The most depressing aspect about being back in the UK after a month in New Zealand is being trapped in a country about to do an economic and political RMS Titanic impression. Like the Titanic, many of us poor sods have no chance of a place in a lifeboat, so we’re expected to go down with the ship. Meanwhile, those in charge are busy denying responsibility for our course, or blaming the iceberg for existing, or are fighting over who gets to steer us into it…

Meanwhile, many people go about their daily lives oblivious to what’s happening as they’re not interested in politics, have little understanding of economics and care more about what’s happening to the characters in their favourite soap opera. All the while, the clock is ticking…

How many people understand that, unless our Government and the EU come to a deal by 29th March we automatically (by rule of law) crash out of the EU without a deal. Nor can we stop the article 50 clock unilaterally. The EU has to agree. This is what “taking back control” actually looks like. This is the cold hard reality behind all the bullshit and bluster from the Brexit camp and why the situation we’re in is such a sick joke. Not that those who foisted Brexit upon us are taking any responsibility for any of this. Oh, no. Some of the Brexit supporting MPs have dropped even the pretence of honesty and resorted to outright lying, even doubling down on the lie when exposed. Step forward Daniel Kawczynski, the Tory MP for Shrewsbury – as the Independent explains.

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/daniel-kawczynskis-brexit-reparations-mp-germany-marshall-plan-lies-a8762361.html

People like him, Dominic Raab and Chris Grayling are busy making their excuses for the impending disaster by trying to pin the blame on the EU for its ‘intransigence’ in not rolling over and giving in to their impossible demands. The fact the EU made it’s position clear right from the very start by saying it wasn’t going to change the rules of the club for someone who’s leaving, and that our Government (and what passes for an ‘opposition’ nowadays, which is another sick joke) have wasted nearly three years in arguing with itself matters not. Oh, no. When the shit finally hits the fan none of them will accept responsibility.

Whilst this charade is playing out in Westminster, dark forces are active on social media, just like they were during the referendum. Someone (know one can establish whom) is spending 100’s of 1000s of £ on pro no-deal Facebook ads, whilst on Twitter a large number of bot accounts have sprung up pretending to be young people who voted Remain but now want to see no-deal because they’re sick of the way the EU is treating us. You can see where this is going, can’t you?

The picture looks very different in the EU, where the very people we’re meant to be spending the next several years negotiating ‘better’ access to the EU than we had are so thoroughly pissed off with the UKs time-wasting and posturing that Donald Tusk has just said this. Clearly, the EU is washing its hands of us, and who can blame them? We’ve proved ourselves a joke, time-wasters, nothing more.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/uk_leaves_the_eu

Someone pass me a lifebelt, please…

UPDATE.

After typing this I saw more of the news coming out of Europe and the meetings the EU’s had with the Irish government. To my mind it’s clear that the EU position has hardened and their attention is on standing by and protecting Ireland. But who can blame them? The UK has proved it can’t be trusted to negotiate in good faith, after all, Theresa May even threw her own deal under a bus! Christ, have our politicians and those devious, lying Brexit promoters Tusk referred to got us into a mess – and no amount of their bravado, bombast & bullshit is going to get us out of it. As many of our politicians have still to find a backbone and stop this madness I can only see two options left. Either they will kick the can even further down the road by asking the EU for an extension of the article 50 timetable, or we crash out of the EU with no deal on March 29th.

I’ve a favour to ask…
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After a month in beautiful and progressive New Zealand it’s time to fly half-way around the planet to return to a country that’s busy trying to destroy itself: Britain.

We’ve been spared the daily madness of Brexit over here, although I have tried to keep abreast of what’s been happening. That’s been a challenge in itself as what’s been happening makes little sense. Today I checked the news to find that Parliament had voted to renegotiate the Irish border backstop in an utterly futile gesture as Parliament is without the power it up. The EU has made it crystal clear that the negotiations are over – as has the Irish government. The EU could be forgiven for asking “which bit of NO is it that you don’t understand”?

We look complete clowns who’re living in a dreamworld of their own creation. We’ve totally trashed our reputation and our standing on the world stage. All other countries can do is look on agog and feel sympathy for those of us who’re caught up in this madness.

Meanwhile, whilst our politicians fiddle, our economy burns. More and more companies are reaching for plan B and the lifeboats to get away from our sinking country before the clock stops ticking in 59 day time. Just 59 days – that’s all we have left now after our politicians (and quite a few voters) have wasted the past two and a half years pretending Unicorns exist, we’ve ‘taken back control’ and that ‘they’ really do need us more than we need them. Brexit is looking more and more like a death cult.

I dread to think what we’re returning to as the impression I’m getting out here and through social media is that many people haven’t got a clue what’s going on and don’t really care anymore (if they ever did). The cry of “just get on with it” (when they haven’t got a Scooby Doo what ‘it’ is) seems to echo around certain circles. My fear is when (far, far too late) the penny finally drops and the consequences of ‘it’ can no longer be denied, things are going to get messy – and possibly bloody.

The Brexit chickens are coming home to roost. Sadly, so are we – and I’m really not looking forward to it…

15:02 (USA time).

After a 12hr 30m flight we’re passing through the faff of US customs. Despite our baggage being checked in to Heathrow the Yanks insist you have to collect it and then check it in again, which is a bit stressful when your connection boards in an hour & the carousel breaks!