Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Sheilbh]

Oh yeah, immigration was undoubtedly the biggest issue. But there was always an argument that the big issue was that no-one had control of it. I don't know if that's it or it's just that the politics has changed.

But I won't be surprised if we have higher levels of immigration after Brexit than we did before, but maybe less from Europe.

[Syt]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/04/britain-needs-new-royal-yacht-britannia-provide-morale-boost/

Britain needs new Royal Yacht Britannia to provide 'morale boost', says former trade minister

Digby Jones says he would ask small export facing companies to offer £5,000 each with large firms offering more to help fund construction

Britain needs a new Royal Yacht Britannia to give the country a "morale boost" as it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, a former trade minister and head of the CBI says.

Lord Jones of Birmingham, who as Digby Jones ran the CBI for six years from 2000 to 2006 and later served in Gordon Brown's government as a minister, said a £100 million replacement could be funded by a "three-way split" between businesses, taxpayers and the National Lottery.

HMY Britannia — which is now a visitor attraction in Edinburgh —  was controversially decommissioned in 1997. The Telegraph has been campaigning for a new privately funded replacement for the past four years.

A secret naval design for a £100m replacement for Britannia was drawn up by naval staff at the time and approved by representatives of the royal family but the Labour Government refused to pay for it....

Probably a follow up to this story from January:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/01/17/new-royal-yacht-britannia-needed-project-britains-image-around/

A new Royal Yacht Britannia is needed to 'project Britain's image around the world' says Henry Jackson Society report

Anew Royal Yacht Britannia should be commissioned to "project Britain's image around the world', a new report backed by former Foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind says.

The report from the Henry Jackson Society - titled "Core Assumptions and British Strategic Policy" - was submitted to 10 Downing Street over the past fortnight.

Among its recommendations it says: "Britain would do well to consider the acquisition of a new Royal Yacht to help project the country's image around the world and drum up the sale of UK products".

A replacement for HMY Britannia was first proposed before the 1997 election before being dropped by Tony Blair's Government in October of that year.

The Daily Telegraph has been campaigning for several years for a new royal yacht in the hope that it could act as a catalyst...

(rest of articles behind paywall)

[The Brain]

YachtyMcYachtface.

[Sheilbh]

And this one in 2011:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2054869/Royal-Yacht-Britannia-Lets-restore-Britains-centuries-old-maritime-pride.html

And 2012:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2087595/Britannia-CAN-rule-waves-Cameron-senior-royals-Mails-campaign-replace-Queens-yacht-honour-Diamond-Jubilee--cost-taxpayers.html

And 2016:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/11/spend-some-of-the-millions-from-the-aid-budget-on-a-new-royal-ya/

Recommissioning Britannia is a constant stream of stories for our right-wing press. I think around 2010 was the point when they moved on from regular stories about Diana and into regular stories about Britannia

[The Larch]

A new Royal Yatch would only improve my morale if it took me on an around the world cruise. 

[Josquius]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/04/britain-needs-new-royal-yacht-britannia-provide-morale-boost/

[ being dropped by Tony Blair's Government in October of that year.

The Daily Telegraph has been campaigning for several years for a new royal yacht in the hope that it could act as a catalyst...

(rest of articles behind paywall)

Paywall be gone

https://outline.com/WBp3tu

This yacht stuff is ridiculous. And gotta love how they always play the villain and whinge about the aid budget. A

[Tamas]

The only thing worse than the contempt for the common people radiating from articles like that, is that they are often proven right.

[Sheilbh]

So House of Lords were taking evidence on trade policy today, and as they've gone fully digital they somehow look the more modern, future-looking and adorable part of Parliament. "Welcome cat!"
https://twitter.com/MattKorris/status/1268482315111497728?s=20

[Valmy]

I guess I expected a surprise appearance by the butler, this being the House of Lords but cute nonetheless.

[Josquius]

So it seems, to absolutely everyone's complete surprise, Johnson is caving on the chlorinated chicken thing to try and get a deal with the US.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chlorinated-chicken-us-trade-talks-boris-johnson-trump-a9549656.html

It's amazing that they could be considering lowering animal welfare standards right in the middle of a pandemic caused by low animal welfare standards.

[The Brain]

Maybe if people stopped having unprotected sex with animals we wouldn't get these pandemics.

[Admiral Yi]

Is chlorinating a dead chicken really an animal welfare issue?

[Josquius]

Is chlorinating a dead chicken really an animal welfare issue?

Yes. It's not the chlorine wash itself that is the key problem, it's that doing this allows you to get away with far shittier conditions whilst it's alive.

[Iormlund]

... unprotected sex with animals ...

[Zanza]

So it seems, to absolutely everyone's complete surprise, Johnson is caving on the chlorinated chicken thing to try and get a deal with the US.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chlorinated-chicken-us-trade-talks-boris-johnson-trump-a9549656.html

It's amazing that they could be considering lowering animal welfare standards right in the middle of a pandemic caused by low animal welfare standards.

Under the so-called "dual tariff" system being looked at, American agribusiness would be allowed to sell goods in the UK even if they were not complying with the same production standards as British farmers – as long as they paid the tariff.

One high standard for domestic producers and a lower standard for international producers? British farmers voting for Brexit are suckers.