Ursula von der Leyen named the world's most powerful woman by Forbes

[pellinore]

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been named the world's most powerful woman for the second year in a row.

The German politician, who has held the post since 2019, finished ahead of European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, US Vice President Kamala Harris, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who came fourth.

Von der Leyen, 65, is the first woman to serve in the role, Forbes said, "which is responsible for legislation affecting more than 450 million Europeans".

Ursula von der Leyen named the world's most powerful woman by Forbes | World News | Sky News

Edited December 5, 2023 by pellinore

[Destination Unknown]

16 minutes ago, pellinore said:

The German politician, who has held the post since 2019, finished ahead of European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, US Vice President Kamala Harris, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who came fourth.

Q: What's the difference between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni?

A: Only one of them has been democratically elected. 😂😂😂😂

[pellinore]

6 minutes ago, Destination Unknown said:

Q: What's the difference between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni?

A: Only one of them has been democratically elected. 😂😂😂😂

Just like Lord Frost, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, then.

[Duke Wellington]

6 minutes ago, Destination Unknown said:

Q: What's the difference between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni?

A: Only one of them has been democratically elected. 😂😂😂😂

And boy does she represent the majority of her people.

[Destination Unknown]

51 minutes ago, pellinore said:

Just like Lord Frost, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, then.

Rishi Sunak got the same amount of votes as pro-EU John Major did when he became the UK Prime Minister in 1990 after that pro-EU traitor Heseltine stabbed Maggie in the back, because John Major also got precisely zero votes as well after Heseltine and Douglas Hurd withdrew from the third round of voting, leaving John Major unopposed - (Liz Truss actually managed to get 81,326 more votes than the zero votes that both Rishi Sunak and John Major received).

You remember John Major don't you? He was the unelected UK Prime Minister who took it upon himself to sign 'The Maastricht Treaty' (the foundation of the EU) in 1992, without him even having the decency to ask the British people whether we even wanted to be a part of this European political "Project", but let me guess, you didn't have a problem with that did you? 🤔

Rishi Sunak also got the same amount of votes as pro-EU Gordon Brown did when he became Prime Minister after warmonger Blair stood down in 2007, because Gordon Brown also got precisely zero votes as well.

You remember Gordon Brown don't you? He was the unelected UK Prime Minister who took it upon himself to sign 'The Lisbon Treaty' in 2007, despite Labour's 2005 General Election manifesto pledge of giving us a referendum on the new 'European Union Reform Treaty' ('Treaty of Lisbon'), but let me guess, you didn't have a problem with that either did you pellinore? 🤔

Edited December 5, 2023 by Destination Unknown

[pellinore]

59 minutes ago, Destination Unknown said:

Rishi Sunak got the same amount of votes as pro-EU John Major did when he became the UK Prime Minister in 1990 after that pro-EU traitor Heseltine stabbed Maggie in the back, because John Major also got precisely zero votes as well after Heseltine and Douglas Hurd withdrew from the third round of voting, leaving John Major unopposed - (Liz Truss actually managed to get 81,326 more votes than the zero votes that both Rishi Sunak and John Major received).

You remember John Major don't you? He was the unelected UK Prime Minister who took it upon himself to sign 'The Maastricht Treaty' (the foundation of the EU) in 1992, without him even having the decency to ask the British people whether we even wanted to be a part of this European political "Project", but let me guess, you didn't have a problem with that did you? 🤔

Rishi Sunak also got the same amount of votes as pro-EU Gordon Brown did when he became Prime Minister after warmonger Blair stood down in 2007, because Gordon Brown also got precisely zero votes as well.

You remember Gordon Brown don't you? He was the unelected UK Prime Minister who took it upon himself to sign 'The Lisbon Treaty' in 2007, despite Labour's 2005 General Election manifesto pledge of giving us a referendum on the new 'European Union Reform Treaty' ('Treaty of Lisbon'), but let me guess, you didn't have a problem with that either did you pellinore? 🤔

Answer the question I asked you in this thread. Just give one example of how the ordinarily citizen (not millionaires and/or shareholders who benefit from deregulation), has benefited from Brexit. Just one. Then we should compare EU leaders with UK leaders. And then judge who are worthy of international recognition.

 

Edited December 5, 2023 by pellinore

[Destination Unknown]

22 minutes ago, pellinore said:

Answer the question I asked you in this thread. Just give one example of how the ordinarily citizen (not millionaires and/or shareholders who benefit from deregulation), has benefited from Brexit. Just one. Then we should compare EU leaders with UK leaders. And then judge who are worthy of international recognition.

Blimey. 'Brexit Derangement Syndrome' (BDS) has reached peak levels with you hasn't it pellinore. I've answered them. 🤦

Edited December 5, 2023 by Destination Unknown

[pellinore]

14 minutes ago, Destination Unknown said:

Blimey. 'Brexit Derangement Syndrome' (BDS) has reached peak levels with you hasn't it pellinore. I've answered them. 🤦

No, you haven't. It's just the usual pile of ridiculous stats from various agencies.

In what way has the average Brit benefited from Brexit? Give just one example. The average Brit lower middle-class family. Take your time.

[Destination Unknown]

39 minutes ago, pellinore said:

No, you haven't. It's just the usual pile of ridiculous stats from various agencies.

In what way has the average Brit benefited from Brexit? Give just one example. The average Brit lower middle-class family. Take your time.

Why do you Remoaners always insist that we give you a Brexit "benefit" in order for us to justify our free and democratic choice to you, only for you to then deliberately go out of your way to either completely ignore it, or simply mock it anyway?

Do you seriously believe we sit here all day just writing lists out for you Remoaners to instantly dismiss out of hand, without you even bothering to even consider them anyway?

Here you go, AGAIN: "Wages Soar by 11% in Brexit-Exposed Sectors, Data Finds"

British wages are rising fastest in low-paid sectors where employers previously relied on workers from the European Union

Jobs that once relied heavily on EU workers have seen advertised wages soar 11% in two years, as jobseeker interest has failed to keep pace with employers’ demand for staff in the sectors most exposed to Brexit, according to analysis by the world’s largest job site, Indeed. 👇👇👇👇

https://businessnewswales.com/wages-soar-by-11-in-brexit-exposed-sectors-data-finds/

 

Are you now going to try and tell me that low-paid British workers getting paid more as a direct result of the UK's democratically mandated exit from the European Union isn't a benefit? 🤔

 

Why does there even need to be any benefits anyway? I voted to get out a wannabe federal European Superstate that nobody ever even voted to join in the first place, but one that has been imposed on us through stealth without our consent.

A European political project that has only ever moved in one direction, resulting in more and more powers being stripped away from nation states to be centrally controlled from Brussels.

I looked at the bigger picture (obviously you didn't) and I can see what the EU is well on its way to becoming (obviously you can't). I just don't want to see the UK being ruled from afar, where every single aspect of our lives, even down to how much tax we pay, is decided by a bunch of unaccountable, unelected out of touch bureaucrats based in Brussels that we can never remove from office at the Ballot Box if we don't like any of their policies because they will never even stand for election in the first place, but obviously you do, so what are the benefits of THAT?

It may come as a bit of a shock to you but not everyone is like you and wants to see their country consumed into one large lump of European "states" ultimately answerable to a Politburo based in Brussels. 👇👇👇👇

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20231117IPR12217/future-of-the-eu-parliament-s-proposals-to-amend-the-treaties

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by Destination Unknown

[+and-then]

I'm not a Brit and had no vote but my understanding was that Brexit was about reclaiming sovereignty and control of borders.  I wish we in the US could have such a vote and essentially walk away from our form of Central government control in DC.  It would require secession and that day may come by 2025.

[Duke Wellington]

3 hours ago, pellinore said:

No, you haven't. It's just the usual pile of ridiculous stats from various agencies.

In what way has the average Brit benefited from Brexit? Give just one example. The average Brit lower middle-class family. Take your time.

I looked for a male picture but couldn`t find one, this will have to do for you @pellinore:

The European Union did nothing to favour the ordinary British people. It was the upper crust working in the banking and financial service industries in London who benefitted. And most of them were imports rather than being British people. Remember, the UK was designated by the EU not as the factory or the mine, but as the bank and accountant for the block. 

The ordinary people lost all their middle income jobs. Just ask car engineers in Sunderland. Just ask the Welsh who have got no coal to sell. At times I suspect you are young because you have no idea of what Britain was like prior to the 1990s. There was a day laddy when almost everything in the shops had `Made in Britain` stamped on it. But thanks to the EU, Germany claimed a chunk of it stamping on `Made in Deutschland` and what they didn`t claim the Franco-Prussians ensured would drift to China due to the block preventing the UK from implementing trade barriers when needed.

We have been stripped bare by the EU unless you have a degree needed to work in banking and finance roles. We used to make cars, ships, planes, consumer electronics (televisions, computers, etc), domestic appliances (washing machines, irons, hoovers, etc), clothing, we were an industrial superpower. Yet the weak amongst our leadership took the weak road of `all togetherness` instead of putting the future of Britain first.

This is why the UK voted to leave the EU. The dream of having it all back, of wanting something greater than mediocracy, of wanting to leave up to our full national potential. And of course, letting our dogs crap on the lawn of the Prussians as they began the chain of events that caused us to loose everything back in WW2!!!!

Edited December 6, 2023 by Electric Scooter

[pellinore]

7 hours ago, Destination Unknown said:

Why do you Remoaners always insist that we give you a Brexit "benefit" in order for us to justify our free and democratic choice to you, only for you to then deliberately go out of your way to either completely ignore it, or simply mock it anyway?

Do you seriously believe we sit here all day just writing lists out for you Remoaners to instantly dismiss out of hand, without you even bothering to even consider them anyway?

Here you go, AGAIN: "Wages Soar by 11% in Brexit-Exposed Sectors, Data Finds"

British wages are rising fastest in low-paid sectors where employers previously relied on workers from the European Union

Jobs that once relied heavily on EU workers have seen advertised wages soar 11% in two years, as jobseeker interest has failed to keep pace with employers’ demand for staff in the sectors most exposed to Brexit, according to analysis by the world’s largest job site, Indeed. 👇👇👇👇

 

If wages are rising in sectors that once benefitted from EU workers, why are NHS staff striking?

Why are farmers cutting back on sowing plans? Why are leisure industries working shorter hours? Why is food inflation (and inflation generally) rising so fast? Why are fishermen complaining?

It is because the UK is starved of workers. Everyone is worse off than they were 10 years ago, except millionaires and bankers. The rich poor divide is growing. Short-term pay rises don't keep up with inflation and are a symptom of economic problems.

[pellinore]

6 hours ago, and-then said:

I'm not a Brit and had no vote but my understanding was that Brexit was about reclaiming sovereignty and control of borders.  I wish we in the US could have such a vote and essentially walk away from our form of Central government control in DC.  It would require secession and that day may come by 2025.

Be careful what you wish for.

If you watch anything about UK news you will see we have lost sovereignty (we no longer have a say in the economic decisions in our own continent, Europe) and completely lost control of our borders- since Brexit in 2021, we have accepted 500,000 legal immigrants per year, (up 3x compared to pre-Brexit, 2 million in just the last 3 years), illegal boat crossings are up 10x and our borders are unchecked for imports as we can't afford to check, while are exports are checked and subject to delay and expense).

Oh, and our economy has taken a hit.

All the exact opposite of what was promised.

[Destination Unknown]

1 hour ago, pellinore said:

If wages are rising in sectors that once benefitted from EU workers, why are NHS staff striking?

Why are healthcare workers striking across your beloved EU as well pellinore? When did the rest of the EU leave the EU then? 🤔👇👇👇👇

https://www.context.news/money-power-people/why-are-europes-healthcare-workers-so-angry

 

1 hour ago, pellinore said:

Why are farmers cutting back on sowing plans?

Italy’s Puglia Farms Say They Need Another 100,000 Seasonal Workers From Third Countries. So when did Italy leave the EU then? 🤔

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/italys-puglia-farms-say-they-need-another-100000-seasonal-workers-from-third-countries/

 

1 hour ago, pellinore said:

Why is food inflation (and inflation generally) rising so fast?

It's not. It's actually falling. Must be Brexit eh, after all, you're obviously trying to blame rising food and inflation on Brexit, so naturally when inflation and food costs drop, that must also be down to Brexit as well. You can't have it both ways. 🤦

According to recent Eurostat data, 8.3% (37.2 million) of people in the EU were unable to afford a meal containing meat, fish or a vegetarian equivalent every second day in 2022, compared to 2021, where 7.3% (32.7 million) could not afford such a meal. So what's the rest of the EU's excuse then. When did they leave the EU? 🤔👇👇👇👇

https://www.eurofoodbank.org/food-affordability-in-europe/

 

1 hour ago, pellinore said:

Why are fishermen complaining?

From the website 'Fishing News', 17th January 2023:

Quote: "Brixham fishmarket saw a record-breaking £60.8m worth of fish auctioned during 2022. The amount smashes its previous record of £43.6m, set in 2021, and includes a first-ever £2m week for the market, recorded in September." 👇👇👇👇👇

https://fishingnews.co.uk/news/brixham-smashes-record-with-60m-sales/#:~:text=Brixham fishmarket saw a record,the market%2C recorded in September.

 

Meanwhile, in your beloved EU. From the website 'Fishing Daily', July 28th 2022: "Decommissioning scheme is another tragedy for Irish fishing"

The European Commission has today approved an €80 million decommissioning scheme to reduce the size of the Irish fishing fleet by another 60 vessels. This will take the size of the offshore fleet over 18 metres to about one third of what it was in 2006 (280 down to 100).

Following the announcement, Sinn Fein Spokesperson on Fisheries, Padraig Mac Lochlainn said, quote: "Today's announcement is another tragic blow to our fishing and coastal communities. The intentional and managed collapse of our fishing industry is truly shocking." 👇👇👇👇👇

https://thefishingdaily.com/latest-news/decommissioning-scheme-is-another-tragedy-for-irish-fishing-mac-lochlainn/

 

1 hour ago, pellinore said:

It is because the UK is starved of workers.

The only reason many EU workers left was because the country shut down due to Covid-19, which had nothing to do with Brexit.

According to this article from the 'Schengenvisanews' website, dated February 16th 2021, over five million EU citizens had already applied to remain in a post-Brexit UK so far at that point. That compares to 3.4 million EU citizens living in the UK the year before the EU referendum even took place. 👇👇👇👇👇

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/over-five-million-eu-citizens-have-applied-to-remain-in-post-brexit-uk-so-far/

 

I should also point out that the unsubstantiated assertions you have presented in your post contradict previous statements you Remoaners have made, because you lot have already claimed that there won't even be any jobs in the UK after our democratically mandated exit from the European Union, which would make what you have said here irrelevant anyway, even if it was true.

This further demonstrates how there is no consistency across the confused non-arguments of the indoctrinated Remoaner. 🤦

 

1 hour ago, pellinore said:

Everyone is worse off than they were 10 years ago, except millionaires and bankers. The rich poor divide is growing. Short-term pay rises don't keep up with inflation and are a symptom of economic problems.

So let me get this straight. You're now claiming that an increase in wages is somehow bad news because the cost of living has gone up, whilst totally ignoring the fact that the cost of living has gone up for decades whilst we were in your beloved EU, but wages haven't increased to match it. Instead, people's wages stagnated.

So your answer is to flood the UK with cheap taxpayer subsidised labour from the continent, which has the effect of suppressing wages for the low-paid British worker, whilst the employers get even richer then is it? Right, got it. 🤦

Edited December 6, 2023 by Destination Unknown

[itsnotoutthere]

From your beloved hard left anti Brexit Guardian :-

I’ve got news for those who say Brexit is a disaster: it isn’t. That’s why rejoining is just a pipe dream.

Many still hanker for how things were: but looking across the Channel, it’s completely illogical to do that

 

Brexit is a dead issue at Westminster. There are any number of issues where it is hard to separate Labour and the Conservatives, and the reluctance to reopen the 2016 referendum debate is one of them. As with tax and spending, Keir Starmer is broadly offering continuity Rishi Sunak.

That doesn’t mean the debate about leaving is over. Plenty of people still nurture the hope that the decision will be reversed and are working to that end. But any successful campaign would need to do two things: convince voters that the UK economy had become a basket case since the Brexit vote and that life for those still in the club was so much better.

Neither criterion has been met. Britain’s economic performance in the seven years since 2016 has been mediocre but not the full-on horror show that was prophesied by the remain camp during the weeks leading up to the referendum. The doomsday scenario – crashing house prices (falls of up to 18% could result, warned then chancellor George Osborne) and mass unemployment – never happened.

What’s more, after the inevitable disruption caused by leaving, there have been signs of the economy adjusting. Nissan’s decision to invest more than £1bn in its Sunderland plant with the intention of building three new electric car models is an example of that. Microsoft’s £2.5bn investment in the growing UK AI sector is another.

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, one of the key arguments for joining what was then called the Common Market was that members of the bloc were doing so much better than we were. While Britain was living on past glories, other western European countries powered ahead. The contrast was starkest with Germany, but unflattering comparisons were also made with France, the Netherlands and even Italy. Indisputably, the six countries that formed the original Common Market grew faster and had fewer structural problems.

That argument cannot be made today. Over a prolonged period, not just since the arrival of Covid-19, the EU’s economic performance has been woeful.

Larry Elliott is the Guardian’s economics editor

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/05/brexit-disaster-rejoining-channel-europe-economy