Freggyragh

I find my American friends are the most openly amused, as in they just burst out laughing at the mention of brexit. My European and East Asian friends are more polite and try to show some sympathy.

If he's met her and his mouth was moving, chances are he was lying. He's only mentioned the IoM once to my knowledge, that was a Brexit lie about shipping kippers. Has he ever been known to tell the truth to anyone, on any subject?

One of the great mysteries of life is how many, otherwise rational people, will allow any old bullshitting cretin with a plummy voice to lead them into wars, take away their freedoms, ruin their environment and livelihoods. How so many can believe the Farages and Johnsons of this world is truly stunning.

Just throwing this out there, but I used to love the TT, and over the years the deaths have really dampened my enthusiasm. If I were in charge I would: 1. Use traditional formats - limit the Junior TT to 350cc & the Senior TT to 500cc. 2. Bring back ultra-lightweight classes (50cc / 125cc) classes - they might agree to race on wet roads. 3. Continue to limit sidecars to 600cc. If anything that should be being reduced, not increased. 4. Continue the Zero races. Allow change of battery pit-stops. I don't think big litre+ bikes are as popular as they once were, except in the adventure/tourer market, and even there the trend is towards smaller, lighter bikes. Big bikes are becoming very cheap secondhand now - as boomers are now finding the oversized machines they bought 20 years ago are too heavy and impractical. Maybe the TT should start thinking about finding a younger and broader demographic and run races that Chinese / Thai / Indian bikes could just go and win, rather than the same old 100cc / 600cc BMW / Honda / Yamaha /Suzuki / Kawasaki show with the occasional Ducati / Triumph / Norton showing.

Nope. Just disappointed at the self-harm.

Johnson didn't get brexit done. He got an unelected bureaucrat to deliver that shit sandwich - and he's resigned the week before the British economy starts on the filling. I think you'll find that Johnson will spend the next few years rowing back from 'getting brexit done' and blaming it all on the gullible folk who voted for it.

He's got well paid for polishing the turd that is brexit - but he knows too well that the patchy shine will disappear just as soon as the idiotic deal he struck goes into effect. Jumping ship the week before, so someone else can take the blame.

I don't want to live in a country where the government can kill you, except sometimes, just sometimes, I do.

Can anyone explain why some people hate Welsh, and the other languages of these islands, so much? It is quite irrational. I see words in languages I can't necessarily understand all the time, but I don't ever feel this blind hatred. What is going on in these people's minds when they see Welsh, or Manx, or Scottish Gaelic or Irish? It is clearly something more than just a hatred of the oldest linguistic traditions in these islands, but what is it?

No wonder you want to change the topic.

I don't think Stu is too bad at all - I like the guy - his radio job was often to initiate debate, and in the absence of more interesting content or wider research, his stock in trade was to tackle cultural shibboleths and take a slightly controversial slant on whatever was in the English newspapers, wouldn't have been of any interest if he hadn't aired alternative opinions - unfortunately, his style was a bit charmless and hackneyed. When it came to his more controversial moments I wouldnt say he was bigot by any stretch - he just sometimes didn't know what he didn't know. I wanted Keiran to get the second seat - he seems like a genuine guy - I thought he could be a modern day Peter Karran. I hope he stands again - fat chance in Middle though.

South Africa had 30% unemployment in the apartheid days. It's more like 50% now. I don't know why that is, but I'd guess it's because of the brain drain (accelerated recently, but ongoing since the 60s) and the huge amount of capital taken out of the country over the last few decades. That's what happens when capitalists lose faith in and don't invest in a country. Brexit isn't the same. Current levels of political corruption and general crime in the UK may well be worse than they used to be - but nowhere near what you see in Africa. I doubt Britain will collapse because of Brexit. I think Britain will experience what Ireland experienced after independence - an awful trading position and declining prospects, nationalism and a sense of grievance excusing bad government and a gradual and miserable, but grimly determined, decline - until membership of a huge market, (obviously called something other than 'the EU') completely reverses fortunes, allows them to trade freely with the neighbours again - and all the 'taking back control' garbage just seems like a bad dream.

I see the AFD have dropped their 'drexit' wet dream, having been schooled by the reality of brexit.

The hardest thing to understand for me is this belief the brexiters have that the EU was somehow vindictive in not accepting that the UK should be able to dictate a trade deal that breaks the GFA, as if the disputed status of NI had not been acknowledged, in return for peace, by all signatories, including not only the IRA & the UK, but the US & EU as well. Even now, the UK is seeking to unilaterally break the terms of its deal with the EU at every turn, whilst simultaneously hoping the US & others will make some preferential deal for the UK and its ridiculous racist PM. The fact is, that fantasy deal isn't happening, so de Pfeffer-Johnson has to go begging to Brasil, practicality a pariah state, just before a climate conference ... well, for the right-wing UK media, that's obviously because Biden is vindictive- not because the UK is led by such an obviously dishonest broker.

What do people think caused brexit (and S*n reading) in other parts of England? Historic levels of lead in traffic fumes? Foetal alcohol syndrome? Heading footballs?

I'm not sure anyone who stood and did badly should be considered - especially not an incumbent- I'd rather see someone like Langan-Newton, Kemp or Cowin than Cregeen or Harmer. Last time they packed Legco with women and that has probably encouraged more women to stand for the Keys. Maybe this time they could think about a couple of non-white members?

Or get a green in - 1964 votes between the only 2 candidates they had - both constituencies with runaway winners.

That's Geoffrey told then.

Well - that sounds like a crap system.

Stu, does Middle far fewer voters than poorer areas, or a more apathetic electorate? Genuine question, not having a dig - as a percentage of the vote you did well.

How hard can it be to count the votes. They've had five hours in Garff & Ramsey - that is 600 minutes, for what? about 6,000 votes? That is a speed of 10 votes per minute. Time this was done online. People don't have the skills to count paper anymore. That - and the national broadcaster deliberately trying to make the whole process as mind-numbingly boring as possible - is not going to encourage more people to vote.

That was some light relief in what has been really tedious Manx Radio coverage. Definitely missing people like Roger Watterson & David Callister. Brown, Robertshaw, Ramsey and Manx Care woman - they could not have found any more smug and tediously boring people if they'd scoured the entire Island.

Cregeen for Legco? What is Robertshaw thinking? Cregeen just came last by a long way.

Strong showing by the Greens in Rushen - is this encouraging for them in the West?