I’d agree on that point.
It was virtually civil war, it’s a pity that Scargill was a somewhat poor strategist (I still maintain that he was foolish to call the strike in the spring, when demand for coal was low).
Back on topic - 28th January, nearly 5 weeks after the UK-EU trade deal - UK Companies House just emailed me…
Rules of Origin: Check your goods comply to trade tariff-free with the EU
Now the CBI, the British Chambers of Commerce, the manufacturers’ group Make UK, the Federation of Small Businesses and the Institute of Directors have all written to the UK government warning of a “significant loss of business” unless the trade deal is renegotiated.
Does anyone else here take an occasional look at UK television news? It feels to me as if there’s a conspiracy of silence on brexit now - the chaos at the ports and other impacts on UK businesses - and the booms going on in EU warehousing etc for UK goods right now - just don’t seem to be reported.
I enjoyed the seventies. Lot’s of fun on my motorbikes attending club camping weekends including the Molentreffen near Amsterdam. Pubs had real jukeboxes with all our favourite bands - Thin Lizzie, Black Sabbath, Steppenwolf - remember 'Born to be wild?Far less traffic on the road and no distractions for motorists like mobile phones. I came close to burning my parents council house down with a home made parafin fuelled cooker in the power workers strikes! I didn’t take the Magic Buss but I did fall in love with Greece in the early 80s.
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Police Scotland have confirmed that they have arrested a “mentally unstable” 56 year old man for breaking COVID rules in Glasgow. It is believed that the man made the 345 mile journey from COVID-stricken London because he intended to “save the union.”
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There’s an interesting (but maybe - warning! - a bit depressing) connection between the reminiscences of 70s happiness - and the real history confirming this - and the subject of this thread.
It occurred to me this morning, reading a review of some proper history books on slavery and colonialism - and lamenting the popular distortion of this terrible history into the myth of the Glorious British Empire that is still propagated in much of the UK media, and drives such diverse phenomena as brexit and the notorious behaviour of ‘lager louts’ on the Spanish costas.
What’s the connection? The mythologising of slavery and colonialism as a jolly good thing - and of the 70s as a bad time - by the right-wing UK establishment, media, etc, will be applied just as thoroughly to brexit. Indeed I believe (see above) the BBC is already minimising the brexit disruptions.
Whatever those who really know what’s going on say, and whatever our memories or competent academic historians tell us in future, the lesson here is that the media whitewashing will probably prevail in the popular imagination - so in x years time Brits - even though they are in reality much worse off than they would otherwise have been - will be saying ‘Boris Johnson - a second Churchill - led us brilliantly to Glorious Independence’.
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Many thanks for that Geoff, one of the best jokes I have seen on here, I had a real chuckle at that and needed a good joke to cheer me up today 
Sadly, I suspect you’re right Geof.
I have to admit game, set and match to the bumbling bluffer on this one. VDL hoisted by her own petard.
" The UK’s international trade secretary, Liz Truss, says the EU has guaranteed there will be no disruption to Pfizer vaccines being supplied to the UK from within the EU despite the EU’s threat of export controls on vaccines produced within the bloc.
Asked if she could absolutely guarantee the Belgium-made Pfizer jabs would not be disrupted, she told BBC One’s the Andrew Marr Show:
Yes, I can. The prime minister has spoken to the president of the European Commission, she has assured him that there will be no disruption of contracts that we have with any producer in the EU."
UK next election Tory voting intention poll figures now almost back to where they were at the last election!
It’s the ‘vaccine bounce’ Geof, even senior Labour figures including KS were expecting this.
Don’t panic, he will cock things up again soon.
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Really Geof, i didnt see you Yumping up the pleasant or defusing the bombs that didnt bother the public. I hope you enjoyed the life of reilly at university and magic bussing around europe. I am sure while you were doing that you also read the Murdoch tabloids like most of the working population in the real life back then. Thankfully the Murdoch tabloids or any other tabloid wasnt allowed to publish exactly how or what went on.
VdL’s position is in jeopardy now for the bumbling around. But then she hasnt got any good track record in German politics either. Come to think of it neither have many of the EU commission. 5 years and they will be gone if not before. Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Hungary and Italy are lining up for departure.
Why do you care?
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Sorry Roger, could you repeat that please? It’s hard to hear you with you head up you bottom 
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Sooo… Having negotiated and signed and voted in Parliament for the Withdrawal Agreement, then trying to repudiate some of it a few months later, the Johnson government has now negotiated and signed and voted in Parliament for the Trade Agreement - and is now trying to repudiate some of it just a few weeks later.
I’d guess they have a snowball’s chance in Hell Geof. But it’s a great opportunity to stoke anti EU sentiment 
.
It’s that family again…
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