Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Richard Hakluyt]

It seems to have happened in the last few years. So there were only 107k in the 2011 census but has at least trebled since 

[garbon]

Apparently gov't is currently working with guidance not to provide school meals for half term.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Apparently gov't is currently working with guidance not to provide school meals for half term.

Quick Commissioner Gordon....the Marcus-Rashford-signal!!!!

[celedhring]

Italians are the #1 immigrant community in Barcelona, but a sizable amount of them are Argies with Italian passports.

[mongers]

New ONS stats of population by country of birth which is kind of interesting surprising. The top 5 countries of migrants (i.e. not including British citizens born overseas):
Poland
Romania
India
Ireland
Italy ()

And in London:
Romania
Italy ()
India
Poland
Portugal

Really surprised by Italy. It definitely explains why the food got better - but I'd never have guessed.

I'd have thought Danes and people from Normandy would be quite high in the list.

[Sheilbh]

Probably for the best as he was underwhelming - but issues are generations in the making and will take a lot to fix. The timing also isn't ideal

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard steps down
Leonard said attacks on his leadership were undermining party's ability to get its message across
Severin Carrell Scotland editor
@severincarrell
Thu 14 Jan 2021 16.38 GMT

The embattled Scottish Labour party leader Richard Leonard has resigned only months after narrowly surviving a rebellion from fellow MSPs.

Leonard said he was stepping down after deciding over the Christmas holidays that constant attacks on his leadership were undermining Scottish Labour's ability to "get its message across".

His sudden resignation leaves Scottish Labour without a leader four months before a critical Scottish parliament election, where Labour is trailing the Scottish National party by nearly 40 points in the polls.

Party sources said his deputy, Jackie Baillie, who has been named interim leader, expects to launch an immediate and fast-tracked leadership election to guarantee his successor is in post well before the 6 May Holyrood election.

Anas Sarwar, the centrist MSP who was recently made Scottish Labour's constitution spokesman, but who lost to Leonard in the last leadership election, is likely to be an early favourite for the post.

Party sources said Leonard had clashed with senior colleagues and had angered Keir Starmer, the UK Labour leader, after a series of recent gaffes.

It is understood Starmer was furious after Scottish Labour issued a press release on 30 December announcing the party would oppose the Brexit deal at Holyrood because of the economic damage it would cause, and then voted alongside the SNP, Scottish Greens and Liberal Democrats against it.

That directly contradicted Starmer's decision to back the UK government's deal. Amid derision from their opponents, Leonard's colleagues mounted a rapid damage limitation exercise. The next day they claimed their opposition was based on the UK government's failure to include Holyrood in its Brexit planning.

In a brief statement, Leonard attacked both the Scottish and UK governments for "mishandling" the Covid crisis, leading to thousands of unnecessary deaths and business closures.

"I have thought long and hard over the Christmas period about what this crisis means, and the approach Scottish Labour takes to help tackle it," he said. "I have also considered what the speculation about my leadership does to our ability to get Labour's message across. This has become a distraction.

"I have come to the conclusion it is in the best interests of the party that I step aside as leader of Scottish Labour with immediate effect. This was not an easy decision, but after three years I feel it is the right one for me and for the party."

In September, Leonard faced down an open rebellion by centrist MSPs, with two party spokespeople at Holyrood quitting their roles in a bid to force him to stand down or agree to a leadership contest.

Leonard refused to budge and at a tense Scottish executive committee meeting beset by allegations one committee member was unfairly blocked from voting, narrowly survived calls for a leadership contest.

He was the candidate of the left elected in 2015 on the basis that with a left leader plus Corbyn Labour would re-connect in Scotland. Needless to say that hasn't happened.

It won't happen but I kind of love the idea being floated on Twitter of Gordon Brown making a de Gaulle style comeback to save the union () because he's still broadly popular in Scotland, clearly a heavyweight, has actual ideas etc. But it won't happen and in any event it'd drive the national leadership mad because he'd always overshadow Starmer.

[garbon]

Just saw Mogg said fish are happier now as they are British since Brexit.

[The Larch]

Just saw Mogg said fish are happier now as they are British since Brexit.

They're definitely happier as they're going to be fished less for a while because the UK won't have a proper system for exporting fresh fish to the EU yet, so the government has had to ask the Scottish and Cornish fishing fleets to please drastically reduce their catches until the system is in place. 

[mongers]

Just saw Mogg said fish are happier now as they are British since Brexit.

I saw that and thought "what a wanker"

Is anyone taken in by that bullshit or are we just supposed to laugh it off along with him?

[Richard Hakluyt]

Joking about people losing their livelihoods has never been a good look 

[Duque de Bragança]

Just saw Mogg said fish are happier now as they are British since Brexit.

Mogg, the fish whisperer?

[Josquius]

Insert way too obvious joke about fish brained brexit voters here.

[Sheilbh]

Joking about people losing their livelihoods has never been a good look 

Well the popular boy does this type of "banter"

Although given that Mogg is Leader of the Commons I've no idea what he was being asked about fish? I mean unless he was being asked about the Commons' catering arrangements

Edit: Actually on fish - I've signed up to a fishbox as well as a vegbox and I am very excited about it

[garbon]

Although given that Mogg is Leader of the Commons I've no idea what he was being asked about fish? I mean unless he was being asked about the Commons' catering arrangements

Well in the clip, he begins in a snit about how this shouldn't have been selected for Business Questions.

[Sheilbh]

Well in the clip, he begins in a snit about how this shouldn't have been selected for Business Questions.

Yeah business questions for the Leader of the Commons is normally about the business in the Commons - so he announces the Government's schedule of what the Commons will be doing next week plus opposition day debates etc and people can ask questions about it. So I'm not sure why he'd be asked a question about fish

I'm not even sure who the DEFRA Secretary is