Well said.

Even if I believed such forecasts (propaganda), I don't care if there is a hit to the economy. We will have to work with the EU (and they with us) whatever happens but I would prefer to do so from a position of strength, having legally left all the EUs institutions (traps).

Agreed.

A managed 'no deal' would be ideal. Any 'deal' that is rushed through will inevitably be in the EU's favour.

Unless the DUP and/or the Brexit Party are in the driving seat, Boris will just willingly crumble to both internal party - and external (EU and other) - pressure. He looked like May mark II the other evening, hunched-over in that huddle with Macron, Rutte and Trudeau, bitching about Trump. Craven and pathetic.

Well said.

A LibLabSNP pact - the stuff of nightmares, or your dreams.

So what?

Economic slowdown - it's not all about economics, it's also a matter of the functioning and cohesion of our society, pressure on social services and quality of life, etc.. I'd rather have space, slightly higher wages, fewer traffic jams, cleaner air and cheaper property prices, than the (non-)gratitude of the CBI for making their members richer at my own expense.

According to the Migration Advisory Committee, which advises the government, the effect of free movement between 1997 and 2017 was to depress the wages of the lowest paid by 5% and to increase those of the highest paid by 10%. + various other negative effects on ordinary people.

If a particular type of immigration is required and this can be justified on the basis that skills are needed - for the construction, hospitality or food production industries, for example, or for social care - then let the politicians justify it. Let the government do something more about apprenticeships and training of existing UK-inhabitants before it bring more 'cheap' labour in. If it is necessary to import labour, allow such workers to come here to work but not necessarily in future with an automatic right to permanent citizenship

Thanks. I agree.

I don't entirely see the appeal of Boris. He seems to be an opportunist from a family of opportunists. That said, his flawed nature seems to lend him a human quality that Theresa May lacked. Although it doesn't always work for him, he appears to have that quality of being lucky and people like to be close to those who appear lucky, charming, enthusiastic, etc..

I think Farage did mis-step in losing his sense of humour and slagging off Boris' version of the WA. This was unfortunate and I can only imagine he was disappointed and feared another stitch-up. It brought criticism down on him and he has, perhaps as a result, now capitulated too much for very little, if anything, in return. The Brexit Party is still little more than a protest group. As such, it may not matter whether it gets any MPs or not but I think it would be very helpful if it did. By giving in to the Conservatives, he may have lost some Labour Leave votes but - who knows - maybe he has gained some indirect leverage within the Conservative Party.

As you say, Brexit is a process which changes and develops over time. Many politicians have, of course, sought to (re-)define 'Brexit' to suit themselves, and this is ongoing. I agree with your last few sentences. Boris is seen as a pragmatist who has been able to move the debate forward.

I don't disagree with you. You infer quite a lot and so do I. We just vary a bit in our inferences.

The voters understand the appeal of 'no deal' (freedom!) but also understand that geopolitics and Realpolitik mean that compromise is necessary. I doubt they like Boris' WA - they know it's not good for the UK - but they know, in reality, that the EU will still have power over the UK after 'Brexit', so an accommodation must be reached. I agree Farage recognises this. He recognises it because he knows the voters are, sadly, not brave enough to vote for minority political parties in GEs.

I would assume there have been backroom talks between him and Conservative Eurosceptics. It is reported that there have been such talks but Farage knows he can't trust the Conservative eurosceptics and they all know they can't trust Boris. Farage will struggle to get MPs and Boris will renege on agreements with eurosceptics once he gets his majority.

As you say, it's all dependent on the result of the GE which is somewhat predictable but still up for grabs.

The public may have admired Boris' ability to get changes to May's WA but the public also understand that it is a flawed agreement and not really Brexit. The public will hope that, given the right parliamentary arithmetic, post-GE, the government will be in a position to negotiate effectively to secure a better ongoing deal. For this reason, and for the reason that TBP may have little influence post-GE, the public may vote Conservative in an attempt to achieve a 'reasonably good' outcome to Brexit. But that doesn't mean the public likes Boris Johnson or trusts him or his 'deal'. He has broken several promises already and once can see the cynical way in which he, Cummings and Gove are manipulating matters - for party political ends. The Conservative Party is, and always has been, a nest of vipers.