Iceland has rejected commencing talks to join the EU.

How did this become a matter about immigration levels into Britain?

I think it's because the primary issue driving the Leave voters was seen as being their opposition to 'free movement'. subsequent governments have picked that out and made it a 'red line'.

Of course, 'free movement' was never about letting hordes of non EU nationals into the UK (or other EU states) but that is how it was worked on by the Leave campaigners. Remember Farage's dreadful poster of long lines refugees/asylum seekers at the, IIRC, Turkish border with the implication that they were all on the way to the UK? It created, I think, a great deal of confusion in voters' minds between the free movement of EU state nationals and the movement of asylum seekers and refugees.

Iceland has a proud history of independence so I can see why they wouldn’t want to be part of the EU. That and the fishing restraints. I don’t see why every single ‘political’ thread ends up mentioning Farage. OK so he has a large presence but his party is not in power and most likely never will be unless the press keep on and on about him and draw attention to him. Which is just playing into his hands, positive or negative. A bit like that American woman no one much likes.

Whether Iceland joins the eu or not is irrelevant when you look at China Shock 2.
The term China shock was coined by 3 economists, early 2,000s?
China Shock1 involved China swamping the the world with every piece of plastic/ synthetic crap we didn’t know we needed.
But now we have China Shock 2. They are producing high end goods. They will be suppling every piece of tech that you and I and most importantly, every piece of tech that our utilities use.
Etc etc. look what they have done to Germany.

www.semafor.com/article/06/08/2026/germany-bears-the-brunt-of-china-shock-20

Many,many people here are now buying Chinese electric cars. They are better. Sadly. Not the case just 3 or 4 years ago but now they are blitzing sales because they are cheaper and have all the bells and whistles plus plus. They are also reliable ( a new phenomenon )

nanna8

Iceland has a proud history of independence so I can see why they wouldn’t want to be part of the EU. That and the fishing restraints. I don’t see why every single ‘political’ thread ends up mentioning Farage. OK so he has a large presence but his party is not in power and most likely never will be unless the press keep on and on about him and draw attention to him. Which is just playing into his hands, positive or negative. A bit like that American woman no one much likes.

I think, with all due respect, Nanna8, if you actually lived here you would completely appreciate the “damage” some of us feel Farage has caused this country.

It started with him being an MEP, a role he was highly paid to complete. My understanding is he failed to attend the majority of the meetings relating to fishing and fisheries. After (not) fulfilling this role for many years, he then apparently saw all the “flaws” in the EU and instead of fighting for the rights of us, he decided he needed to persuade the UK to “leave” the EU and thus his campaign to lobby parliament.

He formed UKIP, dumped the Tories, relentlessly lobbied Cameron to hold a referendum til Cameron caved in, referendum held, loosely based on stopping migrants and giving the NHS £££££££££. Leave “won”, Cameron ran off.

From this point, Brexit began, Tories had 14 years of rule, many different PMs, austerity, economy trashed by Truss & Co.

In the background UKIP faded and Reform was born.

The amount of damage and divisive activity Reform and their ilk have caused our country is immeasurable.

Some people, of course, may have different recollections which may contradict mine. This is simply my take on the situation.

Why does every simple thread mention Farage?

Not every thread but defiantly many thats true. Until the media started reporting on Farage's £5million sum received from his Harborne benefactor he failed to declare, he had the right wing media, for the most part eating out of his hand. Farage was a master at gaining media attention and frequently drip feeding his rhetoric via the media as a result. This lead to Reform's ascendancy and lead in national polls. Farage styled and proclaimed himself as the Prime Minister in waiting. All against a back drop of Starmer's downwards spiral in public opinion.

The fact the Reform UK had merely a handful of MPs did not prevent this meteoric rise. Further in the same period Reform became the party above all others in to receive the most £ political donations, predominantly from just a few benefactors- giving it huge canvassing power. All other parties grappled with the challenge how to respond to Farage ( lets face it Reform UK is Farage) and shape their parties and strategies as a result

The press would be failing in its public interest duties to ignore this political shift and Reform UK's audacious rise. under the leadership of Farage. Posters write what they are interested in and many, for or against Farage and Reform would mention him and his influence in context of the thread's topic. His anti immigrant rhetoric shaped posts and threads.

Until Burnham was elected Labour Party leader Reform had been leading in all nationals polls for nigh on 18 months. Whether this change is just due to the Burnham bounce or will be consolidated and continue remains to be seen. This shift continues to shape parties and attracts media interest. Bednoch intentionally is shifting the Conservative party further to the right for example. The Restore threat is taking votes from Reform UK so both their parties compete and may become even further right tas a result. The outcome of the investigation into Farage's £5 million undeclared "gift". will also shape matters and Farage immediate then strategic response.

Farage's position and stance with the media has also shifted as he remains under investigation- which he appears to intensely dislike.

Not really surprising Farge gets mentioned a lot in posts by both his supporters, (he has gained so many from other parties. in a relatively short period of time) and his detractors.

Of course Iceland already have a Norway type deal with the EU - didn’t Farage promise that at one time? So they wouldn’t gain much with full membership. Also remember they are a tiny country, also the EU is hardly “ failing” - just look at the U.K.