So these people chose to believe that snake oil salesman Gove🤣😂⬇️ And on that basis presumably (although they wouldn't explicitly admit to it) voted for 🇬🇧 to leave 🇪🇺 And for what reason exactly? Oh yes,to "take back control of 'are boarders'" and rid 🇬🇧 of immigrants - like me. No sympathy whatsoever.

This is indeed a key test. The proposals are morally indefensible, legally questionable, economically self-destructive, and politically delusional. No-one with "legitimate concerns" about migration will vote Labour for pledging to deport care workers. inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Keeping up his proud performance from when he was an MEP. I guess this is why he doesn’t class himself as a career politician because he’s never there

Ten years on from that damned referendum and I am still seeing the same lack of knowledge and understanding of the EU, Schengen, freedom of movement and residence obligations as I did then. Plus the same arrogance and exceptionalism. 《Sighs and shakes head, sadly》

Today I have seen someone with no idea of residence regulations recommend moving to Gibraltar to escape 90/180 (🤦‍♀️) and yet another 'Spain is now pushing to overturn 90/180' article which refers to a 'Tourism Minister' who only held the post for nine months in 2023 🙄 Plus the usual general rubbish...

Me too Debbie. Unfortunately empty vessels make the most noise. If you want to know about residency in Spain btw, follow Debbie, who is an actual resident. I can help you with residency questions regarding Italy. No time for exceptionalists, though, so pls don't waste my time.

www.mundoamerica.com/british/2026... A load of self-indulgent exceptionalist twaddle. People lamenting the loss of rights they valued, while ignoring those rights existed precisely because of EU membership.

More remarkably, they admit a route remains available: becoming legally resident — but consciously choose not to take it. Choosing visitor status, then complaining that visitor rules apply, demonstrates a breathtaking lack of self-awareness.

need a 60 million-people-Switzerland on our doorstep. The landlocked, small one is enough thank you very much. If the UK cannot have the will to be a regular EU member like the other new ones, perhaps it's better for the EU they stay outside. Euro + Schengen + normal membership contributions or not.

looking terribly reliable or trustworthy. It's still mostly standing with its back to the continent, closely looking at what leads the US is giving. The resistance vs youth-mobility was farcical. Talk about intending to flout accession criteria as long as possible isn't helping either. No, we don't

The UK's membership period wasn't a period of uninterrupted bliss. The UK was at the best times a hesitant member. It wants the economic benefits but prefers not to align with anything else. *That* needs to change. The start would be the UK having an honest debate with itself. Currently the UK isn't

A very accurate summary of how the U.K. looks to many in the EU. An important corrective to those who think that once the U.K. has decided what it wants, the rest will be easy.

If you have the time, you may want to listen to the whole 2 hours 🙂 This was the revival of a podcast Chris and Steve were recording regularly during the Brexit years. They are both EU "insiders". I learned a lot about how EU works, how trade works, etc. through them.

Chris Kendall (current EU civil servant/diplomatic service) & Steve Bullock (ex-EU negotiator),both 🇬🇧 & 🇪🇺 (I suspect Belgian😉) citizens,agree. E.g.from 56:12 With a special mention for our dear friend @ 59:34 And one for madwoman Reintke @ 1:06:15,incl. €,FoM,etc after that. bsky.app/profile/otto...

And they never will, unless there's a sea change in how we teach humanities in UK schools, especially history and languages. Don't hold your breath.

Best UK series, on par with Fawlty Towers and Little Britain

Absolutely. Europe has so much to offer. If I had his pension, I would travel every corner of the Schengen Area.

Call me a simpleton, but I sometimes think electoral reform debates disappear into unnecessary complexity. The fairest model is surely the most obvious: votes = seats. Win 25% of the national vote? Receive 25% of the representation. Simple, transparent, democratic.

There shouldn’t be any more urgency to have a fair voting system just because of the rise of far right parties It’s been necessary for decades most of the issues we face as a country are due to the polarised politics that result from FPTP If Reform win because of AV then so be it, it’s democracy

It has to be about more than just keeping Reform out... 🙄 If it's not about adopting a system that's in the best interests of the Country, giving stability, having politicians agree acceptable long term solutions rather than 5 yearly election cycle policies chopping & changing what is the point??

Absolutely this... The UK was too busy spunking Marshall Aid money on acquiring the atom bomb, and then the hydrogen bomb, and building a fleet of v-bombers to deliver them which were obsolete when they left the drawing board... "We're still a global superpower, we don't need Europe!" Quite.

1. Barnier should retire, but he’s not able to decide it. 2. The British exceptionalism is the best asset of the hereditary establishment. It prevents the UK from any serious rapprochement. 3. I don’t know how the Brits will listen to the EU. @nialloconghaile.bsky.social gives his best pedagogy !

I mean, he's right, the UK could rejoin on the same terms, in much the same way that I could win the Diamond League 100m prize, if I wasn't nearly 60, clinically obese, with a destroyed ankle, and lacking the raw ability to so do in the first place. Barnier shouldn't have suggested that. Naughty boy

Thanks Niall for drawing attention to the EU representatives who are authorized to speak on behalf of the EU. What does it say about a former EU Commissioner who was the EU's chief negotiator on Britain's exit from the EU? Just senile nonsense from someone who can't let go of power elite?

No, and that is a real pity. Gozi is a bit of a superstar, to be honest; exactly who they need to maintain contact with.

I was extremely disappointed in many Rejoiners reaction to Barniers baseless words.

And when you think about it, exceptional treatment would be really perverse. How could anyone argue that the UK is more important to the EU than France or Germany? Yet they both have the same membership terms as everyone else.

100% undeniably! Nobody can dispute that without rancid nationalism. Credibility is a scarce commodity in today’s politics anywhere sadly.

Ireland has an optout because it was prevented from joining by the border through the country. Coordinated joining (which can be down without membership, incidentally) would be nice.

This has been the UK position since the late 1940's. After two world wars the European countries were done with nationalism, and ready to try something really revolutionary to build peace. The UK never saw that need: after all, it 'won the war'. Its goal was to protect and further UK interests.

You are 💯 correct. Having worked in international circles, I often had that feeling. UK wants to be part of a network not as an act of real cooperation and solidarity but to continue to influence decisions to their own advantage. There must be always a return on investment, it’s a trade relic.

and second, to make sure it retained sufficient influence to prevent Europe from really uniting with the UK outside. Other aspirations, like peace and unity in Europe, were of no interest; sometimes they were even perceived as a threat to the position of the UK.

You are quite right. There wasn't. From the inception of the Schumann Plan in 1950, the UK never envisaged being part of the supra-national plan for Europe. It wanted only two things: first, to make sure it could take advantage of whatever economic and other benefits were generated,

In my personal opinion the way I’ve always felt the relationship of the UK with the EU (from a British perspective) was always one of compromise to be ‘in there…’ with its obvious benefits and I personally NEVER felt that there was a commitment to what the EU is about or what it wants to achieve. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Thread bsky.app/profile/nial...

This doesn't make sense: Ireland was prevented from joining Schengen by the UK staying out. If the UK had joined, so would we. Admittedly a decade-plus of English xenophobia and interference by Musk has created a small, nasty spillover here, but we would not/could not stay out if the UK joined.

These views are widespread in the EP and nat. capitals. Mr Gozi continues: “But Brexit it was also a mistake caused by the British press. For decades, several publications targeted Europe, distorting the relationship between London and Brussels, with the consequences we have all seen.” 4

Just as an offhand comment made by Ximo Puig in 2021 is considered absolute proof that Spain wants to abandon Schengen, these unwise words from Barnier will continue to hold back any sensible debate on joining Europe again for years to come Unfortunately we’re just not that in to you

And you know, if our finest acheievements ⬇️ aren't your cup of tea, other relationships are available. Read more⬇️ Ends

If people are serious about joining our union, they have to make the case for the € and for passport-free open borders. Make the debate in the UK honest. Pronto. Stop distorting. Capici! 5

So the euro, the rebate, Schengen? What does Mr Gozi say in the subheading? “If they want to rejoin, the British should forget about their pre-Brexit privileges: it won’t be a tailor-made fit anymore.” E basta! 3

I mean, why listen to Sandro Gozi (or indeed the scores of other active MEPs and nat. pols). He's only the chair of the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly. He's only an Italian elected with French votes (!) He's a centrist liberal with no ask to grind. 2

As soon as you read Barnier's words about the UK joining, you knew there'd be trouble. All the exceptionalists - incl. the likes of Best for Britain and Bremain in Spain jumped on this as a sign of European weakness. The UK could extract exceptionalist terms. #ExtrawurstGroßbritannien 1

If Britain is really that stupid then it doesn't matter anymore... Get out before they can enact anything!

Hard to do if Reform gets a parliamentary majority.

If the UK tries to leave the ECHR the EU will have to take the nuclear option. The UK exceptionalists still think the EU will back down when pushed.

If a UK Government tries to leave the ECHR without an explicit mandate the UK Electorate will have to take the nuclear option...

Brexit destroyed my competitors and now I kinda like it. But talk to them and you'll just get sour grapes. www.bbc.com/news/article...

My feeling is they're both full of shit. I understand Starmer's idiocy. barnier less so bsky.app/profile/andy...

I mean, it's literally Britain's border in Ireland that has caused the problem and prevented Ireland from joining