Yes, it was an early theatre of operations for Putin's war on the west.

Absolutely. For both Europe and for the world.

That qualifying time is the noted probationary period. Any reasonable UK citizen would agree about the needed shift in attitude. I think a lot of the bad attitude was propagandized into them by the predatory class and their lackeys. Just as it is in the USA, to the disastrous situation we're in now.

Year ending international receipts will state the Impact that trumpisms influence on the tourist industry in the Continental United States of America. The belief that Internal tourist traffic could maintain the shortfall will be Exposed as the Myth it always was. Expect 26/27/28/29. To get Worse. 🇮🇪

It didn't take into account the needs of UK citizens, because the UKG didn't really give a shit about their needs, just their public school debating society pissing contest. The 90/180 days you're now spending outside the EU could be spent doing something about that with the responsible politicians.

Quite likely. That's a real pity.

So are Australia, Israel, Korea, Serbia, Tunisia, Canada, etc.

Apart from reflecting the Brexiter tactic of blaming Europe for Brexit outcomes, this is indicative of a deeper complex that goes right up to Westminster: The inability to internalise that UK is not part of the union (cf. common European defence, anti-dumping measures, battery origins, etc.) Ends

They are precisely who is to blame, alongside the UK electorate. So why is he criticising our visa and visa-waiver policies? That's his whole schtick: "I blame the Brexiters, but Europe is at fault and has to fix it".

Whereas elsewhere in Europe, people (I certainly) just think of a fellow EU cit residing in another EU M/S as just that: a fellow EU cit, w/ roughly the same rights as they have. And so people can be anti-immigration, even racist, and still be pro-European, incl. pro-FoM. My opinion fwiw 🙂 2/2

That's the thing, isn't it? If you compare the UK and EU27, the UK never integrated culturally into 🇪🇺 and so EU cits who moved to the UK under FoM were always considered immigrants. 1/2

I wouldn't go that far 🙂 Domestically, he's fairly right-wing / conservative, with some anti-immigration (EU FoM not being considered "immigration") "tinge" to him. But he's a staunch pro-European. Well done him 👏

Me neither. We were the "citizens of nowhere".

I have no doubt that the UK gov would have put their citizens under the Brexit bus if Barnier had not defended their corners.

They basically want almost more than was available back when the UK was an EU state. I bet it grinds them to say the UNITED KINGDOM was an EU STATE! Due to the selfishness of it all, they'd cope because they get to live abroad for free without responsibility. "But the UK always deserved more..."

Not only that, they are anti-registration and anti-paying tax. Their demands go further: they want 360/360 inside Europe. The game is to blame Europe for Brexit however

He's not pro-EU, he (and the many like him) are pro-FoM but if the 🇪🇺 were to all of a sudden treat the 🇬🇧 differently to other third nations and give UK citizens a special deal that would let them have their stay rights back in the EU zone, I can bet you their job would be done. That's all!

At the moment, see also the Lib Dems. They're being vocal, but only campaigning for a CU. They should be a solid rejoin, like the Greens, then we would have a left and a centre option for rejoin.

As long as we have 'pro-EU' movements campaigning for special treatment, we're not going anywhere. Not least because 'make brexit workism' / 'special dealism' makes the public think that it's the deal that's the problem, not brexit itself.

But not pro-Europe in any case

I can only speculate, but the constant thread is that Europe is at fault the outcomes of the UK's choices and has to fix it, and the UK is not at fault and should not apologise or make any efforts in that regard. Literally that. And he's part of the European Movement council?

Do you understand what his agenda is? He seems confused as to what pro-EU actually means.

I've never seen him make a statement in support of Europe. Yet every day there is a drip drip of blaming Europe/Spain for the UK's choices. It's quite flagrant here: who does he imagine took his rights and now owes him cheap visas?

They promised a Brexit where only foreigners would pay the price. People wanted to believe that

Very much so. That is the Brexiters new tactic: we should have this stuff for free, and Europe/Spain/France is evil for not giving it to us

Sadly for me the UK left the EU so we have to accept that's the deal. If we wanted the benefits of the EU we should have remained. Sadly too many people fell for the wee will get everything we want rhetoric and are still falling for it

together in the same sentence then, to me it’s clear he means Europe took away his rights and should provide an easy alternative

He says it’s unacceptable to take away rights and not provide an alternative As the UKG has no influence over the immigration and visa policies of European countries, he must therefore be saying Europe and the MS should be providing the alternative to the rights removed As he’s put the two things

I’m sorry but he clearly is

And by I’m not sure there should be, it can hardly be considered sensible to be lobbying to be treated in a better way than your own country treats citizens of the countries you are lobbying The starting point should be to lobby your own government to make things easier and cheaper for Europeans

Ditto. Well put, @raymondbennett.bsky.social . There was and is a cynicism in the UK around community that is frightening

democracies getting closer through shared values, human rights, solidarity and freedom for individuals to live and love without borders. Call me a soppy idealist. 2/2

You are correct we've lost a lot. Yet, it would still bring large improvement instead of the negative compounding that we are now experiencing. That aside, the economics was always and only ever the icing on the cake. The greatest benefit was always belonging to a partnership of like-minded 1/

The €90Bn is never coming back..... however that value wouldn't keep rising at the same rate every year if we were to rejoin. We could, over a period of time, get back to the old levels, but what's gone has gone!

Sadly, I don't think that joining again would bring those £90b back. Most of that we've lost due to Brexit is gone for ever. Supply lines have re-routed around the UK, long-term contracts ended and re-assigned to providers still in the SM, and UK businesses closed or bankrupted will remain deadc.

The problem was* the Neoplan Starliner (owned by Acklams Coaches of Beverley) used by Vote Leave was 13.7 metres long, just enough space for £350 million to fit on the side £90,000,000,000 would have required a coach far longer than the maximum length allowed of 15 metres *for bus spotters only

That's a lot of cash. The UK "only" spent £60 bn on defence. Feels like that money could be better spent than on trying to keep Latvians and Spaniards from renting houses on your street and availing of the NHS

Votes have consequences. We don't get to reinterpret it now or say they didn't mean it. They Xed the box that meant turning their backs on their neighbours and rendering millions insecure in their homes. That was deliberate - we've seen the rhetoric.

Influential European Government's. Issued Travel Advisory Notices to their Citizens. To avoid unnecessary travel to the United States of America. Unless absolutely unavoidable. Travel Advisory Notices. Are Normally reserved for Parigha Countries. Where Safety isn't Guaranteed. 🇮🇪🇪🇺

Thanks for your perspective. The war goes on.

Reposting this everyday until Pete Hagueseth faces justice for his crimes against humanity.

As if Putin would honor any negotiated deal. Signing onto this would simply be a PAUSE in Russia's aggression.

"We"? We, 🇪🇺, have a system of visas. We apply this to third countries. You, 🇬🇧, rejected Schengen and then rejected citizenship multiple times in Brexit. You became a third country by choice. So we 🇪🇺 will have the border system that suits our citizens. 1 #ExtrawurstGroßbritannien

Agree. Yes, everyone decides where one want to live. That's not the point. Germans love and appreciate her very much for her emotionally-driven reporting. I rather perceive she lost her critical distance at some point.

From La Moncloa: www.lamoncloa.gob.es/serviciosdep...

Thank you! I see it now. Alas bluesky won't open it so I'll check later but appreciate the fact link!

but here it is again www.lamoncloa.gob.es/serviciosdep...

Farage rarely turned up to vote when he was an MEP. But, he did turn up to vote against the EU’s anti-Russia interference motion. He said it was a “hoax”. He voted against strengthening Europe’s defences against foreign interference. Why?

Agree. It'sespecially bitter when it comes from a respected government advisor with many years of experience in Brussels.

Why indeed ... Until the UK recognizes it is not exceptional, there is no point in further discussion with it, on any thing or any level. And since it will never recognize it is not exceptional, that will not change. I do not see why these orgs even exist now.