Thought I'd start a new thread as this is going to be a major talking point this year...have not made up my mind yet...(unlike bucksfizz)....but thinking of voting for an exit as Europe is not doing Britain any good at all it seems....

Holidaying in Boston Lincolnshire these days eh, my my how the mighty have fallen 😀

Immigration to fall by hundreds of thousands as the UK becomes less attractive

Border control might be less busy as fewer EU citizens want to move to the UK anyway
The Telegraph - Tim Wallace - 24 SEPTEMBER 2017 • 6:46PM

Annual immigration into the UK is expected to fall by 100,000 even if a smooth deal is agreed very quickly in the Brexit talks, according to economists at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) as a stronger eurozone economy encourages EU workers to stay put.

Even in the highly unlikely event that Brexit did not take place, the bank argues that as the poor economic conditions that were once driving workers to seek jobs in the UK have now been replaced by stronger conditions at home, the UK would be less attractive to economic migrants.

The weak pound has also made working in the UK less of an option as sterling translates into fewer euros and other continental currencies, though the British jobs market has remained strong – unemployment is at its lowest level in 42 years.

As net immigration has been running at more than 300,000 per year, the estimates would mean several hundred thousand fewer workers available in Britain over the coming years.

A more dramatic change to migration rules for EU citizens could mean the Government hits its target of cutting annual net migration to 100,000, which BAML refers to as a potential outcome from a “hard Brexit”.

If net immigration meant the UK missed out on 350,000 people by 2022, that could impact on the economy, the analysts said.

Treesa doing what she does best (not a lot)


https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/britain/ukip-wants-nigel-farage-back-claiming-may-has-betrayed-brexit/

good morning all ...... now in portugal
DAX indicating a weak opening, rather as i thought it would :-)

As an aside, I've recently detected a changed attitude at two of my local 'EU citizen staffed' car wash businesses, in that they don't quite seem to care about doing a good job as much as they used to do. This has resulted in me kicking, not only my regular business into touch but also the one I had then changed to as well.

Maybe it's to do with the GBP exchange rate conversion back into Euros and so the staff are being treated less well?

And maybe the bosses, in turn are having some trouble getting staff?

Whatever. But for the moment I am buying a lesser service and doing some of the stuff myself (ie. some of the interior).

We need Farage now more than ever .

What coloured shirts are you going to wear?

answer... you choose

but not Bloody RED

Tusk gloating as Teresa bends the knee.

Come on Teresa man up!

M , Tusk , Barnier et al will change their tune now Merkel has got a kick up the ass.

Odds on to be quietly retired after taking the sh*t for whatever deal we end up with.

What pisses me off about Barnier is his constant 'we don't know what they are proposing' speeches.

How about those feckers proposing something !

The whole thing is a mess...roll on the "informed" Referendum.

Yet another new kipper leader http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41447568

A man that has worn an army and police uniform. That won't go down at all well in the Islington Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika.

The whole thing is a mess...roll on the "informed" Referendum.

Informed ... and what might that be Stan?

At last a torrid solution for the Brexiters.

Trouble at t'Spanish mill.......

What Happens If Catalonia Leaves Spain? The Independence Referendum Could Cause Massive Political Upheaval

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images News/Getty Images
ByMARIE SOLIS
Saturday evening (3 hours ago)

Political tensions have once again come to a head on the Iberian Peninsula. On Sunday, Catalonia will hold a referendum for independence from Spain in the latest of several attempts to secede from the country.

Most Catalans are feeling optimistic about this year's outcome: The majority of residents who participate in the vote are expected to vote yes. This prospect is a huge source of excitement for Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont who, in January, promised, "If 50 percent plus one vote 'yes', we will declare independence without hesitation."

But Catalonia's path to independence is far more complicated than a simple majority vote — especially since, in the eyes of the Spanish government, the referendum means very little. That's because, according to Spanish law, the referendum itself is illegal.

"I say this both calmly and firmly: There will be no referendum, it won't happen," Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who has vehemently condemned the vote, recently said.

Indeed, the Spanish government is doing everything in its power to prevent the illicit referendum from taking place at all. CNN reported that a Spanish court has ordered Google to remove an app from its store which helps referendum voters find their designated polling site. According to The Guardian, the federal government has plans to send police officers to many of those polling sites across the region in attempts to thwart the vote. That means most, if not all, of the people who show up to the referendum will likely be ardent supporters of Catalan secession, willing to flout Spanish law to cast their vote for independence.

Will their reality look any different come Monday? According to some constitutional experts, it's unlikely.

"If the Catalan government does not negotiate the calling of a referendum with the state, it is not legally possible, because this power is held by the central state," Javier Garcia Roca, a constitutional law professor in Madrid, told the BBC earlier this year.

However, the Catalan government has every intention of operating under the belief that a majority vote for independence is legitimate, and proceeding as such. Joan Maria Piqué, the Catalan government's director of international communications, has said that it will then be up to the federal government to acknowledge the vote or not.

"If we have 50 percent turnout and a majority in favor of independence, this will be legitimate," Piqué said in January. "Then Madrid will have to ask itself if it is going to impose its laws by force, if the Catalan people choose their future peacefully and democratically."

Madrid, though, has made its stance relatively clear. Rajoy has already refused to meet with Puigdemont, saying that to do so would be to meet with someone who flouts the constitution. And Puigdemont, who has made Catalan independence his singular goal in office, has expressed an unwillingness to make any compromises.

Considering the stalemate, Spain will likely see much more political upheaval and unrest following the referendum, with The Washington Post predicting "major protests and months of messiness."

The start of it could very well be on Monday, when supporters of Catalan independence are slated to march in the streets for the region's national holiday. Though, historically, movements for independence have been messy, to say the least Puigdemont has insisted Catalonia's fight will rely on civil disobedience.

"On Monday, we will overwhelm them peacefully and democratically, as always," he said in an address to some of these supporters.

Still, even Puigdemont is measured in his own expectations for what will happen after the referendum. “There is no button that you push and the next day you become independent,” he said.

Standoff Between Catalonia And Spain Heats Up Ahead Of Independence Vote

JACOB BOJESSON
Foreign Correspondent
5:30 PM 09/30/2017

More than 160 schools have been occupied around Catalonia as separatists and the Spanish government are in a standoff ahead of a planned referendum Sunday.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to attempt to vote in schools around the region. Police inspected 1,300 out of the 2,315 designated polling station Saturday, with 163 being occupied by separatists. The remaining facilities have been sealed off by police.

The referendum has been deemed unconstitutional by courts, but Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont affirms that the vote will go ahead as planned.

“Everything is prepared at the more than 2,000 voting points so they have ballot boxes and voting slips, and have everything people need to express their opinion,” Puigdemont told Reuters.

Meanwhile, the Spanish government insists “there will be no referendum” and that anyone trying to organize it will face criminal charges, government spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo said Friday.

The standoff has so far been peaceful, and Puigdemont has called on Catalans to remain calm and not use violence.

“I don’t believe there will be anyone who will use violence or who will want to provoke violence that will tarnish the irreproachable image of the Catalan independence movement as pacifist,” Puigdemont said.

Catalonia has pushed for a legitimate referendum for years. An 80 percent majority backed independence in a symbolic referendum in 2014, which the federal government ruled unconstitutional. Three former officials, including the former Catalan President Artur Mas, were barred from holding public office as a result.

Spain has threatened to suspend hundreds of mayors for backing Sunday’s referendum. Polls suggest that a majority of people want to remain part of Spain while also supporting the vote to settle the issue.

I think we should offer them a free trade deal first thing in the morning just to stir the shit a bit :-)