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The great eye-opener of Brexit is that it's shown us how unfit many of our politicians are for the job.
This is mainly due to the UK electoral system. The FPTP system means that the only real "talent" every MP needs is the ability to win an election in his/her constituency. 2/
But the problem is, that produces a monotone breed of MP who can do very little else. You don't have to be intelligent or informed to win an election. You just need to be good at public relations. And in safe seats, it's often enough justto toe the party line.

1.
I have a serious problem with what my function is on twitter these days. And I doubt I'm alone. When we started off this whole Remain thing two years ago, there weren't many of us. And we worked night and day to get the message out about the benefits of EU membership.
> 2.
With no help at all from the mainstream media or political parties, we were often the first to articulate the massive problems which came from triggering A50. Our mission was to educate people, to fight Leave lies, and never to ease up on the pressure.
>

Thread:
Aggregate AIQ's targeted fake news ads for vote.Leave (and illegally for Be.Leave) used a two step strategy. First they needed to collect your data. So they either bought it from Facebook, or got you to give it away free by participating in fake competitions like this Once they had your data, they'd use your age, address and social media history to target you directly. Most ads were interactive, and every click you made gave them more information. If you posted lots about animals, for instance, they'd target you with ads and lies like these

@ChrisGiles_ New EU tax directives for 2019 (1) @ChrisGiles_ New EU tax directives for 2019 (2)

Your daily reminder that if we leave the EU, we wouldn't be able to rejoin until the end of the next EU legislative period in 2024, at the earliest. But more likely at the end of the following period in 2029.
That means at least 10 years of economic isolation and decay.

#FBPE For clarity:
Members can officially join the EU any time. But practically, witth 27/28 members, the preparation period takes several years, and is timed now to coincide with the start or ends of the 5 year budget periods.
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This #BrexitShambles is what you get when you try to force through massive change without winning a supermajority consensus. Not because those who didn't vote for it have stopped it. But because those who didn't vote for it knew it would never work. I strongly believe that a supermajority requirement isn't just a hurdle to beat, but a safeguard against bad ideas. Regardless of the jokes, the majority of people are not stupid. They know extremely well what will benefit them, and what won't.
>

Macron on Brexit: “We need a clear proposal in compliance with our values. The British prime minister is well aware of our treaties because they signed them and ratified them. There is a clear message in this respect – we can no longer wait."

#PeoplesVote Belgian prime minister Charles Michel on Brexit: "The feeling that dominates is the impression that the Brits continue to negotiate with the Brits and not with the EU. The red lines set by the UK are globally incompatible with the fundamental principles of the EU.”

#PeoplesVote

EU companies would need to stop using British parts after Brexit to conform to rules of origin for "Made in EU".
UK companies would need to stop using EU parts to conform to "Made in UK" rules of origin.
The EU can source parts throughout the EU27.
Where will UK source its parts? Here is an important analysis of the effects of rules of origin on the UK's manufacturing industry after Brexit. Why is this not being more widely discussed? instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/rul…

What has the EU ever done for us?
Ok, bot. Here's a thread.

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The EU has cleaned our rivers, seas and beaches; it's guaranteed our work and union rights; it's guaranteed food price stability for farmers and consumers; it's guaranteed our food supply; it's protected the environment through Natura 2000; it's enabled cross-border manufacture;

This thread contains excepts from the Japan Business Council in Europe (JBCE) and Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) joint statement on Brexit.

The full text can be found here:
jbce.org/brexit/jbce-ke… “A ‘no-deal’ Brexit remains the worst possible scenario. We strongly urge the EU and the UK to make the utmost effort to negotiate by putting the economy first so that any adverse impacts - not only on Europe but also on the global economy - be limited as much as possible.”

These are Jacob Rees-Mogg's 6 Brexit demands.
This thread contains my answers to them.

#FBPE 1. "We should be able to set tariffs."

A. This is nothing but a platitude, and a pre-emptive argument against a customs union, which imposes a common external tariff.
In truth, we trade globally through the EU, and play an important role in deciding what tariffs the EU sets.
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I'm going to post some historical videos on this thread which I believe are necessary if you want to see the whole Brexit movement, including its core players and supporters, in context. There are no graphic images in the videos. But what is said is sometimes hard to bear. This is a 1975 interview with Sir Oswald Mosley, 6th Baronet of Ancoats: former Tory MP, former Labour minister, and founder of the British Union of Fascists.
What strikes me here is how much Mogg and Farage seem to have learned from his style of delivery

Brexit and Gibraltar 1/
The Northern Ireland border is a difficult theme. But the real hurdle to a Brexit deal may well come from Gibraltar.
We don't have the best relationship with Spain, and there’s no way it would agree to let Gibraltar leave the SM and keep its benefits.
> Brexit and Gibraltar Thread 2/
> Gibraltar has a population of 32 thousand, and a GDP of approx £1.6bn. As a British Overseas Territory it's part of the single market. But it's NOT part of Schengen or the EU customs union. It has a corporate tax rate of just 10%.
>

Also:
1. Does the UK plan to replace the sums so far provided by the EU's Regional Development Fund?
2. Does the UK plan to replace the sums so far provided by the EU's Social Fund?
3. Does the UK plan to replace the sums so far provided by the European Investment Bank? 4. When and how will the UK replace the Open Skies aviation agreement?
5. When and how will the UK replace the Horizon 2020 science agreement?
6. When and how will the UK replace the Natura 2000 environmental protection agreement?