What's up?

Since I have not received any notification of posts on the forum, I’m wondering if it is still active.  The only interaction seems to be on FB where political issues dominate.  In America the prime issue is Trump.  In the UK the prime issue is Brexit. 
My attention was diverted to domestic matters with my wife in the hospital.  She is home now in a recovery mode.  All the crap in the news means little when health issues are a concern.

I'm in the same situation with my mum, Abe. She's in hospital, and has been since last Tuesday.

Brexit is spiralling out of government control. Yesterday, the Withdrawal Agreement suffered another enormous defeat. Theresa May tried to keep "no deal" on the table but was defeated this evening. She plans another vote on the WA next Wednesday, and wanted MPs to vote for the agreement or face a no deal exit, but that is no longer a threat.

No one knows what will happen next.

Sorry to hear about your Mum, Shelagh.  I hope that she recovers.  We both realize that recovery takes longer with older people and that includes, yours truly.  As for Brexit, I can only imagine the turmoil it is having locally while the news broadcasts speculate pro and con.  The latest commentary is that the British Elite want Brexit thus allowing them to control the financial markets without oversight from the EU.  I’m guessing that it will wind up with another referendum.  My concern is with the US domestic situation.  The latest budget proposal by Trump calls for drastic cuts on social services and that includes Social Security that we seniors depend on for survival.  The candidates are lining up and there is a majority of female candidates on the Democratic side that promise reforms.  It will be an interesting election year to be sure.

I haven't followed US politics for some time now. Americans always crave low taxes and then complain about cuts in public services. The same in the UK, but not as much as in the US.

Brexit is more about the working class than the elite. There's a tremendous disconnect between the people and their representative MPs, which has resulted in the incongruity of the poorest in the country being represented by the public school sector of MPs. Those MPs who are supposed to represent the working class are failing to do so.

Another referendum poses the problem of what to ask. Those asking for a referendum want "remain" on the ballot paper, but it would be unacceptable to ask the country to vote for an agreement that parliament has voted down twice, and possibly three times. Which leaves a rerun of the first referendum. If leave won again, what would happen? The present 650 MPs seem incapable of leaving even after an Act of Parliament has been passed and is now law. MPs would sooner change the law, against the will of the people, rather than keep to it. Democracy in the UK is all but dead.