Westministenders Continues. The one where are being grateful for having a Boris rather than a Trump and UKIP show Labour how it’s done.

[RedToothBrush]

THE BREXIT FALLOUT CONTINUES - THREAD TWELVE

The calm of the eye of the storm is upon us. The signs are there that more trouble is ahead. What now for Brexit, the blank cheque for our future?

May’s honeymoon can only last the Summer, until she has to do some proper graft. Her Cabinet have all gone on holiday and to swat up on their new specialised subject, and by god have they got some homework to do.

Well, all of them apart from Liam Fox, who has bugger all to do for some time.

Johnson needs to… well we all know what Boris needs to do. Bend over and take it like a good boy.

Davies needs to learn the entire structure and workings of the EU and its variations of trade agreements and relationships with other nations. Juncker has the FUKD in his little black book of people who have crossed him (yes, he actually has one of these) and has put Brit Hating Barnier in charge of the EU Brexit team. Davies must somehow hold his own against this experienced EU hardnut. In French. Oh and find a permanent office.

What do the others need to learn? Hammond - how to perform a bloody miracle. Patel - it is illegal to use foreign aid as a leverage for trade deals. Leadsom – er everything? Rudd – how to do bigger assault on liberty and human rights than her mentor. Fallon – how we will afford to defend ourselves with pitch forks, especially if we can’t use Trident for some reason and it becomes necessary. Our enemy; Russia? North Korea? Turkey? Isis? Na. Trump if he wins.

Brexit is now officially in the hands Whitehall’s unbelievers. Those overstretched officials who are already saying there is a gap in their capacity to deliver what Parliament wants without additional the burden of Brexit. These discredited experts are left wondering if their challenge is, in reality, Mission Impossible, and this is made worse by the pressure that just about every senior Brexiteer seems to say is ‘easy’ despite all the mounting evidence to the contrary. Which is cold comfort to everyone who voted – Remain or Leave alike.

We still don’t even know what Brexit is. It is still something which has no coherent ideology and no clear set of prescriptions for what ailes us as a society. It is a bundle of contradictions, united chiefly by what, and who, it opposes. Whatever the problem, Brexit can fix it. Whatever the threat, internal or external, Brexit can vanquish it, and it is unnecessary for Brexiteers to explain how.

May’s plan? Some say that she is the Dear Leader, some say she is an evil genius with Larry the Cat on her lap waiting for the Brexiteer Boys to fuck it up so we can Remain, some say she is blessed by the Ghost of Thatcher but we know her as The PM. –Sorry I’ve been itching to make the May/Hammond Top Gear gag for several weeks— The truth is, we just don't know yet.

Plus anything Brexit related about the Labour and UKIP leadership and the rest of the world thrown in to boot.

This is the quest for the answers that everyone wants and trying to keep an eye on those politicians and accountability (both here and abroad in the era of post-fact politics in the trail of Brexit). There maybe no single ‘truth’ but there sure as hell is a lot of bullshit to wade through. Get your wellies out, and plough on through with us.

No experience necessary. Sense of humour required.

-------------------------

Brexit Fall Out Timetable
Labour Hustings Nottinghamshire: Wednesday 17th August
Labour Hustings Birmingham: Thursday 18th August.
Labour Hustings Glasgow: Thursday 25th August.
Labour Hustings London: Thursday 1st September
UKIP Leadership Result: 15th September
Labour Leadership Result: Saturday 24th September
The Department for Exiting the European Union first question sessions in Parliament: Thursday 20th October
High Court hearing on a50: due 'no earlier than the third week in October'
US Presidential Election: 8th November
French Presidential Election 1st Round: 23 April 2017
French Presidential Election 2nd Round: 7th May 2017
German Federal Election: Between 27 August and 22 October 2017

Last thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eu_referendum_2016_/2690632-Westminstenders-Continues-Boris-is-having-a-bad-week-Corbyn-resists-Its-gonna-be-a-long-summer?pg=1

Further evidence that the Brexit MPs still think we have an empire

@HeatherWheeler: Now that's what I call winning!!! Well done Team GB & all our Commonwealth friends, now for the Trade Agreements.... t.co/Qg9qkYxWHp

The replies to her tweet are funny - pointing out that they'd fought to get away from us and enjoy the Commomwealth Games to compete against us.

The Scotland Act 1998
The Act was introduced by the Labour government in 1998 after the 1997 referendum. It created the Scottish Parliament, setting out how Members of the Scottish Parliament are to be elected, making some provision about the internal operation of the Parliament (although many issues are left for the Parliament itself to regulate) and setting out the process for the Parliament to consider and pass Bills which become Acts of the Scottish Parliament once they receive Royal Assent. The Act specifically asserts the continued power of the UK Parliament to legislate in respect of Scotland.

The Act devolves all powers except over matter it specifies as reserved matters. It further designates a list of statutes which are not amenable to amendment or repeal by the Parliament which includes the Human Rights Act 1998 and many provisions of the Scotland Act itself. Even when acting within its legislative competence, the Act further constrains the powers of the Parliament by inhibiting it from acting in a manner incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights or European Community law. The same constraints apply to acts of the Scottish Executive.

NOTHING TO SEE HERE. PLEASE MOVE ALONG >>>>>

Because not everybody knows this, but the full title of my party is the Conservative and Unionist Party, and that word ‘unionist’ is very important to me.

It means we believe in the Union: the precious, precious bond between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But it means something else that is just as important; it means we believe in a union not just between the nations of the United Kingdom but between all of our citizens, every one of us, whoever we are and wherever we’re from.

FUCK.

The use of the word unionist, suddenly starts to look rather sinister.

Michael Crick ‏@MichaelLCrick · 10m10 minutes ago

Arron Banks writes to Kent police to accuse Tories of push-polling in South Thanet in 2015 general election

www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/08/22/donald-trump-outscores-hitler-on-psychopathic-traits-test-claims/

Donald Trump outscores Adolf Hitler on a test used to determine psychopathic traits, while Hillary Clinton ranks between Napoleon and Nero, a researcher at Oxford University has found

IF ONLY they had also examined Corbyn, May and Farage then this article would have been SO much better.

Trump scores 171 whilst Hitler gets 169.
Jesus gets 157.
Whilst Churchill is way down the list at 155.

And Thatcher is even further back with Cromwell on 136.

Oh the missed opportunity.

This is a long way from in-depth, but does touch upon those Leave voters who don't fit the usual stereotype. I thought the quote at the end was so accurate it was scary:
“As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too,” he wrote. “Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action . . . Words are to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests.”

That's a good article.

It actually depresses me, especially when its being so clearly demonstrated on MN.

Prettybird. The EU official twitter feed added up all the medals won by all 28 countries in the EU and tried to ascertain that the EU had 'won' the Olympics!! I think Heather Wheeler was daft to show the graph that she did but perhaps she was responding to the stupid EU Tweet.

Corcory - you might be right** - they perhaps shouldn't have claimed it (or presented it) the way that they did. Even if they'd added in "EU member countries" to make it more accurate, it might have been more acceptable....

However, the key difference is that the EU does exist, and the UK is still a member (despite the assertions of some of the Twitter replies ), whereas the British Empire hasn't existed for more than half a century unless you count Scotland, Wales and NI

....and as for assuming that Trade Deals will be next with those "Empire" countries.....

(Bold fail )

More push-polling:

blogs.channel4.com/michael-crick-on-politics/referendum-pushpolling-influence-result/5328

Now who could possibly have been behind this?

Lol kaija I wonder if we could possibly think of a 'wealthy brexit maverick' who isn't averse to bending the rules...

The term British refers only to the island of Britain. 'Great Britain' refers to England, Scotland and Wales.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political unit.
(as far as I understand it)

Also, as I understand it, the word Unionist (capital U) has always been rather sinister, but there are many who would not see it that way. The history of that part of the name is not one the Conservatives should be proud of. Imo.

Prettybird, I think the more 'American macho' the image of some policy or practice, the more the Tories seem to fall prostrate before it. I think they are a bunch of wannabe cutthroat 80s businessmen, and I suspect they all watched Dallas as children and that show about a law firm whose name I have forgotten. I recall reading somewhere that Andrea Leadsom was taken on a jolly by some Koch brothers-financed anti climate change pressure group some time in the not too distant past. I fancy that many of the Tories would be extremely flattered if some of the (American) Big Boys invited them to play. I think this has been the case since the days of the cozy relationship between MT and Reagan.

Here it is.

www.the-american-interest.com/2015/06/17/the-special-relationship-and-its-critics/

Thank you for the review of the Rachman book - I agree with him on China, and Russia too.
When it comes to energy, it is not always what makes most sense rationally and from a scientific pov that gets developed. There may be an advantage in nuclear power or coal power to keep the Chinese sweet by collaborating in nuclear power plant development, to import uranium from Kazakhstan or wherever it must be imported from, and coal from Russia or West Virginia or wherever it is now sourced.

I agree with Whatwouldrondo wrt trade with China.

www.carbonbrief.org/gas-from-norway-coal-from-russia-eight-graphs-on-the-uk-energy-system

www.carbonbrief.org/european-battle-over-2030-energy-system-drawing-to-a-close A pre-Brexit article.
'New European energy policy goals may include an overarching target for expansion of renewable energy, according to reports. The UK* has been lobbying against a binding target, which it argues will interfere with plans to build new nuclear power plants instead of wind, solar or biomass.'

*Why does this not surprise me....

What is this about the word Unionist being 'sinister'? I think this must be an English thing. Like the Union Jack and it's miss use by far right groups making it associated with that particular brand of politics.
Up here in Scotland the Conservative party has always called it's self the Unionist party and emphasised this even more during the Scottish indy referendum and the 2015 GE.
I think the English have really got to stop denigrating the use of the Union Flag and this use of the word Unionist is certainly not 'sinister' what on earth's that about?

I agree with Corcory () and see nothing sinister with the use of the word "Unionist". But it could indeed be because we both live in Scotland and are used to "Unionist" parties and in particular are used to the Scottish Conservative Party having it in its full title.

As an aside, even though I'm an independence supporter, I hate the growing propensity of (some) on-line Indy supporters to describe "pro-UK" people pejoratively as "yoons"

Haven't heard the word 'yoons' yet Prettybird. I'll have to look out for that one and stamp on it straight away!
God the amount of times I am being pulled up on here for using particular words as they have all sorts of connotations I have no idea about! Must be very innocent up here in Scotland but I wish that people would just stop it and get over things and regain our language.

I saw TM's stressing of the Unionist bit as not being sinister but trying to say that she didn't want the break up of the UK. Rather like the Queen in her Christmas speech a few years ago made a rather pointed reference to be queen to a United Kingdom.

The "Conservative and Unionist" party was formed in May 1912 by the merger of the Conservative party and the Liberal Unionist party.

The latter had been formed in 1886 by a faction which had broken away from the Liberal party in 1886 and formed an alliance with the Conservative party in opposition to Irish Home Rule. They formed a coalition Unionist Government between 1895 and 1905 but kept separate political funds and their own party organisations until the merger.

Today the Tories vehemently oppose any remaining part of the UK moving towards independence. Many are still not happy about devolution in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Yes Patty, my farming family were always Liberal Unionists and always called themselves unionists as apposed to Conservatives.

That Vanity Fair article is good - thanks, BathroomSink. I was thinking the other day about how young people used to go grape-picking in France. That was different though, wasn't it?

I don't think this link to the Spectator editorial was posted, although unicorns referred to it in passing.

The failure of the Brexit camp to come up with proposals is all the fault of Theresa May and the Civil Service seems to be its main theme.

Some choice extracts:
And from the Brexiteers? Silence. We have barely heard a squeak from Vote Leave since the referendum. The group, like David Cameron, seems not to have had a plan for its victory. Criticise Cameron for not entertaining the idea that Leave might win, by all means, but they are not doing this. Why criticise Cameron for not having a plan for something he didn't want and believe in?We have heard Fox, Davis and IDS spouting nonsense, but since it was nonsense, perhaps the Spectator was wise to overlook this.

Employers say their EU staff are alarmed, and worried that they are no longer welcome; some investors are pulling out because of the uncertainty. This week, hospitals warned that EU doctors have started to leave the NHS. The damage is serious. It was certainly not clear from the Leave campaign that they wanted EU citizens to stay. Instead the Spectator, perhaps rightly in this case, blames TM for using EU citizens as pawns. TM can't be blamed for making the anti-immigrant stance the focus of the last few weeks of the campaign.

With so few voices defending the Brexit vote, more errors like this seem certain. Yes, well why aren't the Brexiteers defending the vote? This is the question we keep asking, 'what did you vote for?' 'What plans do you have?' and we get told, as here, 'Not our responsibility'.

Michael Gove did more than perhaps anyone to make the case for Brexit and widen its appeal. Theresa May has said that she does not require his services in her government, which leaves him at a loose end. Could this be that as well as being a backstabbing traitor to his friends, he was also a disaster at Education, and as was clear when the result came in, that he hadn't the foggiest idea what to do? I think that he did genuinely believe in the cause, unlike BoJo, for whom it was just a game.

There have been comments, haven't there, about some Brexiteers wanting to go back to the days of the British Empire. Hmm.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-37163416

One of the Twitter comments Are you tweeting from the nineteenth century?

The trouble is far too much of the sense of entitlement that underpins political thinking on Brexit is from the nineteenth century......

The word Unionist is sinister when you start thinking of it in the context of the GFA being undermined in the way it has been.

Anyway, just about to look through stuff for the day and post links etc.

Just seen a lovely comment that suggests that the EU might sue the UK over Brexit due to us not invoking a50 straight away. Something we can't actually do, because there was no plan and there is STILL no plan.

I do hope the Tory party will be picking up the bill for that one, if its the case.

Will try and get that in the daily round up.