from the stunning rebuke delivered to the prime minister by EU leaders on Thursday, it's that the prime minister is looking more stuck than ever.

This was evidenced by the frosty confrontation between the imperturbable May and her chief Continental antagonist, European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker, which was caught on film on Friday shortly before the close of a two-day European Council summit that descended into bitter recriminations. After offering token praise of May's leadership, Brussels' supreme bureaucrat criticized her negotiating strategy as "disorganized", provoking a heated response from May.


Earlier, May desperately pleaded with her European colleagues - who had adamantly insisted that the text of the withdrawal agreement would not be altered - to grant her "legally binding assurances" May believes would make the Brexit plan palatable enough to win a slim victory in the Commons.

If there were any lingering doubts about the EU's position, they were swiftly dispelled by a striking gesture of contempt for May: Demonstrating the Continent's indifference to her plight, the final text of the summit's conclusions was altered to remove a suggestion that the EU consider what further assurances can be offered to May, while leaving in a resolution to continue contingency planning for a no-deal Brexit.

Even the Irish, who in the recent past have been sympathetic to their neighbors' plight (in part due to fears about a resurgence of insurrectionary violence should a hard border re-emerge between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland), implied that there patience had reached its breaking point.

Here's the FT:

But Leo Varadkar, the Irish premier, warned that the EU could not tolerate a treaty approval process where a country "comes back every couple of weeks following discussions with their parliament looking for something extra...you can’t operate international relations on this basis."

Senior EU officials are resisting further negotiations — and suggestions of a special Brexit summit next month — because they see Britain’s requests as in effect a bid to rewrite the exit treaty.

Mr Varadkar noted that many prime ministers had been called to Brussels "at short notice” for a special Brexit summit “on a Sunday in November," adding: "I don’t think they would be willing to come to Brussels again unless we really have to."

In response, May threatened to hold a vote on the Brexit plan before Christmas, which would almost certainly result in its defeat, scrapping the fruits of more than a year of contentious negotiations.

Given that Mrs May aborted a Commons vote on her deal this week because she feared defeat by a "significant margin," her comments amounted to a threat that she would let MPs kill the withdrawal agreement before Christmas.

Mrs May made the threat to German chancellor Angela Merkel, French president Emmanuel Macron and EU presidents Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk as the two day Brussels summit descended into acrimony, according to diplomats.

"At the point where there is no prospect of getting anything more from the EU, that’s when you would have to put the vote," said one close aide to Mrs May.

If this week has taught May anything, it's that her plan to pressure the EU into more concessions (her preferred option to help her pass the Brexit plan) was an unmitigated failure. And given that running out the clock and hoping that MPs come around at the last minute (when the options truly have been reduced to 'deal' or 'no deal') leaves too much room for market-rattling uncertainty, May is left with a few options, two of which were previously 'off the table' (though she has distanced herself from those positions in recent weeks).

They are: Calling a second referendum, delaying a Brexit vote, pivoting to a softer 'Plan B' Brexit, or accepting a 'no deal' Brexit. As the BBC reminds us, May is obliged by law to put her deal to a vote by Jan. 21, or go to Parliament with a Plan B.

If May does decide to run down the clock, she will have two last-minute options:

On the one hand she could somehow cancel, delay, soften or hold another referendum on Brexit and risk alienating the 17.4 million people who voted Leave.

But on the other hand, she could go for a so-called Hard Brexit (where few of the existing ties between the UK and the EU are retained) and risk causing untold damage to the UK's economy and standing in the world for years to come.

Alternatively, May could accept the fact that convincing the Brexiteers is a lost cause, and try to rally support among Labour MPs for a 'softer' Brexit plan, one that would more countenance closer ties with the EU during the transition, and ultimately set the stage for a closer relationship that could see the UK remain part of the customs union and single market. Conservatives are also increasingly pushing for a 'Plan B' deal that would effectively set the terms for a Norway- or Canada-style trade deal.

But as JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank anticipated last week, a second referendum (which supporters have nicknamed a "People's Vote") is becoming increasingly popular, even among MPs who supported the 'Leave' campaign, according to Bloomberg.

It’s not the only previously unthinkable idea that May has talked about this week. Fighting off a challenge to her leadership from pro-Brexit Conservative members of Parliament, the premier warned that deposing her would mean delaying Britain’s departure from the European Union. That’s not something she admitted was possible last month.

The argument for a second referendum advanced by one minister was simple: If nothing can get through Parliament -- and it looks like nothing can -- the question needs to go back to voters.

While campaigners for a second vote have mostly been those who want to reverse the result of the last one and keep Britain inside the EU, that’s not the reason a lot of new supporters are coming round to the idea.

One Cabinet minister said this week he wanted a second referendum on the table to make clear to Brexit supporters in the Conservative Party that the alternative to May’s deal is no Brexit at all.

Even former UKIP leader Nigel Farage is urging his supporters to be ready for a second referendum:

Speaking at rally in London, Press Association quoted Farage as saying: "My message folks tonight is as much as I don’t want a second referendum it would be wrong of us on a Leave Means Leave platform not to get ready, not to be prepared for a worst-case scenario.”

Putting pressure on Brexiteers is also the reason there’s more talk of delaying the U.K.’s departure. At the moment, many Brexit-backers are talking openly about running down the clock to March so they can get the hard Brexit they want. Extending the process -- which is easier than many appreciate -- takes that strategy off the table.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has continued to call for May to put her deal to a vote principally because its defeat is a necessary precursor for another referendum (or a no-confidence vote pushed by an alliance between Labour, and some combination of rebel Tories, the SNP and the DUP).

"The last 24 hours have shown that Theresa May's Brexit deal is dead in the water," said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. "She's failed to deliver any meaningful changes. Rather than ploughing ahead and recklessly running down the clock, she needs to put her deal to a vote next week so Parliament can take back control."

https://www.zerohedge.com/news...les-referendum-grows

quote:

Europe To May: 'Drop Dead' - Support For Second "People's" Referendum Grows

Reminds me of the famous and apocryphal Brit newspaper headline: “Fog in Channel, Europe Cut Off”.

Time for the Brits to regain their national independence and to tell the Euros what they can go and do with themselves.

Brits Out of EU.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:

quote:

Originally posted by 2BobTanner:
... and a place with so-so cooking; they would be like a France, but with lousier weather.

You owe me a new keyboard!

We have friends in France (Lyon) who have literally said to me that ONLY the French know how to cook and the rest of the world are heathens! They actually believed that ALL Americans eat at McDonalds every night. When my wife made a very tasty pasta dish in the middle of the African bush they could not believe it.

Thanks for the laugh!

I am one (and maybe the only one) who does not care for French cooking. I hate cheese (all kinds) and related spoiled milk products and want my meat actually cooked, both of which together rule out about 90% of French food. I love visiting the country, though, and have been there several times. I discovered that if one makes a try to speak just a few words in French (do it badly--for me that is easy), the Frenchies will shift to English--they REALLY hate to hear their precious language murdered...!

flashguy

Good posts, tac and BansheeOne. Thanks for taking the time.

Back to 2000Z-71's comment: I expect Brussels is making it as difficult, painful and damaging as possible. Governments rarely cede power willingly, and they're always hungry for more. Brussels knows that if Brexit goes less-than-horribly-wrong for Britain, other EU member nations that do not care for life under Brussels' boot that may be inclined to follow. See, for example: END OF THE EU? Germany warns FIVE more countries could leave Europe after Brexit

Can't have that, now can we?

Meanwhile: Greece, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are thumbing their noses at Brussels over other issues.

I doubt many of those nations are comforted by Brussels repeatedly raising the idea of an "EU Army." (Which, some claim, is already in the making "under the radar.")

Britain needs their own Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams to write up a single page document and send it over to Brussels with a, p.s. of 'Fuck Off'.

I suspect that if they have a "hard Brexit", that Europe would start building new trade deals with Britain without delay. Neither the Brits nor the Europeans want to lose money.

quote:

I suspect that if they have a "hard Brexit", that Europe would start building new trade deals with Britain without delay. Neither the Brits nor the Europeans want to lose money.

Exactly.
They don't need a "Brexit deal" to keep trading. Everyone who is currently trading will want to continue trading.
They just need a "hard Brexit"... and life will go on just fine without the EU.

Brits need to grow a pair and sack up.

Brexit DISASTER: British PM Theresa May Suffers Crushing Defeat Over EU Exit

British Prime Minister Theresa May's plan to exit the European Union suffered a crushing defeat in the U.K. Parliament Tuesday afternoon — one of the worst defeats for a government proposal in recent history.

The U.K.'s government now has just three days to map out a plan of action, outlining how it will extricate itself from the European Union without throwing either the U.K.'s or the EU's economies into a tailspin, or face a very uncertain future.

May's withdrawl bill, which was written and neogtiated over the course of the last several weeks, in concert with a number of EU leaders and leaders from her own Conservative Party, failed in Parliament by an astounding margin, according to Buzzfeed News: 432 votes to 202. That is more than any other vote contested by the government since the early 1920s.

The vote set two other records: more than 400 legislators voted against a measure for the first time in recent history, and more than 100 members of May's own Conservative Party abandoned their Prime Minister to vote against the deal.

The U.K. voted on whether to leave the European Union — or make a "British exit" or "Brexit" — back in 2016. "Leavers" outvoted "Remainers" by 51.9% to 48.1%, with an incredible voter turnout rate of approximately 71%. As a result, the U.K. invoked what is known as "Article 50" of the European Union charter, setting a two-year period during which May's government would be required to construct an exit plan that culminated in the U.K.'s exit from the EU on March 29, 2019.

Over the course of the last several months, May and her government have negotiated a 500-plus page withdrawl agreement with the European Union, which includes a nearly 30 page outline of how the U.K. and the EU will handle relations with each other going forward. But on Tuesday, Parliament resoundingly rejected the deal, sending May and other members of Parliament to the drawing board in a race to come up with a new plan in just three days.

There are a number of ways forward if that plan never materializes. Parliament could create and vote on its own Brexit plan. The U.K. could unilaterally delay "Brexit," even without the approval of the European Union. They could renegotiate May's deal. They could exit on March 29, 2019, without any deal at all. The U.K. could even hold a second referendum on Brexit, though that is unlikely at this point.

For May, the road may be much shorter. Labour leader (and noted anti-Semite) Jeremy Corbyn has called for a "no-confidence" vote in May's leadership, according to Business Insider — a move that could throw the United Kingdom into a general election several years ahead of schedule.

"Under terms of Fixed-term Parliaments Act, the House of Commons must hold a short debate on the no confidence motion on Wednesday before voting on whether to support the Labour leader's move to oust the government," BI reports. "For the motion to be successful, Corbyn would need support from a majority of MPs."

A general election is a truly frightening prospect, particularly when it could end with Corbyn becoming prime minister. Fortunately, it appears the prospect of a Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn is so daunting that a large coalition of MPs have said they plan to keep the government intact, at least for now.

Theresa May is expected to speak on the Brexit defeat late Tuesday afternoon.

https://www.dailywire.com/news...uffers-emily-zanotti

No sympathy for her. The deal wasn't really an exit and from what I've read still had quite a bit of EU controls. Nothing like not listening to the people.

432 to 202 is a smackdown. The EU and remainers are going to fight until the 11th hour (and after) to try to scare Britain into thinking they are going to fall apart if they leave. May and many of their politicians really think they know better than the will of the people. I hope the Brexiters can push through.