US and UK Infighting Empowered President Xi Jinping. Knockers-up in Cambridge

Having your cake and eating it

With Prime Minister Theresa May's message to the Commons, that she was confident that an agreement on trade could be reached within before the onset of the transition period of two years, things might appear more optimistic after her return from the Brussels summit. However, some business executives are getting more concerned at the PM's statement that the details of any transitional arrangements with the European Union may not be known until a broader trade deal has been agreed.

The PM had intimated that the ball was back in the EU's court, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, stated “It is in fact up to London how this will end -- with a good deal, no deal or no Brexit.” 

Michel Barnier, Chief Negotiator for the EU, warned today that Britain could only expect a trade deal little better than the one the EU struck with Canada. Even that would take years longer to negotiate than the couple of years promised by the government. 

As to a no deal, Barnier said: “We do not want it at all, but we do not exclude any option. Such a scenario would cause us problems, and much larger [ones] in the UK." He went on to give examples, including sudden problems in importing nuclear material for hospital treatments and the possible temporary halt of flights to and from the UK as is leaves the single EU sky agreement.

University chancellors were outraged by an apparently innocuous letter by pro Brexit Tory Whip Chris Heaton, writing in his capacity as an MP. It politely asked for information on lecturers teaching European Affairs and Brexit in particular, and links to their online syllabuses. Written on House of Commons headed paper, it was seen as the first step of a McCarthyist witch-hunt for those who might speak against the current dogma of Brexit.

Another US Senator, Republican Jeff Flake, has also joined Bob Corker as not seeking re-election and suddenly finding himself able to comment rather differently, and unfavourably on his President. For example"Utterly untruthful... Indecency of our discourse and the coarseness of our leadership... Flagrant disregard for truth and decency, the reckless provocations, most often for the pettiest and most personal reasons..."

What is most critical for the White House is that the loss of support from these two Senators eats into the very small Republican majority in the Senate. However, there is already a fierce battle to gain more Trump supporting senators at the next elections.

The political infighting weakening both the US and UK government is contrasted by Chinese President Xi Jinping who has consolidated his power by enshrining his philosophy into the Chinese Constitution. He is the first to do so since Chairman Mao. He also wants Chine to be the World Leader politically and militarily.

At least we could still have our cake and eat it at the Milton Community Cafe. Coffee, lemon drizzle and a fruit cake. Chatting to a sprightly 87 year old, I learnt that her father was a guard on the LNER Railways. She still remembers the Knocker-up coming round to wake her father early in the morning when he was on duty. Both the LNER and the Post Office employed knocker-ups in Cambridge to ensure employees got to work on time. Apparently the practice continued up to the early 1950's in some sectors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knocker-up).