Comments to this site

There are too many long comments and too many multiple comments from some participants. I will have to delete more for reason of length or multiple postings to try to keep up.

55 Comments

  1. Peter
    December 6, 2017

    Fair enough. I will believe it when I see it. Others complain of posts deleted. I have also had post deleted (for subject matter I suspect – rather than length or duplication).

    Meanwhile I note some posters are at liberty to post frequently and to post virtually anything with no moderation delay.

    It does not seem to matter if they post irrelevant rawmaish, or go on to an entirely different topic.

    Provided it is not controversial or against the general outlook on here, rawmaish seems to be perfectly acceptable.

  2. margaret
    December 6, 2017

    Why don’t you limit comments to 100

    1. Doug Powell
      December 7, 2017

      Because the night owl bloggers would get the lot. Better to limit one per person. When each person has been accommodated, go round again if JR has the time. The result might be more concise entries.

      1. Miss Brandreth-Jones
        December 7, 2017

        The comment is released automatically every morning .Any one like myself who falls asleep early out of fatigue , wakes in the night and reads in the early hours are actually the last to comment.

        1. Miss Brandreth-Jones
          December 9, 2017

          of course I meant the blog/article is released every morning automatically.

    2. Bob
      December 7, 2017

      or 280 characters?

  3. Prigger
    December 6, 2017

    Too many wrong-doings from the EU negotiating team. Good news is no-comment news

  4. Doug Powell
    December 6, 2017

    JR, Obviously the PEOPLE have a lot to say! A proper Brexit matters like hell to us! The way it is being mismanaged makes us bloody mad!

    Please understand the anger and feed it into the party machine.

    Sincerely, DP

  5. am
    December 6, 2017

    many bloggers would like this problem you have which shows the popularity of your site

  6. Brrr
    December 6, 2017

    We could and should and indeed if I may offer such high pitched advice, if perchance I put it in this histrionic but nevertheless wholly non- hyperbolic manner as is my tradition..one I wholeheartedly support and would if necessary if so brave, defend to the death, the comment of the brief but to the point The Right Honourable John Bercow MP John Simon Bercow to be precise and so honouring the proper and legal length of his familial naming no doubt by the most caring and illustrious parentage one could honestly and truthfully hope for so perched on high as it were in Parliamentary terms of which we are so proud as Speaker of the House of Commons

    1. eeyore
      December 7, 2017

      I hope others note this remarkable offering from Brrr and reflect that our host does all his own moderating. I suspect that the comments he publishes are but the tip of a very large iceberg. What we don’t see must frequently be curious indeed.

      No other MP – no other public figure – has taken on himself this extraordinary daily duty to inform and educate the nation in the complexities of government. In return we give him a unique insight into public opinion. No wonder the comments multiply!

      Unlike others, I see no sign that he censors unwelcome opinions, nor can I imagine why he’d wish to do so. All editors welcome controversy so long as it is expressed with brevity and decency.

    2. Dennis Zoff
      December 7, 2017

      John, does this drivel from “Brrr” represent why you made your original comment?

  7. Ian Pennell
    December 6, 2017

    Dear Mr Redwood,

    Firstly, my apologies if my comments are too long or if I have caused you offence, you Sir are a true Conservative and the quality of your posts about a range of issues – From housing and improving public services to the economy and Brexit are second to none. It is just a shame that the wealth of knowledge and experience that your good self and others have has to go to waste on the Conservative back-benches because your political views are deemed to be too Euro-sceptic and right-wing by the Conservative Leadership.

    If I am honest, I do put comments on here about the apparent ineptness and weakness of the Conservative-led Government in order to get your attention that you might do something (as much as you can) to get policies and negotiations with the EU changed. If what I post gets your attention and you do what you can to influence Government Policy (like your letter to Theresa May regarding Brexit negotiations) then, irrespective of whether you publish my comments, I consider that productive use of my time.

    I am angry that Theresa May has been so willing to cave-in to the European Union’s demands, that despite her earlier rhetoric it she is giving the EU the impression that she must have a deal with them at all costs, which is the worst thing you can do in negotiations. She is, of course, stymied by the fact that most MPs would oppose leaving the European Union without a Deal, but she just seems to buckle under pressure. This makes me angry because I know that this loses the Conservatives support and makes a Corbyn-led Government more likely.

    I trust that you appreciate why I appeal to you (I do also write to the Right Hon Rory Stewart, my own Conservative MP), in the hope that I can have some effect on Government Policy and forestall a Left-wing disaster in the future!

    Kind regards

    Ian Pennell

    1. Dennis Zoff
      December 7, 2017

      Ian Pennell

      Ian, many of us here share your concerns and agree with your overall sentiment!

    2. Ralph Hulbert
      December 7, 2017

      Quite agree.

  8. hefner
    December 6, 2017

    My dog ate the 58 impact assessment reports …

    1. a-tracy
      December 7, 2017

      Perhaps John should ask his bloggers to write an impact assessment on each point Hilary Benn wants one on and give him something to do to keep him busy.

  9. ian wragg
    December 6, 2017

    Thanks for allowing us to comment John.
    Today Hammond said the EU divorce bill will be paid whether we get a deal or not.
    Who is this arrogant (man ed)working for.

    1. a-tracy
      December 7, 2017

      Then it is up to Hammond to take the people with him and tell us what the bill is for. Give us an invoice breakdown.

  10. Bert Young
    December 6, 2017

    Quite agree !

  11. Roy Grainger
    December 6, 2017

    I think it’s an indication of how people feel over the current government shambles John. I see today Hammond said something which is being interpreted as meaning we will pay the 50bn ransom even if no trade deal is agreed. As a minimum I’d say he isn’t a great negotiator.

    1. Lifelogic
      December 7, 2017

      Nor is he a remotely competent chancellor.

    2. a-tracy
      December 7, 2017

      Have you thought Roy that £50bn is actually what it truly costs the UK to be in the EU for two extra years? Nothing like the pittance Nick Clegg told us it was.

  12. Anonymous
    December 6, 2017

    Scrap the UK Parliament – rule from Brussels via the Civil Service. Scrap the BBC.

    1. James Matthews
      December 7, 2017

      Parliaments may come and go, but the BBC! Brussels would never agree to the end of its main UK supporter.

  13. rose
    December 6, 2017

    A sign of just how worked up we all are. Sorry.

  14. c
    December 6, 2017

    John
    This will be short…Hammond is foolish, he will pay the EU without a deal. Strengthened our hand in negotiations…not. It is brazen sabotage.

  15. Narrow Shoulders
    December 6, 2017

    Apologies

  16. Duncan
    December 6, 2017

    I for one appreciate the opportunity to express my views on certain subjects but at present we are facing daily attacks on UK democracy from peoples and groups determined to undermine the EU referendum result. It is this anger that is driving the intensity of many postings onto your website

    Brexit voters are fuming at what is now open contempt for democracy and those who chose another direction for the UK

  17. Chris S
    December 6, 2017

    A very short comment :

    What kind of Chancellor is prepared to give away £50bn we don’t legally owe if we are snubbed and get nothing whatsoever in return ?

    The kind that needs to be replaced – immediately.

  18. Fedupsoutherner
    December 6, 2017

    After seeing well over 300 comments yesterday I can see where you are coming from John.

    1. Know-Dice
      December 7, 2017

      Hopefully Mr Redwood can pass those sentiments of frustration and anger directly to those who are meant to be negotiating the UK’s separation from the EU

  19. Miss Brandreth-Jones
    December 6, 2017

    Jon Snow at one time had a daily blog site. The comments became too many and instead of managing it , it was rationalised to infrequent blogs and most lost interest. It spoiled the facility for most.

  20. Dennis Zoff
    December 7, 2017

    John, have you seen the draft of the plans drawn up by Britain and the EU?

    1. Chris S
      December 7, 2017

      I doubt whether David Davis has seen it, let alone any of the leading Brexiteers !

  21. Ariadaeus
    December 7, 2017

    I posted something similar to today’s piece a long time ago. Many of the posts here are rants or lectures. If you cannot make your point in four or five lines no one is going to read it anyway. I don’t.

    John Redwood deserves credit for ploughing through all of the verbiage.

    1. Lib Dem
      December 7, 2017

      So, what you are saying is that verbiage should be legalised as in Canada and the USA Dust Belt?

      1. Ariadaeus
        December 7, 2017

        Your post is incoherent.

  22. Cheshire Girl
    December 7, 2017

    It is not for me to criticize other people on this site, but can I make a modest suggestion. I understand the strong feelings on some subjects, but how about limiting it to no more than two posts per subject/thread?

  23. Des
    December 7, 2017

    Who else listens and speaks for us?

  24. Denis Cooper
    December 7, 2017

    Two of my comments on an earlier thread were evaporated, which I still think is a pity because the first was about an important article in the Irish Times by Oxford Professor Kevin O’Rourke, in which he contends that

    “free-trade areas always and necessarily involve border checks”,

    and that fact cannot be changed by

    “ambiguous wording of any future Brexit deal”,

    while a supplementary comment suggested a possible solution to that problem.

    https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/kevin-o-rourke-britain-wakes-up-to-the-reality-of-free-trade-1.3316849

    “Getting rid of border controls on trade thus depended on both the European customs union, and the European single market. Norway is a member of the single market but not the customs union, with the result that there are border controls between it and Sweden. The UK and Ireland were members of a customs union before 1993, but not a single market, and the result again was border controls. And unless both Northern Ireland and the Republic retain equivalent regulations regarding both customs duties, and what can be legally bought and sold on their territories, the result will inevitably be border controls.”

    My possible solution was for the UK government to give an undertaking to the EU that it did not intend to allow its territory to become a source of unsuitable goods placed upon the EU Single Market, and so it would introduce a system to licence UK exporters to the EU which would force them to meet EU requirements or suffer penalties under UK law, with the possibility of EU officials being invited to assist in investigations.

    After all the present general freedom to export from the UK to the EU without any border checks is based upon the EU’s trust in the UK government’s good intentions but backed up by UK legal sanctions for infringements of EU law, a system which works OK but with the undesirable consequence that every business in the UK has been made subject to the EU requirements even though only a small minority ever exports to the EU.

    1. Ron Springett
      December 7, 2017

      Dennis, why should the EU let the UK leave, yet still keep all the benefits? That is not how the world works

      1. Denis Cooper
        December 8, 2017

        I’m sure the EU will be only too pleased for the UK to keep the benefit of running a massive trade deficit with the EU and providing employment for millions of EU citizens. Or maybe not, in your world.

  25. Abendrot
    December 7, 2017

    On the subject of Hammond, who seems to be acting in step with Heywood (Cabinet Secretary) to achieve the softest possible Brexit – essentially a Brexit in name only – I note that he is rumoured to be floating the idea that we need an Army of only 50,000 men. This is consistent with his demands that the MoD find several billions in savings. So, we’re ok borrowing money to support aid work abroad (much of it ending in the wrong hands by all accounts); we’re ok borrowing money to pay the outrageous divorce bill even without a trade deal, but we’re not ok with meeting our international military obligations or in making sure that our tired and outdated army is brought up to a modern standard. This is a Conservative Government?

    1. Rien Huizer
      December 7, 2017

      Is this post not off topic and too long?

  26. alan jutson
    December 7, 2017

    Been away, so not Guilty for the last 14 days.

    People are getting angry John, and they feel a need to say something to anyone who will listen who may have some influence.

    Your Blog is getting greater traction, because our Government seems to be making a mess of things.

  27. a-tracy
    December 7, 2017

    John, please don’t turn your outlet valve off.
    Would you like us to self-monitor and your regular commenters to limit ourselves to 100 words per post, what would help you.

    Reply Regulars could help by just sending me their best idea each day

    1. a-tracy
      December 7, 2017

      whoops! that’s me with five responses on just this one topic! Sorry this will be the last day I do this. Sometimes you just want to respond to other people’s posts. Perhaps an uptick or a downtick option might do the trick 🙂

      I noticed that your blog posts average about 350 words, perhaps we should attempt to contain ourselves, but it’s so irresistible at the moment when your party doesn’t seem to be getting annoyed at Conservatives getting roasted daily in the media. It is your supporters as well as you that are taking the insults and flak and the seeping uncorrected statements into the mind of the young daily on facebook that needs to be addressed.

  28. Dennis Zoff
    December 7, 2017

    John,

    Frustrations abound and your blog is a beacon of hope….a sort of refuge for the intellectually destitute!

    Sadly, we live in difficult times that require difficult decisions. The current crop of Government incumbents are at best rank amateurs, if well meaning. But they simply do not cut the mustard?

    I don’t personally believe in a conspiracy theory, but watching from the side (as do many) with sadness at how our great country is being dragged through the international political mud, one wonders! Many that are not friendly to the British are having their day of schadenfreude!

    You, John, and your like minded colleagues represent possible salvation and we desperately wish you would make your move….this is currently our biggest frustration, the lack of action! Please John, go make your historical legacy!

  29. Rien Huizer
    December 7, 2017

    Why not delete just the ones that agree with your position?

    1. Dennis Zoff
      December 7, 2017

      Rien Huizer

      Good point, but then we would have only your mountain of negative comments to read….yawn!

  30. IAN WORSLEY
    December 7, 2017

    How can you all work together to form a acceptable Brexit for all parties?

  31. Geoff Townley
    December 7, 2017

    May I sugest that you apply a Roman methodology and “decimate” the replies i.e. only read 1 in 10. Leave the remainder to debate with each other.

  32. Zana Juppenlatz
    December 7, 2017

    The illusory Irish border issue
    While a border could be created for customs checks/biosecurity, HMRC, responsible for UK customs, have repeatedly given evidence that they have no requirement, under any circumstances, to impose a border with Eire. Animal Biosecurity at Defra gave the same opinion to the Brexit Select Committee (12 Remainers to 5 Leavers), who then chose to ignore both Departments’ evidence. Instead, the Committee has misleadingly reported that they see no alternative to a hard border, thus creating unjustified negotiating mayhem: https://brexitcentral.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d25cbe539be88d77cfaa20e94&id=0503614144&e=256552743b

  33. Ken Moore
    December 8, 2017

    Much of the governments trouble could have been avoided by listening to a pensioner in Bradford who does extremely detailed research on the EU – Dr Richard North. Alas he has been ignored despite his accurate predictions of the ‘car crash’ that unfolds before us.

    Martin Shultz reminded us today why we need to leave (pity our politicians aren’t up to the task).
    ‘A convention shall draft this treaty in close cooperation with the civil society and the people. Its results will then be submitted to all member states. Any state that won’t ratify this treaty will automatically leave the EU’.

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