Westministers: Happy New Year?

[RedToothBrush]

And so we enter a New Year full of hope that things might just be about to recover from our national nervous breakdown... or perhaps not.

As we have Damien Green ejected from his role as Deputy PM over allegations of inappropriate conduct towards woman and use of porn at the end of last year, 2018 sees a bright new progressive dawn with the appointment to the role of universities regulator of Toby Young. A man who has deleted 20,000 tweets including many which are inappropriate and offensive to women, is a fan of eugenics and hates the working class and disabled.

Meanwhile the NHS is facing a crisis which is totally unexpected to the government and couldn't possibly have been planned for by a man who has over seen it for over five years. Which naturally bodes really well for Brexit planning.

We are apparently planning to join the TPP. Never mind geopolitics we can move the UK to the Pacific region.

We still are not ready for trade talks because the Cabinet can not agree on anything. Not that it sounds like they have actually discussed anything along these lines yet.

Rumours are that the Cabinet - including arch leavers such as Gove - are leaning towards supporting May and a softer option, despite the disgust of Johnson, who once again is the subject of malicious chatter about his sacking in a forthcoming Cabinet Reshuffle.

There is talk of further Tory Party war with the revelation that membership of the party has dropped to a core of just 70,000 hardline authoritarian men, most of whom are over 60. Tory HQ now wants to (perhaps with some good reason to prevent the loons) rewrite the constitution and limit the power of local associations to select candidates. The Tory party is now lining up to be a power struggle between internal authoritarians, who don't like democracy voices or structure.

Meanwhile the Labour Party membership now apparently overwhelmingly looks upon staying in the customs union and single market favourably and is in favour of a second referendum. In opposition to the leadership who are utterly committed to Hard Brexit. Much to the annoyance of Lord Adonis who is pitching a fit about government corruption and incompetence and being accused of being elite because he going skiing. Unlike of prominent Leavers who are in touch with the working class.

And finally Nigel Farage has got a meeting with Barnier. Farage, unlike Clegg, Clarke and Adonis, will not be accused by the Right Wing Press of undermining the government's negotiating position because...

It appears that we are in for another year of Brexit nonsense then.

We've not even heard mention of Gibraltar yet.

[QuentinSummers]

TPP plan is ridiculous

[OnTheDarkSideOfTheSpoon]

Thanks red

[thecatfromjapan]

Oh goodness, I've forgotten: which former Minister went to the trouble of voicing his opinion that TPP plan was utterly ridiculous? I've lost it in the veritable storm of idiocy of the last week.

[lonelyplanetmum]

Heartfelt thanks again Red for your lifeline.
Yes let's retain hope, as Martin Luther King said " We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."

[Holliewantstobehot]

Thanks for the new thread.

[lalalonglegs]

Great quote, planet. Thanks for the new thread, Red.

[HashiAsLarry]

Thanks rtb

[OnTheDarkSideOfTheSpoon]

An article from Seema Malhotra.

‘PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW HOW BREXIT WILL AFFECT THEIR LIVELIHOODS’

www.easterneye.eu/people-right-know-brexit-will-affect-livelihoods/

[BiglyBadgers]

That bit on the last thread about nobody actually wanting Trump to win, including Trump himself, feels so right. It also made me think of brexit, where I think it was similar. I don't think many who voted for brexit or who pushed for it really wanted it to happen. Boris for instance just wanted to use it as a stepping stone to becoming PM.

They are all fucked by their own hubris. It's just a shame it's fucked over so many other people are well.

[BiglyBadgers]

Oops, sorry, just realised I have done some crazy thread cross over thing with the Trump thread

[DGRossetti]

.

[lessworriedaboutthecat]

I always thought that Boris's job was to lose the referendum. He'd bumble about waffling about straight bananas and lose by a country mile. Once remain won the referendum David Cameron would step down before the next election to be replaced by Boris. As PM Boris would use the phrase "I campaigned to leave the EU but" rather a lot. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your point of you Leave sidelined him in favour of a Gove, Farage pincer move.

[IrenetheQuaint]

[lessworriedaboutthecat]

People always used to say things like "Boris is really intelligent he can recite the Illiad in ancient Greek backwards". Now he may be able to but there's a massive difference between being expensively educated and being intelligent.

[RhiannonOHara]

Thank you as always, Red!

[woman11017]

Brexit's getting worse and your opening posts are absolute stunners, RedToothBrush: the best commentary on this malarkey, anywhere! Thank you!

[woman11017]

@IanDunt
Remainers! Rise up and hold your noses.Ian Dunt added,

@georgeeaton
The Tories' party membership of just 70,000 makes them ripe for entryism. www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2018/01/conservatives-plummeting-membership-makes-them-ripe-entryism …

Has anyone inhaled?

[SecretGardenActivities]

[OnTheDarkSideOfTheSpoon]

Hope it's ok to post an update from the article 50 challenge


Update on Article 50 Challenge

We wish you all a Happy New Year. The first part of 2018 should see #A50Challenge forge ahead to make history in the High Court and, very probably, the Supreme Court. Thank you all for helping to make this happen. This legal challenge is now approaching 4,350 members; we hope to break records by making this the largest ever people's challenge, so please keep encouraging others to join us.

We are making waves! The Lawyer, a specialist monthly legal publication, has selected #A50Challenge as one of the top 20 cases for 2018. Their annual feature is due to be published week commencing 15 January and we will provide you with a copy as soon as it's available.

Our Statement of Facts and Grounds, bundles and claim form were formally served on the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU on 28 December 2017. The Government has 21 days respond.

It is difficult to provide a timetable for next steps as the matter is now with the court. However, because this case is of huge constitutional importance we have requested that it be expedited. We await a response from the Secretary of State.

As we approach our current fundraising target we must look ahead to the next stretch target, which will be set at £200,000. Most of you are aware — though it bears repeating — that our fundraising targets will continue to stretch as the campaign moves forward. Doing so means we are making progress, the case remains strong, and we are not deterred. With the Government having confirmed receipt of the papers and with the expectation that a hearing date will soon be fixed, there is plenty of work to do. This is a big case and you are part of it!


How to help

The Article 50 Challenge can only keep going with your help. We have to be prepared to fight beyond the High Court to the Supreme Court, with the possibility of referral to the ECJ. The costs will be significant, but negligible in comparison to the overall costs of a disorganised Brexit.

We know many of you have pledged before, and your ongoing support is what we'll need to see this through. Please continue to support the Challenge by contributing whatever amount your circumstances will permit. Small donations really add up, and all donations are accepted with gratitude.

Don't underestimate the other things you can do to help broaden our support base. With more people in the pool, the financial burden can be far less impactful on each of us.

Email five friends inviting them to pledge to the Article 50 Challenge.

Post a link to tinyurl.com/a50challenge on Facebook asking network friends to pledge.

Use WhatsApp or Messenger with a link to tinyurl.com/a50challenge to Facebook asking friends to pledge.

Tweet in support using tinyurl.com/a50challenge and #A50Challenge.

Please don't forget to talk to people. It is essential that people's complacency with the Article 50 process be challenged. Many believe it's a done deal and that nothing can be changed. Gently help them to become educated on this important but widely misunderstood subject. Whatever the outcome of the Challenge, increasing public awareness will inevitably affect Parliamentary voting patterns.

Thank you for being our partners in helping make the right thing happen.

[BiglyBadgers]

The Tories' party membership of just 70,000 makes them ripe for entryism.

I confess this was my first thought too on seeing that number. It wouldn't take many of us to swing the opinions of the Tory party. The issue is that I don't think the grassroots really has that much say in the party that I can tell (at least not in practice recently), so would it really make that much of a difference?

[SwedishEdith]

Now he may be able to but there's a massive difference between being expensively educated and being intelligent.

Very much. Being posh and articulate can fool lots of people.

Thanks for new thread.

[Motheroffourdragons]

Thank you again for another great thread, Red. The only thing that keeps me sane nowadays

[TheElementsSong]

Thanks for the new thread, RTB - as always, we are cursed with living in interesting times.

[BigChocFrenzy]

Thanks for another topical OP for the new thread, red

re Bojo, Moggy, Hunt, Gove et al - they lack empathy, not intelligence

There are too many (expensively) educated sociopaths & psychopaths in government & at the top in business

[mrsreynolds]

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