Hrolf and Matt, I know you've written particularly about the EU and corruption. I wondered what you make of this:

[Link]

I look at things like this and hate the feeling of powerlessness. What to do?

We WILL be leaving the EU. the voters voted. Democracy happened.

dry your eyes and deal with it, for you will have to, fact.

What a pile of s***.

Why don't you analyse this pile of s***:

[Link]

Parliamentary democracy didn't happen, but that's a technicality. I'd imagine most people know that a50 will be triggered, why you keep reiterating it is beyond me!

What I want is details. How can we expect to get tariff free access without freedom of movement? I think a lot of people are going to be very disappointed if we 'concede' the immigration issue that was a factor in 'leave' winning.

In what way is it a pile of s***? I understood you to be concerned about corruption, or is OK if it's business? I think you'd find that the power of big business vastly outweighs that of individuals, charities and trade unions combined.

The 'dark money' described seems designed to keep potenitally damaging information out of public eye - or do you not mind if your dinner is washed with poison?

Just seems to reiterate Hrolf's earlier posting about Brexit and Trump not so much being people's revoluations but the internecine squabbling of elites.

The funniest thing about the left’s blind support of the EU is that the EU has many of the characteristics that the left normally oppose. It rigs prices to the detriment of the consumer. To keep prices high, it actually throws away food, rather than giving it to poor countries. It imposes ruinous tariffs of African farmers that effectively bar them from the European markets. It takes over African fishing grounds driving native fisherman into piracy. It pays out large sums to already rich landowners, including many members of the British nobility. It causes mass youth unemployment in those countries that cannot control their own economies due to being in the Euro. It encourages mass movements of people, and then exploits them for cheap labour driving down wages, damaging both the countries people leave and those they go to. It tries to micro-manage more and more aspects of business and social life. All this while their policies have fuelled the rise of far-right political parties. It could be expected that the left would be out demonstrating about these policies – instead they embrace them.

Our country's well-being and peace in Europe is more important than anything you have mentioned and the EU has helped immensely in both respects.

A strong economy; We will be saying goodbye to that in a few years. Polluted rivers and beaches in the 70's everywhere; No more. Western European countries at permanent loggerheads; No more.

Of course, all this will change when we leave and later on if the EU itself implodes via financial mismanagement, far right numpties and Putin's help. So bankers , extremists and a sociopath - all together. What a lovely trio to set Europe's agenda.

The vast majority of anyone who has been fvcked over in the UK has been fvcked over by our own successive governments ineptitude and iniquitous policies not the EU.

We do still make our own policies at home. We do still have sovereignty.

The funny thing is that those of a certain 'right' persuasion refuse to accept this but prefer to blame blameless Johnny Foreigner even if the evidence to the contrary is slapping them around the head.

Edited by Kermit8 (03 Feb 2017 7.12pm)

The EU has contributed absolutely nothing towards peace in Europe.
Britain’s economy will become stronger with Britain in full control of it.
Polluted rivers and beaches! As if – of course it is in our own interests to keep our rivers and beaches clean.
While in the EU more and more laws from the EU have been implemented here, often against our interests. Of course we would lose all sovereignty as the EU moves towards its United States of Europe goal.
Meanwhile the left still sees this failing, crumbling, corrupt, artificial state as some shining paragon of ‘progress’ with all its problems and contradictions all the fault of the wicked British politicians.