Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Do we hold all the cards to rejoin, Ed?

FFS...

That's exactly what he's doing. While getting a 2 for the price of 1 by citing a figure with no credibility at all in terms of what's on offer to oppose tax increases. Actually maybe it's 3 for 1, because he seems to think this provides money now, when the EU have taken 6 months to start negotiations after the May Summit. No criticism of the EU in that, that's just how it works, and was a good reason not to fuck about leaving it.

It's depressing how many people fall for this guff. I don't even understand how Davey's red lines are meaningfully from Starmer's.

What exactly are the Lib Dems redlines.

Well, indeed. Freedom of Movement is one, which rules out the Single Market. I'm sure they're not bothered about shadowing EU rules or accepting some court decisons- luckily nor is Starmer.I assume they'd pay in to the budget- so would Starmer.The difference seems to be like the difference between May and Johnson- Johnson was louder.

Others have observed that there's a view that the Customs Union is like the Single Market but no freedom. This is absolute bollocks.

A delicious irony today. The Lib Dems’ ten minute rule bill entreating the government to renegotiate some sort of Customs Union agreement with the EU was tied on division at 100 votes for and 100 votes against. So the Deputy Speaker passed the motion using the speaker’s casting vote. It’s a ten minute rule bill, so it’s of very little importance and will not affect anything. However, it’s interesting to note that all of the Reform UK MPs present for the division voted against. Farage, as usual, was absent elsewhere. Had he been present for the vote, and voted alongside his collegues, it would have been defeated.

These Liberal Democrats sound like radical, straight talkers. Someone should give them a go in government.

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Wed Dec 24, 2025 11:07 am These Liberal Democrats sound like radical, straight talkers. Someone should give them a go in government.

Good idea. I can't see them going back on their word about anything.

Goldfish are orange...

Here's another chancer who can't be bothered to stand with the Government in an international crisis.

International diplomacy and school playgrounds, famously exactly the same. You might as well say "boxing teaches us that you have to roll with the punches".

Trump's comments about Starmer show 'appeasing a bully never works', Ed Davey says

This is the same guy who was in the Coalition, and could barely stand up to George Osborne? Yet Starmer's supposed to, do what exactly? And it was precisely standing up to Trump on Greenland and the Bored of Peace that's got the latest tariff threat.

This is the same guy who was in the Coalition, and could barely stand up to George Osborne?

A shame Davey wasn't as tough talking with Fujitsu, they're may have been suicidal former post masters enjoying their retirement by now.

I actually sympathized with him on that. He did seek assurances, which is all the Minister can really do.

I'm rapidly changing my view.

Lib Dems plan to scrap Treasury for new ‘department for growth’
Daisy Cooper says ‘over-centralised’ Treasury would be merged with parts of Department for Business and moved to Birmingham

Rishi Sunak moved part of the Treasury to Darlington, and this seems to have gone well enough. But the whole department being moved to Birmingham? I think the Chancellor might reasonably want the department a bit closer to 11 Downing Street.

Reminds me of Harold Wilson's Department of Economic Affairs, which didn't last very long. Could work though now.

Will this be the department for per capita growth or GDP growth? Any fool can expand the population and/or create inflation to achieve the latter.

Ed Davey not for the first time can fuck off.

Lib Dems calls for law change to remove ability of ministers to cancel elections without primary legislation
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, has welcomed the local elections U-turn. He says it shows why the government should back the Lib Dem proposal to remove the ability of the government to postpone elections using secondary legislation.

He says:

The Liberal Democrats have fought tooth and nail to stop this stitch-up and the government has been forced into a humiliating U-turn. Labour are terrified of Reform and we are the only party willing to stand up to Farage and beat him, as we do week after week in council byelections.
We cannot allow the government to cancel elections on a whim ever again. That is why the Liberal Democrats have brought forward an amendment to change the law, stripping the government of this power and ensuring that the public’s voice is protected by statute, not left to the whims of ministers. Starmer should back these plans immediately.

They were cancelled because the bodies are going to be abolished. As has happened before.

Let's see how many of these places you beat Reform in, shall we? You seem to have lined up with Farage on this issue.

Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, has issued this statement following the confirmation from the government that it will support his Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor humble address motion (see 1.17pm and 1.56pm.)

Today is an important step in dismantling the system that protected Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Epstein’s other associates. The victims, survivors and their families have waited far too long for the truth to come out and justice to be done.
We need a complete change of culture to hold the powerful to account. That starts with full transparency so we can understand how and why Andrew was given the job of trade envoy in the first place.
Now that the government has agreed to publish these files, we will use every lever at our disposal – politically and legally – to prevent any needless delay in bringing out the truth.

I'll save you a lot of time, Ed. He was appointed because he was the son of The Queen. And he survived in the role because nobody in the UK cared about Epstein from 2001-2011. Including you and your party.

At some point you're going to have to level with the electorate on taxes, which you keep opposing, while supporting the spending.

Am I the only one who thinks that Davey is a monumental populist prick?

'Lib Dems urge Starmer to call off King's US visit after Trump's criticism of Iran response'

I missed this zinger. They know very well why King Charles is going.

Sorry chaps, you're going to have to level about tax increases with the public at some point. And perhaps house building as well, though I'm not hopeful on that score. You can't keep this stuff up for 5 years.

Boiler wrote: ↑Wed Feb 25, 2026 9:15 am Am I the only one who thinks that Davey is a monumental populist prick?

He was doing OK until Green Zak out-populared him.

That's the thing with populism - always another punter prepared to push it further for likes and views.

The DUP and Farage have reached a position there they are fairly immune to being outflanked. I think Zack might well do the same.

But Davey is having to be a sensible one at the same time as the straight talking populist. That is harder to pull off.