Boris Watch - Thread 1

[chomalungma]

Well, it's been done for Trump since he got elected.
No doubt some people will complain it's on AIBU - but it's a place with traffic.

So let's use this to keep an eye on the changes under Boris.

First Thing:

Boris introduces clause in the withdrawal agreement so the UK must leave with WTO rules if there is no trade agreement with the EU by the end of 2020

www.theguardian.com/business/2019/dec/17/pound-slides-to-pre-election-levels-in-wake-of-bid-to-outlaw-brexit-extension

Feel free to comment and add things that you notice changing. The Trump threads are at 97 now.

According to this thread you intend to moan about the election result for 5 years, so I’m not sure why you’ve decided others aren’t allowed to express their happiness about it less than a week in

This is not a moaning thread, it’s a holding to account thread.

What will they do? Almost certainly nothing. However, if they do wreck agriculture, I assume that some land left unfarmed or ungrazed will gradually revert to nature and the trees will start planting themselves, helped along by the wind and the birds. I don't know where to start with this. Such a poisonous line of thinking.

Place mark. Unashamedly.

Thank you for this thread choma

Johnson's Cummings actions should be noted for all time by this thread and others. And I'd also add ignore those who seek to disrupt.

So today Nurses in Northern Ireland went on strike.

I support them.

news.sky.com/story/northern-ireland-thousands-of-nurses-staging-12-hour-walkout-11889534

For those who wonder what will happen over the coming months
dominiccummings.com/

Neither the Conservatives nor Labour stood on a platform of changing the voting system, so even on your logic most voters supported the status quo.

No indeed, because until now, the system has suited both parties. I wonder if Labour might begin to change their tune.

derxa - the comment about agricultural land reverting was meant to be a bit of a joke. Although, there is a serious point - we do need more trees for carbon capture, and left alone, nature will in part be able to do the job itself.

Place mark

A change to the rules about who can roll back EU standards.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/18/lower-courts-can-roll-back-eu-laws-after-brexit-no10-johnson-confirms

Downing Street has confirmed a plan to allow lower courts to roll back EU legal rulings following Brexit, a plan that prompted concerns that it will become easier to challenge European standards in areas such as workers’ rights and the environment.

Under plans made by Theresa May, the incorporation of all EU case law made by the European court of justice into UK law after departure would have left the supreme court as the only body able to overturn these decisions.

But asked about reports that Boris Johnson had ignored concerns from some ministers and decided to allow lower courts the same power, his spokesman confirmed that this would be part of the new withdrawal agreement bill.

Looks like the new Withdrawal agreement bill is going to be different to the one from a few months ago. I wonder how long MPs will get to scrutinise it?

"It is never, ever a waste of time to catalogue in real time what is happening"

Exactly Thats why ive kept going with the Grenfell threads.

Poland may have to leave the EU over its Judicial Reforms warns the EU.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-50828516

One has to wonder if there is a connection.

www.politicshome.com/news/uk/constitution/european-integration/news/108658/boris-johnson-hand-judges-new-powers-overturn

MPs get a 3.1% pay rise.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7806013/Merry-Christmas-Brexit-MPs-line-3-1-cent-pay-rise.html

Linked to the rate of wage inflation for public sector workers but includes promotions and bonuses.

However, the measure has been criticised as it includes promotions and bonuses. As a result the boost for MPs has been consistently higher than the 1 per cent level imposed on other public sector workers in recent years.

Mr Johnson has pledged to ease the tough restrictions on the public sector after drawing a line under the austerity programme that followed the credit crunch.

Thank you @HelenaDove, it's appreciated.

Looks like the new Withdrawal agreement bill is going to be different to the one from a few months ago. I wonder how long MPs will get to scrutinise it?

Is that possible? Surely any changes would need EU agreement?

Excellent @chomalungma, starting with the most important things first, as expected. Oh what pleasures await us in the next five years.

According to my facebook there has already been a U-turn on fracking.

One assumes that had the result gone the other way there would also have been a Corbyn watch. No, thought not.

Would you have started one Tilly?

tilly - maybe Tory or Leave voters would have started one, had Labour won.

On climate change the UK is actually doing quite well - 5th best in the WORLD...... I don't know why not more has been done to highlight this, it's a pretty good achievement.

Of course, we hope it continues. I haven't seen anything that says it won't....

This from CarbonBrief:

While this analysis focuses on CO2, overall UK greenhouse gas emissions – measured in units of CO2 equivalent – are down 43% since 1990, compared to a reduction of 38% from CO2 alone.

Domestic emissions in the UK have declined in the past 30 years faster than nearly any other country on Earth. Nevertheless, additional rapid reductions will be needed to meet the UK’s legally-binding climate goals – and even faster cuts will be required once the country aims for net-zero emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.

One assumes that had the result gone the other way there would also have been a Corbyn watch. No, thought not

There's going to be lots of changes in the next 5 years. It's a good thing to be aware of the changes, isn't it?

www.gov.uk/government/speeches/what-record-nhs-investment-means-for-each-of-my-priorities

Full Matt Hancocks speech on NHS for interest.

Interesting data on nurses

"While the overall number of people registered to work has continued to grow, the data does highlight the fall in the number of professionals coming from the EU / EEA, which declined a further 1,062 (-3.21%) from 33,035 to 31,973 between 1 April and 30 September.

The figures also confirm a distinct demographic trend – that the register is ageing. It now shows the number of people on the register approaching retirement age is growing quicker than the number of those under 30. From 1 April to 30 September, the number of those in the 61-65 age bracket grew by 2,220 (5.57%) compared to 1,659 (1.48%) in the 21-30 age group"

www.nmc.org.uk/news/press-releases/nmc-register-data-september-2019/

The number of nurses in the retirement age bracket is increasing at a a faster proportion than in the younger age bracket.

I don't know if anyone caught The Dirty War on ITV last night. I didn't but I'm at my parents house and they just asked me if I watched it. My dad said "you'd be upset if you watched it" - Tories plans to sell off the NHS.

Defo giving this a watch later.

And a bit more on the nursing figures

www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets/sitedocuments/other-publications/nmc-register-data-september-2019.pdf