Who would you nominate?

I would not object to that.

What bothers me is who we would get instead.

I checked this too.

*20 seconds* of Reform logo display.

*No other* party logo displayed.

In local election purdah.

This is not normal. At all.

This, at first glance, looks like someone in BBC News should be resigning.

Yep. Sometimes I wonder why that doesn’t translate into politics.

I mean, I’m a simple and guileless scientist but even I could tell Mandelson was a wrong ‘un.

It’s mostly because he doesn’t seem to know what he is doing.

Tell them their mortgages and loans will be cheaper if we join the Euro and then ask them what they want.

Muting you now because you are tiring and badly informed and you seem to have a massive chip on your shoulder about the UK.

I wasn’t going to take your dubious word for it.

In recent weeks we’ve had positive comments from the Spanish PM, the Finnish PM, the incoming Hungarian PM and the President of the EC about UK rejoining. UK has far more to contribute to the EU economy and security than e.g. Ireland does.

I’ve searched Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour and Aontu now for their views on the UK rejoining the EU. They are broadly positive but quite general, apart from Aontu, who think the EU is a failing project and nobody should join.

But I suppose you have lots of confidential sources.

Oh. They are the general public are they?

And where do we read their views? I don’t think that was in their last manifesto.

I don’t think you are, friend. You’re mostly making stuff up because you don’t like the British.

I’m also a member of the general public in an EU member state.

And will you be part of the negotiating team or are you just guessing?

Another little reminder re Mandelson. It was no secret that he was a good friend of Epstein. It didn’t take the release of the files to reveal that. Even after his conviction.

It was also no secret that he’s been sacked twice before in utter disgrace.

All this was public. All this was known.

Well that’s not reason talking, it’s your personal and specific bias.

The UK public is suggesting nothing. The people you will hear from are UK politicians and UK media.

But it’s hard to get someone to follow the rules if you won’t enforce them.

Well who was going to tell them?

And yet, Sweden. And yet, Poland.

Don’t get me wrong, I think UK should go all in and join the Eurozone, but you can’t use it as an example of a rule that is mandatory and fully enforced. So certain strands of British politics will try to weasel out of it.

Crazy to hear "hey so for your own good you need to become dependent on our technology day to day. Especially women. Don't worry, it's free. Will is stay free? There's no time for questions, you're being left behind by your competitors who can't write their own emails anymore"

Please repost if you agree that the BBC has been undermining democracy and enabling foreign interference in our politics by promoting and protecting Farage.

The real issue is that we need to join wholeheartedly. The EU is not just a trade club, it’s a commitment to shared values and goals and a shared vision of the future. Why have one foot in and one foot out? What would be the point?

We have to reset our view of what the EU is and what it offers.

Well, look. There is one country that got an exemption from the Euro and that is Denmark. A couple of others are supposed to join, but haven’t done it YET. Time does not seem to be of the essence. 1/2

If the immigration were largely to do with health tourism, it would indeed be a problem, as sick people would be taking out but not contributing. But EU FOM is designed as free movement for workers, so I can’t see how that applies.

Cameron’s problem was an aspect of FOM which requires that EU citizens have access to health services on the same basis as nationals. There is no qualifying period or payment for Brits to access the NHS free at the point of use. Cameron worried that would lead to large scale health tourism.

The difference is that Sterling is no longer the second most powerful currency after the dollar. These days that’s the Euro, so what genuinely was something exceptional about Britain is no longer the case. We’d be trading up, not trading down.

The criteria vary depending on the accession country. When they insist that institutions are democratic, they want different changes in different places.

But different countries are expected to do different and specific things.

What is in the room, declaring April to be the Cruellest Month?
T.S. Elephant.