The non-EU passport queue at Brussels Airport right now. I’m so sorry for you poor suckas 😂😭

Welcome to the Northern Ireland sign 60 Speeds in miles per hour

I don't mean the man on the Clapham omnibus, but, you know, the institutions of the state not portraying Europanness as alien.

What do you think?

Gusts of up to 80 mph on way for Easter weekend

It's surreal:football helps man shed seven stone

Paul Waring made 161 feet and 10 inches on putts

The 24ft (7m) fishing boat capsized east of Old Harry Rocks four nautical miles (7km) off Swanage on Tuesday at about 12:15 BST. The crew onboard the yacht raised a mayday with HM Coastguard, who requested Swanage lifeboat to launch.

All the talk of cultural acceptance of the euro and of Europeanness the last few days has been positive, almost exhilarating from our side .

You know what would be a good step towards European norms: if the BBC started using metric by default.

Reality is Europe saw distinct advantages in the first reset, in particular SPS and the lecky, and not just across the short strait, but also St George's Channel

That's far less the case with these new proposals; moreover some of this cherrypicking seems actively damaging

Until Peter I, Russia had been a victim, from Poland, Sweden in the west, Turks in the south and the Tatars in the east.
Russia has since endeavoured to have a buffer between it and the west and south, and conquer the east.

Security through aggrandisement.
Stalin did it.
Putin is doing it now.

What made the British feel "exceptional" was the Empire.
Until c.1700, Britain was enmeshed in Europe politically and militarily.
Once it began to look westward, populating America etc and building a navy that ensured its safety, the Channel became a moat rather than a connection.
It can't escape it

The US is very different in how in developed in 1945

I think the very scope of the British Empire is the relevant factor... and the Commonwealth... And the Monarchy... And the press giving ongoing reports on the success of it all... It really is a potent part of National identity - even though most of it is false & has zero relevance to most lives!

Look at Russia though in the war. Like the UK, a victor, and "morally right". The epic scars of that in Russia and everything that's happened since make it even harder to get over. And Russia really does have an exceptionalism issue.

Surely. There's a real risk

If I was to say something else though, it was bejng "morally right" in the War, but not feeling like material victors afterwards.

Ultimately, it is what it is and the UK has to get over that

I guess a real marker of this was England pre-Britain having much of its empire and wealth in France - Normandy, Guyenne, Gascony.- and Ireland. That period has marked political discourse and sociology.

The thing is Britain was not the only European country to have an Empire. Why does this notion of Global Britain still pervade? Second World war not being fought on UK soil? It wax not fought on Swedish or Irish soil either. UK never having its Empire on Continental Europe?

Even that is the action of a serious country, recognising its limits, acting to promote its interests within that. The effectivness in stopping domination by Napoléon of Europe, Russia expansion into South Asia, and German colonial competition in Africa was impressive (leaving aside morality+cost)

However, at least as reported, the discussions to date are being driven by thinking in Germany and France in particular, and it is difficult to see how such a development could be separated from EU initiatives to boost the capacity of its defence industries. More generally, it is hard to doubt that the centre of gravity of influence and decision-making of a ‘European NATO’ would be the EU simply because the bulk of the countries involved would be members of both. Almost inevitably that would fall foul of the kind of sentiments expressed in the Mail editorial and, indeed, the idea is already being reported in The Sun as “Europe’s secret plan” – not, admittedly outright Brussels-bashing, but certainly there is no suggestion in the report that this plan is something the UK is, could, or should be involved in. At all events, the prospect of a British government making a whole-hearted commitment to this, or any other version of a regional security alliance, seems remote for so long as the

Why is Brexitism still such a potent idea, despite the increasingly obvious weaknesses - and hostility to Britain - of global far-right populist?

Chris Grey gives the answer.

Can the UK get past this delusion?

It's hard to see Ukraine being kept out, and Turkey and the UK have strong cases.

The point is to be able to take decisions effectively, not to give outsiders a say in running our defence

🎯 I support @andriuskubilius.ec.europa.eu suggestion of a new EU-led mutual defence treaty org for nations outside the EU.
However, an EU security council & army need to be EU only,
as the incl of non-EU partners would leave EUs def vulnerable to their vetoes.
Join EU to join EU army & SC.
🇪🇺⚔️
#EUdef

In terms of projecting power abroad, it's been a good bit longer

You don't need to be powerful to be serious. It's about capacity and effectiveness, I guess.

So much seems to be going wrong in the UK, but you don't have to go back so far - 2012 Olympics, first Blair gov., even the Scots Indy ref. - to see a country both liked and able to do things well.

Exactly.

Believe harder…..

Could yet be LDs with a majority of 260

This is a good example.

I think France has similar credit risk profile as Britain.

And yet it pays a lot less.

No.
It's the Empire Delusion.
The innate belief that having had the largest Empire in history made us "special".

That the country that had the 2nd largest just carried on shows how deranged we are.

Oh....Empire Derangement Syndrome!.....that fits.

I don't know if it's that. Cricket, rugby, hockey, football, rowing etc.

Huzzah!

Yah to the euro!

This is why acting now, not waiting, is vital

Vile politicians, supported certain media, telling outright lies to a gullible UK public. They do it, not out of a delusional patriotism, but purely self interest. I remain convinced that the stupidity of Brexit will be swept aside, but how much economic damage has to be done before that?

Good quote