BREXIT! BREXIT! BREXIT!

[Forty Two]

I, for one, think it's high time for a reinstatement of the monarchy.

It's been far too long, and the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha have, I believe, learned the lessons taught to their Hanoverian predecessors.

Let us welcome our old overlords.

At least our currency will get a face lift.

Shit, all the magazines at the supermarket check-out counter focus almost entirely on the British monarchy as it is, so why fight it!

[Brian Peacock]

Meh - you already have an absolute monarch. Just put the president on the stamps and have done with it.

It seems to me that right-leaning politics across the board has accepted the assumption that their only job is to mitigate an inevitable decline and manage it, preferably in their own favour. Brexit, Trump, rising nationalism/popularism in Europe; all of it plays to the narrative that things are shit and are only going to get shittier, and that pulling up the draw bridge and hunkering down is the only way to weather the storm. It's not just a collective failure of imagination but also an abdication of responsibility and an act of stupendous moral cowardice. "Vote 'Coward' for a glorious next five minutes."

[Brian Peacock]

Jaguar Land Rover begins Brexit shutdown as sales fall

Jaguar Land Rover has begun its week-long factory shutdown as part of its plans for Brexit, on the day the company posted lower sales in Europe and China.

JLR’s four main UK manufacturing sites – at Castle Bromwich, Solihull and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, and Halewood in Merseyside – which employ 18,500 people, are closed from Monday until Friday.

The production shutdown at Britain’s biggest carmaker is in addition to its usual Easter closure, which runs from next week until 23 April. The extension was agreed with staff in January to prepare for potential Brexit disruption, when the UK’s scheduled departure date from the EU was 29 March.

Theresa May is locked in talks with Labour to come up with a plan she can take to an emergency European council summit on Wednesday, at which EU members will decide whether to grant the UK a further extension. Otherwise, the country will crash out of the EU without a deal on Friday.

Workers at JLR’s UK factories will be paid during the production shutdowns but will have to make up the hours at a later date. The company has also started cutting 4,500 jobs from its 40,000 global workforce, affecting mainly management roles in the UK....

[Rum]

To be fair (as a big remainder), JLRover and others are suffering as much from the rapid shift to electric vehicles as much as anything. Brexit will of course not be helping, as we slide into third rate economic territory in the UK. But the analysis suggests this issue is a bit of a red herring.

[rainbow]

My prediction remains that there will be a long delay, during which the customs union rules still apply.

Also it will be changed to "Brexity Mc Brexitface" to make it seem less scary.

[pErvinalia]

[JimC]

Just keep on kicking that can down the road, Brits...

[Rum]

The British system is built of fudge.

[Svartalf]

well, it's on its way to collapse upon itself soon if you don't manage a proper arrangement for brexit FAST... I don't know whether the EU is going to accomodate your wishy washiness.

[rainbow]

The British system is built of fudge.

Could you unpack that for us?

[Brian Peacock]

[pErvinalia]

I hear Macron might throw a spanner in the works. Kind of hope he does so this shit show can be over.

[Svartalf]

IDK what he may be up to, but that's likely not good for anybody other than himself.

[Brian Peacock]

EU leaders say they've had enough of 'the cheque's in the post' excuses and offer a years extension to the Article 50 period. If that's not acceptable then we crash out on Friday.

EU rejects Theresa May's bid for short delay to Brexit.

[JimC]

Oz may be in for a tidal wave of pommy refugees...