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.

Thank you woman x

The breaches of electoral law are still being investigated.

Re Nuttall: even if he were to be found guilty of malpractice, I don't see the court doing anything.

The courts agreed that Alistair Carmichael had lied in the run up to the 2015 election yet decided that that wasn't enough to overturn his massive 817 majority

Indeed, part of the LibDem defence (suggested first of by LibDem luminary Sir Malcolm Bruce and then used in the court case) was that Carmichael's lies made no difference as "people expect politicians to lie" - and the court agreed

Hash... very true!!

I still don't understand why - is growth is being revised upwards for 2017 - the pound is still tanking?....

Could someone explain it? I spent my economics lessons drooling over the teacher who looked quite a bit like aiden turner

"as growth..."

Iirc, there was a bounce in consumer spending in 2008/09 after the Financial Crisis.

It was almost as if we were sticking our heads in the sand and having a final blow-out before the crisis actually hit - a bit like the final binge before a diet.

It didn't stop the double-dip recession eventually hitting and we are still suffering the effects of the Austerity economics that were supposed to be the solution

Bec breaking news:
"Services growth falls for first time since September"

I really dislike the rhetoric that some votes are worthy and some just so ignorant as to be dismissed. It is a hugely damaging and potentially dangerous path to go down.

I agree with that.
I also agree that some voters did vote with no knowledge of what they were voting for (I include both sides there and not just the last election/referendum).
I also think that some voters vote on emotional basis, not a rational one and that others can't read between the lines. I'm thinking here of people reliant on benefits who voted Conservatives at the last election thinking that the benefits cut would not apply to them.
If you had the current issues of post truth and the russian influence on the European and western politics.... which muddle the information even more, yu can wonder how anyone can make a rational decision anyway.

Which actually raise a question of whether democracy in this way is actually working TBH.
I personally don't. But I'm also struggling to see a better system so ....

Ok....I'll bite 😀
Predictions on interest rate rises!?...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38843461
BBC-funded local reporters to be spread across UK

The BBC has released details of where licence fee-funded local journalists will be based across the country, with jobs being phased in from the summer.

It has set aside £8m a year to pay for 150 reporters, who will work for local news organisations rather than the BBC.

Oh? I see positives and minuses in this. It could help support independent local investigative journalism though in theory at least.

Yesterday Trump ended sanctions against Russia's intelligence agency the FSB by executive order. Its been widely under reported. Mensch has been going bonkers over it.

Today we see this:
www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/02/nato-must-do-more-to-counter-russias-cyber-weaponry-says-fallon?CMP=twt_gu
Nato must defend western democracy against Russian hacking, say Fallon

politicalscrapbook.net/2017/02/watch-woman-says-on-question-time-she-voted-to-leave-eu-because-of-straight-bananas/
WATCH: Woman on Question Time says she voted to Leave because of EU rules on ‘straight bananas’

This really isn't helpful is it? Its so difficult to get away from the 'stupid' stereotype when people say this on tv. There are plenty of intelligent and reasoned people and arguements for Brexit yet Question Time find the ones like this.

What it does prove though, is that what is put in the newspapers is influencing people... whether they want to admit it or not.

www.itv.com/news/2017-02-03/fresh-brexit-legal-challenge-blocked-by-high-court/

The EEA article 127 legal challenge has failed (not unexpected).

Yesterday Trump ended sanctions against Russia's intelligence agency the FSB by executive order
This twitter feed is quite hurty, but check out the Kushner reasons for above. $4b of them.
twitter.com/Khanoisseur?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

That judgement was inevitable as single market has allegedly not been negotiated on yet.

Mother, the real issue is that there is no other basket.

I personally want Labour to get their shit together, but the reality is that's not happening, not likely to happen soon and will take years to recover from.

Other people have pointed out the hidden danger of this.

At the moment the mere fact that Leave.EU are still supporting UKIP is a positive. If they loose in Stoke and loose badly, Banks will take another track...

I still don't understand why - is growth is being revised upwards for 2017 - the pound is still tanking?....

Perhaps because the rest of the world know that May's plans are a crock of shite?

I wouldn't want to put all my eggs in the Lib Dem basket, I like some of the stuff they say but I really can't get over the way they behaved just to have a taste of power, and look what good that did them.

I think a lot of us would like to see a coming together of LibDems, moderate Labour and moderate Tories. At the moment though, as Red says, in England at least, there is no other basket.

But plenty of basket cases

Oh good grief we have LOTS of basket cases.

Including me.

Trouble is the basket cases make the rest of us basket cases!

'truth' and 'sanity' (whatever that means, I agree red) are relative constructs in these times.

The UK economy is tremendously driven by consumer spending - it is an important factor for all Western economies, but particularly for the UK compared to say Germany, where manufacturing plays a much bigger role

UK consumer spending has increased since the ref, including that on credit
That's partly to so many Leavers feeling happy after their win and celebrating.
Also, because we've seen after the 2008 financial crash that many folk want a splurge while they can, if they think they'll have to cut back later

Due to the fall in the pound, the UK has dropped since the referendum from the world's #5 country to #7, dropping behind France and India.

A currency sinks when people around the world think it is overvalued a lot and expect in the near future that things will get worse for that country
(and / or when the interest rate is cut)
However, Mark Carney by his prompt action right after the ref prevented the pound completely crashing, because his actions boosted business confidence and may have headed off a mass dive for the exit.

To prove the above: (truth and sanity?)
Kellyanne Conway blames refugees for 'Bowling Green massacre' that never happened Donald Trump’s senior adviser uses fictional incident to justify US president’s travel ban: ‘Most people don’t know that because it didn’t get covered
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/03/kellyanne-conway-refugees-bowling-green-massacre-never-happened

Rotherham MB - Dinnington

Labour 670 [36.1%; +3.9%]
UKIP 303 [16.3%; -14.1%]
Conservative 238 [12.8%;+12.8%]
Independent 232 [12.5%; -12.8%]
Independent 180 [9.7%; +9.7%]
Independent 81 [4.4%; +4.4%]
Green 78 [4.2%; -7.9%]
LD Stephen Thornley 75 [4.0%;+4.0%]
Majority 367
Labour gain from UKIP
Percentage change since 2016

So it looks as though putting up a Tory candidate split the anti-Labour vote, but with some going back to Labour.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/02/03/upshot/which-country-do-americans-like-most-for-republicans-its-australia.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0
Which Country is America’s Strongest Ally? For Republicans, It’s Australia

We're third. but first for Democrats...