[Cyclist]

Now Johnson is pledging to do away with the "insane trade barrier" between mainland Britain and NI. A barrier which was created by, er, AB de P Johnson.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... 947172.amp

[The Red Arrow]

What's that, Sooty? "Useless, shameless, self-entitled, trough-slurping, pocket lining, verbally incontinent, duplicitous, doesn't give a shit about anything other than himself, psychopathic, egomaniac, fascistic cronyist lying racist prick and the morals of rabid hyena with the blood of hundreds of thousands on his grubby, grasping hands who would lose his job or liberty in any other walk of life" ?

[Nigredo]

He's treating us to a circus whilst his mates plunder whatever cash is left and the creeps slide draconian legislation under the radar.

[Bones McCoy]

But apart form the fishing industry collapse, the falling exports, the ridiculous charges on overseas purchases and Belfast being on fire; I through it was going rather well.

[Boiler]

[...] the ridiculous charges on overseas purchases

Repair to 'Mechatronic' unit (as used in ZF gearboxes) in Germany before 31/12/20: £500
Repair to 'Mechatronic' unit (as used in ZF gearboxes) in Germany after 31/12/20: £800

Ask me how I know this.

[davidjay]

[...] the ridiculous charges on overseas purchases

Repair to 'Mechatronic' unit (as used in ZF gearboxes) in Germany before 31/12/20: £500
Repair to 'Mechatronic' unit (as used in ZF gearboxes) in Germany after 31/12/20: £800

Ask me how I know this.

You bought a blue passport?

[MisterMuncher]

As to the great Japan trade deal, I was pricing up bike bits for my mate recently.

Shimano 105 group delivered from Wiggle to NI was £560
Same group delivered from Bike24 (DE) to ROI was €410. *

Turns out Japanese firms are going to continue distribution to UK via their extant EU subsidiaries and let the consumers deal with the costs rather than establish new lines of supply. I don't imagine consumer electronics and similar will be much different.


*Readers familiar with these suppliers will be aware that they are, in fact, the same bloody firm, and pre-Brexit their prices were functionally identical

[Boiler]

Looking that up, I came across the Shimano Ultegra - as namechecked by HMHB in Excavating Rita...

[MisterMuncher]

In context, Ultegra is the next step up the ladder from 105 and ran about 600 quid before this present darkness. 105 used to come in around 350, but COVID squeezed the supply and pumped the demand. The situation is pretty similar for the similarly not freely traded with the UK wares of Campagnolo (Italy) and SRAM (US/Tiawan), so if you really a bike with gears in the next half decade, good fucking luck.

Thing is, it was UK firms like Wiggle and former rivals/current merger partners CRC that were keeping prices low worldwide. It wasn't unknown for Americans and Aussies to order from the UK and take their chances on local customs but still come out better off than buying locally. That's gone, and between that and the higher prices, UK cycle retail is probably fucked.

[Youngian]

As to the great Japan trade deal, I was pricing up bike bits for my mate recently.

Shimano 105 group delivered from Wiggle to NI was £560
Same group delivered from Bike24 (DE) to ROI was €410. *

Turns out Japanese firms are going to continue distribution to UK via their extant EU subsidiaries and let the consumers deal with the costs rather than establish new lines of supply. I don't imagine consumer electronics and similar will be much different.


*Readers familiar with these suppliers will be aware that they are, in fact, the same bloody firm, and pre-Brexit their prices were functionally identical

You’ve probably heard the apocryphal story about the cyclist who went through Checkpoint Charlie every morning and the border guards couldn’t work out what he was smuggling. Bikes.

[Youngian]

BBC journalist going for a Peter Stefanovic style of fact checking. This is good news.

[Cyclist]

Brexit-cheerleading industry now reaping the Brexit dividend

Norfolk fruit farmer's concerns over harvesting workforce


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-56836528

"Before Brexit we were able to employ from Romania and Bulgaria, now we aren't unless they have a right to remain in the UK, therefore that labour source is cut off to us."

Who'da thunk Brexit actually meant Brexit?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

If only someone had warned them...

[Boiler]

But that was just Project Fear, Malc.

We'd had enough of experts, after all.

[Samanfur]

But don't forget, they all knew what they were voting for.

They said so enough times, after all.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

But don't forget, they all knew what they were voting for.

They said so enough times, after all.

They really don't like it when you point that out...

[Boiler]

But don't forget, they all knew what they were voting for.

They said so enough times, after all.

They really don't like it when you point that out...

No, it was definitely to free us from "... a sclerotic (it's that word again), bureaucratic, self-aggrandising nonsense that is sucking the life blood out of the European nations that are unfortunate enough to be part of it's wealth re-distributing Socialist programme?"

So there.

[Youngian]

Same story across the hospitality industry. FoM provided young seasonal workers and more serious long term applicants. Many of whom will now have settled status but have moved up the food chain. Who would employ the sort of wankers that gob off about immigrants taking jobs even if they did apply?

Hoteliers in the Highlands say Brexit has caused a shortage in hospitality industry staff to reach "crisis levels".
Inverness Hotels Association said applications to vacancies from workers in continental Europe were "drying up".
The group of independent hoteliers said there were not enough hospitality degree course graduates to fill the posts.
And they warned that small businesses may be forced to close.
The association represents 80% of the city's hotel provision. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... s-46385071

[Samanfur]

But still, blue passports. Right?

[Boiler]

According to someone I know, aren't all the young people doing woke bullshit social work courses anyway?