BREXIT - A Poll & Discussion

[Capetonian]

Michael O’Leary changes his tune on Brexit
Warnings over grounded planes had been issued


While Michael O’Leary said on Tuesday that Brexit won’t have a long-term impact on Ryanair, this sanguine statement comes after a series of warnings from the airline he runs that the UK’s departure from the EU would not be a positive for the airline business.

Indeed, in 2017, Mr O’Leary warned that Ryanair may have to stop selling flights to and from the UK at the end of 2018 altogether if a post Brexit aviation deal wasn’t agreed.

But even more recently, in October 2018, Mr O’Leary warned that in the event of a hard Brexit, Ryanair planes in the UK could be grounded for up to three weeks.

It also paused share buybacks in 2018 as a result of Brexit uncertainty.

But despite these periodic interventions, Ryanair’s longer term strategy over the past few years doesn’t appear to have been up for discussion. One indicator of that is its commitment to buy a raft of Boeing 737 Max aircraft which came as the Brexit fallout intensified.
What else has the airline said on Brexit?

In its 2016 annual report, Ryanair mentioned the term Brexit 20 times and referred to it as “both a surprise and a disappointment”.

“Ryanair as the UK’s largest airline had campaigned actively for a “Remain” vote. We expect this result will lead to a considerable period of political and economic uncertainty in both the UK and the European Union. This uncertainty will be damaging to economic growth and consumer confidence,” the company said at that time.

However, it stopped short of making any predictions as to what effect the move would have on their business – noting that while they’ll put contingency plans in place for all eventualities, it would wait until some clarity emerged over the “next two years”.

One effect it does appear to have had is to push Ryanair’s business away from the country. In its 2016 report, the airline said about 28 per cent of revenue in “fiscal 2016” came from operations in the UK. That had fallen to 22 per cent of revenue in fiscal 2019.

In any event, Ryanair remained concerned about Brexit in the years following the referendum vote. In its 2017 annual report, they said: “we remain worried at the continuing uncertainty which prevails over the terms of the UK’s departure from the EU in March 2019”.

In particular, it said it was campaigning for the UK to remain in the EU open skies agreement noting that if it leaves that, “there may not be sufficient time, or goodwill on both sides, to negotiate a timely replacement”.

“Our initial discussions with the UK government do not suggest that they realise the urgency of this problem.”
Adverse impacts

By 2018, the language at Ryanair was much the same. It said that while there’s a general belief that a transition agreement to December 2020 will be implemented, the “likelihood of a hard Brexit may have an adverse impact on the business operations of Ryanair”.

And by its 2019 annual report, the Brexit debacle appeared to have a tangible effect on the company’s business. “Demand and pricing in the UK has also been dampened by continuing concerns over Brexit and slowing economic growth.

“The challenge of Brexit, and in particular the risk of a “no deal” Brexit remains worryingly high. We hope that Brexit will be delivered by agreement between the UK and the European Union, which will minimise disruption to both the UK and the EU economy.

“However, Brexit is causing considerable political uncertainty in the UK, it has damaged investment, economic activity, and consumer confidence, and has been a major contributor to the weakness of air fares and consumer demand for flights from/to the UK.”

So while that may have been the case, Mr O’Leary’s change of tone suggests that Europe, more than ever, will be the ongoing focus for Ryanair.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

So now we see the concern and delays over Brexit, caused by the remoaners, being blamed on Brexit.

The problem in this last month is that an awful lot of the establishment, with dire predictions, forecasts, threats and all the rest of it, are going to be shown up as charlatans when Brexit works for Britain. I think they know it will work for Britain too. They will all be looking for jobs. They will try practically anything. They will have noticed, for instance, that charges are being laid against those caught out by Hillary's private email servers.
https://deadline.com/2019/09/hillary-cl ... 202747781/
Even if they never get Hillary, they will get everyone they can who worked for her, which will be an important lesson for those thinking of helping the next high-profile crook.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

#NeverTramp - love it!

[Pontius Navigator]

Just watched BJ being interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg. Bare chested but BJ managed to keep his eyes up.

[4mastacker]

He was trying hard not to look.

I thought Laura got quite brusque when BJ asked her to '"keep hope alive" and her retort was somewhat scolding in its tone.

[Capetonian]

Yep, Laura K is tough stuff. Good for her, she's not scared to take anyone one whoever they are.

[Capetonian]

Interesting and well-timed article about interviewing BJ. Laura K is not mentioned.

Boris Johnson is a BBC interviewer’s nightmare... for this very simple reason

Michael Deacon Parliamentary Sketchwriter

Boris Johnson faced questions about his past conduct during interviews at Conservative party conference Credit: NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/REX

Boris Johnson is unstoppable. Literally. His interviewers can’t get a word in edgeways. Because the man simply will not stop talking.

Quite plainly, it’s a deliberate and well-honed technique. Call it the juggernaut, because that’s what it’s like: the helpless interviewer is utterly drowned out by a vast onrushing juggernaut of bluster, 10 solid tons of thundering waffle. BLAM! At maximum speed the juggernaut roars straight through all obstacles, traffic cones scattered, crash barriers crushed, its driver hell-bent on just blasting on through, zooming away from whatever question he’s been asked by babbling out buzzwords and unrelated policy announcements for whole minutes on end, louder and faster, louder and faster, the interviewer now no more than a frantic dot in his rear-view mirror.

Today at Conservative party conference the Prime Minister gave three live interviews on TV and radio. First in the juggernaut’s path was Dan Walker of BBC Breakfast. The poor man didn’t stand a chance.

“I keep asking you what’s the difference between your deal and Theresa May’s deal,” wailed Mr Walker, after five miserable minutes, “and you just keep talking about cattle and cheese!”

Eventually Mr Walker gave up asking about Brexit, and turned to the allegation that Mr Johnson had once squeezed a female journalist’s inner thigh. The juggernaut screeched, lurched, and swerved back on to Brexit. Mr Walker tried again. Mr Johnson denied the allegation – and then, with another almighty crunching of gears, hurtled on to wage increases, and then buses, and then police numbers, and then hospitals, and then…

Mr Walked sounded close to despair. “Every time I open my mouth to speak,” he croaked, “you—”

The rest of this sentence, however, was lost beneath the roar of the engine. “Gigabit broadband across the country…”

Next up was Nick Robinson of the Today programme. He didn’t fare much better. The juggernaut was soon powering along, at 60, 70, 80, 90. “...That’s why we’re investing in education, that’s why we’re doing things like gigabit broadband, and can I just say this, we’re doing simple things like buses—”

In the third interview, however, something unusual happened. Exactly how many trips abroad, asked LBC’s Nick Ferrari, had Mr Johnson taken Jennifer Arcuri on?

Abruptly, the juggernaut spluttered to a halt. “Er,” said Mr Johnson. “That… I think if you… I’ve said I…”

“How many?” repeated Mr Ferrari.

“I’m sure that’s been extensively documented, and I can tell you there was no impropriety whatever,” said Mr Johnson, restarting the juggernaut – before giving the steering wheel a sudden, muscular wrench. “And a lot of this is being generated by the current of Mayor of London, who seems to put more money into his own PR than he does into projects for the benefit of Londoners, and quite frankly his record on policing and housing and transport is a scandal, what’s happened to Crossrail 2, what’s happened to Crossrail—”

“Yes yes, all right,” said Mr Ferrari. But it was no use.

“Six hundred million pounds, he’s allowed knife crime to get totally out of control—”

The juggernaut ploughed remorselessly on.

This made me laugh too :

Man in his 40s is first diagnosed with 'Brexit psychosis'

1 October 2019 • 11:30pm

A man in his forties has become the first to be diagnosed with Brexit-triggered psychosis, an article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) says.

The male patient suffered hallucinations and delusions when his mental health "deteriorated rapidly" shortly after the results of the EU referendum in summer 2016.

He also became increasingly worried about racial incidents and, after being admitted on to a psychiatric ward, said he felt ashamed to be British.

Dr Mohammad Zia Ul Haq Katshu, who treated the patient, wrote: "His wife reported that since the EU referendum results were declared on 24 June 2016, he started spending more time putting his thoughts across on social media.

"He found it difficult to reconcile with the political events happening around him. He became increasingly worried about racial incidents. His sleep deteriorated."

Once admitted, the unnamed patient was described as agitated, attempting to "burrow" through the hospital floor with his hands to "get the hell out of this place".

He believed he was being spied on and that talks on the radio were directed at him.

He later said: "I was looking at the electoral map of voting for the EU. I am in a constituency that reflects an opinion that is not for me."

Dr Katshu warned that political events can act as "major psychological stressors" in the article published in BMJ Case Reports.

Previous surveys have shown that concerns over the future of the US after the 2016 presidential elections and the Brexit referendum were significant sources of stress.

Dr Katshu added: "His mental health had deteriorated rapidly following the announcement of the results, with significant concerns about Brexit.

"He presented as agitated, confused and thought disordered. He had auditory hallucinations, and paranoid, referential, misidentification and bizarre delusions."

The patient also reported experiencing family pressures and it is possible these and work-related stress also contributed to his illness.

The patient was diagnosed with acute schizophrenia-like psychotic disorder, a category of acute and transient psychotic disorder (ATPD) - the first case believed to have been triggered by Brexit.

The illness is characterised by an acute onset of symptoms and complete recovery within three months.

The patient described his experiences as "intense periods of accelerated thinking, of being distracted and consumed by my own thoughts, and of a series of theatrical episodes of which I am at the centre".

He recovered completely within a fortnight after a brief admission and treatment with olanzapine, an anti-psychotic.

He had experienced a similar episode 13 years previously following work-related stress.

But he had no family history of mental health problems, history of alcohol or substance misuse, or physical health issues barring mildly impaired hearing in one ear.

He has remained well up to June 2019, when doctors last had contact with him.

[OFSO]

Only one person with Brexit psychosis ?

[boing]

OFSO,
You could include several hundred politicians.


.

[Sisemen]

Capetonian - that's a ferkin long-winded way of saying that he's 'kin loopy!

[Pontius Navigator]

I’m sure that’s been extensively documented

Now if Theresa had thought to say that.

Oh, just remembered, she had said previously so "I’m sure that’s been extensively documented".

[barkingmad]

UK MP James Cleverley now being criticised and virtually accused of incitement because he had the temerity to warn there may be civil disorder (amongst the peasants).

I thought if the peasants are that upset about their democratically expressed preference being suppressed by elected reps they won’t need a comment by one of those reps to take to the streets?

The arrogant elite of EU, USA and other western democracies failed to detect the rumblings from way below their ivory towers years ago and revenge was inflicted via the ballot box. Now that the ballot box is being ignored is it any wonder the anger of the majority will likely be expressed elsewhere?

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

I notice* Boris has had his hair cut.

Do you think if we made him World President, he'd brush it too?


*I have incredibly poor facial recognition. maybe he had it cut months ago

[OFSO]

Walking past my Google Home this morning, did I possibly hear something on LBC about the ECB being shaky, resignations regarding new policy, and forthcoming lack of funds to hand out to the PIGS after Brexit ?

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

The EU are comprehensively f#cked without the UK. Germany's GDP contracted in Q2 (-0.3%), Deutsche Bank is unraveling faster than an inertia reel seat belt with a broken ratchet, France is a mess, Italy worse, and everyone else (bar the Dutch) pretty much relies on them.
They will not do a deal with Boris until they are certain he can't force Brexit. They will do almost anything to get rid of him. And they will do almost anything to get a deal which delays Brexit once they know they can't get rid of him or stop Brexit otherwise.
Tick, tock, tick, tock............

[om15]

Following the drab, squeaky and insincere Mrs May Boris has made a good speech today at the Tory Party Conference, I must admit that any PM who conjures up the enticing images of Gyppo Corbyn being launched into orbit and Odious Bercow having to eat a kangaroo's testicle during the speech will in fact get my support.

We have the two options, a PM who will build, fund, staff and equip 40 new hospitals or a PM who will turn the country into Venezuela. Meanwhile it appears that the scheming and devious Remainers, whose treachery knows no limits, have colluded with the evil EU to prevent No Deal, time to take to the streets.

I am starting to feel that I am now personally at war with Bercow, Hammond, Grieve and the rest because they are attempting to take my vote away, not a very pleasant feeling.

[OFSO]

Add Gina Miller to that list.....

[om15]

Ms Miller isn't in my official opposition list because I don't contribute to her wages so as far as I am concerned she is able to do as she chooses, the others are being paid to perform their duties, they are choosing not to for their own reasons and that is what is wrong.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

[barkingmad]

When filled with despair at the MSM’s reporting of the latest act in this long-running farce I get some comfort at watching the short and up to date snippets of Jeff Taylor YouTube, an observer who distils all the waffle into a clear and potentially optimistic take on how the Remoaners are failing in their plan.

I just hope that the blonde Rasputin gets us out cleanly and with no trace of the May Surrender Treaty remaining.