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Although Ireland will be deeply affected by Brexit, we have to an extraordinary extent been unaffected by the Brexit debate. The main arguments and fears of the Brexiteers are essentially alien to us. We don't share their wish to return to an imagined past. Unlike the UK today, we are confident about our ability to promote our interests in the modern interdependent world. Xenophobia in Ireland is not on anything like the scale we have recently witnessed in the UK. Nor do we share the insularity of the Brexiteers. Quite remarkably, today it is the UK rather than Ireland which, in the words of the song, thanks God it's surrounded by water.

In Ireland and Britain, we increasingly perceive reality in quite different ways. The reasons a majority in the UK voted to leave the EU are, paradoxically, the very same reasons that an overwhelming majority in Ireland want to stay. This is true of each of the six main arguments of the Brexiteers.

An attachment to sovereignty was the first and major reason put forward for Brexit. We in Ireland, however, understand sovereignty in the 21st century as something to be judiciously shared rather than as a tribal token to be protected from the sunlight like Gollum's ring in The Hobbit. Gollum's plaintive words, as he looks for the ring, could almost be those of Jacob Rees-Mogg speaking about British sovereignty: "We wants it. We needs it. Must have the precious. They stole it from us. Sneaky little hobbitses."

Ireland's desire to be as global as possible, on the contrary, is one of the very reasons we remain committed to the EU

Second, many Brexiteers want to leave the EU because they believe that it will enable Britain to "go global". Ireland's desire to be as global as possible, on the contrary, is one of the very reasons we remain committed to the EU. We understand that there is no contradiction between, on the one hand, developing the closest relations with our natural neighbourhood and market and, on the other hand, developing deeper links with the wider word. Indeed we recognise that the EU has the essential negotiating heft to make global reach effective, as reflected most recently in the EU's major trade deal with Japan.

'Taking control'

Third, the Brexit slogan about "taking control" was at the heart of the Leave campaign and has echoed across the British public debate ever since. The immense success of that policy has been on daily display at Westminster. Funnily enough, we in Ireland, in common with our other EU partners, are opting to stay in the EU precisely because we want to have control over the issues that affect us. Many issues, from education to health to policing, will, of course, continue to be controlled largely at national level since the EU can only exercise the powers which all member states have agreed to confer on it. But in Ireland we understand that if we want to maximise control over the important issues which by definition do not stop at borders - from trade to energy to international crime - these must be addressed on a cross-border basis; and we know the EU remains the most effective cross-border mechanism in the world.

We know the EU remains the most effective cross-border mechanism in the world

Fourth, many Brexiteers are driven by the idea that they are putting their country first. But so, of course, do we. The real issue is whether national interests are to be defined narrowly and pursued as if the aim is to be masters of our own little world; or whether, as we believe in Ireland, those interests should be defined broadly and pursued in the knowledge that the real world is necessarily one of interdependence, compromise and shared interests.

Welcome for foreigners

Fifth, the most emotive argument for some, though not all, Brexiteers has been about keeping foreigners out. In Ireland, we support the principle of free movement of people and welcome the "new Irish" who are building up our economy, enriching our culture and making us proud to be Europeans.

Finally, many Brexit voters were influenced by the notion of the UK becoming more "independent". Some even went so far as to call June 23rd, 2016, "Independence Day". It requires myopia, when one thinks of say Finland or Lithuania, for any of our British friends to believe that they alone truly value independence. But it reaches full historical amnesia for any British person to believe they need, as Nigel Farage absurdly has done, to remind Ireland of the meaning of independence. Independence for us is not something to celebrate in lonely isolation; rather it allows us, to use Robert Emmet's phrase, to take our place among the nations of the earth.

It has become clear that many Irish and British people now have quite different understandings of the world. The sad reality is that our mental geography is increasingly different and that we are now set on different trajectories. The mature Irish response to Brexit may prove to be the most important assertion yet of our psychological independence.
Bobby McDonagh is a former Irish ambassador to the EU, Britain and Italy

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Ireland loves exactly what Britain hates about Europe

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Although Ireland will be deeply affected by Brexit, we have to an extraordinary extent been unaffected by the Brexit debate. The main arguments and fears of the Brexiteers are essentially alien to us. We don't share their wish to return to an imagined past.

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Property features

Architect designed development

Secluded location

Private entrance

Galleried mezzanine level

Gas central heating

Double glazing

Fantastic living room

South westerly facing

Secure parking

Property description

Albany Court is an architect designed development featuring a select number of apartments enjoying a secluded location behind secure electric gates, with easy access to both West Didsbury and Withington Villages. This particular property is accessed via its own entrance and is located to the first floor with a galleried mezzanine level and vaulted ceiling creating light and spacious accommodation, with the benefit of both gas central heating and double glazing throughout. In outline:- Entrance hallway with cloaks space, bathroom with a white three piece suite, fantastic living room with double height vaulted ceiling and floor to ceiling double glazed south westerly facing windows overlooking the communal gardens, modern fitted kitchen and double bedroom to the mezzanine level. The development lies within well tended communal gardens with planted areas and there is residents parking set behind the secure electric gates.

Location - Albany Court enjoys a most convenient and yet discreet position, being set behing electric gates at the end of a small tree lined cul-de-sac with easy access to the villages of both Withington and West Didsbury. Didsbury is one of Manchester's most sought after suburbs, with delightful parkland and recreational facilities, whilst Didsbury and West Didsbury's lively and cosmopolitan atmosphere includes street cafs, bars and restaurants. Its primary and high schools are academically renowned making the locality particularly popular with discerning families. For the commuter, excellent transport links include train services and bus routes to and from the City Centre and Manchester International Airport. Motorway links are less than a mile away, whilst the development is also within easy reach of the Metrolink stops at Lapwing Lane and Burton Road.

Directions - From our Didsbury Office proceed along Wilmslow Road towards Manchester City Centre. At th first set of traffic lights turn left into Barlow Moor Road. At the next set of traffic lights turn right into Palatine Road. Proceed through a further traffic light junction and take the fifth road on the left into Everett Road. Take the first left into Cromer Avenue where the development will be found at the head of the road behind secure gates. (SAT NAV M20 3DY)

Accommodation -

First Floor -

Private Entrance -

Entrance Hall -

Living Room - 15'9 X 14'3 (4.80m X 4.34m) -

Kitchen - 7'10 X 5'10 (2.39m X 1.78m) -

Bathroom - 8'0 X 4'10 (2.44m X 1.47m) -

Mezzanine Bedroom - 14'2 X 10'6 (4.32m X 3.20m) -

Communal Gardens -

Gated Parking -

These particulars are believed to be accurate but they are not guaranteed and do not form a contract. Neither Jordan Fishwick nor the vendor or lessor accept any responsibility in respect of these particulars, which are not intended to be statements or representations of fact and any intending purchaser or lessee must satisfy himself by inspection or otherwise as to the correctness of each of the statements contained in these particulars. Any floorplans on this brochure are for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily to scale.

Property information from this agent

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Albany Court, Withington/West Didsbury, Manchester, M20 1 bed apartment - £134,950

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Architect designed development Secluded location Private entrance Galleried mezzanine level Gas central heating Double glazing Fantastic living room South westerly facing Secure parking Albany Court is an architect designed development featuring a select number of apartments enjoying a secluded location behind secure electric gates, with easy access to both West Didsbury and Withington Villages.

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Speed Of Clouds (from 'Up Here' released 06/01/14) by Paul Armfield

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Taken from the album 'Up Here'
www.paularmfield.com
https://www.facebook.com/thepaularmfield
Featuring Paul Armfield: Vocals, guitar; Paul Butler: Kora, b.vocals; Dave Godby: hammer dulcimer; Rafe Spencer: Double bass; Rupert Brown: drums, b.vovals.
Written, produced, mixed and mastered by Paul Armfield
Recorded at Humbug Studio, East Cowes, Isle of Wight

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Someone had a question for a chap called Qasim Rashid on Twitter.

"I'm confused how you could be a women's rights defender while being a practicing Muslim?"

Let's forgive the 'practicing' and focus on his reply, which went viral on Twitter because people enjoyed it so much.

A troll DM'd me that he was "confused how I could be a women's rights defender while being a practicing Muslim?"

This was my response.#TrollsInMyDMs pic.twitter.com/s30el7mDgP

- Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@MuslimIQ) December 30, 2017

1.

2.

Goodness me. You are so eloquent and articulate. What a wonderfully worded response!

- Fiona (@FLDMissing) December 30, 2017

Not everyone got it though.

pic.twitter.com/0DaSDDE28R
- Brandon Bowser (@Brandonbowser45) December 30, 2017

i legitimately can't decipher what this is supposed to mean

- cat cactus (@cactair) December 31, 2017

From what I can gather, it means he sees women as a piece of meat but wants to lecture others on gender equality. #hypocrisy

- Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@MuslimIQ) December 31, 2017

Daayumn

- Porg Schmidt-McPorg (@DRGsAllDay) December 31, 2017

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What happened when someone asked if you could defend women's rights and be a practising Muslim

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Someone had a question for a chap called Qasim Rashid on Twitter. "I'm confused how you could be a women's rights defender while being a practicing Muslim?" Let's forgive the 'practicing' and focus on his reply, which went viral on Twitter because people enjoyed it so much.

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Ruling on drinking beer - Islam Question & Answer

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Some people think that the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), "Whatever intoxicates in large quantities, a little of it is haraam", mean that if a small percentage of an intoxicant is mixed with a large amount of a substance that is not intoxicating, then it is haraam.

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With people moving homes or changing jobs regularly, it is incredibly easy to lose track of your pension and end up with a number of pension pots before retirement.

In reality your pension isn't going to come looking for you, and while there are many reasons why your pension has gone astray, tracking it down isn't a complicated process. Here's some tips to help you get started.

Tracking down a workplace or personal pension

The most straight-forward method is to search online through the government website help pages.

The fundamental information you will need is:

Your date of birth

Your National Insurance number

Pension provider name

Of course, it may be that you have no idea of the pension name or when it was taken out, or indeed how many pensions you have in all.

So first of all, you need to gather as much information as possible. Have a look at old bank statements where money was debited to a pension provider and search out your favourite storage places as you may have old certificates or annual statements. Pension providers should send you a letter each year, including an estimate of how much you are likely to receive in retirement each year.

In terms of a workplace pension, think of all the jobs you have had throughout your career so far. Did you have a pension with them? Are you still able to contact your employer?

Contacting your employer

Your employer should be able to provide you with information about who the provider was, who in turn will be able to clarify exactly how your pension is performing at the moment.

To obtain an overview of your pension, ask the following questions:

What is the current value of your pension pot?

How much has been contributed?

What management charges am I paying?

How much income is the pension pot likely to pay out at my chosen retirement date?

What options are there for making changes?

Would there be any charges to transfer the pension to a different provider?

Try the pension tracing service

This government database is free to access and has contact details of more than 200,000 workplace and personal pension schemes. The tracing service is helpful if you can't find the contact details of an old employer, or you don't know the provider of an old personal pension.

Merging multiple pensions

If you assess the value of your pension pot with your provider or through an independent financial adviser, it may well be beneficial to consider merging or transferring part or all of your funds to a scheme that maximises the return on your pension savings.

A financial adviser would look at the current performance, features and benefits of each scheme, in line with your own individual needs and goals for the future.

Making small changes to your pension now could make a huge difference to your future. For example, let's say you could save 1 per cent a year on your pension's annual management charges but you decide to put off switching for a year - that's over £520 potentially gone. Put it off for five years and you could lose over £3,100.

Leave it for 20 years and you could have lost a whopping £27,057. The simple fact is the sooner you fix a leaky pension, the better.
- Jamie Smith-Thompson is the managing director of pension advice specialist Portafina

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Don't lose your hard-earned money: How to track down a lost pension pot

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With people moving homes or changing jobs regularly, it is incredibly easy to lose track of your pension and end up with a number of pension pots before retirement. In reality your pension isn't going to come looking for you, and while there are many reasons why your pension has gone astray, tracking it down isn't a complicated process.

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FOREWORD
The Brexit that was promised to voters in 2016 is not the Brexit that is being delivered.

Two years ago, those who advocated leaving the EU said it would be easy to retain all the benefits of EU membership, and at the same time secure a raft of new trade deals, deliver more jobs across the UK and magically produce a £350 million a week dividend for the NHS.

Since then, rather than being straight with the British people and admitting that these promises can't be kept, some ministers have continued to make unrealistic and often contradictory claims. It has been said that the UK can retain the 'exact same benefits' in our frictionless trade with Europe, and that a new comprehensive trade deal with the EU will be completed by 29 March 2019.

Today, the Brexit being debated looks a million miles away from what was promised. Instead, it looks like all we will have is a very expensive Withdrawal Agreement, with all the major decisions about the future relationship with Europe - including on customs, trade, immigration and payments for market access - postponed until after we are due to have left. It is a deal that would see the UK become a rule taker, following rules and regulations made by the EU but with no say over them.

As the Prime Minister heads to Brussels for a key summit of EU leaders, the People's Vote campaign challenges the Government to spell out the reality. It is time to explain that, far from the 'sunlit uplands' the public were promised, the Brexit we are heading for will be bad for Britain.

As the public wait for clarity about what any Brexit deal - or no deal - will mean for them and their families, they will be reminded of what has been promised by those who advocated - and those who are delivering - Brexit. This document sets out those promises, in their own words. They promised the British people their Brexit would...

1. Have the "exact same benefits" as we get from EU membership

2. Be fully negotiated by March 2019

3. Produce a dividend from Europe worth £350m per week for our NHS

4. Result in new trade deals from day one after leaving

5. Deliver more jobs and higher wages across the UK

6. Mean no payments for access to the Single Market

7. Ensure an end to free movement in March 2019

8. Fully protect the integrity of the United Kingdom

9. End austerity

10. Mean a complete end to EU rules and regulations from March 2019

It seems increasingly clear that these promises made to the British people will not - and in all likelihood cannot - be kept.

But that doesn't mean they can be ignored. They are the benchmarks against which any Brexit deal must be judged. And if these promises are not kept, the country has every right to ask whether it really wants to proceed.
David Lammy MP Caroline Lucas MP Jo Swinson MP THE PROMISES

1. The exact same benefits as we get from EU membership

"The idea that our trade will suffer...is silly" -Vote Leave, What Happens When We Vote Leave

"It will be a different relationship, but I think it can have the same benefits in terms of that free access to trade" - Theresa May, 29 March 2017

2. Fully negotiated by March 2019 3. 4. 5. More jobs across the UK 6. No payments for access to the Single Market New trade deals from day one after leaving 7. An end to free movement in March 2019 A Brexit dividend worth £350m per week for our NHS 8. Fully protecting the integrity of the United Kingdom 9. 10. A complete end to EU rules and regulations from March 2019 An end to austerity thanks to Brexit

"Given that all the big issues have already been solved over the years between the EU and countries around the world, and there is already a free trade zone stretching from Iceland to the Russian border, the new UK-EU Treaty should be ready within two years."- Vote Leave, What Happens When We Vote Leave?

"There's no question of any kind of blindfold Brexit." - Dominic Raab, 9 October 2018

"When we Vote Leave we will be able to do trade deals with all of these countries much more quickly. According to the EU's own figures this will create 284,000 new jobs in the UK". - Vote Leave press release, 12 May 2016

"We'll have more money to spend on our priorities, wages will be higher and fuel bills will be lower." - Michael Gove, Boris Johnson and Gisela Stuart, 31 May 2016

"We would not expect to pay for access to their markets any more than they would expect to pay for access to ours." - Boris Johnson, 17 September 2017

"I'm clear that there is a difference between those people who come prior to us leaving and those who will come when they know the UK is no longer a member." - Theresa May, 1 February 2017

"I mean firstly in 2019 we will leave. We'll come out from under the jurisdiction and the law-making of the European Union." - David Davis, 24 September 2017

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THE 10 PROMISES AGAINST WHICH ANY BREXIT DEAL MUST BE JUDGED

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FOREWORD The Brexit that was promised to voters in 2016 is not the Brexit that is being delivered. Two years ago, those who advocated leaving the EU said it would be easy to retain all the benefits of EU membership, and at the same time secure a raft of new trade deals, deliver more jobs across the UK and magically produce a £350 million a week dividend for the NHS.

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The best
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Noisli offers high-quality ambient noises such as rain, ocean, birds, wind, leaves, stream, lake, crickets, bonfire, thunder, and waterfall sounds, as well as white, pink, and brown noise, fan, coffee shop, cityscape, train, airplane, and washing machine sounds that you can mix and match as you like. Noisli also offers curated playlists for noise masking, focus and concentration, study, writing, sleep, and relaxation as well as an online timer to help work in sessions and a distraction-free text editor.

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Noisli - Background Noise and Ambient Sounds for Focus, Sleep and Relaxation

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Listen to soothing nature ambient noise like rain, ocean, brown and white noise sounds and create relaxing soundscapes. Plus online timer and text editor.