This time it’s Juncker and May in a Brexit schmooze, Italy thinks it’s got nothing to lose, and Finns are all about rake news.
This edition is brought to you by EFFA, stick around until the end to learn more about them.
But first, what’s that coming over the hill? Is it a Brexit? It at least looks a little more likely now, after Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker met in Brussels on Wednesday, with another meeting set for Saturday.
NEW: May just said she's returning to Brussels on Saturday for a further meeting with Juncker
— Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) November 21, 2018
Nick Gutteridge was there when the UK and Commission leaders met, although not a word was exchanged between the two during their handshake.
Theresa May has arrived in Brussels. Her handshake with Jean-Claude Juncker lasted all of 10 seconds and neither of them said a word. pic.twitter.com/JslR8yS3cb
— Nick Gutteridge (@nick_gutteridge) November 21, 2018
One Ukip MEP was predictably outraged about the meeting.
I hear Mrs May is going to Brussels tomorrow to meet Jean Claude Juncker. No doubt to give a Brexit Betrayal update & to get fresh instructions. How much worse can it get.
— Gerard Batten MEP (@GerardBattenMEP) November 20, 2018
While Juncker spokesman Margaritis Schinas confirmed that, as far as the Commission is concerned, it is now up to EU member states to sign off on the future relationship deal.
#TeamJunckerEU continues today: updates on #Article50 #Brexit negotiations, latest developments leading to the endorsement by the College of the political declaration on the future relationship between the EU and the U.K. Now subject to leaders endorsement on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/9NtRWhbs6E
— Margaritis Schinas (@MargSchinas) November 22, 2018
If you want to read the juiciest parts of the text, Alex Barker helpfully tweeted some of the most important details.
The leaked Brexit declaration pic.twitter.com/KjO09aFQs4
— Alex Barker (@alexebarker) November 22, 2018
Although, plenty of readers have already taken issue with one thing in particular: the font. I mean who in their right mind uses Cambria anymore?
Can’t believe it’s in Cambria wtf
— Jamie Susskind (@jamiesusskind) November 22, 2018
But real holes have already started to appear in the text, as Dave Clark found out when doing a simple search of the document for the word Gibraltar.
Hmm. pic.twitter.com/xgLs80iQWb
— Dave Clark (@DaveClark_AFP) November 22, 2018
Of course James Crisp is still gripped by pet passport mania.
So far in the Brexit political declaration – there is NOTHING on pet passports.
— James Crisp (@JamesCrisp6) November 22, 2018
Spoof account Martini Seltzermayr revealed the EU wishlist in detail. I think we can all get behind Italy’s demand for a ban on hawaiian pizza:
That EU27 Brexit wishlist in full
SPAIN: surrender Gibraltar
FRANCE: Ditto Jersey
GERMANY: stop saying “Zeitgeist”
ITALY: Ban Hawaiian pizza— Martini Seltzermayr (@mseltzermayr) November 20, 2018
And UK politician Vince Cable has become so bamboozled by Brexit that he’s grown an extra arm, just for head scratching, reports Stephen Merchant.
Vince Cable so bamboozled by Brexit, he’s grown an extra arm just for head scratching pic.twitter.com/GCutXsEvjD
— Stephen Merchant (@StephenMerchant) November 20, 2018
Thankfully, we can at least all look forward to a Brexit circus… I mean summit… every six months, maybe for the rest of all of our natural lives. Won’t that be nice.
Brexit will never end. Summits every six months !! pic.twitter.com/GgIhXjF9Np
— Mehreen (@MehreenKhn) November 22, 2018
Onto other beleaguered EU members: Italy this week tried to call the EU’s budget bluff but it turns out Brussels isn’t just all hot air! The Commission decided that Rome’s finances are simply not up to scratch.
Italy ‘sleepwalks to instability’, Commission resorts to excessive deficit procedure https://t.co/0d8p2Ejr1P
— EURACTIV (@EURACTIV) November 21, 2018
Finance Commissioner Pierre Moscovici insisted that the door remains open for dialogue.
Our door remains open to dialogue with Italy. As we move closer to opening an Excessive Deficit Procedure, it is even more essential that the Italian authorities engage constructively with the @EU_Commission.
— Pierre Moscovici (@pierremoscovici) November 21, 2018
While the FT’s Mehreen Khan warned that we are in for what will probably be a quite boring process. Yay.
?? EU Commission with a deliberately muted choice of wording today as it recommends a "warranted" excessive deficit procedure for Italy. Doesn't pack a punch in the way previous letters to Rome have. Today will be the start of a long, steady (and probably quite boring) process
— Mehreen (@MehreenKhn) November 21, 2018
Some Italians made their feelings towards Brussels perfectly clear.
Milan, Piazza Affari. pic.twitter.com/nU4F4VLgV4
— LUIGI TERLIZZI (@gigiter75) November 21, 2018
But Italy’s interior minister, and the EU’s biggest fan, Matteo Salvini seemed to be busy with other matters though. It’s good to know that he’s more of a cat than a dog person.
L'altra sera avete inviato così tante foto dei vostri "bambini felini" che ho pensato di ripubblicarne alcune, è bello avere qualche micio in pagina che porta un po' di tranquillità serale.
Naturalmente, potete commentare con la foto del vostro sotto al mio post Facebook!? pic.twitter.com/bHvJ7hxCp9— Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) November 21, 2018
Irene Marchi quipped that the twitter account isn’t a fake one and that she is looking forward to Salvini posting pictures of puppies instead of, you know, working and doing his job.
This is not a fake account, this is an actual tweet of the Italian Minister of the Interior #Salvini. I'm looking forward to when he'll publish photos of puppies too instead of working https://t.co/5YT1v1tuPZ
— Irene Marchi (@irenemrch) November 22, 2018
Speaking of politicians that struggle to get through a full five-day-week,
Donald Trump’s intellectual musings on forest management have really hit home in Finland, after the US president said that fires can be prevented by raking away all the dead leaves.
"They spend a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things, and they don't have any problem": Pres. Trump suggests raking could prevent wildfires while touring a town impacted by the deadly California Camp Fire on Saturday. https://t.co/kamY4rB5wa pic.twitter.com/lXjIZL3GS4
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 19, 2018
But Finland’s president, who met with Trump shortly before, does not remember sharing such privy insider information, as Trump’s favourite reporter, Jim Acosta, pointed out.
President of Finland doesn’t recall discussing raking leaves with Trump when they met last weekend in Paris. https://t.co/TwOC6mcDmm
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) November 18, 2018
But Finns at least saw the funny side to Trump’s guff, posting pictures of themselves armed to the teeth with fire-busting rakes.
The leaves haven’t all fallen yet, so I am raking the forest proactively #haravointi pic.twitter.com/7uNzQbMuOk
— Calvus Virginicus (@virginicus) November 18, 2018
Pyry Luminen showed she is the most committed to banishing leaves from the woods though, sharing a picture of just another ordinary day in Finland’s forest.
Just an ordinary day in the Finnish forest ~ Ihan normipäivä suomalaisessa metsässä #Trump #forest #firesafety #raking #forestry #Finland #Finnish #CaliforniaFire #RakingAmericaGreatAgain #rakingtheforest #Suomi #haravointi #metsäpalot #rakingleaves pic.twitter.com/YOKA3D6C2K
— Pyry Luminen (@pyryluminen) November 18, 2018
And Antti Holma says every Finn has a copy of this cautionary painting:
Every Finnish home has got a print of this cautionary painting called ”Raking And Cleaning Fail”. pic.twitter.com/J16xkVU4t2
— Antti Holma (@anttiholma) November 17, 2018
Let’s hope they keep raking America great again!
Here's a homemade sad trombone GIF if you ever need one pic.twitter.com/Z7L3Iinx3O
— Bethany Hardy (@bethanyhardy) September 10, 2016
Thanks to EFFA, the European flavour association, for supporting this episode, check out their tweet, which is all about Flavour Days around Europe!
As #FlavourPro's we are proud to see #FlavourDays work their magic across Europe with #ConsumerTrends & #Sustainability on top of the agenda from Grasse (New video: https://t.co/PudzGiP5og) to Berlin (https://t.co/eO9ZATFeyR) and soon Paris! (https://t.co/2UAaTnOJjC) pic.twitter.com/IBE8DEiA1c
— EFFA (@EFFA_Flavour) November 21, 2018
Keep the tweets coming and we’ll see you next week!