Here it is, your weekly Moggster update There are many downsides to Jacob Rees-Mogg becoming the Minister for Brexit Opportunities, yet I have found a definite upside, at least on a personal level: he provides a great deal of material for this Substack, to which I can only offer my eternal gratitude to him. He says so many silly things that are Brexit related, in fact, I could probably produce a daily bulletin focusing solely on the idiotic tidbits in service of the Church of Brexit that he has muttered in the previous 24 hours. It seems possible to me that this is intentional on his part, taken out of the Trump/Putin playbook in which you say so many things that aren’t meant to be taken as true in any material sense that the point isn’t to be believed at all, but rather to destroy the idea of truth itself as something to be valued.
On the falklands thing, I didn't specifically think about the Falklands during the referendum, but I did notice that Gibraltar voted something like 96% Remain, and Northern Ireland also had a large Remain majority in 2016. I recall thinking at the time that it was pretty significant that in areas where membership of the EU and the rules surrounding EU borders was likely to have a huge day-to-day impact on the lives of people in those territories, the benefits of EU membership were clearly seen by most people in those areas.
Rees-Mogg apparently thinks you should enter binding agreements on the assumption you will later reform them. Try doing that in business, Jacob. Apart from being completely idiotic, it confirms that Johnson signed his "deal" solely for the short term win of "getting Brexit done", knowing full well it would cause great difficulty for the UK later. That's not counting the effects they didn't foresee because they didn't read what they were signing up to.
They are so obsessed with independence from the EU that offers of access to existing systems to deal with the mountain of customs paperwork are rejected because we'd rather create our own from scratch. Even though that will mean continuing difficulty in the meantime.
“We must get away from this idea of divergence. I don’t care what the EU does any more, any more than I care what the United States does or the Singapore does."
Funny, but I thought Rees-Mogg and other Brexit mad hatters were aching for a massive deal with the US! I guess he does not care about what the US does due to that nation becoming very luke warm over a trade deal with Brexit Britain.
As for the Falklands, given that most brexiters are in a celebratory mood over the 40th anniversary of UK's victory over Argentina, it's most ironic they're seemingly unbothered or probably more likely unaware of the damage Brexit is doing to those islands.
It is therapeutic to laugh at these dreadfull people but I am getting to the point where I am so angry, I cannot enjoy that pleasure any more. The thought that some sheep farmer or fisherman in the south Atlantic is being bankrupt by their stupidity just makes me think that they should suffer some real retribution for the wrongs they have done. Rees-Mogg simply wanted to avoid the coming EU legislation on off-shore tax evasion accounts and he and others should pay soundly for this traitorous behaviour. If I had my way, Nigel Farage and all this Tory front bench would be in the re-instated village stocks. (Sorry, I know that is ridiculous. ) Thank you for your well-written and easy to follow reports.
I've been shouting about the Falklands to 'veterans' and 'patriots' on Twitter from some time; The Penguin News is a good source! Left out of the TCA and paying big tariffs on their mutton and squid ink, which the Spanish love apparently.
I think it must be Rees-Mogg's monotone, robotic style of delivery that makes it difficult to read how much he believes what he's saying and how much it's a Johnson-style performance. I mean, you probably listen to him more than I ever have, but I've always found his style of delivery difficult to read emotionally. Which I guess can be an advantage for a politician. At least you have found a personal upside to him!
He always reminds me of John Redwood, who got caricatured as "the vulcan" in a previous era of Euroscepticism.
On the falklands thing, I didn't specifically think about the Falklands during the referendum, but I did notice that Gibraltar voted something like 96% Remain, and Northern Ireland also had a large Remain majority in 2016. I recall thinking at the time that it was pretty significant that in areas where membership of the EU and the rules surrounding EU borders was likely to have a huge day-to-day impact on the lives of people in those territories, the benefits of EU membership were clearly seen by most people in those areas.
Rees-Mogg apparently thinks you should enter binding agreements on the assumption you will later reform them. Try doing that in business, Jacob. Apart from being completely idiotic, it confirms that Johnson signed his "deal" solely for the short term win of "getting Brexit done", knowing full well it would cause great difficulty for the UK later. That's not counting the effects they didn't foresee because they didn't read what they were signing up to.
They are so obsessed with independence from the EU that offers of access to existing systems to deal with the mountain of customs paperwork are rejected because we'd rather create our own from scratch. Even though that will mean continuing difficulty in the meantime.
“We must get away from this idea of divergence. I don’t care what the EU does any more, any more than I care what the United States does or the Singapore does."
Funny, but I thought Rees-Mogg and other Brexit mad hatters were aching for a massive deal with the US! I guess he does not care about what the US does due to that nation becoming very luke warm over a trade deal with Brexit Britain.
As for the Falklands, given that most brexiters are in a celebratory mood over the 40th anniversary of UK's victory over Argentina, it's most ironic they're seemingly unbothered or probably more likely unaware of the damage Brexit is doing to those islands.
It is therapeutic to laugh at these dreadfull people but I am getting to the point where I am so angry, I cannot enjoy that pleasure any more. The thought that some sheep farmer or fisherman in the south Atlantic is being bankrupt by their stupidity just makes me think that they should suffer some real retribution for the wrongs they have done. Rees-Mogg simply wanted to avoid the coming EU legislation on off-shore tax evasion accounts and he and others should pay soundly for this traitorous behaviour. If I had my way, Nigel Farage and all this Tory front bench would be in the re-instated village stocks. (Sorry, I know that is ridiculous. ) Thank you for your well-written and easy to follow reports.
I've been shouting about the Falklands to 'veterans' and 'patriots' on Twitter from some time; The Penguin News is a good source! Left out of the TCA and paying big tariffs on their mutton and squid ink, which the Spanish love apparently.
I think it must be Rees-Mogg's monotone, robotic style of delivery that makes it difficult to read how much he believes what he's saying and how much it's a Johnson-style performance. I mean, you probably listen to him more than I ever have, but I've always found his style of delivery difficult to read emotionally. Which I guess can be an advantage for a politician. At least you have found a personal upside to him!
He always reminds me of John Redwood, who got caricatured as "the vulcan" in a previous era of Euroscepticism.