la mancha

ERIC

‘Don't you? You really don't see who's controlling the pace of these talks? And who's got an expectant electorate hanging on those promises of picnic days on sunlit uplands?’

Come on, tell me.

And I never look or listen to film clips. Can’t be bothered.

macliam

Can't be bothered to quote correctly or listen to arguments either?

Sorry, that'll be "ad hominem", I suspect!

Red Eric

I'll tell you how it looks to me and from the Portuguese perspective. The longer nothing happens, the better. And if something does come up in the negotiations that wouldn't be good for Portugal, you can rest assured it would be discussed, sensibly and diplomatically, with the Commission. There is no kow-towing to the notion that the bigger nations always get their way here and the Portuguese representatives know a good deal about successful negotiating without getting all hysterical (or generating hysteria in the media). They're not averse to providing a bit of criticism where it's due either.

It's the UK that has this need to get on with things and achieve the unachievable.

amideislas

It's crystal clear who's controlling the pace of the talks. The UK hardly shows up, let alone push for progress it desperately needs. The UK shows up ... what ... every two or three weeks?

The clock is ticking. You'd think the UK would be at the table day after day... but no... whenever it's convenient.

Novocastrian

And the less often the better, because May triggered A50 as a knee jerk reaction to curry inattention from her loony brexiteers.

Given that at that point she (and none of her party except the looniest) had a clue about what they wanted to achieve, that was rather silly.

Then she called a snap election in the hope that with an increased majority. she could silence the dogs of insanity.

That didn't work very well at all.

So.

GeniB

i'm reading about Margaret of Anjou who got saddled with the simpleton king Edward ii . The infighting,the jostling for position to take the crown. The indecion that cost thousands of citizens their lives in nutty inter county wars. A woman desperately trying to keep it all together whilst either being ignored or despised for her decisions...Any similarities here! apart from the deaths that is

Red Eric

For my money, Merkel's problems have less to do with your little mania than might be being touted in some quarters. Her main problems may include some opposition to the refugee policy but it certainly didn't wipe her out and wage stagnation and other economic factors probably have at least as much to do with the current situation as anything else. And, chiefly, the loss of the 2nd largest party in the Bundestag as a crutch (and good on them for finally seeing the light).

Garbatellamike

Yes - good spot - it sounds very like a normal day at the Commission

la mancha

What little mania do I have to which you are referring? I am talking about all her self-inflicted problems caused by her arrogance in government.

iano

Equally, you could be describing Teazer there.

Red Eric

The neoliberal shite? Well I'm with you there.

amideislas

Yeah, well, probably the single most popular chancellor in postwar Germany, presiding over perhaps the single largest economic expansion in post-war history, highly respected as a first-rate stateswoman and diplomat, and a record as clean as they come...

If it comes to her demise (iffy), then I'd just chalk it up to all good things eventually ending. Like, say, Britain's stature in the global pecking order. Wholly unnecessary, but people wanted "change". Well, here it comes...

la mancha

You are out of your head with this one. Definitely losing it, matey...

DaveLovesDee

Downing Street

If, as the UK media is fond of portraying, Merkel is the person running the EU, then surely this would have been a fantastic chance for the UK to be seen as the successor to Germany.

But of course Merkel/Germany doesn't run the EU, and the UK has decided to implode it's EU status.

Red Eric

Well there's a lot of it about. And it's causing a lot of trouble.

Someone needs to point it out, otherwise something else gets blamed.