Thanks for the clarification of FPTP being just an example of a ranked system.
I get the Lib Dems application. They always appeared to be everyone’s second choice (for some people first choice) but nowhere near power, as it never translated into enough seats won.
I voted to leave the EU. I didn’t vote for the utter fuck-up that happened next.
But I’d still take it over Germans telling me how bent my bananas can be.
Just for reference, whenever I have to suffer the French, I go from Hull and drive.
A new definition of stupid? 
The joke was funny the first time. What, is this the 50th time on these boards now?
I take both the ferry and Eurotunnel a lot. Probably more than most on here. I never use it during UK school holiday periods, mostly because I refuse to pay £350 return for a ticket, but outside those peak dates, the routes are very quiet. And I mean, I’ve been on some crossings, usually those at about 10pm on a weekday, where there were less than a handful of vehicles - both lorries and cars - on board. It’s been kind of weird how quiet it has been. It has usually taken less than 15 minutes to get through the French and UK customs to the ticket windows. French customs at Dover never operated prior to Brexit and they now really only do a half-check of passports. They certainly don’t scan them. More look at them, if there is a French passport among them then they’ll let you go through straight away.
Is it just coincidence and the 10 or so crossings I’ve made in the last 6 months have all just been particularly quiet sailings? I can’t rule it out. But it feels like this is a case where there has been a particularly popular time to cross (just prior to Easter) and as always at Dover, the traffic fluctuates wildly with the dates.
I haven’t noticed too much extra time with security and passport checks at Dover since Brexit but I imagine a number of buses coming over at the same time would require a bit of extra checking than it did pre-Brexit. Not so much that we need a ‘Brexit caused this!’ headline from the papers. Such headlines don’t really help or highlight the actual issues that Brexit has caused.
It is definitely time dependent. I tend to use the Ijmuiden-Newcastle ferry (I still don’t trust P&O enough to use Rotterdam-Hull). The passport checks appear to be very fast for cars although I’m told that it is much slower for foot passengers. I suspect that as I have a German registered car there is a basic assumption that I am supposed to be there anyway.
There always were cursory checks on passports for crossings into the Schengen area. However, if passports need stamping that is going to take a little longer. An additional 30 seconds per passport on 20 vehicles will take around 10 minutes which is neither here nor there. On 100 vehicles you have a 50 minute delay and that starts to cause a backlog.
Of course, real life is always much more complicated and there are grey areas, but we aren’t talking so much about the motivations of individuals, but rather the underlying philosophies of each side. The modern Conservative party, certainly since Thatcher, is based on a belief in free market capitalism which goes back to Adam Smith. The Labour party has it’s roots in the union movement and other welfare groups which took a more collectivist view of society. Thus we have arrived at this dichotomy in UK politics.
I last did the channel crossing in the summer of 2018. On the return there was a massive delay that started because some idiots wouldn’t use the ‘EU only’ kiosks (English fuckwits) and blocked others from going to them.
The ‘security’ people just made things worst, real big fuckwits.
The technical teams at Dover are completely incompetent, the lane system is badly signalled, confusing and inappropriate. This needs adressing but requires someone with intelligence, which is impossible. You can build as many kiosks you like if the ‘road’ system isn’t up to it the problems will persist.
Never had any problems at Calais.
Another time at Dover I was pulled over for a check, waved over into a ‘side lane’ which branched and no indication which branch to take. Ended up with 3 irrate security dimwits shouting at me when I politely waved them over to ask where to go. Was checked and got past due to saying my big boxes were full of cast off and my stereo equipement. So pulled away and followed the lane which ended up branching. 5 minutes later I got pulled up by security, 'what are you doing here?
‘Err, I’m trying to get to the ferry terminal’
‘It’s not this way!’
Guy was quite nice actually and gave me clear instructions how to get there. Problem was to get to the P&O checkin I had to cross the park with just 5 meters before the checkin kiosks. With lorries and cars arriving and lined up blocking the way. So off I ventured, as you do, going upstream, down stream, across, up and down getting hooted by all and sundry. It was nuts, who ever came up with that ‘solution’ should be shot!
Just for you then i’ll wax lyrical about the joys of apples that fall outside 55-65mm diameter.
Seems I have some sort of gift for predicting the future. Tick tick tick
Adam Smith didn’t really advocate anything in Wealth Of Nations. He explained the laws under which economies operate. In fact, if anything, he was quite disparaging of things like landlordism.
Neoliberalism is the belief that the market is always correct and that the end result of those free markets is both optimal and desirable. The fact that they still say this after fuck-up after demonstrable fuck-up rather paints them as the capitalist equivalent of Tankies who claim that the problem with communism is that it was never done properly.
Shouldn’t that be inside?
That was a particularly bad one which is no longer in effect however it did a lot of damage to particularly ‘British’ apples. I think this is the one rule that annoyed me most as cox’s orange pipins dropped of the map.
Now why would that be? Ah yes, the Europeans almost universally hate the English. With the exception of the ones who run bars in England South (Spain) where they actually really dislike us. Only the Welsh dislike us more. That’s the beauty of the USA, get out of Florida and everybody loves us :). Maybe that’s because it’s the one war we lost.
That’s fair enough.
I’ll admit having not used the ferry for donkeys years but I have flown into Europe twice and both times passport checks have been a bit frustrating. The first time was carnage.
That’s partly due to staffing issues and the fact that several flights all arrived at the same time.
I meant it has its roots in his work, and he is seen as the father of this worldview.
From Wikipedia:
“The invisible hand is a metaphor used by the Scottish moral philosopher Adam Smith that describes the inducement a merchant has to keep his capital at home, thereby increasing the domestic capital stock and enhancing military power, both of which are in the public interest and neither of which he intended. Some later authors have broadened this to imply the unintended greater social impacts brought about by individuals acting in their own self-interests.”
Later authors may have extrapolated, but his is the name they always invoke.
So you voted for something that you thought existed in your mind, but turned out to be something completely different? But at least you’re a bit unique in admitting the train wreck that it currently is. Many don’t.
Just to be clear that is exactly the issue that’s at the heart of the whole issue and to some degree why the debate still rumbles on.
For example do you think fishers would have voted for what they’ve got now?
They are trying to ban prawn cocktail crisps you know?
(You also know these Euro ‘they are trying to…’ scare stories were always totally fabricated, don’t you)
I’ve never felt particularly hated in Europe.
It might be because when I’ve been I generally behave politely and respectfully, try to speak a little of the language (although don’t try that in Paris), and don’t throw my weight around acting superior.
And yet, when I argue people didn’t know what they were voting for, he’ll be the first kick off.
@Klopptimist has the classic demeanour of the conned man. Even as the con becomes blindingly obvious he’ll double down and insist it’s all fine. In few years he’s gone from the sunlit uplands, to ‘well, there were always going to be some drawbacks’ to ‘it’s shit but I’d still vote for it’.