Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Richard Hakluyt]

Thats a fair point tbh. The shitty conditions are a major thing making so many licenses unused at the moment. I read a piece by one comparing the experience driving in France to the UK and it is night and day how awful it is here.

I don't think there would be anyone who would say, no it is better for them to pee in bushes.

British toilets for British truckers 

[Sheilbh]

British toilets for British truckers 

The Lib Dems are for providing toilet facilities as a national policy, but local council Lib Dems will stop any toilets being built as it will destroy historic hedgerows/the A6 Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty/possibly affect the value of the Little Chef's toilet facilities

[garbon]

Thats a fair point tbh. The shitty conditions are a major thing making so many licenses unused at the moment. I read a piece by one comparing the experience driving in France to the UK and it is night and day how awful it is here.

I don't think there would be anyone who would say, no it is better for them to pee in bushes.

British toilets for British truckers 

True Brits would shit in a ditch.

[Tamas]

I am glad to hear they are dropping planning reform. Last thing we need is disused parking lots and abandoned factories turned into homes.

[Sheilbh]

I am glad to hear they are dropping planning reform. Last thing we need is disused parking lots and abandoned factories turned into homes.

That got cancelled before conference - but they are talking about building houses outside of the South-East (where demand is high and the risk of Tories losing seats to the Lib Dems strong).

Michael Gove's take is even a little Tyr-ish

Shreya Nanda
@shreyagnanda
Now we're onto planning reform
"The route to having more good affordable homes in not simply through planning reform to increase supply - also need to look at regeneration, land assembly, getting good employers into areas"
"Counterintuitively, the areas with the biggest differentials between rents and mortgage payments are not in London and the South East, but in Yorkshire and the Humber. If we want to help people to own their own homes, the focus may not be in London and the South East"

As one young-ish centre-right person put it on Twitter:

David Algonquin
@surplustakes
The year is 2042. Thanks to the benevolence of the decades-old 'Long Tory' government, each and every millennial (median age: 54) owns a state-mandated 25% share in a 2-bed flat in the Red Wall. The average commute is now 173 miles.

[Grey Fox]

The issue is not where we live, it's where we work.

[Duque de Bragança]

Dominic Raab called British workers "the worst idlers in the world"; takes one to know one I guess 

Incidentally his "misogyny is very bad whether it's a man against women or a woman against men" is outstanding

...and my particular favourite  "I hadn't quite understood the full extent of this, but if you look at the UK and look at how we trade in goods, we are particularly reliant on the Dover-Calais crossing." 

Some insight, that was.

No suggestion to reroute trade through Belgium or the Netherlands? I'm disappointed. 

[Josquius]

The issue is not where we live, it's where we work.

This great rearrangement and growth in remote working going on will be interesting for this.
As you'll know I just started work for  London-based company- seems during lockdown a fair few of its previous employees left London and are now permanent remote workers too.
On a national level this is wonderful. Though I do worry what it means for cities more locally.

[Tamas]

The issue is not where we live, it's where we work.

This great rearrangement and growth in remote working going on will be interesting for this.
As you'll know I just started work for  London-based company- seems during lockdown a fair few of its previous employees left London and are now permanent remote workers too.
On a national level this is wonderful. Though I do worry what it means for cities more locally.

What it means for close to London towns is that previously near-unaffordable properties have become unaffordable. Which for Tory and LibDem voters it means they can do a further equity release as long as they make sure no new property is ever built.

[Tamas]

A comment I quite agree with:

You have to admire the sheer gall of claiming something that a few days ago (supply chain crisis, lack of staff, fuel issues) wasn't happening and definitely wasn't anything to do with Brexit is now, and always was, the aim of Brexit.

[Richard Hakluyt]

A slimmer, fitter Britain 

[Josquius]

A comment I quite agree with:

You have to admire the sheer gall of claiming something that a few days ago (supply chain crisis, lack of staff, fuel issues) wasn't happening and definitely wasn't anything to do with Brexit is now, and always was, the aim of Brexit.

It really is dictator stuff.
Brings to mind that Iraqi spokesman back at the time of the invasion.

What it means for close to London towns is that previously near-unaffordable properties have become unaffordable. Which for Tory and LibDem voters it means they can do a further equity release as long as they make sure no new property is ever built.

Why would people stay close to London? Surely thats worst of both worlds?

[Tamas]

A comment I quite agree with:

You have to admire the sheer gall of claiming something that a few days ago (supply chain crisis, lack of staff, fuel issues) wasn't happening and definitely wasn't anything to do with Brexit is now, and always was, the aim of Brexit.

It really is dictator stuff.
Brings to mind that Iraqi spokesman back at the time of the invasion.

What it means for close to London towns is that previously near-unaffordable properties have become unaffordable. Which for Tory and LibDem voters it means they can do a further equity release as long as they make sure no new property is ever built.

Why would people stay close to London? Surely thats worst of both worlds?

By "close" I mean not too far out of the M25 ring. Greener areas are aplenty, and even without that, prices of houses be it terraced or detached have gone bonkers since the pandemic.

[Sheilbh]

I can't find it but whenever Tyr posts I think of that map of the "UK viewed from the North-East" map Dan Jackson shared where London is just the eye of Sauron

Interesting/surprising fact in the "British General Election of 2019" book by various politics professors (they do one every election) - voters liked Boris Johnson less in 2019 than they liked Theresa May in 2017.

The main difference seems to have been that Corbyn was liked significantly less in 2019 than in 2017 - we talk a lot about the people who Boris won over with "get Brexit done" but I suspect next election the more important group might be the people who didn't really like Johnson (or disliked him) but were more swayed by "keep Corbyn out". I also feel this is probably something the left and the Labour Party needs to soul-search about a bit ( of course they won't - instead they'll manage to turn it into a blazing row over the correct electoral system for the National Executive Committee or something).

Edit: I regret to inform you there is more footage of Gove dancing - this time to I Wanna Dance With Somebody

[Josquius]

By "close" I mean not too far out of the M25 ring. Greener areas are aplenty, and even without that, prices of houses be it terraced or detached have gone bonkers since the pandemic.

So by close you mean technically not London but effectively London :p

I can't find it but whenever Tyr posts I think of that map of the "UK viewed from the North-East" map Dan Jackson shared where London is just the eye of Sauron

But really.
If you want to move out of London and are given the opportunity to work remotely...why would you move to just outside London?
That keeps you effectively within the London area with London prices but without the convenience of museums, restaurants, etc... right next door. It brings together all the negatives.
It seems far more logical to me that people will be seeking to go home or to other nice cities elsewhere in the country (or abroad- we're due a major reform/deform on how cross border employment is handled)

Interesting/surprising fact in the "British General Election of 2019" book by various politics professors (they do one every election) - voters liked Boris Johnson less in 2019 than they liked Theresa May in 2017.

The main difference seems to have been that Corbyn was liked significantly less in 2019 than in 2017 - we talk a lot about the people who Boris won over with "get Brexit done" but I suspect next election the more important group might be the people who didn't really like Johnson (or disliked him) but were more swayed by "keep Corbyn out". I also feel this is probably something the left and the Labour Party needs to soul-search about a bit ( of course they won't - instead they'll manage to turn it into a blazing row over the correct electoral system for the National Executive Committee or something).

100%.
Matches my experience on the street too.
Its like between 2017 and 2019 Corbyn toured the land kicking everyone's puppy. He rose to being public enemy number one.

"Get Brexit done" wasn't so much loved in the sense the brexit zealots wish it was (Corbynistas are keen on this too ironically), that people really wanted brexit, rather more it resonated in the sense of shut up about this fucking thing and give it a rest. Oh how little they knew.
It also helped that it was a quick simple message that really gelled with the feeling of fatigue and annoyance vs. Labour throwing everything at the wall.