Dick Dasterdly

.....and the French still say Africa begins at the Pyrenees.

DaveLovesDee

Vote Leave director admits they won because they lied to the public

The original Dominic Cummings article in the Spectator

A screenshot of the relevant paragraphs,

amideislas

And the British say Europe begins on the other side of the channel (and when there's fog in the channel, the continent is cut off).

Does it matter? I mean, they're all just a bunch of lazy-arsed, benefits-sucking foreigners anyway.

Lion in Winter

From the same publication. No wonder they aren't making good on the NHS "suggestion".

Fredbargate

Whilst the Basques say Africa begins at Granada.

Red Eric

I'm going to get all pedantic again, as this gives a very bad impression.

The actual expression is "De Espanha, nem bom vento, nem bom casamento" (neither a good wind nor a good marriage comes from Spain - only it sounds better in Portuguese because it rhymes).

It refers to weather brought by winds from the east and to marriages between the royal households which historically threatened Portugal's political independence. Not much that can be done about the weather but the Portuguese did make the startling discovery, in 1908, that a few well-aimed bullets can permanently resolve a right royal pain in the arse.

Portugal and Spain have excellent relations these days and a lot of cross border cooperation besides the trade (thanks in no small part to the European Union, of which both are very enthusiastic and very active participants). That doesn't stop Portugal having ambitions to be open to the rest of the world too, either as part of being a member of the EU or on its own account and in fact there are initiatives which I have mentioned on here that amply demonstrate that.

But we don't need to go giving the Batty Brigade any more grist to their EU-falling-apart-at-the-seams mantra by misquoting old proverbs or misrepresenting current day politics between the 2 countries.

EMR

I use the words a Portuguese restaurant owner used .
So let's give him the benefit of the doubt .

Red Eric

Why?

You're not starting that old "I believe a native of a country more than I believe an expat, are you?" Because it doesn't wash with me for the same reasons I gave you before.

EMR

Because he is Portuguese and deals with Spanish tourists.
Remember the Algarve suffered from the collapse of a number of Spanish financed developments.
There is one that dominates the skyline of parts of Albufeira .

Red Eric

And you may have misheard what he said or mistransposed it here. Or he could simply have got it wrong or made it up (which doesn't make it "a saying")

"The Portuguese have a saying" means it is a commonly-repeated phrase or proverb. There isn't one which says what you posted as far as I'm aware but I have heard what I posted many, many times.

You can search the internet if you like - if you can find reference to a saying as quoted by you, I'll give you a grovelling apology.

InVinoVeritas

And now for something completely different...

There seems to be a very wide gap between the EU and the UK on the Brexit "settlement" which the EU has suggested is in the order of €60 billion and the UK suggests should be more like €3 billion.

Without wanting another Brexit vs Remainer feud, I would be interested to know your views on this.

The EU have said the UK should pay its share of commitments/budgets which were agreed whilst the UK was an EU member but which are for a period after the UK has ceased to be an EU member.

This is likely to go to the Hague to be resolved so I assume it is not clearly laid down in any treaty.

The questions which come to my mind are:-

Are these future costs irrevocable or can they be cancelled/revised?

Will the UK benefit from this spend after it has left the EU?

How does this compare with a married couple divorcing when there are, more or less pressing, up-coming expenses related to home and family?

EMR

There may or may not be penalties payable by any member who leaves as part of the various treaties.
There may be payments agreed as part of our final trade negotiations.
But it will not be just about payments by the UK.
What about the farm subsidies etc etc.
Do these cease on the 30th March 2019 along with every other support payment from the EU.
Has our government given anyone a cast iron legally binding obligation that these EU payments will be honoured and continue ad infinitum ?

Novocastrian

As I understand it the position of the 27 is that Cameron insisted on, and pushed through, a 3% reduction in the proposed 2014-2020 EU budget. This meant that planned spending needed to be postponed until the next budget cycle. They argue that the UK should pay it's share of the postponed spending.

Will the UK benefit? It depends on a vast array of variables. As usual, nobody knows, but if they insist on settling this matter before moving on to discuss future relationships between the UK and the EU then the UK had better be flexible.

Garbatellamike

1. They could be cancelled but there may be repercussions in other aspects of the negotiation so revising would be the better move. we have essentially had the EU's opening gambit of 60Bn and the UK's 3Bn - they will, in all likelihood, settle somewhere in between.

2. Maybe but unlikely methinks given the negotiations will get emotional.

3. A flawed analogy as you are in effect divorcing 27 different wives ranging from reasonable/pragmatic to bunny boilers and then there is the Commission who is the lover with de facto rights who thinks they own you heart and sole.

InVinoVeritas

Love it