Westministenders: Johnson defends his President whilst we try to defend Britain

[RedToothBrush]

Theresa and Donald
Sitting in a tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G
First come Brexit
Then comes the Ban
Then comes the
Removal of Human Rights
… Damn

(Shamelessly stolen from a protest sign)

A couple of weeks ago people were still asking why we were talking about Trump on a Brexit thread. I think the answer has made itself all together too apparent.

What is happening in the US is not going to stop. It’s not going to get any better any time soon. The situation is grave with suggestions there has been a coup. What happens next is not going to be pretty. American institutions are struggling. The rule of law has been undermined. We are not talking about a developing country. We are talking about the country which has stood for freedom and democracy.

Our leadership looks weak in the face of this. We look like we are not only appeasing but endorsing. For what? A trade deal that he could revoke in 30 days?

We have but one question. How many of our ‘British Values’ will have to be sacrifice for the special relationship?

Make no bones about this: Cosying up to Trump threatens our national security. It threatens our democracy. It ruins what little moral authority we have left. It threatens our ties with Europe who we DO still need to have a relationship even if we are outside the EU. This is not world leadership. This is appeasement. This is cowardly weak and downright desperate.

Let us also not forget ‘Good old Boris’ pretending to be Churchill and calling the EU Nazis and Hitler during the Referendum and on several occasions since. He has now had the bare faced audicity to stand in the House of Commons and call MPs out repeatedly for ‘trivalising the holocaust’ or for making comparisons with the 1930s when they saying they have been told this by survivors of the holocaust. It is SHAMEFUL. I also note how many times Johnson referred to Trump being democratically elected as if this makes all the difference and he can’t possibly be a dictator if elected.

Why do they want to use the parallel themselves and HATE it when its used for things they use? Fascists hate being pointed out as fascists.

What would happen if you put it to the public? You have a choice, The EU or Trump? What would they say. At its most basic this is what Brexit is now. You can not hide it or disguise it any longer.

Get used to this. Be prepared to protest, to keep challenging, to keep calling things as they are. Fatigue might set in, but we need to keep on. This is for the long haul.

Today the a50 Bill starts in parliament. It’s not looking good, as it looks like MPs will completely fail in their DUTY to hold the government to account and will not have the balls to add amendments to the bill.

If it passes without any, get worried. It is not just about the EU.

It never was.

That white paper has profoundly shocked me. I write economic papers for a living; if I issued an important document with so little content and so riddled with error, I'd be looking for a job in the local supermarket. Can Dexeu not even afford to employ an editor/ proof reader?

It's not only shocking because it's so incompetent. It's shocking because a government that issues such a poorly researched, prepared and checked document on such an important question is displaying a fundamental lack of respect both for the electorate and for our democratic institutions.

Colour me utterly disgusted.

No wonder they published it after the vote.

Did anyone truly expect any different?
I'm worried how not surprised I am tbh

What's with this negativity Misti? Surely this White Paper is the greatest masterpiece of Truth since the Bible?

Admission that taking back control was bollocks

"What's with this negativity Misti? Surely this White Paper is the greatest masterpiece of Truth since the Bible?"

it is according to the Fail. They sum it up as:

Control of our borders, leaving the single market and new trade deals with rest of world: Britain's bright Brexit future is set out in landmark white paper

Hope this raises a smile RTB - you guessed right!

I see no problems.
But it's not about Brexit, as you said before, red. The referendum could have been about cake recipes, as long as they got what they wanted.
btw, wondering how ex mining communities, shafted so gruesomely, have figured in Brexit demographic.

Anyway, poor headline here, but constitutional juggernaut heading this way soon:
www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2017/01/after-brexit-tories-can-sell-nhs-donald-trump
Strap on, constitutional lawyers, hoping for more from your great blog Cecile thanks!

Agree with allyjay's post re feeling most angry with Lexiters. It's almost like those who voted Stein instead of holding your nose and voting Clinton. Sometimes (most times, except with PR?) you need to vote least worst option. The EU's austerity measures against Greece did give me reason to pause. But those who reported on and understood it in detail (Weldon, Varoufakis, Stiglitz, Mason even) still came down on the Remain side. Their argument, of course, that by voting leave you're enabling a very right wing Tory party. The very people protesting over it and projecting that protest on to the EU are those who'll be most harmed by leaving.

Maybe Frank Field is really a Whig - disclaimer, I have no real idea about what the Whigs were like but, look, they have a website. Maybe the time is right for the return of the Whigs?

Thanks everyone :)

"Can Dexeu not even afford to employ an editor/ proof reader?"

Almost certainly no, they can't. Civil Service cut to the bone (by the Tories)

I was quite optimistic about the white paper. Until I heard yesterday that it was being published today. Then I knew it would be a load of bollocks. Too quick when they clearly didn't have a plan. Should really have been a single sheet of white paper as its not worth the printer ink.

Has anyone posted this?

Misti

Technically they're only showing comtempt for the 48%. Most of the 52% won't care how badly written and incompetent it is, 'cuz we got are [sic] country back'.

Agree with allyjay's post re feeling most angry with Lexiters
Completely understand Lexiters.
Old labour policy was to be anti EEC. 35 years of being shafted in mining, steel manufacturing communities, makes it completely understandable, if irrational. Greece being shafted by European banks. Brexit is an understandable vote, for sure.
Labour could have been a Labour govt, and weren't.
Now, TM is machinating to prevent another Labour govt until our kids are middle aged, if then. And to centralise power with the executive on a scale not seen since pre Civil war monarchs.

But this is not about the EU, it's bigger than that.

I am giving up on the will to be British...... At least when we ruled the waves through the barrel of a gun we were actually quite good at the whole business of governing, rule of law etc. and could put together a decent policy document. That was always my only consolation when other countries and cultures manifested their resentment of the UK for their treatment at the hands of Empire. Now we are not only embarking on a massive act of self harm in the eyes of the rest of the world but we can't even come up with any decent rationale / detailed plan for it and do it competently. I am just about to go on a trip with some trepidation, on each one I have been on since last April it has been successively more embarrassing to be British.......

On top of that I might get bombed because look what Father Jack has planned. What does every right wing dictator need? A war to mobilise the people behind them. I just hope he isn't planning it before Day 26....... www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/02/steve-bannon-donald-trump-war-south-china-sea-no-doubt?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

The Chinese government do not hate Christians / Americans. Christianity is thriving in China and the only problem the Chinese government have with that is they don't want the Pope appointing leaders of what is effectively as they see it a manifestation of Civil Society. What makes the Chinese government totally paranoid is sects of the Buddhist school that use exercise to elevate spiritual awareness. All to do with the historical record of such movements (see the White Lotus) . Do that and you get arrested, but I don't see Bannon and Trump doing much in the way of exercise, let alone spiritually elevating exercise. And American culture is rapidly overtaking Chinese, they especially like a gold lift, I am sure a really blingy tacky Trump hotel would have gone down really well if the orange one had not set his sights on making one of his most promising markets the "enemy"

TM is machinating to prevent another Labour govt until our kids are middle aged, if then. And to centralise power with the executive on a scale not seen since pre Civil war monarchs

That worked well for Charles 1 & NSDAP.

I am giving up on the will to be British I was never convinced, but this is all helping me decide ..

She will be out, brutally. But I am counting the months till a GE as 'safety months' because the referendum will be as nothing compared to what they have unleashed.

Is this a fair summary
Single market - have your cake and eat it (but not the raisin cos we hates them)
Ireland - we want a soft border and can ignore the fact that this is incompatible with not being in the customs union
Workers rights - not having regulations imposed will be brilliant even though we always imposed more than we had to
Immigration - we don't know what we think about this so we need some evidence. yes it could be possible that FOM was the right thing but lets abolish it and then see if it makes sense to bring something similar back

Evidence based policy! When do we want it ? Before the research has been done!

Bannon: US War with China (& Middle East again)

• Good news: Trump's avoiding war with Russia
• Bad news: They are talking up war with China and in the Middle East again.

Either it's their planned Apocalypse / Rapture, or their plan to distract the voters when the unicorns galllop away over the rainbow
As part of campaigning for the least bad Brexit, let's add not being Trump's cannon fodder to our loooong wishlist

Last year, Bannon said:

• “We’re going to war in the South China Sea in 5- 10 years
  There’s no doubt about that"

• "Some of these situations may get a little unpleasant
  But you know what, we’re in a war
  We’re clearly going into, I think, a major shooting war in the Middle East again.”

Be very scared: we've already learned that this alt-right gang really mean their campaign rhetoric

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/02/steve-bannon-donald-trump-war-south-china-sea-no-doubt

oops, crossposted with ron

To be fair the plan for continued wars in the ME & increased presence in SE Asia has been neo-con ambition since the defunct Project for the New American Century thinktank published <a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130501130739/www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rebuilding America's Defences

The question is how does that tally with May's 'The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over.'

woman
"She will be out, brutally. But I am counting the months till a GE as 'safety months' because the referendum will be as nothing compared to what they have unleashed." Am already depressed but would you mind terribly explaining briefly how you see the next few months evolving and what else might or all be unleashed? am thinking about emigrating again thank you and .