Lloyds Banking Share Discussion Threads

[joestalin] 31/1/2021 18:23

Lord Adonis was thinking about his own career in an unaccountable money tree. Just like Kinnock, Mandelson, and the rest of the gravy train passengers.

[maxk] 31/1/2021 18:06

So, Lord Adonis et al, what price Remain now?

The European project has been found horribly wanting by the Covid pandemic, which has brutally exposed its deep faultlines


MARK FRANCOIS
30 January 2021 • 9:30pm




The last 48 hours have witnessed extraordinary events, whereby the European Commission has attempted to invoke a little known Article in a UK/EU treaty to somehow mitigate its own terrible failings in rolling out a discredited and faltering vaccination programme for its increasingly angry citizens.

The Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP) is not part of the Prime Minister's recently concluded Trade and Co-operation Agreement with the EU.

Rather, it forms part of the earlier, revised, Withdrawal Agreement by which we legally departed the European Union a year ago today. The NIP replaced the dreaded "backstop" under which the UK could have been trapped in a trade-limiting customs union forever, without any unilateral exit mechanism.

Instead, the NIP is intended to regulate trade between Northern Ireland and the EU but also between NI and Great Britain as NI remains part of the EU Customs Union, whereas Great Britain does not. The NIP came into force on January 1 and already there have been problems in its operation, leading to serious bureaucratic delays in both GB/NI and NI/GB trade which the European Research Group that I chair is now actively highlighting to senior ministers.

Article 16 of the NIP (Safeguards) allows either party to adopt unspecified "safeguarding measures" to protect its trade position. If one side invokes the Article, under Annex 7, the other has the legal right essentially to retaliate in kind. It is this Article which the European Commission was citing to ban the export of vaccines from the EU to the UK.

Time and again during what I call the "Battle for Brexit" we were bullied by the European Commission (and Theresa May) to accept the shameful "backstop", to supposedly prevent the creation of a hard border on the Island of Ireland and thus uphold the Good Friday Agreement.

However, in an act of absolutely stunning hypocrisy, the European Commission has just advocated creating a metaphorical hard border for vaccines, purely for its own purposes. In doing this – without, it appears, even consulting Dublin properly beforehand – the commission did not so much "throw the Irish under a bus" as whack the double-decker straight into reverse and back right over them again.

The European project has been found horribly wanting by the pandemic. The crisis has brutally exposed its deep faultlines of massive, ponderous bureaucracy and decisions taken for EU protectionism and corporate advantage rather than the welfare of its own citizens, who are now rightfully furious with their inept political masters.

This botched "crie de coeur" by the advocates of the project seems desperately intended to mask their own failings by somehow blame-shifting onto Perfidious Albion instead. However, this is also an opportunity. We should announce a complete review of the NI Protocol to iron out its operational problems and, if necessary, even consider replacing it entirely.

Either way, this whole episode has starkly exposed just how brutally the European Commission can behave when its interests are threatened.

So, Lord Adonis et al, what price Remain now?

[maxk] 31/1/2021 18:02

With the most incompetent buyers ever.

[utrickytrees] 31/1/2021 17:56

Bang on Joe, there is no room for the EU what is their purpose ?They're little more than a purchasing organisation

[joestalin] 31/1/2021 17:46

"EU can manage their own affairs"

Are you quite sure about that?

[joestalin] 31/1/2021 16:59

The UK will apply to join a free trade area with 11 Asia and Pacific nations on Monday, a year after it officially left the EU.

Joining the group of "fast-growing nations" will boost UK exports, the government says.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership - or CPTPP - covers a market of around 500 million people.

But they are harder to reach than neighbouring markets in Europe.

Members include Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.

Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam are also founder members of the bloc, which was established in 2018.

"In future it's going to be Asia-Pacific countries in particular where the big markets are, where growing middle-class markets are, for British products," said International Trade Secretary Liz Truss

[xxxxxy] 31/1/2021 16:51

Watch "EXPLAINED: The People Vs Wall Street." on YouTubehtTps://youtu.be/x3nh8IpYuc0Populism for Finance

[mikemichael2] 31/1/2021 16:49

Here's Lloyds news, I like the add, is that Freddy Flintoff driving the train??

[stonedyou] 31/1/2021 13:50

Aberdeen wants independence from Sturgeon! Tory revolt as chiefs bypass 'incompetent' SNP


A TORY local authority chief wants to "separate from Edinburgh" and has demanded cash directly from Westminster instead of Edinburgh.


Tory-run Aberdeen City Council has spoken out and branded the SNP run Scottish Government as “incompetent”. City chiefs have corresponded directly with Chancellor Rishi Sunak at the Treasury and asked for funds to bypass the Scottish Government which controls council spending in Scotland.

Cllr leader Douglas Lumsden asked the Treasury to send cash directly to local authorities and NHS boards ahead of the Chancellor’s Spending Review.

In a letter to Mr Sunak, Cllr Lumsden said: “The consequentials received from the UK Government to the devolved Scottish Government, thanks to spending in education or in health in England, are not necessarily being spent on these issues by the SNP here.

“This has led to funding shortfalls in both our NHS and education.

“I wonder if you would consider... devolving finances direct to the 32 Scottish local authorities in respect of any more financial aid relating to COVID-19 and in respect of UK Barnett consequentials.

[freddie01] 31/1/2021 13:43

January's highlights:

Nissan: Commits to UK
JCB: 400 new jobs
Rolls-Royce: £90m testbed
Lotus: 250 new jobs
Bombardier: Huge export order
What More: £20m investment
Fernite: New factory
MBDA: £550m MoD order
Bentley: Record sales
Norton: New factory

#UKmfgFlag of United Kingdom

[sabre6] 31/1/2021 13:11

Humphrey probably knows what that's about

[josh 32] 31/1/2021 12:34

Labour politicians have been really vocal we want,we want,we want what does Labour want ????. Chorus we want,we want ,we want what does Labour want ??? We want,we want??? .And so it goes on like stuck needle on a record

[portside1] 31/1/2021 12:33

Sp the same had it was in 2009

[mikemichael2] 31/1/2021 12:25

I think Min is keeping a low profile after his beloved EU got a kicking, either that or he's overdosed on the paint stripper.

[xxxxxy] 31/1/2021 12:24

Economic recovery will rely on the self employed and small business getting back to work and going for all the new opportunities. The Treasury should improve its support for their pandemic damage and give them a tax cut. Getting the deficit down needs faster growth... John Redwood

[xxxxxy] 31/1/2021 12:22

John Redwood@johnredwood3hEnvironmental groups are right to ask for a new business case for HS2. The original one was weak and now future demand for business and commuting travel will be reduced.

[ball deap] 31/1/2021 12:20

Now then now then, you long?

[xxxxxy] 31/1/2021 12:20

Reshore. Made/produced in UK. First....David Cornwall31 Jan 2021 11:18AMI do not agree with this defeatist approach to manufacturing  and security.What happened to building on the back of quality reliability and service,  something the British were famous for [ pre Blair ].  Modern methods, materials and design means that the costs are not prohibited.  What this article supports is multinational corporations which become too big, monopolies that rip off the people through lack of competition.  Some like Google, Apple and Amazon go much further - they become political machines that kill free speech, buy up and crush competition.  Britain needs reliable alternatives if you really want independence, fair prices and freedom... Daily Telegraph