Just as I watch Olivier Giroud and Paul Pogba’s storming finishes (and now the wonderful Dimitri Payet, then Antoine Griezmann) push France into a position of total dominance, making the dream final of Wales v Iceland rather unlikely, a bit of Salut! Sunderland housekeeping needs attending to.
This is not, as I have said before, a political site. We all have views and it may be some views are shared by a majority of the editors, contributors and readers. But, within the kind of reason I hope not to have to explain, we accept the differences that will inevitably arise. It has nowt, essentially, to do with the raison d’être of Salut! Sunderland.
So it is with Brexit.
We cannot stick our heads in the Seaburn sands and pretend it doesn’t affect Sunderland. The city has been written about the world over, because it is so good at counting votes very quickly and how Sunderland voted happened to be so significant.
So everyone attending the Stadium of Light come August will have not only the mix of views that divided the nation, but also a local perspective. Some Salut! Sunderland people will believe a welcome revolution has taken place; others cannot comprehend how an area so dependent on EU aid and Nissan jobs can have voted the way it did. I’ve had my say, in other forums, and I’m sure others have, too, whether or not we agree.
Here, we just need to establish common sense ground rules. No one is forbidden to mention the vote in articles or comments. Robust differences of opinion will meet no censor’s active disapproval. But everyone will be expected to observe the same principles we apply to purely footballing debates: no personal abuse, nothing legally dodgy, no profanity.
And if Brexit is never mentioned by anyone again after these cautionary words, so be it.
I am taking my own implicit advice and remaining out of direct debate here . That was why I chose two relatively mild opposing positions as my examples. My own views are best restricted to what you can find at http://francesalut.com or on social media. But everyone else can pitch in here subject to the modest guidelines described above.
I, continually, fail to understand why some people think there is such a thing as “EU money”, even though the EU loves nothing more than to see its name plastered over everything.
Each week (after deduction of the rebate) £276m of British taxpayer’s cash is sent to Brussels.
Some of that is then sent back as grants at less than 32p in the pound of that originally remitted, with the UK government then allocating this by project, within predetermined classifications.
The rest then goes towards paying for EU bureaucracy and to develop other nation’s economies so they can then compete with our own and threaten UK jobs!
To me that is sheer madness!
Jermain Defoe’s parents were immigrants, my grandfather was an immigrant who fought for GB at the battle of the Somme. During the depression he was the only person in his street in Sunderland who had a job. He wasn’t taking anybody else’s job, he was the only confectioner in the street.
If all the immigrants that play for Sunderland left could we fill their boots with Sunderland lads from the dole queue? To remain in the European trading area we are still going to have to pay millions and accept some free movement of EU citizens. This is of course good news for Sam and Sunderland if we want to sign anymore foreign players? The UK was lied to the only thing that’s going to change when we leave the EU is we’ll be poorer and have less influence in the world. It wasn’t just Remain that lost, we all lost but being a Sunderland supporters we’re used to losing. Have a nice day Phil, Auf Wiedersehen and Allez the Lads
I never once referred to the emotive subject of immigration.
Instead I confined my comment to the reality of who actually provides “EU Aid” and the negative effects of the way the residue of our contributions has been utilised would have on had on UK jobs, if the farce had been allowed to continue.
No more, no less.
Must apologise Phil. You didn’t mention immigration. But I do think competition is beneficial. Football would be rubbish without it.
Hello Lenno,
Worked and played football with you at Drayton Manor years ago.
I now work in Mexico City. Hi to Pam.
Phil Davison
Hi Phil,
Are you still riding your bike? Pam has taken up cycling and is a big fan of Cav.
It’s all kicking off over here and I’m not talking about the football season.
I’m just waiting for my EU passport to come through so I can go and visit Tony in the Hauge.
Don’t go trying to climb Trump’s wall into the US.
Cheers Owen.
Hi Lenno,
The driving in Mexico City is terrible so, sadly, no bike at present. I stopped playing football when I was 45, with a heel spur.
I like Froome as well. No longer in Hanwell?
I am in Sunderland for a few weeks sorting out my mother’s house. The one where you dropped me off.
I am married to a lovely Mexican called Myriam.
I wonder if Monsieur Salut can pass my email on to you.
All the best,
Phil
I’m in the camp that agrees with your statement, ‘how an area so dependent on EU aid and Nissan jobs can have voted the way it did?’