Phillwatson FBPE 🇬🇧🇨🇭 🇪🇺🖖 🔶
@phillipwatson
Left Twitter was phillwatson1970. Charlton fan. Star Trek fan. Brexit exile living in Switzerland. Believer in Occam’s razor, rationalism and Vimes’ Boot Theory
Neither has been trapped by an early decision because the system allows them to change direction. In fact changing direction is almost expected within the Swiss system which is why they have so many paths heading off on different directions
@samfr.bsky.social asks a genuine question of why progressives want Burnhams education reform. Speaking as a progressive and only for myself—I don’t actually want these reforms. I want something much more ambitious
After reading @lucympowell.bsky.social article in you would be thinking “Not another thread about Swiss education…”… yes, afraid so. 😂🇨🇭 But reading the latest proposals has convinced me of something. We’re moving in the right direction, but I still think we’re stopping halfway. 🧵
This almost word for word what the Tories said about a lack of a return agreement with France in 2022
You mentioned once but you think you got away with it right Andrew?
A reminder that Farage said just after Jo Cox had been murdered in 2016 "I think I have been a victim of political hatred to a greater degree than anybody else’ As we have now seen with Widdecombe’s death Farage will always try and make it about him and that he is the real victim here
So to clarify you deny you said they would be flexible while simultaneously asserting the EU would find flexible solutions?
Brave of the Daily Express @mrjamesob.bsky.social to call for a drastic reduction in Pension spending which makes up nearly half of the welfare budget. As a comparison unemployment benefits make up 2.4% of the Welfare Budget.
The Swiss haven’t come to love their arrangement but they don’t hate it. They can live with it. They have even come to tolerate it and it’s now become a settled position. One thing that was clearly done to defeat the recent population cap referendum was they told a positive story about immigration
Choose 20 Epic Books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. 1/20
So according to Sky News a 20 point defeat is now classified as a narrow defeat @mrjamesob.bsky.social
This is a perfect illustration. Lab up 9.6%. Greens and Lib Dem’s down 9.6% Tories down 9% Reform and Restore up 9%. Clear tactical switching on left AND right.
England fans following the Terry Pratchett model of singing the National Anthem #ENGCRO
So we agree? 'Single Market access' is real, the hurdles are a failure of British political will and media honesty, and I’m not an exceptionalist. Glad we could clear up your misunderstanding of my first post. Just to prove to you my position here this is from 4 months ago
From my thread yesterday I have a problem with this report from the BBC. If you dig into the results the actual tourist areas supported the initiative if sometimes narrowly. Zermatt Gemindine was 51% Yes. St Moritz was 53% Yes. Interlaken 59% Yes. Grindelwald 58% Yes. Davos 55% Yes.
Two things here @mrjamesob.bsky.social Farage obviously thinks non British born citizens like my wife (and possibly his) are inferior in some way amd secondly if these people came in 2019 there would have been English language requirements for a visa and English language requirements for citizenship
I did an assumption of 25 years service as she said she didn’t start working in NHS immediately so I call bullshit
Is this an attempt by Starmer to resurrect Mays Common Rule Book @davidheniguk.bsky.social
Morning @mrjamesob.bsky.social although the ONS says falling EU emigration is driving the low net immigration what isn’t being mentioned here is that the number of U.K. citizens leaving was 250k last year. That’s equivalent of the population of Southampton or Derby leaving last year #braindrain2
This is from a party that gave us 3 PMs in a year @mrjamesob.bsky.social
When someone says ‘essentially what they are saying’ you know a Strawman is coming @mrjamesob.bsky.social no one has ever said this. What people are ACTUALLY saying is that life and the economy has become much worse SINCE Brexit