https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b...mish-h0sgt2tzx

Brussels expected to turn down the heat in Brexit sausage skirmish

The EU is preparing to agree to a three-month extension when Britain can send processed meat to Northern Ireland in an attempt to avoid a “sausage trade war”.

Lord Frost, the Brexit minister, formally requested the extension until September 30 from Brussels yesterday. Publicly the commission said that it would “assess” the request.

Britain had said that it could unilaterally extend the deadline if Brussels did not back down. Sources said privately that the EU planned to grant the request to give the sides more time to reach a settlement on all aspects of the Northern Ireland protocol……

In a statement, the European Commission said that it had “already indicated its openness to finding solutions” to the dispute with the UK, as long as they were in line with the Northern Ireland Protocol.

A potential compromise is thought to centre on marking all products “for sale only in the United Kingdom” although this would have to be agreed by the EU.

Quiet intelligent style? Give us a clue - what alternative is he offering?

Listening to Thornbury last weekend their Brexit policy sounds as though it is gravitating, albeit at a glacial pace, towards some kind of EEA membership. Difficult to be sure since the leadership doesn't appear to really believe the word Brexit is in the lexicon!

The general public have spoken their wishes were distorted by the electoral 'system' and continue to speak. ... in Chesham and Amersham :D:D:D

The UK Government formally request an extension, in contrast to their recent willy waving and toddler like foot stomping, and the EU suddenly become more receptive and accommodating. Who would have seen that coming?

Can, kicked, road, down, the.

Exactly what should have been done with the ending of transition so that a proper comprehensive UK / EU trade agreement could have been reached.

I very much doubt many voters in Chesham and Amersham are expecting Ed Davey to form a government this morning. The Lib Dem’s prospectus was assessed by the national electorate in December 2019, attracting 7% of the votes. The people spoke then and will speak again the next time the government of this country is in the balance.

Meanwhile the conservatives are able to win more seats in the north than they lose in the south.

Looks like the European Commission’s foot stamping tantrum over AZ has received short shrift in the courts:

Here

All other measures sought by the European Commission have been dismissed, and in particular the Court found that the European Commission has no exclusivity or right of priority over all other contracting parties.

Though the Commission, in their own inimitable style view things strangely differently! 🙄

Don't know about anybody else, but I'm not of that happy number.

I have been looking forward to the arrival of a news programme undistorted by the politically slanted views of the Metro-elite. So far, making due allowances for the inevitable problems which attend the birth of any new platform, I have been very disappointed. Agreed, Andrew Neil is the consummate interviewer of his genre and he is maintaining this reputation; the journalistic heavy hitters employed on the programme are performing well. However, the producers have recruited a bunch of poorly-educated, barely articulate young things, mostly female who gabble incoherently on a programme demonstrating more than a passing nod to the wokery which the introductory puff promised to eschew.

I shall continue watching in the hope of substantial improvement in the output of a service very much needed in the restoration of cultural balance.

I tuned in out of curiosity for an hour. It seems very cheap and just trying too hard. A bunch of has-beens, big mouths, and unknowns giving me their opinion of the news they want to talk about. I can't see the appeal at all, regardless of whose viewpoint it is. Andre Neil is abhorrent, like an older male version of Kaye Burley. Provocative for the sake of it and very little substance in his questions. Paxman was better and he won't be seen dead near this mess. I detest the language used too. I tuned in to the blonde woman who seems like an Amanda Holden knock-off. She was going on about "Liberals". It's just too American and doesn't sit right on a UK news channel unless they are of course speaking about the political party, which they weren't. I can't wait to see how their view of Scottish independence differs from the UK mainstream...I wonder if they are all for it, or, like all the others, just unionist puppets? With the lineup they have, I think I already know the answer! How refreshing!

I shan't be tuning in again, then again, I watch very little TV news as it is.

edi local
I watched it and agree with you about Andrew Neil and indeed the channel. As you say Paxman would not be seen dead anywhere near it.
Cheers
Mr Mac

What a surprise. Fancy discovering having personnel to do the work comes in useful. There again, before the UK "took back control !" the personnel were actually available.

We look forward to the photo op of Shapps behind the wheel of an HGV with Boris in front giving a thumbs up whilst spouting "I got Brexit done ! ".

Hopefully, the supply chain will prove resilient enough not to deprive those attending Wimbles and paying £150, or whatever they think they can get away with, for their three strawberries in a punnet.

UK faces chilled food shortage over summer, logistics industry warns | Transport | The Guardian

This is getting hilarious. I help my wife's family by spending a few hours a day caring for an 89 years old boy who has had bad dementia for the last four years and is "very" difficult... It took us a long time to find a suitable male carer to visit three times a day for the last two years and whose Agency has more or less dedicated to this "case". Mid July, this very skilled and exceptionally good and rare carer is leaving his job to be a, you have guessed, a lorry driver!!! "Scylla and Charybdis" comes to mind or "borrowing from Peter to reimburse a debt to Paul"

its terrible isn't it, not having this endless supply of cheap foreign labour. Are they still having problems at Pret a Porter?

Orac
I would respectfully say yes it is terrible having an issue with any labour, be it "foreign" or otherwise, and price is immaterial. There is a growing skills shortage in the UK, as we have found out while setting up an office there recently. Incidentally when we asked in our office if anybody was interested in working in our new UK office there was not a rush to my office, and that includes our English expats !!! So we have had to recruit in the UK, and rotate staff in from Germany to train them, which is not ideal given Covid restrictions for all concerned. Also I would say that the level of competency of some of the graduates we have interviewed is not what I would have expected from Red Brick Unis in some cases. So far, as this an aviation web site, we have a new office manager, who was a Virgin CSD, and is proving to be very able and capable, with no degree, but a bucket of common sense and practicality. We have recruited 5 other people, but they did take some finding, and interestingly all mentioned one of the reasons for joining us was due to the fact that they could get the chance to work overseas with us !!
Cheers
Mac

More Brexit red tape hits Royal British Legion.
https://inews.co.uk/

One's expectations of ORAC's 'sentiments' would, naturally look to those of her buffoon-ish 'Leader', so her #11049 raises no eyebrows.
However, does she really believe that such output adds quality to her cause ?

It didn't though did it...once you look beyond the press release pushed out PDQ by one of the parties things start to look somewhat different....


https://www.politico.eu/article/cour...to-both-sides/

Some vindication....

"Considering the company has already delivered 70 million doses and plans to deliver another 10 million within the coming weeks, it's unlikely to face any penalty or even struggle to meet the court’s demands", an AstraZeneca representative close to the case asserted."The court case would absolutely have no impact and no change in terms of how fast we will get the doses of vaccine into the arms of the EU citizens," the representative added.