Last Sunday, Theresa May(be) signed the Brexit agreement with the European Union. Regardless of what Parliament decides, it is time to bid farewell to London and our English friends. Above: the bridges will be closed to continental ships. At long last.
“I see a red door and I want to paint it black…” Jagger and Richards will have to sell their properties on the Continent. Or apply for asylum in Italy?
The George will remain forever. And go back to selling lukewarm beer, free at last of Brussels regulations to serve beer at a shocking 4ºC. Continentals!
Twinings was established in 1706, so they don’t care.
Covent Graden: a reflection on Brexit. Nothing.
Smoking pipe will be legal again. “Inside pubs, mate?” “Yes. Mate.”
Hogarth’s Shrimp girl (c.1740) will walk the banks of the Thames again. EU directive number 3.14159 on shrimp picking will be revoked.
This building will remain anonymous. Haven’t the foggiest. My notes were seized by Customs.
Ishtar the Queen of night. Babylonia, c.1792 BC. Wardens at the British Museum claim that on some nights, a tall, grey-haired lady dressed in impossible colours comes to ask Ishtar for advice.
It is rumoured that Boris Judas Johnson is a patron at this barber shop.
What is left of the Tory government holds great hopes in securing a trade agreement with East India. A company has been set up already. (Covent Garden, 2016)
I’d always thought this was a portrait of Hélène Fourment, Rubens’ wife. Turns out this is her sister, Susanna. Quite an air of family. Portrait is called “Le chapeau de paille”, c. 1622. Title will be changed to English of course, unless… The Belgian government has asked for the restitution of all Belgian paintings before Brexit is formerly executed.
Jeremy Corbyn will keep reading Gibbon’s Roman Empire at the British Museum. For inspiration.
Ultimately all will be decided in Westminster. Worse even. (And that is a fact.) The vote will depend on a handful of MP’s. Principally the 10 Unionist MP’s from Northern Ireland, who have already voiced their opposition to the agreement. Wait, wait! 10 people will decide for 66 million Brits? Ain’t that a tad short, mate?
Regardless of the outcome, a belated thanks to young Mr Spiller, Esq. killed in action a century ago in France.
A word of caution, in this age of widespread nonsense, all but a few of the above comments are jokes. Bad jokes, maybe, but jokes all the same. Next thing you know, the Sun publishes it as “Shocking news! A Frog claims PM holds secret meetings at the British museum!”
So, my British friends, it’s not over until it’s over. Bidding you farewell and not Adieu.
Equinoxio 
It is a crazy situation. Most of my Brit friends are unhappy with that but I keep on telling that somehow someone has voted it! I am personally unsatisfied with the European Community so I like to think they will succeed in this extreme indipendence effort.
Or maybe it’s time to review the treaties? I always go back to the origins of the Union: To stop us from cutting each other’s throats as we have done for thousands of years. That’s it. period. And it’s worked. Now can it be improved? Most certainly. Let’s work on it. And I bet you the brits will be back. One day or the other.
Ciao ciao.
Should they be back it won’t be a good sign. I would review the conditions to stay in the European Community as well. In Greece they have only made disasters, Brits decided to left. Imho, so far the advantage is only on one side and only for a a few countries, it is not fair at all.
I have to say I love the buildings. They have style all in caps. I love the other pictures as well. I admit I do not understand this Brexit thing. I listened to a English You Tuber I follow and he claimed he was for brexit Because while he could stand the layers of government in his country, from town or city level to larger regions to Parliament and the PMs, he simply couldn’t stand being dictated to by authorities he had no representation too / from. ( sort of like what set off our own revolt from England when we were a colony ) However I thought each member of the EU had representatives in the governing body? So why did he feel England had no say int he rules? We get so little clear news here in Florida on this, only the sensationalist stuff and any real news is on line because no TV show will report on Europe that place timelessly far away. Brain, what am I missing in this? OH and what about the agreement between England and Spain on Gibraltar? I think this is important isn’t it? Radical departure from before? Hugs
Of course Britain had representatives in the EU. Same as everyone. And they steered the Union their way more often than not. It is just stupidity exploited by politicians. A simple reasoning: how on Earth does the UK think they can get a “better deal” outside of the EU as opposed to inside? Many independent bodies have calculated the cost of Brexit for the UK in 3 to 10 percentage points of GDP. And yet, they go on. I can’t understand. And Gibraltar? Another madness. They’re never going to let it go.
Cheers.
Thanks for the update it makes more sense. Be well. Hugs
U 2 Scottie.
The real problem is the Brits are so used to a complex monetary system that they fail to understand or accept the simplicity of the Euro. If the European Union would accpt the shilling and the bob and the pound the Brits would all be in favour of staying.
Simplicity is the key word. I remember working on international projects in Europe in the mid-late 80’s. Exchange rate was always a nightmare, business-wise. So was traveling. Having to buy Marks, Pounds, Lira, Pesetas for a day trip because you had a meeting in London, Frankfurt, Milan or Madrid. Now? Euros work everywhere – almost – in Europe and there are no exchange risks business-wise. Of course the Italians – and the French – can’t devaluate as they please. 😉
Thanks for the visit and contribution.
But she does! The weird thing is, she keeps calling Ishtar ‘Margaret’. Sad really. But even sadder: Ishtar never replies.
Haha! Independent confirmation. We now have two sources. We can publish! 😉
Frankly, I’m surprised the whole arrangement lasted as long as it did.
Like I said elsewhere, if the European Union has prevented war for so long, it is worth a shot to keep up. 🙂
Dammit! I can smoke in pubs again!
And to think, it was a coin flip between beer and cigarettes and beer won. Oh well ….
I’m sure my lungs thank me all the same!
🙂
I have Gibbon on my shelf too.
Good old London Town.
Yes, good old London! 🙂
Gibbon now? Another coincidence. I too have a copy. In Frog. Probably loses some charm. Been on my to-read list for years now. I’ve recently moved it up as it may shed some light on current events.
Cheers.
I’ve read parts of it. I understand he has always has a mixed reception from other historians, past and present.
I quite enjoy the way he writes, but i have no in depth knowledge to know how accurate his history is.
History is subject to so much rewriting, criticisms abound. 🙂
I will have a go at Gibbon. (After I finish Russel’s history of western philosophy, which I have abandoned a bit.)
Cheers.
Un très rapide, Brieuc : Il s’agit de l’hôtel St. Pancras Renaissance. Pour le Brexit, je suis juste un spectateur ébahi qui voit que l’effet papillon existe. J’ai travaillé depuis 31 ans avec des britanniques et je n’ai eu que très rarement à m’en plaindre. Ceux avec qui j’ai travaillé n’avaient pas l’air de se dire “tiens, si j’appuyais sur le petit bouton rouge, là ?
Merci et bonne route, Brieuc !
St-Pancras? Triggers memories. 🙂 Merci du rappel. Et oui, moi aussi j’ai beaucoup travaillé avec les Anglais, et mes amis de là-bas ont tous voté “remain”… Bouton rouge indeed. A +
I enjoyed all your jokes, Brian!
Dankie Dina. You’re only too kind. Maybe that’s because you are my “twin” sister? 😉
Definitely…😄
😉
Oh how I hate this. Je suis une européenne. Tojours. Thank you for putting up with us through all the hostility and arrogance from « our » side, and please don’t give up on us.
Signed, a forty-eight per-center.
PS Those lovely people who may still want to visit us, remember that London, for all its cultural riches, is not ‘Britain’, nor even ‘England’ – come to see us up north!
I know. (about the many places in the UK) Problem we have is my wife only has 3 weeks in the summer, so we have to be selective about where we go. I personally think 3 weeks would be a minimum in the UK.
As for “hostility and arrogance”, I’m 25% English (Grandmother) so I can relate. 🙂 (And Frogs don’t stay behind arrogance-wise!) 🙂
A lot of people have been fed a lot of lies by politicians. Eventually the wheel will turn when the economic consequences will start. let’s all have patience. A bientôt mon amie.
Such a crazy idea that’s throwing the country into recession but the people voted for Brexit – under lies and false information. It’s incredible how powerful and slanted the media has become.
I remember being in the UK in 2015 when all the pollies were debating Brexit and feeding the populace BS. I couldn’t believe my ears and worse, off, I couldn’t believe that the populace actually believed the cr*p being fed to them – too many ‘believes’ in that sentence, but you get the picture!
I’m at the point in life that I feel like becoming a recluse on a tiny self-sufficient island, as I can’t handle what’s happening to humanity. It feels as if we’re regressing to the Middle Ages – serfs and serfdom.
I am so grateful for your comment Nilla dear. I thought I was the only one looking for a secluded out-of-the way island… 🙂 If you do find one, can you save us half a dozen seats on the beach? 😉
That’s a hard one and have to think that one over as it may become another ‘Paraguayan Experiment’. 😉
I’d never heard of that. 🙂 Interesting. Thanks for pointing it out. Unfortunately utopias don’t end too well, do they?
No, sadly this one didn’t either.
I saw that. Well. Let’s keep trying shall we? 😉
Of course 😉
That’s the spirit! 🙂
In addition, there was plenty of space to do it Down under. Why go so far? 🙂
I don’t remember why they set sail for Paraguay – not an easy journey in the 1890s. I really need to read the book again.
Perhaps they wanted to get as far away from the establishment as they could as lets face it, in those days migrants to Australia ran a muck really. We have an ugly history, which today, we don’t want to confront, with the attitude “it was for the best”.
So there is a book? And you carry it around the world with you? 🙂
Ugly history? Not so sure. It seems to me each country has its share of dark and bright sides. Let’s work on the bright sides. Can’t forget the dark side, but then, in my view, you cannot blame the son (or daughter) for the father’s (mother’s) crimes, can you.
Pétain et al collaborated with the Nazis during the war. I have nothing to do with that. What I can do is make sure it never happens again. (Fingers crossed!) 😉
Buona settimana. Do let us know when you get your papers. 😉
Ha, ha, no but I read it years ago and found it fascinating.
Very true, I can’t think of one country without a dark history.
I’ll let you know but it wasn’t today! 😦
Domani, domani… 😉
Si, sempre 😉
Mamma mia!
Trump and Johnson would love it if that happened. You don’t have to pay serfs, just leave them enough food to last till spring.
‘xactly.
She signed, but a majority voted for this … and celebrates, I presume…
Plus dure sera la chute… The harder the fall? I’ve seen figures on the economic impact of Brexit… It won’t be a walk in the park…
It won’t be a walk for anyone. And I don’t like the fact that the precedent is set.
Agreed. The Catalans have been silent, but they’re only waiting for their turn. The Flemish. The Scots. One day, a politician will press for the independence of Brittany… There are plenty of excuses to feed BS to the people… Tsss.
Have a great week Inese. You sound in good spirits. Plus your posts. I take it you are recovering nicely?
Oh Brian I wish. Just living one day at a time.
People don’t see a real danger. They act so childish. This is the worst time for any dividing since America is weakened by incompetent government during the last decade. We are going to be taken with bare hands.
Bare hands indeed. And actually handed over by a significant fraction. Oh, well. Enjoy your green Eire.
OMG! You had me roaring with your clever political humor! And Isn’t that anonymous building St Pancras?
St Pancras it is, as confirmed by another “Frog” friend.
I wish that political humor were enough to make things change course but there are bad winds blowing the world over…
I am actually thinking of… another blog maybe. Spilling my views and experience of the world. It might be called “The mzungu chronicles”. Mzungu means white man in Swahili, the common language through East Africa. 🙂
Love it!
And confirmed by a Brit too. So we are safe. 😉
I’m pretty sure from the colour scheme and the curve that this is St. Pancras railways station. No? It made quite an impression on me too as I lived nearby during my last time in London in 2010.
You’re the third person to tell me it’s St Pancras. So you’re probably right. Just checked, it’s the St-Pancras renaissance hotel. I was walking around King’s Cross, as I had a lunch appointment on Granary sq.
How lovely to live nearby. 🙂
Great post. It always comes down to the vote of a few people which never seems right! Interesting times. And other countries are waiting in the wings to see what happens.
Catalunia, Flanders, Scotland, Corsica, etc…
And no it does not seem right. Let’s see how the votes go in the House of Commons this week.
Yes. Big news.
Again, fingers crossed. 🙂
Made me laugh Brian, through gritted teeth. Hope springs eternal, as they say, and who knows, our collection of largely pointless MPs may well yet revoke the suicide pact they’ve signed for us all.
Ps definitely St. Pancras which, not without irony, is the station where the Eurostar departs from, at least until March.
Irony is Life’s nickname isn’t it? St-Pancras isn’t too far from Islington, right?
And I’m glad my humour helped. Sometimes humour is the last resort isn’t it. We’ll see how it goes this week. Fingers crossed my friend.
Very close to Islington, as the red bus flies!
And The George, right? 🙂
My old local, the George and Vulture? A bit further down the City Road, just past another favourite, The Eagle. Might have to make a trip back someday soon!
The Eagle? I might have seen it last time I was in London. Or pass right by. I was staying on City Road, if I recall. Let’s go get a beer. (And drown our sorrow on trans-channel politics!)
Be good Paul.
Coucou Brieuc ! De biens jolies photos ! Merci pour ce partages. Bisous
Salut Cécile. Avec plaisir. Merci pour la visite. Tout va bien?
Oui et toi ? Passe une belle journée ! Des bises
❤
good thing you told me they were jokes…I wouldn’t have known the difference otherwise…and I like my beer cold or room temp….must be the German in me 🙂
Prosit! (You have German ancestors?)
Maiden name is Buggenhagen😁
Definitely! Wunderbar!
Interesting, and yet another story we here in Canada are following on the news!
Yes. Another major issue…
So many questions as to where we go through here, and if European Jurisdiction will still govern the UK.
Still time to back away. Happy new year. As Americans say:it ain’t over until it’s over. Cheers.
Pingback: A farewell to London. Brexit – DoseOfLaw
This is about the only thing I’ve read in brexit that I’ve understood!!
Glad to have been of help. Can you reblog this post to Theresa May(be)?
😉
Reblogged this on RAW NEWS.