As you probably know, it’s funded by the gov, but then so is the BBC.
I mainly watch the English version in the mid-evening - world news followed by The Debate, which I find a really good programme because the participants are very well-informed people from a range of countries and positions. Also most are experts in their fields rather than party politicians, so although their analyses may differ, I’m more inclined to respect their views, even if I don’t always agree.
I’ve stopped taking any TV news in the morning, but used to enjoy Fr24’s morning news in French because it was fairly easy to follow. However, these days, I’ll just read their e-mail news feed and those of a couple of southern French papers - La Depeche and Midi Libre (oh, and Huff Post headlines). My wife reads Le Monde online, but I feel I don’t need to be that immersed in French political debate, more a matte of staying au courant.
He and his fellow loonies (including Truss) made their intentions public in Britannia Unchained" back in 2012. She and he were just executing their (disastrous) plan. There are those that would argue the result had been predictable, for years.
But what is Reeves plan or vision? maybe I’m dumb, but I can’t find any substance in it. No less than her boss she’s an unknown quantity, basically there because they are not the “other crowd”.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Reeves turns out to be just as bad as Kwasi. Maybe worse, he was just “obeying orders”.
Admittedly I’m not an economist but so far she done nothing that’s impressed me (or obviously the markets).
I’d suggest that her policies have been reasonable but her handling of the politics much less so. There has been a great deal of mishandling of announcements that could fairly easily have been avoided, especially with the right-wing press constantly poised to pounce.
With the febrile state of the UK media (not necessarily the UK populace) would you crow it from the rooftops that you are doing something that the rabid lunatics who got us into this mess would dearly love to bang on at you about ad-infinitum?
Do it quietly, do it professionally, away from the limelight - that way maybe, just maybe, relationships with our biggest trading partner might just improve enough to be of benefit to the UK once again. THEN crow about it.
Let’s be honest here, Labour do not need our permission or blessing to travel this road - but by making a song and dance about it, they would only bring on more grief from those who are happy to promote populist policies.
I say “wait and see”. We all have the chance in 4 to 4 1/2 years time to mark their homework.
Yes, I think the Tories volte-face is pretty despicable, constructive opposition is one thing but just point scoring shows the shallowness of their “values”.
However on Reeves I just don’t know what the non-SM strategy is. This may come back to your other point on communications? I’d like to see the three, five, seven, whatever strategies that are going to turn the economy around and the measurements that are going to be used to plot progress. Where’s the public scorecard with dates. This isn’t rocket science. It seems to me that one thing that all politicians of all flavours work hardest to avoid is accountability.
Anyway, I’m a pragmatist, I think she should recognise the only sure way to growth is rejoining the SM so all the focus should be on back channel negotiations with the EU on that, and a communications campaign to convince the voters this is the only real option. Fantasies about expanding WW trade to compensate are just that, despite the encouraging progress in pork markets , and should be consigned, with their cake and eat it originators, Johnson et al, to the dustbin of history. Not churned out again because of cowardice over addressing the Brexit issue.
I don’t know if Labour are clinging to the notion that there is some cohort of moderate but Brexit leaning Tory voters who have lent or moved their support to Starmer and must be placated by never mentioning the “B” word again but I’m not convinced (that this cohort exists, that is).
But even if Labour is not under this misconception it is not in their gift to pursue SM membership without EU agreement - so small steps is all we have, at the moment.
For those that say we can join the SM without full EU membership - how, exactly?
The only routes are via EEA/EU membership or EFTA membership. EFTA have rightly been more than a bit cautious about the UK joining and the EU would want demonstration of a reliable, durable, UK consensus that we wanted back in (which doesn’t actually exist).
Brexit, I’m afraid - like a puppy - is for life not just for a refernedum.
Well that’s what it’s all about really, isn’t it? One doesn’t buy a dog and bark oneself. It’s the end state that matters and it’s up to those elected, employed and paid (politicians and public sector) to get us there. The UK has to have access to the SM to grow, there will be difficult choices to make but is their job to steward the Nation through it.
Being quite a bit closer to these discussions than most here, I’d suggest that, while I’d love to be wrong, it’s fantasy to imagine that there is any quick route to joining the SM and/or a customs union.
A key demand in the short term will be a show of good faith through the UK actually meeting our existing obligations under the TCA, which we have yet to do in their entirety and then the fishing question is going to raise its head again shortly, as we reach the end of the current agreement. I suspect that might demonstrate the challenges that we’re going to face on any bigger plan.
There’s a long journey to even getting close to a mutual appetite to start discussing a deep relationship of that order. That’s before we even look at any reasonably broad UK consensus to consider that direction of travel. I think, as a nation, the Brexit topic is still poisonous and would simply generate more heat and noise than actual progress towards sufficient alignment.
I think that Brexit has now proved that it was one big lie and the huge fall in exports demonstrates that.
Whilst it seems that the majority of Brits don’t give a damn about their fellow citizens living abroad, they don’t like the extra restrictions they now face on their annual holiday.
Let’s hope that the trade tariffs Trump is going to impose will concentrate minds to more open trade between UK and the EU.
I don’t disagree with any of that but, unfortunately, there remains a vocal minority (some of whom own newspapers) that will cause mayhem and we seem to be being held hostage by them.
I knew someone who used to go over (or is that under) to France using the tunnel on a day ticket and bring loads of booze and other stuff back periodically. He voted for brexit and was angered by the fact that he couldn’t do this freely anymore . He, of course, blamed the EU for this as he had been promised that this sort of thing wouldn’t be an issue post brexit.
Like the Benidorm brits who voted to leave because they don’t want foreigners coming to their country, yet they don’t live there! You couldn’t make those people up, they were so moronic.
I forgot yesterday the difference it makes living up here next to the trees compared with down in the valley. Yesterday was quite mild as I walked out of the door, but when I got out of the car in the village it was freezing down there.
No doubt as to why, north wind in a north/south valley and forest trees to the north and east of the house.
, and should be consigned, with their cake and eat it originators, Johnson et al, to the dustbin of history. Not churned out again because of cowardice over addressing the Brexit issue.
. He, of course, blamed the EU for this as he had been promised that this sort of thing wouldn’t be an issue post brexit.