The Westminster Arms

So does that mean Rabb will do as he is told and not cause issues due to his ego?

It's a known fact that Raab is thick as mince and just as spineless

The best part of the BBC EU Brexit docudrama was the abject inability to cope with Dom Raab pushing back on the cosy pronouncements. He looks to be doing a decent enough job in his current role.

mummy yes

So many good ideas are rejected because they won’t create more jobs

E.g. having the same type of chart for every patient in every hospital so that temp docs and nurses can process the information faster.

Doesn't it make sense to make sure the core of each govenment department are qualified individuals and able to be neutral or at least leave the politics at the entrance, so that they can brief the next figurehead that arrives?
I'd love to see a cross party group be incharge of NHS doing the best for us.

I doubt it will disappoint to learn that Raab is "just a pretty face". I have dealt with him in real life and he was bright enough but a bit limited.

mummy fingers crossed.

I had four people from DFID turn up to see me in what was meant to be a one to one meeting. The others seem to have tagged along because they had nothing to do and wanted to see a particular thing in the building i worked in at the time.

I was pleased to see Boris also wants to look at the overseas funding .
New brooms thing.

Yes Lily. 100k purchases would make it number one, competing with Stormzy. LOL.

Do you happen to remember what the drama was please?

Is that the fabulous Dominic Frisby, Autumn? My second favourite Dom in the world?

The BBC would faint in horror.

I remember reading a review of a new BBC offering some time ago in which they had made an adaptation of a particularly, erm, challenging novel about child prostitution in Victorian England. The screenwriter explained that he was having difficulty treading the line between staying true to the spirit of the book and not mortally offending the viewers with graphic language and content. The BBC's response? Along the lines of "It's public money but that doesn't mean it matters what the public thinks".

I’m not sure if this is allowed but if it is...

It would be so fun if the BBC had to play this!

www.facebook.com/theDominicFrisby/videos/600163520544953/

Speciality tea for me please.

Thanks to Dom's superb shelving system, we have a full range of teas.

You have a point about EVEL, Howabout. The North East underwhelmingly took part in the 2004 referendum but overwhelmingly said No to John Prescott's attempt to introduce regional assemblies for England. There is a school of thought that the NE was concerned that Newcastle on Tyne would grab the lion's share of devolved money but I thought at the time that resistance to EU regionalisation by the back door was a more significant factor. It's a moot point whether that is something that could be revisited post-Brexit, particularly with the government's declared intention to level up the regions.

15 minutes of Oor Ian...could this be the cure for my raging insomnia?

Welcome back, mummmy2017. Stay with us. Not long to go now...

Hi again my friends.
Watched as the Bill went through.
Wondering what lies ahead.

Afternoon all. Speciality tea for me please.

I agree that Leo is playing to the domestic gallery. However I also think he is pointing out an inevitably the journos are all missing.

Both the UK and the EU have said they are aiming for a comprehensive agreement by Dec 2020. It has been the naysayers who have been feeding the line that this is impossible and therefore there will be a piecemeal approach. Ime that narrative makes no sense. Far more likely that it will indeed be an overarching Deal with standstill arrangements for any areas where "detail" needs fleshing out later.

On EVEL, I don't think it works as a mechanism because almost anything purely affecting England will have an impact via Barnett. Would make much more sense to get on with devolving more powers to English Regions and keep WM in overall control. In any case it is somewhat irrelevant as Boris has a majority in England and in the UK.

Anyone missing out on Oor Ian can have a whole 15 minutes of him on Sunday politics Scotland (iplayer) followed by 10 minutes of Sir Curtice sporting his very natty Sunday jumper. No prizes for guessing what they were discussing.

this coffee is good. It has been better since Dom Raab popped in

On my third cup now, Copper, and you are right.

Dom. Not just a pretty face.

Leo Varadkar on the BBC talking about the EU having the upper hand in trade talks. It seems childish to me that he's saying this.

Leo has the Irish GE to look forward to, Holly, and the polls are not looking terribly healthy for him. I rather think that's for the benefit of his domestic market. It might look different again after 8 February.

Thanks Lily and this coffee is good. It has been better since Dom Raab popped in to help fit the all singing all dancing one,with shelving surround, behind the bar.

I remember the West Lothian question but did not realise we had solved it with the English whatever it is called.

I wasn't aware but am very interested to see how it works if its the first time.

Morning again, all. If memory serves, it was William Hague who put together the EVEL procedure with cross party support, as an acceptable alternative to having a separate English Parliament (with the UK Parliament retaining overall say on defence, budget, immigration, security, etc). It was meant to address the West Lothian question.

The last thing the taxpayer needed was yet another building and assembly to pay for so this seemed a reasonable way of achieving the same outcome. It possibly would not have been necessary if the MPs representing Scottish seats had kept to their convention of abstaining on any vote on purely English matters that had a direct equivalence with matters devolved to Scotland but again, if memory serves, it was the SNP who broke convention.

It is perfectly possible that Ian Blackford will resist the temptation to sing his favourite song once more but I'm not banking on it

Kettle's on again ☕️☕️☕️

Of course they say they do, I expect even Borvis trots that one out about it being essential to democracy. As soon as the new leader is installed the hatchets will be out.
It's not what pp say, it's what they do's that counts

And no one crossed over to Tory from Labour this election. Not a single one of us. We ALL stuck with Labour this time.

Of course 'the moderates' will try to shut down the left of labour, they've been doing that ever since Corbyn won the leadership but even if they succeeded what then? A decent opposition isn't what Tory voters want.

Did they want Millibands moderacy? of course not and the press tore him apart at the GE whatever way they could find, however low they had to go.

this is the first bill since the election to trigger EVEL

Thanks for the summary of this Lily I wasn't aware but am very interested to see how it works if its the first time.

Leo Varadkar on the BBC talking about the EU having the upper hand in trade talks. It seems childish to me that he's saying this. We need to bring some mutual respect back to these talks and not be braying about who has got the upper side etc. The focus is a sensible deal for both parties. He's also disregarded the many strengths of the UK economy as part of our bargaining power as well, not to mention other trade deals in the offing.

Yes, I read about McClusky.
In the piece I read he said Jezza was right, the policies were right but the media are all right wing and accused him of all sorts of things that were untrue like antisemitism and mixing with terrorists.
Murdoch lost them the election.

I think (and hope) the breakup will be swift and the moderates in the party get together and give us a decent opposition.