Westminster Politics

[MadMike]

The longer this goes on, the more it looks like an absolute madhouse with a tory government spinning dangerously out of control. It also lets them say 'we gave him a chance to get a deal before stepping in.'

Boris is in an impossible situation; half the polls say he's comfortable (ipsos yougov) and has the brexiteers in the bag, the other half say he's a bit screwed. Usually in these cases you plan for the worst case - if he's screwed he would go for more 'moderate' votes to bring it home, however he actually can't do that in this instance as anything he does to allay fears on that side, push the other away. Electorally these weeks of chaos play perfectly for the opposition. It's why the tories are trying to goad them so badly.

I understand there’s associated benefits with waiting, but there’s also disadvantages (the timetable for starters) which for me heavily outweigh them. I think you’re placing way too much stock in our politicians if you think they’ve got this all planned and sussed out and are merely waiting to inflict as much damage on the Tories as possible.

Whatever plan they have in mind (if they even have one) it could be upended by the independent actors in this, the Govt and the EU. The less time there is to react to unforeseen circumstances, the less likely it is that their plan works out.

 

[owlo]

There’s an MP with a polish surname (can’t remember) who was/is a big leave advocate. He works for a financial firm as far as I remember and was trying to lobby the Polish government against granting the Uk an extension first time around.

Kawczynki (sp?) is a snake. He's intertwined with electrum. Baker too with glint pay and the whole Singham 'running' the erg thing.

Thing is, gold is on the way up anyway, it doesn't really need the help of brexit as global instability is gonna ensure it stays nice and stable.

This has seemingly been their endgame for a while - I think Singham/ERG came out with a ridiculous and retarded plan for a deal around a year ago which was basically a joke.

There's no doubt that their little grubby fingers are deep into inappropriate money and conflicts of interest.

HOWEVER I think it's a little bit of a wild conspiracy theory to say that big money is trying to shape the political agenda here. There my be some tangential pressure, but the big money will be staying well away from any tactics like that. (It's far more effective, profitable, and realistic to control the economy of a smaller/less stable country in the middle of nowhere, attracting far less attention. The big boys do that for sure; but UK politics? Nah.)

 

[Abizzz]

If I were in labour's shoes I'd sit tight for the moment too. A VONC before 31.10 will always give Boris and his chums the opportunity to say what would have happened if he had gotten the backing etc. If they just continue to let him disintegrate he'll either have to ask for extension or break the law to fulfill his promise. When he does break the law to fulfill his promise he'll still need the HOC to mitigate the fallout of that, labour can ask for everything they want and still blame him for everything that goes wrong at that point.

And the longer he is PM the less appealing he will be at a general election.

 

[owlo]

I understand there’s associated benefits with waiting, but there’s also disadvantages (the timetable for starters) which for me heavily outweigh them. I think you’re placing way too much stock in our politicians if you think they’ve got this all planned and sussed out and are merely waiting to inflict as much damage on the Tories as possible.

Whatever plan they have in mind (if they even have one) it could be upended by the independent actors in this, the Govt and the EU. The less time there is to react to unforeseen circumstances, the less likely it is that their plan works out.

This is certainly possible

My strategy would be as follows though. Back channel for now, both with the EU and all opposition parties. Wait for BJ to mess up and not ask for an extension, topple him around 25th, ask for one predicated on a GE. It all seems fairly tight and simple, without much room for unforseeable problems.

 

[esmufc07]

 

[Ubik]

Ugh, nuke us now.

 

[SteveJ]

Jeez...imagine being endorsed by Hatie Hopkins.

 

[Adisa]

Wow!

 

[sun_tzu]

But if there was an informal agreement on who to back, why not trigger the VONC now? What's the benefit of leaving it last minute?

.

I think politically either forcing Johnson to back down and request the extension is seen to harm his credibility amongst brexiteers... Plus if farrage is true to his word (big if) this will guarantee brexit party run against the conservatives... And then essentially kick him when he's down and vote no confidence
Plus I think if he disobays the law this gives a reason to act and to be seen to be taking the moral high ground... And possibly throw in some legal action against Johnson as well

 

[MadMike]

There's no depth she won't sink to. An expert diver

 

[unchanged_lineup]

Was this already posted?

 

[Volumiza]

oh dear.

 

[golden_blunder]

Just when I thought we’d already scraped the bottom of the barrel, out she pops

 

[Sweet Square]

 

[sammsky1]

What is wrong with this woman? Seriously, what happened to her?

Reading through some of the replies to her tweet (which I'm sure she does), she gets hammered.

She must be suffering from some deep trauma because her behaviour in past years is not normal.

 

[sammsky1]

 

[MadMike]

What is wrong with this woman? Seriously, what happened to her?

She is suffering from some deep trauma because her behaviour in past years is not normal.

There’s nothing really wrong with her, besides selling her soul to the devil.

She has quite a few times explained in interviews that she’s made a conscious choice to be over-the-top provocative and controversial because it generates more clicks and money than being a regular, run-of-the-mill column writer. She became Hatie Katie for money. A form of moral bankruptcy that is not all that uncommon.

 

[sammsky1]

There’s nothing really wrong with her, besides selling her soul to the devil.

She has quite a few times explained in interviews that she’s made a conscious choice to be over-the-top provocative and controversial because it generates more clicks and money than being a regular, run-of-the-mill column writer. She became Hatie Katie for money. A form of moral bankruptcy that is not all that uncommon.

Hmm. I don't think you can pretend being that for too long. Very quickly its becomes you. Wow. this is actually her.

Who knows, maybe she is very happy and mentally healthy being so?!

 

[Adisa]

Hmm. I don't think you can pretend being that for too long. Very quickly its becomes you. Wow. this is actually her.

Who knows, maybe she is very happy and mentally healthy being so?!

There's no way she's happy. Look at her? She looks 60. She's a troll with a TV show. There's no difference between her and the fat ugly fecks who spend hours a day on their laptop, looking for people to abuse.

 

[finneh]

I agree absolutely with the premise of the Tories losing their identity, albeit that the reasons given in the article are a bit of a stretch ("family values" for instance); no mention whatsoever of supposed values that have been abandoned in favour of populist policies:

• The party of supposed "low taxes" implementing one of the highest peacetime tax to GDP ratios the UK has ever seen; often via stealth taxes such as Adult Social Care levy, Insurance Premium Tax, Car Taxes etc
• The party of business allowing business rates to spiral to an unmanageable level for lots of businesses
• The party of jobs and personal freedoms eviscerating high street gambling by implementing the FOBT gambling limit of £2
• The party of home ownership stifling the housing market via the amendment of Stamp Duty Taxation law
• The party of market freedoms implementing leftist policies such as the energy price cap
• The party of economic conservativeness stating a flurry of spending promises in all areas that are totally uncosted
• The party of economic conservativeness still running a budget deficit despite consecutive manifesto's stating otherwise; let alone any policy looking to reduce overall debt
• The party of greater personal freedoms implementing the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (along others), limiting UK citizens' civil liberties
• The party of greater personal freedoms implementing nanny state style "sin" taxes
• The party of strong defence allowing atrocities such as the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack going essentially unpunished
• The party of jobs increasing the minimum wage hugely (latest announcement that it should be 66% of medium earnings)

 

[CassiusClaymore]

Have people read this Jeremy Vine story on BJ btw? Pretty much sums up how he manages to hoodwink so many

https://reaction.life/jeremy-vine-my-boris-story/

 

[sammsky1]

You can't make this up!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-49898209

 

[Classical Mechanic]

What is wrong with this woman? Seriously, what happened to her?

Reading through some of the replies to her tweet (which I'm sure she does), she gets hammered.

She must be suffering from some deep trauma because her behaviour in past years is not normal.

Jon Ronson did an interview her a few years back

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/18/katie-hopkins-jon-ronson-interview

She has severe epilepsy and could die at any time apparently, weirdly her husband works at a donkey sanctuary.

 

[Sweet Square]

 

[BobbyManc]

That's terrifying. I wouldn't be surprised to see the legality of it challenged on the basis that it's already reported that facial recognition technology seems to struggle when it comes to people who are not white, and on that basis unless they can prove that their system doesn't have that problem then surely there is a chance that some non-white candidates may be filtered out as a result of problems with the technology.

 

[sammsky1]

That's terrifying. I wouldn't be surprised to see the legality of it challenged on the basis that it's already reported that facial recognition technology seems to struggle when it comes to people who are not white, and on that basis unless they can prove that their system doesn't have that problem then surely there is a chance that some non-white candidates may be filtered out as a result of problems with the technology.

Yes. By definition surely it’s discriminatory on many levels

 

[Sweet Square]

Home Secretary doing anti semitic dog whistling on tv. But at least the media will hold her accountable

 

[EwanI Ted]

Home Secretary doing anti semitic dog whistling on tv. But at least the media will hold her accountable

Pretty obvious she's talking about Labour. You dont need to scrape the barrel like this to find criticisms of the Tories.

 

[Sweet Square]

Pretty obvious she's talking about Labour. You dont need to scrape the barrel like this to find criticisms of the Tories.

Read the second tweet. Also doesn't matter if she meant Labour(They've spent the last few years calling Corbyn a commie and suddenly he is now a liberal)its a anti Semitic dog whistle.

 

[Smores]

I always find it funny when they refer to Corbyn as metropolitan liberal elite. Mostly because Corbyn does not fit the mental image but also don't the Tories always claim to be liberal themselves?

Is Boris not metropolitan or elite?

 

[JakeC]

Priti Patel is a walking paradox. A North London Elite, who hates The North London Elites, a staunch supporter of the right wing Israeli Government, whilst also bowing to Anti-Semetic tropes. A person born to foreign parents, who wants to stop foreign people coming to Britain. She's maybe the most odious out of all of Johnsons' cabinet.

 

[EwanI Ted]

Read the second tweet. Also doesn't matter if she meant Labour(They've spent the last few years calling Corbyn a commie and suddenly he is now a liberal)its a anti Semitic dog whistle.

This phrase has become synonymous with Labour in the last few years, pretty much since the Thornberry/flag incident. I just googled it, every hit on the first few pages was about Labour and/or the left. I couldn’t even find a suggestion there was an antisemitic context. If there is another connotation, it’s fair to suggest Patel wasn’t aware of it.

 

[Sweet Square]

This phrase has become synonymous with Labour in the last few years,

Yes its synonymous with Labour but its been even longer synonymous with anti semitism. The largest Hasidic community in Europe is in North London(Again the second tweet).

I couldn’t even find a suggestion there was an antisemitic context.

From the references on wiki - The term was also regularly used by Nick Griffin, the former leader of the BNP.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wo...led-leader-of-neo-Nazi-party-Golden-Dawn.html

The BNP leader and MEP, who has a masters degree in law from Cambridge, has prepared a legal challenge at the European Court of Human Rights in a bid to defend Golden Dawn from "liberal, totalitarian repression".

He admitted that the appeal to a European human rights court that he opposes was "deeply ironic" but insisted that it could be a tool to inflict a "humiliating and expensive defeat" on the Greek state and "liberal European elite".

"Anywhere a genuine radical nationalist party becomes seen as a threat to the system, Europe's liberal elite says it is fine to crush it. That is wrong and dangerous," he said.

In a statement with a veiled reference to Jewish financiers or "usurers", written in a prison cell by Mr Michaloliakos and read out by his wife, the Golden Dawn leader lavished praise on Mr Griffin, comments that might come back to haunt the BNP leader who insists he "is not a Nazi".

Also

https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/observations/2017/01/anti-semitism-right-wing-problem

In the 1930s, campaigners for a deal with Hitler started by arguing that Britain should not fight the “Jews’ war”. Then they got cleverer. My father was one of them, and Richard Griffiths, an expert on the far right, writes that John Beckett and others used the terms “usury”, “money power”, “alien” and “cosmopolitan” as coded references to Jews.

Today, one code is “north London metropolitan elite”. Danny Cohen, until 2015 the BBC’s director of television, was furiously attacked by newspapers for firing Jeremy Clarkson, and the Times called Cohen a “fixture of the north London metropolitan elite”. The comedian David Baddiel tweeted: “Surprised Timessubclause doesn’t add, ‘and y’know: a rootless cosmopolitan of east European stock’.” Dave Cohen, the author of Horrible Histories, tweeted: “Times calls Danny Cohen ‘part of north London metropolitan elite’. We hear what you’re saying, guys.”

it’s fair to suggest Patel wasn’t aware of it.

Also doesn't matter if she meant Labour(They've spent the last few years calling Corbyn a commie and suddenly he is now a liberal)its a anti Semitic dog whistle.

I'm not trying to have a go or anything but it was clearly anti semitic.

 

[sammsky1]

Kuenssberg giving BJ a much harder time in her latest interview him, just on BBC News @10pm.

Think she is now very conscious that her reputation is in ruins, as well as smarting that Boris has other 'women friends with benefits' aside from her!



BTW: Anyone know what's wrong with her left lower jaw, when she speaks?

 

[Pexbo]

Kuenssberg giving BJ a much harder time in her latest interview him, just on BBC News @10pm just now.

Think she is now very conscious that her reputation is in ruins, as well as is smarting that Boris has so many other women friends with benefits.

Funnily enough he had a perfectly rehearsed answer for each of her questions and her follow up questions to his answers she was reading off the page.

Honestly I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a staged exchange.

 

[sammsky1]

Funnily enough he had a perfectly rehearsed answer for each of her questions and her follow up questions to his answers she was reading off the page.

Honestly I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a staged exchange.

Hmm. You think she gave him advance sight of the questions?

 

[Pexbo]

Hmm. You think she gave him advance sight of the questions?

Call me cynical but yeah I absolutely do.

The whole interview was a wooden exchange where she asked a question firmly and he was allowed to give his 2 minute monologue without interruption. Her questions were delivered to him with all the gusto of Paxman but the actual content was exactly the topics he wanted to be talking about.

I don’t trust either of them.

 

[berbatrick]

Funnily enough he had a perfectly rehearsed answer for each of her questions and her follow up questions to his answers she was reading off the page.

Honestly I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a staged exchange.

https://scroll.in/video/923291/did-...-nation-interview-beforehand-watch-this-video

 

[Pexbo]

https://scroll.in/video/923291/did-...-nation-interview-beforehand-watch-this-video

I swear you must have a huge ream of references to hand!

I doubt it’s that uncommon to be honest, even if it’s not a word for word dialog the subject matter will often be moderated before hand.

The reason I’m sceptical in this case is that it was just all to perfect. Johnson gets to prepare for and answer some seemingly difficult questions while Kuessenberg gets to appear like she’s roughing him up a bit and in no way bias towards him whatsoever.

 

[sammsky1]

I swear you must have a huge ream of references to hand!

I doubt it’s that uncommon to be honest, even if it’s not a word for word dialog the subject matter will often be moderated before hand.

The reason I’m sceptical in this case is that it was just all to perfect. Johnson gets to prepare for and answer some seemingly difficult questions while Kuessenberg gets to appear like she’s roughing him up a bit and in no way bias towards him whatsoever.

Is it a bad thing for a PM (or senior leader) to be given prior notice of questions, so they can properly prepare? Especially when it’s serious stuff on massive communication platforms.

Surely it’s unfair to expect a PM to remember or know everything on the spot? Of course any interviewer should have good probing follow up questions; in the end what is important is the subjects true views are known.