Post ASHZMydjDA5r7aZqTY by smari@mastodon.social
 (DIR) More posts by smari@mastodon.social
 (DIR) Post #ASHZMy7p7mZZWdeMkK by smari@mastodon.social
       2023-02-02T21:45:10Z
       
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       I'm looking forward to reading this book. As a person with Icelandic, Irish, and (reluctantly) British citizenship, I was extremely privileged to have front row seats to the unfolding of Brexit, as the head of the Icelandic parliamentary delegation to EFTA and the EEA, and as (for a year) President of the EEA JPC, as the EFTA states were trying to negotiate with the UK as they were floundering in Europe. The contrast between EU and UK was astoundingly stark.  (1/n)https://yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/brexit/inside-the-deal-how-the-eu-got-brexit-done/
       
 (DIR) Post #ASHZMydjDA5r7aZqTY by smari@mastodon.social
       2023-02-02T21:46:58Z
       
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       In particular, whenever we met with Barnier, he was well organized, knew the issues, and completely understood the details and the broad stokes of the game. All meetings in Westminster, by contrast, were completely chaotic and unfocused, with high level politicians frequently unaware of the most basic facts. Suella Braverman in particular was a stunningly uninformed person who didn't understand what EEA or EFTA was, or why we were there at all.
       
 (DIR) Post #ASHZMzDt2j16vjUips by smari@mastodon.social
       2023-02-02T21:51:34Z
       
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       Brexit remains a completely unmitigated disaster, one which exposes, in my mind, the effects of the Thatcherite legacy of eroding public capacity for self governance, with sprinkles of manipulation from everybody who could benefit from Farage and Johnson succeeding in their ludicrous objective, from Russia to China to the City of London. The cleptokrats and oligarchs of the world are still rejoicing at having neutered a famously powerful country.
       
 (DIR) Post #ASHZMziNDNP4SHl4M4 by knhy@outerkosm.us
       2023-02-02T22:08:00.508Z
       
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       @smari@mastodon.socialhaving neutered a famously powerful countryI feel like, tbh, WW2 and the US-dominated post-WW2 world neutered the UK. The UK has been in a constant process of castration for decades at this point.
       
 (DIR) Post #ASHsCwTEJupMcuaxhA by publius@mastodon.sdf.org
       2023-02-03T01:39:05Z
       
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       @smari This business of filling ministerial positions with people who, apparently, neither know nor care what their remit is, baffles me.It's a great deal more reprehensible than most crimes I can think of.