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

What I find most disgusting about this Labour coup is that it was so obviously planned a long time in advance, and rolled out at a moment calculated to do maximum damage. Many of those who resigned from the shadow cabinet were therefore acting as 'sleepers', pretending to be on Corbyn's team but silently waiting for the signal to act against him. If they had something to say then, they should have said it then, imo. By waiting until a critical moment, what they have done most damage to is not Corbyn but to the Labour party itself, and by extension to the country that they claim to be working in the service of. I find it treacherous and think it unforgivable. I'm glad Angela Eagle's own constituency has made it so clear they feel the same. Exactly. A bunch of opportunists waiting to pounce. I'm supporting Jeremy. He may be a curmudgeonly old dinosaur but he has guts and is not intimidated by bullies.

Calling, sorry

This is worrying too.

www.independent.co.uk/news/people/edward-snowden-vladimir-putin-russia-surveillance-laws-extremism-crackdown-dissent-a7127311.html

So true, Ginger, in fact we still don't know what Osbourne was up to for those few days, do we?

If AE had stood once all the first wave of resignations had come in over that weekend, she would have looked strong. Now, she looks weak and indecisive, and like she's being held at bay by Tom Watson, of all people. But yes, she's there to weaken Corbyn so that an actual candidate can have a proper go.

What's the female term for "an absolute cad and a bounder"? An Andrea.

EU Commissioner - yes, preparatory diplomacy, and possibly also a bit of foresight from DC in case Loathsome does get in because they will run rings around her, and she's going to need someone who knows what they are doing. She won't listen to them, and will undoubtedly frame everything as the wicked EU picking on her, but he might be able to make some headway before she gets in there and fucks it all up, should she win.

Is that really the best we can say about Corbyn's performance that weekend? That it was no worse than Osborne's or Johnson's?

He had a golden opportunity to stick the boot in that Friday. You don't get chances like that very often in politics. Sorry but I can't forgive him for that.

Floisme I agree that Nicola Sturgeon was out of the trap fast and was very impressive that weekend, not least as she had more motivation than most to consider the opportunity a Leave result might represent.

I hardly think Corbyn was alone in not being entirely ready for what unfolded, though, and unquestionably he would have been more able to respond swiftly and articulately if his shadow cabinet had not chosen that moment to self-destruct.

At least he has a plan now, though, which is more than almost anyone else can say: www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/08/jeremy-corbyn-labour-negotiations-europe-tories-exploit-cheap-labour.

indy100.independent.co.uk/article/mays-and-leadsoms-voting-record-on-family-and-social-issues-compared--W11emGC_SW

labourlist.org/2016/07/labour-prepares-for-leadership-contest-as-crisis-talk-break-down/

The other problem with Jeremy was coming out and saying the majority had spoken on Brexit and he accepted the result. By saying that he left the only room for manoeuvre being the terms.

It wasn't absolutely necessary for him to do so and he could have actually opposed the tories on it rather than letting them control the agenda.

Out of curiosity, what happens if AE actually did win the challenge but was then booted by her constituency? (not that I actually think she'll win)

The Independent ‏@Independent 4m4 minutes ago
Andrea Leadsome doesn't appear to understand how the single market works ind.pn/29vxwsy

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/andrea-leadsom-eu-single-market-is-no-longer-a-relevant-term-a7128751.html

Ginger Not sure what the Labour rule book says, but generally speaking there is plenty of precedent for the leader of the party not being a sitting MP, eg Farage, Natalie Bennett, Caroline Lucas at the time.

I'm pleased that AE has finally come out and said she will stand. Hopefully others will follow.

JC may well be principled and decent (although I'm not confident that's true anymore tbh) but that's not enough. I'm a Labour Party member and voted for him at the leadership election and wanted him to do well but with the best will in the world, he's proved that he isn't up to the job.

I won't be voting for him again.

Owen Smith (not Jones!): "I remain committed to doing anything necessary to prevent a split and unite the party."

It's that doublespeak again, isn't it? I guess quite a few people were at the seminar...

AE has said numerous times she would stand. We're just waiting to see if she's actually going to follow through or postpone her decision. Again.

If they recall her, it triggers a by-election.
I'm not sure if by recalling her, she's automatically deselected, or if she could stand again. If she is deselected, she could stand as an independent, I think.
In the meantime, the Labour party would once again be without a leader, and I think might actually tear itself apart if that happened.

There may be precedent for smaller parties but I think it's extremely unlikely that a non MP would become leader of one of the two major UK political parties. That's not to say is impossible of course, just unlikely.

Has she not confirmed it now?

She has said she's GOING to stand. She is putting her agenda forward on a programme on Sunday and standing/challenging on Monday.

Ginger and MrsLupo - I can't find anything definitive, but I wonder if it isn't more complicated for Labour taking into account the fact that they are the official Opposition. Someone has to go up against the PM in PMQs, and act as Leader of The Opposition. I don't know if that could be done full time by someone who was not in the Houses of Parliament.

I cannot believe ANYONE would think AL could handle the job of PM after reading the article about single market I linked. First two paragraphs:

Andrea Leadsom has claimed that Britain will continue trading tariff-free with Europe after Brexit despite several warnings from high-profile EU officials that the UK cannot have access to the market “à la carte”.

Ms Leadsom, the junior energy minister who is running against Home Secretary Theresa May for leadership of the Conservative party, also dismissed the single market as “not a term that is any longer relevant to this discussion”.

She is 'going to confirm' it on Robert Peston's show tomorrow. Supposedly.

As far as deselection is concerned, she could not then put herself forward again in that constituency as a Labour candidate, only as an independent or for another party. She couldn't then be Labour leader too. She could, I suppose, be shoehorned into another constituency at by-election. All a bit desperate imo.

She follows with:

But Ms Leadsom has explicitly pledged to end the freedom of movement. In her leadership campaign launch, she said: “Freedom of movement will end and the British parliament will decide how many people enter our country each year to live, work and contribute to our national life.”

Speaking to the Times, Ms Leadsom added: “The size of our economy means we will be the key trading partner for the EU, and we have also have 43 years aligning our goods and services. We start with zero tariffs. All we actually need to do is continue as before.”

Asked about the EU imposing tariffs, Ms Leadsom responded: “Why would they do that?”

“Once we leave the EU we will be back in control of immigration. People going on holiday or travelling on business or to collaborate on science will be able to do that but the right to reside and the right to work here will be under work permits,” she added.

Has she not confirmed it now?

Only in the same way that she's been saying it for two weeks. Still, there's probably more chance of it happening than there is of AL's tax return showing up.

Do you think she really believes that Ginger (and is a deluded fantasist) or is there actually some cunning point hidden behind the blithering idiocy?