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Brexit

The Westministenders / Media Baron Hunger Games continues. Is it about to all implode?

982 replies

RedToothBrush · 10/07/2016 18:51

THE BREXIT FALLOUT OUT CONTINUES - THREAD SEVEN!

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The Story So Far – Blue Corner
Johnson & Gove stabbed Cameron & Osborne. They then won a big vote about something or other. I forget the details. I’m not sure it matters anymore.

Johnson got then stabbed by Gove. Johnson joined Leadsom. Gove got stung by his mate Boles who was trying stab Leadsom, and he ended up getting stabbed by just about everyone.

Where We Are Now – Blue Corner
Out of the ashes of the mess that the posh boys made, emerged two unexpected contenders to become the Torchbearer for the Tories.

#Team May
The Home Secretary, and the former figure of hate, is now looking like she might be the choice of sanity and the one who might just be able to save us from ourselves. She is the choice of the left and centre. The left and centre now being anyone who thinks ‘The 1950s were very nice, but actually we’d prefer not to go back there. A return to the 1970s is far enough, thanks’.

She is supported by just about the entire mainstream media (which in itself is quite an achievement – The Sun and The Guardian being united in editorial opinion) and the majority of Conservative MPs. We don’t know this, but she quite possibly unites the Labour Party on the subject too.

#Team Leadsom
The Junior minister made good, and has outmanoeuvred all her superiors in the cabinet to throw her hat in the ring. The trouble is that she’s either somewhat naïve, a bit of an arsehole or a scheming liar. And that’s the charitable version.

She is emerging as the Sarah Palin of the UK, and has some dubious looking Tea Party links. In the era of post fact politics Project Fear is now Project Smear. Of course this makes her Mrs Umbridge, the poor apple pie lover, bullied by the political elite and media establishment, rather than a fruit cake.

BUT
Underestimate her appeal at your peril. She has a big field of unicorns somewhere that we’ve not been able to track down on googlemaps so far, and she is preparing to unleash them.

She is the choice of the Right. She is supported by much of the depths of twitter, Louise Mensch, UKIP, Arron Banks, BNP and Britain First.

Oh and that tax return? Hmm

Our future fate is to be decided by 150,000 Conservative Members (two thirds of whom are men and roughly 50% of whom are over sixty).

How we look back at David Cameron’s tweet on the 4th May 2015 with such fondness:
Britain faces a simple and inescapable choice - stability and strong Government with me, or chaos with Ed Miliband.

Send me the link for the petition to ‘Come Back Dave, all is forgiven’. We have at least six weeks of this particular shower of shit to look forward to, before the next one hits.

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The Story So Far – Purple Corner
Many years ago, Nigel Farage founded the idea and started his one man campaign for the UK to leave the EU. (Except he didn’t. It was someone else’s idea. He just took over and took the credit for it). He became the poster boy for the Leave campaign, despite not being affiliated with it. He stood and claimed victory, without a shot fired.

As he said to the European Parliament with impeccable manners and good grace, ‘We aren’t laughing now’. To be fair to him, we weren’t. We were all shouting ‘FUCK OFF’ instead. After securing his £7000 pay rise as an MEP, he decided enough was enough, and it was time to ‘get his life back’ (he got sacked) and look for a career as a contestant on reality TV shows.

I hear Help I’m a Celeb have offered half a million for his services.

Where We Are Now – Purple Corner
Quicker than you can say, ‘Oh Thank God(win) for that’, we are already are starting to miss ‘Our Nige’, the cheeky chappy from next door. Instead the options are looking bleak, as candidates start to crawl out from under their rocks. The spectre of Arron Banks and his call to arms for ‘freedom’ lurks in the shadow.

For those of you unfamiliar with Mr Banks so far in this story, he’s one of UKIP’s biggest donors. He and his mate Andy Wigmore run an offshore insurance company out of Gibraltar. Banks, was head honcho of Leave.eu and one of his other mates, hypnotist Paul McKenna, gave advice on how to influence people with propaganda. Banks and Wigmore have some connections with Belize. Bank’s ex-wife was accused of being one of the KGB’s best agents. They are now divorced and she has a harassment order out on him. He does not like the ‘Uk elite’ and takes it personality.
Sounds like just the kind of guy, you’d love to move in as a neighbour.

This is the very definition of shit.

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The Story So Far – Red Corner
Once upon a time, there was a man named Blair. He waved a lot of flags said ‘Cool Britannia’ and smiled a lot. But Tony turned out to not be such a good ‘un. He didn’t play by the rules and got caught out. Blair was made to appear on national television to defend himself. He cried, and told us how he couldn’t sleep at night, but actually he did do the right thing and everyone is still wrong and we are all picking on him.

Does he need to go away and think about it for a while? Say, in a locked room for several years?

Where We Are Now – Red Corner
The WMD that Bliar lost in Iraq finally turned up in Labour HQ on 24th June. However, no one has been prepared to let off a controlled explosion yet. Apparently there is something of an aversion to Big Red Buttons (otherwise know to us simple folks as ‘Agreeing on Something’ and ‘Making Decisions’) within the party.

Corbyn, the champion of Momentum, has been carrying on as if nothing is happening, there is no problem and its everyone else is wrong, insisting that since he had a mandate from the people 10 months ago and it’s all still honky dory. He’s doing his job just fine and leading is well, a bit of an inconvenience to his rally schedule.

The Unions seem to have declared war on Tom Watson. His name has been added to the ever growing list of ‘traitors’.

Across the country action has been taken against these ‘traitors’. Normally this behaviour would be classed as ‘thuggery’ and ‘intimidation’. In post-fact Britain though, this is now acceptable, if it’s from the Left. Violence against Labour members is only disgusting if it is carried out by the right, you see.

Apparently, as the Momentum chief says, ‘winning’ is only a ‘small bit’ of democracy that matters to ‘political elites who want to keep power themselves’.

Obviously political gains that help and protect the interests of the working classes and poor are surplus to requirements. I guess their ultimate aim is to win no Labour seats at all then. Good stuff. We are headed in the right direction for that one.

Angela Eagle left her doorstep, and went on the telly after a week of refusing to make a decision to say ‘Ok I’m going to stand to remove a man who refuses to make decisions’. Apparently she is doing this to ‘Heal Labour’.

Someone break it to her, that if Labour gets its legs blown off by Corbynite, the chances of them healing, are somewhat remote.

To make matter worse, Corbyn disagrees with how you get on the ballot paper, and might not be it at this rate. Or it might end up in court. Like article 50.

Owen Smith is the other pretender to the Crown of Roses. We know who he is now. He’s err… He’s still welsh!

What do we reckon the chances of Labour surviving as one party are? Zero to none? This is more like wading through shit than a shower of it.

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The Story So Far – Yellow Corner
Tumbleweed

Where We Are Now – Yellow Corner
Everyone’s been praying for a ruddy miracle to end this torture and give the country an opposition party. Finally, Tim Farron, has awoken, removed his splinters from his arse, got off the fence in response to this. Amid growing rumblings of a complete political realignment and fleeing Labour and Conservative MPs, he says:

‘Hey folks, this political turmoil looks fun, can we join in too?!’

FACEPALM

No shit left to share.

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The consensus of opinion is that we might be a tiny teeny bit screwed.
Did someone mention the EU? EU? Oh fuck that, we’ve just about forgotten all that now!
Bigger fish to fry.
British ones of course.

We need really do need Gandalf to come save us from this madness.

Sense of humour compulsory. No experience necessary though

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www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eu_referendum_2016_/2680148-The-Westministenders-Media-Baron-Hunger-Games-continues-Who-is-trying-to-outmanoeuvre-who?pg=1 Previous thread 6

The Westministenders / Media Baron Hunger Games continues. Is it about to all implode?
OP posts:
Thread gallery
18
GingerIvy · 11/07/2016 08:32

Does Arron Banks actually have to come out wearing a black cloak and declaring himself as a Sith Lord to be noticed as a villain by the mainstream media?

It would certainly help.

I am baffled by anyone that thinks AL is even remotely up to the job of PM. I mentally have a picture of her attending meetings in an apron, showing them pictures of her children, popping up halfway through to check her roast, and then running out crying when the pressure is too much.

ReggaeShark · 11/07/2016 08:33

So AL says she's apologised to TM for "any offence" (weasel). Laughed out loud when I heard on the news that TM's camp said she was grateful "for the text message". Grin

GingerIvy · 11/07/2016 08:36

The text message? Oh, classy AL. Hmm

Chalalala · 11/07/2016 08:48

Laughed out loud when I heard on the news that TM's camp said she was grateful "for the text message".

Grin
Chalalala · 11/07/2016 08:56

interesting GingerIvy, I'm wondering where things stand now with TTIP - last I heard, the French PM had said it was not happening?

Britain really needs a fully-functioning opposition by the time the Tories (presumably) get to negotiating an FTA with the US, because it is all coming our way.

Another bad bit of PR news for the EU this weekend - Barroso (former president of the Commission) took a job with Goldman Sachs. EU politicians are livid, especially in Portugal and France. Nothing wrong technically with what Barroso did, it's just incredibly stupid to reinforce the EU = Goldman Sachs stereotype, now of all times.

Chalalala · 11/07/2016 09:04

Also just heard Diane Abbott on Radio 4, makes me want to scream with frustration. (I'm also in a bad mood in fairness - bloody football)

She had no solutions, no plans to move forward, no conception of compromise. It's Corbyn or bust. Her position was "the MPs are wrong and they'll just have to change their minds, won't they".

How can a professional politician be so entirely impractical? Right or wrong, they're not changing their minds! You need a plan B!

MissHooliesCardigan · 11/07/2016 09:06

I am getting more and more scared at the prospect of AL becoming PM given that she's already been in floods of tears because a newspaper was a bit nasty about something she said. And this woman believes she can run the country at the most turbulent time in politics in many decades? She should pack it all and go on Strictly and Bake off.
I have had many moments over the last few weeks of watching this mess and genuinely thinking that I could do better than that.

wooflesgoestotown · 11/07/2016 09:09

Does anyone have the civil service source about JC not doing the actual job of leader of the opposition re going to briefings etc?

As a citizen I really want him to be held accountable if he is not carrying out the crucial constitutional role of L of the opposition.

wooflesgoestotown · 11/07/2016 09:16

It feels to me that the huge risks associated with having a largely unwritten constitution are now playing out.

ReggaeShark · 11/07/2016 09:17

I know Woofles. There's definitely a place in British politics for a protest movement. But that place is not on the opposition benches of the House of Commons.

RedToothBrush · 11/07/2016 09:19

Theresa May's agenda for the day looks interesting. She is officially launching her campaign today at 11am

home.bt.com/news/uk-news/theresa-may-vows-to-put-conservatives-at-the-service-of-working-people-11364072828236
She has vowed to put conservatives at the service of working people

She will set out three key planks to her strategy for Number 10: "First, we need a bold, new, positive vision for the future of our country - a vision of a country that works for everyone - not just the privileged few.

I wonder if that tax return might well be looked at more closely, if not today, but over the course of the next few weeks.
www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/10/andrea-leadsom-tax-returns-reveals-85000-income-in-2015
The Guardian at least are critical, with a comment about what Leadsom had published did not constitute a full tax return, but doesn't really push that far. The problem is that the Torygraph and Times probably won't want to push this because their readers are the ones who all do this... The Torygraph barely talk about it at all.

May and Leadsom's voting record on bankers bonuses differed. Leadsom was for them. Leadsom's tax return is well... not worth the paper its on for transparency.

Seeing as Leadsom is going for that angle and its in theory more May's strength I wonder ....

Fingers crossed.

May supporters have asked to move on from the motherhood row. Which is nice, because poor Leadsom will be able to stop crying over her potatoes and May looks gracious.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/09/may-v-leadsom-could-tory-members-deliver-shock-to-westminster
The guardian have done an analysis of the Conservative membership:
While our knowledge of the Conservative membership is limited (we don’t even know for sure how many members the party has), it is much better than it used to be, thanks to surveys conducted by YouGov in collaboration with the Party Members Project” headed by professors Tim Bale and Paul Webb. They are a very grey, middle-class group. Their average age is nearly 60, and more than 80% are from white-collar ABC1 social grades. Politically engaged, they lean very heavily towards broadsheet papers for their news – a majority name the Times or the Telegraph as their newspapers of choice, while only a fifth read the Daily Mail and hardly any report reading the Sun regularly.

The membership is Eurosceptic, but not overwhelmingly so, like the broader Conservative electorate. About two-thirds report voting to leave the EU last month. The Conservative grassroots are rightwing on economic issues, but not overwhelmingly so, and socially conservative on issues such as crime, immigration and respect for authority – but much less so than Ukip voters. Members rate competence and party unity as the most important factors in choosing a leader; just 30% consider it essential that the leader be a Leave backer.
Sounds positive for May.

www.thedailymash.co.uk/politics/politics-headlines/im-not-nasty-im-just-shit-at-this-insists-leadsom-20160711110548
The Daily Mash's Assessment of Leadsom

Britain First have done a video for Leadsom. Apparently they mix up photos of May and Leadsom. I can't verify this myself personally though as I refuse to watch. I am lead to believe its amusing though.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-eu-referendum-result-not-legally-binding-lawyers-letter-a7129626.html
www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/11/brexit-parliament-should-make-ultimate-decision-on-whether-to-leave-eu-barristers-say?CMP=share_btn_fb#=
1000 lawyers have signed a letter saying the referendum is not legally binding.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/11/in-us-brexit-shorthand-for-sorry-your-country-failed-eu-referendum
The way Brexit has made us look to the US - in short, a failure

Osborne is off there to beg for looking for trade talks and reassuring US investors today.

www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jul/11/channel-4-must-not-be-sold-off-and-it-can-weather-brexit-say-peers?CMP=twt_gu The conservatives are trying to sell off channel 4 (that's the channel that's gone after their election expenses remember). It sounds like the Lords are telling them to get fucked.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/10/ukip-conference-celebrates-brexit-victory-and-looks-to-challenges-ahead
The UKIP conference.
I like the fact they have a £5 million black hole in their finances. (Arrrhhh so this would be why 'a new party' is muted rather than carrying on as UKIP. I presume these debt will have to be written off if the party folds?)

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/comment/if-we-dont-tame-twitter-well-face-mob-rule-5kfcqgj65
The Times is running an article about 'taming twitter or face mob rule' saying in the 1930s radio was the tool of dictators and propagandists. Now social media is fuelling abuse and driving us apart

www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/11/scottish-labour-leader-kezia-dugdale-i-dont-want-to-choose-between-two-unions
Poor old Scottish Labour don't want to choose between the EU and staying in the UK. The leader is anti-Corbyn.

Interesting point about Corbyn and having his name on the ballot is when he won the leadership election last year, he did so off the back of 36 nominations (he needed 35), and he only got the last few right at the death. If the NEC rule that he needs nominations this time he need 51. The leadership challenge would be due at the end of September.

Corbyn says he will sue if his name isn't on the ballot.

Diane Abbott has called Angela Eagle the 'Empire Strike Candidate'. The trouble is no one really knows what the hell she is on about, leading to much speculation.

Diane Abbott also has been saying that, "They are Labour MPs. That means they must support the Lab leader"
Like those well known rebels named Corbyn and McDonnell did...

Alex Bath Verified account @Alex_SkyNews
@jimwaterson Does it mean Jeremy Corbyn is her father? I'm getting terribly confused by it all.

Gareth Milner ‏@mrgarethm · 18m18 minutes ago
@jimwaterson @Alex_SkyNews I'm waiting for the sequel, Return of the Jezi

Guido Fawkes is suggesting that the anti-Corbynites could switch to the Cooperative Party in parliament - 25 Labour MPs stood on their ticket at the last election.

At 4.30 there is a debate on a petition about school absence and fines, but nothing else much on today by the look of it.

Oh and Tim Farron has been talking about trains and how Southern Rail's franchise should be removed.

OP posts:
Floisme · 11/07/2016 09:21

Re the Leadsom interview: Margaret Thatcher gave us a strikingly similar narrative in the 70s. Ok maybe without the tears! But Thatcher massively downplayed her intellect and and stuck to the 'I'm just a housewife / running a country like running a household' mantra. People laughed at her then too but, as we all now know, it was very effective. Leadsom's a Thatcher devotee and she'll have taken notes.

wooflesgoestotown · 11/07/2016 09:22

Yes agree. There is something wrong where there seems no way to ensure our parliamentary democracy works as it should do.

I just hope this will lead to changes being made and rules being written. By who I dont know though!!

PattyPenguin · 11/07/2016 09:22

It's still possible that TTIP won't happen for the EU.

However, it is perfectly likely that something similar will happen for the UK. From the Grauniad www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/08/ttip-dead-brexit-brussels-free-market headlined "You thought TTIP was dead? With Brexit we’ll get the same thing, on steroids"

George Osborne is sucking up to the US and has written in the Wall Street Journal that even closer economic ties between the UK and US are in the "overwhelming interest of both countries".

RedToothBrush · 11/07/2016 09:26

And words can't express how horrifying it is to see in plain black and white how AL is manipulating people and it's working - how? Why don't people see through this nonsense?

People will believe what they WANT to believe, if it suits them. If someone echoes their own sentiment they will jump on it, rather than questioning it or looking around for critical assessment of it.

Its the blinkers of self delusion, rather than Leadsom doing anything more than putting an seed of an idea in their heads.

OP posts:
RedToothBrush · 11/07/2016 09:29

Angela Eagle to face a no confidence vote in her constituency on 22 July...

The membership there has grown from 900 to 1200 since 24 June.

OP posts:
Chalalala · 11/07/2016 09:32

Re: TTIP, the unknown element for Britain, is how US politics will develop. There is increasing criticism of free trade agreements. Both Trump and Sanders owe their success in large part to criticising NAFTA and globalisation, and Clinton is having to play catch up.

Re: Leadsom, I am a little uncomfortable with the situation because some of the recent criticism relies on sexist stereotypes ("emotional", "mum cooking roasts", etc). On the other hand she is playing up these stereotypes herself for political advantage (or so she thinks). So I don't quite know how to deal with it.

Floisme · 11/07/2016 09:59

I agree about the sexist stereotypes and also that Leadsom is playing up to them (as did Thatcher). Very calculated I think - at the moment she only has to appeal to 150,000 people. I'm still hoping she has miscalculated here and that the party membership are not quite the dinosaurs she and her team are taking them for. But that might be a forlorn hope - I guess she knows them better than I do.

BigChocFrenzy · 11/07/2016 10:01

TTIP
Those who voted Brexit to protest anti-globalisation are likely to be rewarded with globalisation on steroids, especially if the EEA option is not achieved:

The UK urgently needs trade agreements and TTIP would be one of the quickest and most significant to achieve with a major trading partner - if the UK doesn't bother to negotiate and just allows US business all the rights they want.
The Tories always wanted TTIP with its raw unfettered capitalism, but realised France & Germany would probably block TTIP for the EU.

wooflesgoestotown · 11/07/2016 10:02

I hope that the EU takes seriously in negotiations the risk of the U.K. becoming more and more controlled by the far right with the ultimate concern we could end up being a serious threat to European and world peace.

Floisme · 11/07/2016 10:06

Yes, let's hope they know their 20th century history.

TheBathroomSink · 11/07/2016 10:11

AE has filed her leadership challenge papers.

Diane Abbott compares her to Darth Vader.

MissHoolie - AL on Bakeoff or Strictly? Not a chance. Craig RH would wipe the floor with her, and she'd come off looking second best by far to Mary Berry. MB doesn't need a unicorn to make her yorkshire puddings!!

wooflesgoestotown · 11/07/2016 10:13

We're a nuclear power with relatively large well trained and equipped armed forces and we seem to have very few safeguards in place to prevent abuses of power.

Throw into the mix economic meltdown and it all seems very worrying.

BigChocFrenzy · 11/07/2016 10:14

In the past, when the Tories have voted for the rightwing leaders they really wanted - Howard, IDS - the party was hammered in the GE.
That's the only reason Cameron got in - he is actually on the Tory left and the members absolutely hate his social liberalism, especially the equal marriage law, but hating losing GEs even more.

The big difference this time: no pesky GE to win and a Labour Party in chaos for a long time to come.
Dream situation for them to do as they want and Take Their Country Back

Depends on whether they think they need to be cautious to win in 2020, or think Labour won't be a serious threat for the next 10 years.
This is one side of opposition ignored by Corbyn and his fans: what happens when you abandon being an effective opposition and ignore the Tory party, to fight for ideological purity in your own.

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