The Westministenders / Media Baron Hunger Games continues. Who is trying to outmanoeuvre who?

[RedToothBrush]

Don't worry we've all lost track.

In the Blue Corner
It started out with Cameron and Osborne trying to win the battle of the Tories, but they got stung in a UK wide vote. Some of us thought it was about the 'EU'. Instead it has turned out it was an internal Tory Bitch fight between some old Oxford and Eton mates, whilst for others a protest vote at being disenfranchised.
Gove and Johnson stabbed Cameron & Osborne in the back to run for Team Leave. Then they won when they didn't expect to. And there was no Plan. Uh Oh. Then it all started to go really wrong.
Cameron quit in disgust. Johnson went all President Churchill, before he also got stabbed by Gove (possibly with the assistance of the dark influence of Osborne).
We now have a Tory Smackdown with the shadowy influence of the Media Barons in the background.

#Team Gove has been doing their best with the knives. This is a mission to stab as many Tory MPs in the back as possible in order to become PM. Sponsored and supported by Murdoch

#Team Leadsom has been selling more unicorns and trying to pretend her CV and tax return are completely transparent. Think positive and the economy will be just fine. She is the homeopathy of politics. Sponsored and supported by Arron Banks, Leave.eu, UKIP and Britain First.

#Team May has been threatening to deport everyone if the EU don't play nice. Sponsored and supported by The Daily Mail's Dacre

In The Purple Corner
Tragically, it appears that not only do UKIP have a Plan A, they also have outwitted everyone by having Plan B. Yes that’s right TWO plans.
Farage has swanned off –sacked—for a life on CBB so they are looking for a new leader.
The potential candidates are all equally loathsome. They include Arron Banks himself, a suspended member of the party and several other people with an uncanny ability to put their foot in their mouths.
If this wasn't horrible enough, Team Leadsom is increasingly starting to look like a UKIP take over bid of the Conservative Party, which might be a neat way of avoiding a leadership battle of their own considering the quality of the candidates on offer.

In short, its a bit like a Bad Dystopian Movie that invokes Godwin, set in 2016 Westminster. Except its real.
In the Red Corner
Meanwhile the WMD has finally gone off in the Labour Camp, as Chilcot has been published. However the Chicken Coup rattles on regardless.

Corbyn is STILL clinging on, putting in a good claim for the Westminster 'Charlie off Casualty' Award. He has however had his Big Moment in the Commons. Which was a bit of a let down really. ...

The Unions have been trying to talk some sense into everyone. Meanwhile everyone else is has given up and are now just praying for a ruddy miracle to end this torture and give the country an opposition party.

Angela Eagle is still outside for the 5th day in a row, going "I will stand. Soon. If he doesn't quit" The BBC now qualify for a discount deal at the local Travel Lodge.

We FINALLY know who the fuck Owen Smith is! He's a Welsh MP and sounds like he's not completely away with the political fairies.

George Galloway appears to be trying to make a late bid to be included on the ballot paper for any leadership election.
Bliar's cried. We didn't. Chilcot took over 2 million words to tell us everything we already knew. As well as the fact that Mi6 like Nicholas Cage a lot.

The Cult of Momentum are still worshiping their Dear Leader by sending death threats to PR companies they suspect of disloyalty. Somehow they still manage not to get the title of the most vile pressure group in the UK.

And I suppose I should ask, when will a50 be triggered....? And by whom?

All these questions and more.
Tin foil hats now available upon request

Sense of humour compulsory. No experience necessary though

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eu_referendum_2016_/2670552-Has-Boris-been-outmanoeuvred?pg=1 Previous thread 1

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eu_referendum_2016_/2672388-Has-Boris-been-outmanoevered-Will-someone-please-tell-me-who-is-in-charge Previous thread 2

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eu_referendum_2016_/a2673982-Have-Boris-and-Jeremy-been-stabbed-in-the-back-Please-can-we-have-some-leaders Previous thread 3

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eu_referendum_2016_/2675432-Boris-outmaneovered-Et-tu-Gove-Corbyn-The-Westministenders-Hunger-Games-Continues? Previous thread 4

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eu_referendum_2016_/2678198-The-Westministenders-Hunger-Games-continues-Boris-still-trying-not-to-be-outmanoeuvred Previous thread 5

Apparently, the Labour fiasco will continue over the weekend and possibly into Monday, because the unions have as yet achieved nothing.

I may or may not have copied and pasted that from a post last Friday...

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X85PgCqavImGZPGdbrEfQc6uzNP98KXwZcf-8JsKZto/edit#gid=1194771573

Council By Elections since Brexit.

Some interesting things are going on...

and Redtoothbrush, it's nice to know we matter to somebody! saying that, I currently live in England which makes me feel like I'm pontificating from afar

Comparison of the voting record of Cameron / May / Leadsom.

faerising.wordpress.com/2016/07/07/coming-soon-our-reactionary-first-minister/

Leadsom hates the young.

Academies are all the rage.

The NHS is fucked.

Both May and Leadsom hate the unemployed.

If you want public housing FORGET IT.

Leadsom is worse than May on Human Rights. As in truly scary.

Overall conclusion. Leadsom is WAAAAAYYYY to the right of May. Cameron is a socialist by comparison

Ginger referring AE - Yes!! Talk about shit or get off the pot.

I think the reason she isn't standing against him is because JC is so popular with the membership right now that whoever stands may not win - and could even potentially result in JC coming out with an even stronger mandate, in which case there'll be no getting rid of him.

I think the best outcome, for those who want the LP to regain credibility and be an effective opposition, is some sort of negotiated agreement whereby JC is able to step down without losing face.

If we end up with AL as PM and JC as leader of the opposition, would anything stop the many MPs who don't support them from just ignoring them and going their own way?

merrymouse one imagines that is what the Whips are for.

Although, those backbench MPs intending to resign at the next GE might start going rogue behaving in an independent manner. And perhaps some might, on certain issues, speak and vote as they believe those constituents likely to back them would wish, rather than toeing the leader's line.

What the worry is, if MPs do that, is who stands instead of them at the subsequent election...

Besides which if they don't follow the whip it has the potential for a no confidence vote in the government anyway. (And therefore GE).

I think if Leadsom thinks she can make a lot of the Tory MPs do what she tells them she could be in for a nasty shock. She will only be able to use the whip to a certain degree... overuse and its game over.

I'm not convinced she fully grasps this if I'm honest.

Looking at that voting record, that list on the tube looks more likely to be accurate than not. It also shows she's had very good reason to promise unicorns and smile sweetly. She probably gets away with it more because she is a woman too. If she was a man, I think people would be a LOT more scared than they already are of her.

With good reason.

Oh and if anyone wants a faith restoring story

crowdfunding.justgiving.com/helpthevillageshop?utm_campaign=post-pledge-desktop&utm_content=helpthevillageshop&utm_medium=socpledgedesktop&utm_source=twitter&utm_term=w4KBdbjwk
Crowdfunding to help an Eastern European Food shop that has been petrol bombed. It was to raise £500. They've raise £10,000.

Red you used the phrase "use the whip" about AL and I'm now badly in need of mind bleach.

Re mind bleach, anyone know what TW - AL's 'racy' nickname stands for. Two whips?

Haha.

Well its better than saying that about Gove...

www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/08/legal-attempt-prevent-brexit-preliminary-hearing-article-50?CMP=twt_gu
Brexit - first legal challenge due in court 19th July.

This is difficult to read, so I will try and find a better version of this info.

Its about how Europeans think they should treat the UK in any Brexit deal.
Its not good reading.

I don't know what TW stands for, though I'm having some fun guessing.

But I have just found out the name of the dining club she and her then paramour belonged to - 'The Patricians'.

Just when I thought I couldn't dislike her any more.

Any sign of her tax return yet? Could it be that the murky financial arrangements between her and her BIL are a hold-up (i.e. he doesn't want anything about his financial dealings going anywhere near public scrutiny?

The entire Government Whips office is not supporting Andrea Leadsom.

And no sign of that tax return. We won't see it. If you press on it, it will be turned into 'bullying' and will help her cause.

All these legal challenges. I shudder to think what will happen with this. Surely it's just going to be a political nightmare that will divide people further, create more unrest, but not actually change anything. I can just about see the EU (and Juncker!) saying "oh, you made a mistake? Sure we'll just do a Bobby Ewing and pretend it was a dream."

Ironically, I think if she reneges on the tax return, it'll harm her, even with Conservatives. I have this nagging feeling that a fair few of them would lose respect for her not having this is hand - you know, expecting her to be able to hide her tracks better.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/08/secret-recording-neil-kinnock-jeremy-corbyn-step-down-speech-to-mps-in-full?CMP=twt_gu

Arrrrgghhhhhhhhhhhh! Just grow up the lot of you!

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/13983/what-is-happening-to-governments-existing-policies-and-projects/

Brexit has made the UK stop. Officially.

it's the faffing about that has cost her. If she had said right from the start, it is none of your business and I'm not going to do it because it is how I use public money that people have the right to know about, she could have got away with it. She IS open with her constituency expenses (N. Farage refuses to do even that... ). I think this could have been an initiative from the May camp…if they know her attitude to finance has been a bit tricksy (even if legal) when it comes to taxes, they might have gone here is my tax return, I'm completely open, show me yours.

She might lose respect because she's a ditherer…

Leadsom record on voting for taxing bankers bonuses is really not good at all. May is much better.

Given what Leadsom is trying to pitch herself as, it doesn't fit. It makes her look bad.

Red, that survey... ouch. Especially France and Germany.

Very much chimes with the mood of my family and acquaintances, there is precious little goodwill and a lot of resentment.

That being said this is "only" public opinion, it's not clear how it will affect government policy, if at all.

(Not that it matters in the case of free movement, there appears to be a consensus between opinion and official position there)

May already published her tax return, citroen, for the last four years. Loathsome said she'd do it when she got time, then promised on her very best unicorn she'd do it if she got to the final two. I bet the unicorn ate it, I'm sure that's what happened...