#Also calling her Polish-French is also not right (she was Polish with French citizenship

[polposting]

Every time I see people say that Maria Skłodowska-Curie is French or calling her just "Marie Curie" something in me dies

As you can guess, I am very dead inside

[prozerpina2001]

After Beetlejuice Beetlejuice I just had a flashback of reading „Chain of thorns” for the first time and experiencing a huge, feminist rage caused by Maria Skłodowska-Curie being refered to as Marie Curie (the author @cassandraclare couldn’t even got her name right? C’mon, do a research!). The west world erasing the fact that Maria (not „Marie”) was Polish is such a big problem. It’s not only xenophobic, because for some reason people can’t accept that a Polish scientist could be that successful, but also misogynistic, since you’re trying to belittle her and make everything about her being a wife of a FRENCH MAN. Her being married didn’t stop the undeniable fact that she was Polish and she named one of the chemical elements POLONIUM (clearly after her freaking homeland), not Frenchonium (lol). Her wish was to be remembered as a Polish scientist who couldn’t live and study in her own country, because it was occupied by Prussia, Austria and Russia for 123 years.

So her being admired by both Christopher Lightwood and Astrid and also being called the FEMINIST ICON while constantly getting both her name, surname and nationality (not citizenship) wrong is such a disgusting joke. I had enough.

I know that the only people who care are Polish, but I’m so tired and bitter about this. If you can’t even remeber her name (Maria SKŁODOWSKA-Curie, that’s not so difficult!), then don’t call yourself feminist, that’s a hypocrisy 🤣 Or just leave her alone, that poor woman doesn’t deserve such a treatment.

Again, I’m just very tired and bitter about this whole thing. If you want to call me out on this, I will just block you. I don’t have enough strenght and time and will to fight in Internet. Enough Poles tried to educate others. Just go read Wikipedia (oh right, most of the versions couldn’t get her name right) or something.

[blackswaneuroparedux]

The military salute

So I was having dinner with a dear American friend who I have mentioned before in a previous post on the British evacuation of Dunkirk I think. He was Exeter and Harvard educated before a stint in the US Marines Corps and now living and working in Paris. As always we get into interesting diversionary conversations about our comparative military experience. Somehow the issue of saluting came up.

He said that when he was growing up he was always told by family that showing the palm is a sign of subordination and submissiveness, and that only a military who has lost a war salutes with palm up. So he was surprised the first time when he received a salute from a passing British army soldier at some military event.

This is obviously untrue but it’s a mystery how that view persisted.

It’s true that both Britain and the US salute differently as do other nations. A soldier will never notice the way he salutes to a superior officer or on formal occasions (like raising the flag) until he/she were thrown in with other officers and soldiers of other allied countries to see the differences.

The origin of the military salute

As with many protocols, there’s a secret language to the salute and different expressions of the act of saluting. At the very basis of the salute is something worth pondering at a time when the public debate is trying to sort out what kind of accommodations ought to be made at citizenship ceremonies.

The salute is thought to have originated as a method of demonstrating benign intention. The story goes that public officials in ancient Rome required people approaching them for an audience to raise their right hand to show that they weren’t concealing a weapon. I would imagine it was a field day for left-handed assassins.

The truth is the origin of the military salute is uncertain.

A possible explanation has its origin in the Middle Ages, 

Knights adopted a method of assuring other travellers that they meant them no harm. This assurance was transmitted by the raising of the visor on a helmet. Typically, the right hand would rise and lift the metal shield so that the face could be viewed. The right hand was used as it demonstrated that the weapon hand was engaged; the left hand was occupied holding the reins. In time, visors would be modified to have a small metal projection that could be easily lifted to effect this salutation.

This practice evolved to become what we know as the salute: Salute derives from both the Middle English and Old French meaning respectful greeting. You were, in essence, showing yourself.

The simple act of saying, “Hey, it’s just me; nothing to worry about here,” became the way that people in official capacities acknowledged one another. The military adopted salutes as a method of conveying respect and order. Each country found its own unique expression of this message.

However there is a drawback to having this explanation is that if the military salute had a medieval origin, it would have been used to a greater or lesser extent for centuries, but the reality is that it is a rather recent salute, which extended into the Contemporary Age.

Another explanation, more likely, points out that centuries ago there was a habit of saluting a superior by raising his hat. In the 18th Century the ordinances of the British Army suppressed the obligation to uncover the head to greet a superior. Instead, the custom of grabbing the end of the hat was established as if one were to remove the hat, a gesture that would have given rise to the military salute we know today.

Perhaps that explains a detail: as a general rule, in almost all armies, soldiers are exempt from military salutes if they do not wear any headgear. a British order book from 1745 dictates “men are ordered not to pull off their hats when they pass an officer, or to speak to them, but only to clap up their hands and bow as they pass.”

The two main types of military salutes

Currently, and with a few exceptions that I will point out below, in the world military salutes are divided into two main types: with the palm down and with the palm forward. The salute with the palm down consists of raising the arm leaving it at right angles to the body, then stretching the forearm toward the right temple, with the hand extended and the palm of the hand facing the ground.

This salute is the one used in the armed forces of the USA, Russia, China, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Turkey and practically all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and in all the countries of Central and South America, and also in the naval forces of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and others.

The other most usual military salute is with the palm in front. The procedure is the same as with the palm down, with the difference that in this case the palm of the hand is left facing the front and perpendicular to the ground. This military salute is used in France (where it is called “raquette”) and in many of its former colonies. The open palm salute is more identifiable in the public imagination (thank you Hollywood) with the armies and air forces of Britain and the Commonwealth countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and other ex-colonies.

The origin of the American armed forces

According to the Armed Forces History Museum, today’s standard salute  - right hand touching the brim of the head cover with the palm down  - was in place by 1820. The museum says the palm down portion of the salute may have been influenced by the salute style of the British Royal Navy at the time.

Why did the Americans follow the British Royal Navy? The US copied the British naval salute because they would more commonly encounter the British navy than the British army. So that's the one that got copied; thus the prevalence of palm down salute in the American military.

The origin of the different salutes in the British armed forces

Already stated above, in the United Kingdom and in the Commonwealth countries the two salutes are used: with the palm down in the case of the Royal Navy, and with the palm in front in the rest of the army and Royal Air Force.

What is this about? 

There is an anecdote that could explain it: on one occasion Queen Victoria visited a warship and a sailor greeted her with his palm in front, his hand rather dirty. The Queen had then decreed that the crew salute with the palm down, because by the work of the ships, it was more frequent that the sailors had their dirty hands and it was bad to salute like that.

The Polish military salute with two fingers

One of the most peculiar military salutes is the Polish, known there as “salutowanie dwoma palcami”, that is, salute with two fingers. The name is because the salute is done as in other nations, but extending only the index finger and the middle, and bending the ring finger and little finger, closing them with the thumb.

The Polish salute has another peculiarity: the main purpose of the salute is to point out the white eagle, the national emblem of Poland, which is why Polish soldiers always wear the eagle in their headwear – with some exceptions – on the front in the center, even when wearing a beret. Currently, the Polish salute is done like French, that is, with the palm facing forward.

Perhaps the custom of saluting with the palm to the front extended in the Polish Army because many soldiers of that country ended up fighting framed first in the French Army and then in the British.

Incidentally, the Polish two-finger salute caused some complaints of British officers during the Second World War, as they considered it a lack of respect, as he thought that the Poles were giving them the Boy Scout salute (which is identical to the Polish, but extending three fingers instead of two). For this reason, the Polish soldiers in the British Army used to make the British salute with the palm in front, at least in the presence of British officers.

The origin of the Polish salute is as uncertain as the rest of the military salutes. The most common legend in Poland locates its origin in the Napoleonic Wars, when a military courier was hit by shrapnel, in spite of which he fulfilled his mission and when arriving before Prince Józef Poniatowski, he greeted him with the three remaining fingers of the hand, dying later. Poniatowski, admired by the bravery of the soldier, would have adopted the military salute for the Polish forces. However, other sources indicate that the salute did not appear until 1863 and would be of Russian origin, being adopted by Marshal Józef Piłsudski after the recovery of Polish independence in 1918, at which time the two-finger salute was made official.

The Albanian chopping salute

Known as the Zogist Salute. King Zog the First of Albania came up with a salute that is executed by placing your hand over your heart with your palm down with a sort of chopping motion.

The Zogist salute is big in Mexico and South America. Our RCMP salute in the manner of the British military, with the palm forward. In Germany, the reviled “heil Hitler” straight-arm salute can land you in jail for up to three years under their current criminal code. Rising from the fact that so many pilots were trained in the air force, airline ground crew tend to salute the pilots of outgoing flights.

Saluting tradition

There are so many ways of communicating via gestures enshrined in tradition: the handshake, the tip of the hat — all intended as acts of friendship. None of the salutes imply obeisance; each is designed to convey respect. In the British tradition, a salute isn’t for the individual but acknowledges the royal commission of the individual: it’s the job, and not the person, who’s being saluted. And the respect is always reciprocated with the salute being returned.

There’s more in a salute than you might think. Their initial impulse was to offset trepidation and inspire confidence; literally and figuratively, to disarm. The gesture went on to indicate respect everywhere from service people at arms and even the Boy Scouts. But the convention of showing oneself to defray concern and offer assurance is genuine and ancient and widespread. There is something in us that wants to see the hand and the face.

[starlingsrps]

leonie talbot char. dev. (long)

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: leonie arden talbot

REASONING: none whatsoever.

NICKNAME(S): leo

PREFERRED NAME(S): leonie

BIRTH DATE: february 14

AGE: twenty four

ZODIAC: aquarius

GENDER: female

PRONOUNS: she/her

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: biromantic

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bisexual

NATIONALITY: american/french - dual citizenship, yo.

ETHNICITY: 50% mutt, 50% french descent

CURRENT LOCATION: new york city

LIVING CONDITIONS: p good

BACKGROUND

BIRTH PLACE: new york city

HOMETOWN: manhattan. everywhere else is rotten.

SOCIAL CLASS: lower upper

EDUCATION LEVEL: bachelor of music in violin performance from the new england conservatory

FATHER: robert talbot, 61

MOTHER: juliette talbot, 49

SIBLING(S): cristian, 20; eloise, 15

BIRTH ORDER: leonie, cristian, eloise

CHILDREN: ---

PET(S): dear god no

OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIVES: ---

PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: a few but meh.

ARRESTS?: nah

PRISON TIME?: nah

OCCUPATION & INCOME

PRIMARY SOURCE OF INCOME: trust fund

SECONDARY SOURCE OF INCOME: pit musician for phantom of the opera

CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB (OR LACK THERE OF)?: it's okay

PAST JOB(S): nah man.

SPENDING HABITS: surprisingly frugal

MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: her violin

SKILLS & ABILITIES

PHYSICAL STRENGTH: not really but very strong hands

SPEED: quick

INTELLIGENCE: high. she's bright, even if she doesn't act it.

ACCURACY: fair enough.

AGILITY: good!

STAMINA: good!

TEAMWORK: good enough

TALENTS: music - she's got a great ear and can play just about anything after hearing it once

SHORTCOMINGS: she has no idea what she wants to do with her life. her dad got her the phantom job through connections and she keeps meaning to try out for the phil but?????

LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: bilingual in french and english

DRIVE?: no???

JUMP-STAR A CAR?: also no

CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: absolutely not

RIDE A BICYCLE?: yes

SWIM?: yes

PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: violin and piano

PLAY CHESS?: nah

BRAID HAIR?: only her own

TIE A TIE?: no

PICK A LOCK?: no why???

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

FACE CLAIM: frida gustavsson

EYE COLOR: blue

HAIR COLOR: blonde

HAIR TYPE/STYLE: long and wavy with bangs

GLASSES/CONTACTS?: contacts

DOMINANT HAND: right

HEIGHT: 5'10

BUILD: tall, man. just tall.

EXERCISE HABITS: she runs around the central park reservoir approximately once, twice a week and calls it good.

SKIN TONE: fair

TATTOOS: her mother would murder her so no.

PIERCINGS: ears

MARKS/SCARS: none particularly notable

NOTABLE FEATURES: full mouth, even features. her mother's a model - of course leonie is a knockout.

USUAL EXPRESSION: RBF is a real disease.

CLOTHING STYLE: whatever looks good that morning tbh

JEWELRY: not especially

ALLERGIES: peanuts

DIET: food is food man.

PHYSICAL AILMENTS: nah

PSYCHOLOGY

ENNEAGRAM TYPE: 4

MORAL ALIGNMENT: chaotic neutral

TEMPERAMENT: melancholic

ELEMENT: water

MBTI TYPE: ISFP

MENTAL CONDITIONS/DISORDERS: anxiety and some low grade depression

SOCIABILITY: good!

EMOTIONAL STABILITY: fairly stable. 

OBSESSION(S): keeping her hands neat and in good condition 

COMPULSION(S): she is a compulsive hand cream user.

PHOBIA(S): breaking a finger.

ADDICTION(S): flaming hots. she can quit whenever she wants eff u.

DRUG USE: nothing that's not prescription

ALCOHOL USE: yes

PRONE TO VIOLENCE?: no

MANNERISMS

SPEECH STYLE: mumbler

ACCENT: she pronounces some words a bit strangely because of her mother - english is technically leonie's second language by like six months.

QUIRKS: nah.

HOBBIES: music, running.

HABITS: see above.

NERVOUS TICKS: she tugs at her fingers

DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: idk man she's still trying to sort that out herself

FEARS: most birds. 

POSITIVE TRAITS: passionate, curious, musical, generous

NEGATIVE TRAITS: awkward, unpredictable, moody, competitive, naive

SENSE OF HUMOR: kind of juvenile

DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?: only in french

CATCHPHRASE(S): nah

FAVORITES

ACTIVITY: playing music, listening to music

ANIMAL: cats

BEVERAGE: coffee

BOOK: jane eyre

COLOR: green

DESIGNER: not...really? she wears pretty much whatever tbh.

FOOD: chips. all chips. but mostly flaming hots.

FLOWER: daffodils

GEM: baroque pearls

HOLIDAY: halloween

MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: walk or subway

MOVIE: not really a movie girl

SONG: "the swan" by saint-saens

SCENERY: the beach

SCENT: her mother's perfume and wood polish

SPORT: no. please no.

SPORTS TEAM: see above.

TELEVISION SHOW: queer eye

WEATHER: spring

VACATION DESTINATION: anywhere is good but she has a fondness for the south of france. it's where her mother's family is from and it makes her happy to go back.

ATTITUDES

GREATEST DREAM: first chair, new york philharmonic

GREATEST FEAR: failing.

MOST AT EASE WHEN: with people who don't put pressure on her to be the best

LEAST AT EASE WHEN: being put on the spot

WORST POSSIBLE THING THAT COULD HAPPEN: breaking a string mid-performance. honestly, failing isn't even that bad. she dates a bit, marries well, becomes her mother if things fall apart. 

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: getting into the new england conservatory

BIGGEST REGRET: not doing things on her own merit.

BIGGEST SECRET: nah

TOP PRIORITIES: huh.

[jennymanrique]

The American Rescue Plan and your taxes: what you need to know

The IRS has extended the deadline for filing tax returns until May 17. The child tax credit will be issued starting this summer and a portion of the unemployment benefits will not be taxable.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) extended the tax payment deadline from April 15 to May 17, at a time when the third round of stimulus checks surpassed $335 billion in payments reaching 130 million Americans.

This and other provisions approved in the American Rescue Plan, such as the child tax credit and the establishment of non-taxable unemployment benefits, seek to help families economically battered by the pandemic.

“As the pandemic continues, we remain focused on supporting the federal government’s efforts to help those experiencing financial changes and challenges,” said Ken Corbin, Commissioner at the IRS Wage and Investment Division, during a media briefing hosted by Ethnic Media Services.

“That’s one reason why we extended the due date: individuals have until May 17 to file and pay their 2020 taxes. No one will be penalized or charged interest if they file and pay by that date. This applies only to individuals, not to taxpayers like corporations,” Corbin explained.

This extension also applies to tax year 2020 contributions to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or Roth IRA, health savings account, Archer medical savings account, or Coverdell education savings account. However, for those making estimated tax payments for the first quarter of fiscal 2021, the April 15 deadline remains.

Since February 12, the IRS has received 85 million individual tax returns and issued over 56 million refunds totaling almost $164 billion. IRS officials recommend using direct deposit with E-filing as the most immediate way to complete the process and receive your refund in 21 days.

“We know that even with the vaccine rolling out, many folks may not be comfortable going into a brick and mortar office or dealing with their tax preparers (in person),” Corbin said. “We encourage you to E-file and choose direct deposit.”

There are several tax preparation softwares that allow individuals who earn less than $ 72,000 a year to file for free. The IRS one can be found here. The IRS2GO mobile app also allows you to find free assistance in preparing taxes, making payments, and checking the status of refunds.

Stimulus checks

Corbin highlighted the IRS’s work on the rapid disbursement of economic impact payments (EIPs), commonly known as tax-free stimulus checks: in the first round, more than $160 million reached American families, and in the second round that figure was $147 million.

Those who did not receive those payments of up to $1,200 and $600 per person, will be able to claim them through the recovery rebate credit on their tax return. Individuals can access information about their EIP’s through an online federal tax account which they can register for at irs.gov. The account also allows people to create a PIN as a layer of protection to avoid fraud with the use of social security numbers (SSN).

Under the third round of economic impact payments authorized under the American Rescue Plan, the IRS has made more than 130 million payments worth approximately $335 billion, for those who filed their taxes in 2019 or 2020. A new group of social security and other beneficiaries who haven’t filed a tax return may receive checks beginning on April 7. Veterans are also expected to receive their stimulus payments by mid of April.

“The majority (of payments) have been issued as direct deposits,” Corbin said. “But we are also mailing paper checks or EIP cards, which is a prepaid debit card. If we don’t have your bank account information, we encourage you to check your mail and be sure not to throw away that prepaid EIP card.”

Unemployment benefits and child tax credit

The rescue plan also included a new provision for those who received unemployment benefits in 2020: up to $20,400 in unemployment compensation for couples filing joint returns, and $10,200 for all other eligible taxpayers is now not taxable.

And those who have already declared the money received from unemployment through the 1099G form, before the approval of this new benefit, will receive the corresponding refund as of May.

“We are aware that there are many individuals out there whose identity has been compromised. And there have been fraudulent unemployment compensation claims issued in their name. So what we tell people to do is to only file for the actual unemployment compensation they have received,” Corbin added.

The other component of the rescue plan that increased the amount of the child tax credit beginning in fiscal year 2021 allows families to get an advance on that credit beginning in the summer. Even those families who had a new child in 2021 will be able to add him/her as a beneficiary on the IRS.gov portal.

Multilingual initiative

For this tax season, the IRS provided for the first time a new schedule for individuals who want to choose their language of preference for future IRS communications. This is the Limited English Proficiency schedule (LEP) that allows users to choose between 20 different languages: in addition to English and Spanish, they can find Korean, Vietnamese, Russian, Arabic, Haitian Creole, Tagalog, Portuguese, Polish, Farsi, French, Japanese, Punjabi, Premier or Urdu, Bengali, Italian, and two forms of Chinese both traditional and simplified.

According to Sue Simon, Director of Customer Assistance, Relationships and Education at the IRS Wage and Investment Division, the institution has begun translating basic information about taxes and taxpayer rights, as well as the requirements for their dependents, into all these languages.

Simon recalled that undocumented immigrants who are not eligible for a SSN, can fill out the W7 form to request an individual tax identification number (ITIN), which allows them to pay their taxes, a vital requirement for future immigration processes such as citizenship. “We are very careful with the information we receive,” explained Simon. “It is not our purpose to share it with other agencies”.

Simon also highlighted the volunteer program called VITA made up of nearly 90,000 people across the country, who work with community partners to engage them in free tax return preparation in their communities.

“Some of them are banks, colleges. AARP is a national partner and United Way is another partner,” Simon explained. “We also have a partner program called ‘text counseling for the elderly’, which helps with the electronic filing by text.”

While the pandemic has limited in-person assistance, there are currently 11,000 places where individuals can go to file their taxes by appointment for free. And there are also paid preparers who are accountants or tax attorneys working at low-income taxpayer clinics. The IRS website has recommendations on how to choose ethical preparers and a list of people with credentials and qualifications to help with this task.

“I cringe every time I watch a commercial that promises to get someone a bigger refund,” Simon said. “There is no such thing as a bigger refund. If your return is prepared correctly, you will get the refund that is correct for your circumstances.”

Simon warned of the most common scams that include calls or emails from alleged IRS officials asking for tax payments, even threatening to send the police, when the institution only sends collection bills through the mail. She recommended reporting anyone attempting to impersonate IRS personnel to the IRS treasury inspector general for tax administration, or to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Originally published here

Want to read this piece in Spanish? Click here

[cryptokingrobiul]

Top 20 Broker

New Post has been published on http://www.top20broker.com/news/angela-merkel-rejects-one-theresa-mays-key-brexit-demands/

Angela Merkel rejects one of Theresa May's key Brexit demands

Angela Merkel has rejected one of Theresa May’s key Brexit demands, insisting negotiations on Britain’s exit from the European Union cannot run in parallel with talks on the future UK-EU relationship.

“The negotiations must first clarify how we will disentangle our interlinked relationship,” the German chancellor said in Berlin. “Only when this question is dealt with can we – hopefully soon after – begin talking about our future relationship.”

In her six-page letter triggering article 50 and formally launching the process of leaving the EU, the prime minister said she believed it was “necessary to agree the terms of our future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal from the European Union”.

The EU institutions and 27 remaining member states, however, have long said they were determined the divorce settlement, such as the rights of EU citizens in the UK and Britons on the continent and the size of Britain’s exit bill, must first be agreed before substantive talks on a future relationship could begin.

On a day of some drama in Brussels, Donald Tusk, the president of the European council, warned after receiving May’s letter that there would be “no winners” from Brexit, and the next two years would be a matter of “damage control”.

Wearing a black tie and appearing at times visibly moved, the former Polish prime minister spoke to reporters just half an hour after receiving the prime minister’s letter from the UK’s ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow.

Holding the letter up for the benefit of the cameras, Tusk said: “So here it is, six pages. The notification from prime minister Theresa May triggering article 50 and formally starting the negotiations of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union.

“There is no need to pretend that this is a happy day, neither in Brussels nor in London. After all most Europeans, including almost half the British voters, wish that we would stay together, not drift apart.”

Tusk said the EU27 were “united and determined” and that the council and the European commission had a strong mandate to protect the EU’s interests. But he added: “As for me, I will not pretend I am happy.”

The EU’s goal, he said, was to minimise the costs of Brexit for the EU’s citizens, businesses and member states. “We will do everything in our power and we have all the tools to achieve this. As for now, nothing has changed. Until the UK leaves the European Union, EU law will continue to apply to and within the UK.”

Tusk said he would share a proposed formal response from the council to the UK with the other member states on Friday and that agreement on so-called “guidelines” would be reached at a special summit in a month’s time. “What can I add to this?” Tusk said. “We already miss you. Thank you and goodbye.”

Elsewhere, however, sadness gave way to a determination to protect the EU’s interests in the coming talks. The French president, François Hollande, said on a visit to Indonesia that Brexit “will be painful for the British”.

The frontrunner in the race to succeed him, the centrist Emmanuel Macron, said the overriding priority must be to defend the EU. “The question is not to punish the UK for a vote made by British people,” Macron said.

“My deep wish is to have Britain with the EU in another relationship … [But] my priority will be to protect the European Union, the interests of the European Union, and the interests of European citizens.”

Italy’s prime minister, Paolo Gentiloni, said his country’s priorities would be “confidence in the future of the EU and its unity, and the defence of our national interests, both at an economic level and in regards to the rights of our citizens in Britain”.

Belgium’s prime minister, Charles Michel, said his country shared some of the closest economic ties with the UK, but a trade agreement had to find the right balance between rights and obligations. “Commitments from the past must be honoured.”

Joseph Muscat, the prime minister of Malta, which holds the rotating six-month EU presidency, said negotiations must be fair, transparent and honest, but added: “It is imperative that EU membership emerges as the superior option. The EU will not be 27 different opinions on Brexit but one common vision.”

Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European commission, said the UK’s decision to quit the bloc was a “choice they will regret one day”. He also left the door open for an “associative” citizenship of the EU for Britons, an idea proposed by the European parliament’s Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt. Juncker said: “It’s not my working assumption that this will happen, but I know mainly the chief negotiator of the European parliament is asking for this. It would not disturb me if this happened. But this cannot be the answer. It doesn’t take away from Brexit all the dangers and problems. It would be an answer for citizens.”

A European parliament resolution scoping out what will be acceptable to MEPs, who will have the right to veto any future deal, contains a series of demands that appear to scupper the British government’s hopes for the coming talks.

The document, leaked to the Guardian, vowed that Britain would not be given a free trade deal by the EU in the next two years and said a transition arrangement to cushion the UK’s exit after 2019 could last no longer than three years.

British cabinet ministers have repeatedly insisted that a comprehensive free trade deal could be struck within the two years of talks allowed under the Treaty of Rome.

The document further suggested the UK would not only be under the jurisdiction of the European court of justice during any transition period but that its treatment of EU citizens forever into the future would be a matter for its judges.

In her letter, May had insisted that leaving the EU would mean leaving the jurisdiction of the court in Luxembourg. However, Verhofstadt denied that this would be possible.

“The withdrawal agreement will be an act of union law,” Verhofstadt told a press conference in Brussels. “An act of union law is naturally controlled by the European court of justice. It is as simple as that. The withdrawal agreement will be nothing outside the treaties. So automatically the court of justice is competent.”

Manfred Weber, the chair of the largest party grouping in the European parliament, warned Britain that the consequences of Brexit would impact on its citizens daily lives, and that the EU would be “tough” on the UK.

“We have developed in the last decades thousands of detailed regulations which had the idea of limiting the impact of borders in our daily lives, in the daily life of citizens, to make our life more comfortable, easier, more safe,” Weber said.

“That was the idea of all these regulations, and the British people decided to leave this union, so they will not be so comfortable, so safe, not so economically strong. That’s why we will say that it really is a very negative day.”

Denmark’s prime minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said Britain’s farewell to the EU was “incredibly sad”, but added he expected “many bumps on the road” following a decision that “will have consequences … Rights and responsibilities go hand in hand in the EU. You cannot have one without the other.”

The Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, said Spain’s priority was to “minimise uncertainty in relation to investment in place between Spain and the UK”, while Sweden’s Stefan Löfven said he wanted “organised, results-oriented negotiations” because good relations with London “are important for Britain, Europe and Sweden”.

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