Westministenders: Boris and God Knows what next. (I'm all out of ideas!)

[RedToothBrush]

Still a week until Stoke and Copeland. (Labour Hold/Con Gain unless something strange happens) QT is from Stoke next week.

A50 hits the Lords next week. Melania is being lined up to do something for the women. (God help us all).

Will UKIP survive? Will Nuttall survive? Will Labour survive? Will Trump survive? Will CNN survive? Will the Lords survive? Will Theresa May survive a class room of children?

All these questions and more

Interesting clash of EU and US philosophies discussed here:

www.theregister.co.uk/2017/02/21/apple_vs_ec_tax_case_defence_filed/

Stop terraforming taxation, says Cupertino, and let us get on with it Apple has filed its defence against the European Commission's claim it owes €13bn in back taxes in Ireland.

Apple on Monday filed a defence in which it dismissed the very idea of the US$13.75/£11bn bill, calling for the total or partial annulment of the European Commission decision that set the case in motion and suggesting the Commission pay Apple's costs into the bargain.

Cupertino's argument offers 14 pleas in law that collectively assert that the EU just doesn't understand how Apple operates and thoroughly misunderstands the way it gets stuff done in Ireland.

(contd)

Lurking...dogma?

Interesting story, 'The mystery of the anti-UKIP Twitter machine' Why is a strange network of Twitter accounts, usually the source of pro-Russian messages, now pumping out tweets about a very specific British election?

My conspiracy theory mind would say, UKIP are now a liability, a spent-force full of useless loons so need a new party to replace them (Arron Banks' plan, of course with his Russian wife). And Labour, with Corbyn, help anti-EU parties stay in power so they continue to support him.

uk.businessinsider.com/ons-interactive-map-brexit-trade-2017-2

Interesting maps showing trades between the uk and other countries.

Those objecting to "PC crap" often do want the freedom to call people "wog" or even "ni@@er"

This.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/21/families-supreme-court-verdict-income-rules-spouse-visas

Not about Brexit but still VERY important for eu nationals married to British spouses.
I would have assumed that the current rules of immigration would apply to eu citizen after leaving the eu.
So IF the Courts are actually rung that families shouldn't be split this way and that a spouse should be able to stay in te uk even if they don't earn the £18k a year, this will be a really great help.

It depends on what sort of Labour voter you have. My late DF never, ever voted Tory - I think he agreed with Nye Bevan that they were vermin.

Someone more centrist, might vote Tory.

mother I think by-election psychology is relevant here. Whatever way people vote in Copeland or Stoke the government will not change. If you are a Labour Brexit voter you might vote Conservative to send a message that Labour needs to move more towards you. You might believe that a Conservative MP in Copeland will be better able to influence Conservative government policy on the local hospital and nuclear than a Labour back bencher.

OTOH voters may want to send the traditional message of dissent to the government either by staying with Labour or voting Lib / Dem.

I am not a tribal voter so I find voting on party lines quite difficult to fathom.

red When those kids abused me, those words were acceptable - in the 1960s, people were allowed to say wog and Ni@@er;
that's exactly the point it was NOT forbidden then.
The head took action only because there was a near riot in his school - those same words had been said for 3 years, but that occasion was very loud and rowdy, he heard it from his office, so came into the classroom to stop it.
Also, to be fair, he was a committed Christian and that went over his allowed threshold for bullying.

The Race Relations Act DID make a big difference to me. I hate this rewriting of history that it didn't.
It didn't stop it all; especially wrt police and wrt prejudice in careers, which still happens now
It just reduced it one hell of a lot
It stopped open abuse for me, in secondary school & uni, because the teachers had to enforce the law.
It changed attitudes about what is socially acceptable.

Some of the changes have been rolled back, but 2017 is NOTHING LIKE the 1960s and 1970s wrt racial abuse.

If white liberals wants to roll back PC, then please roll back something that affects you, not me and other BME people

Very good point re Simon and shuster and that milo cunt
www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/roxane-gay-milo-yiannopoulos-book-simon-schuster-publisher-a7592041.html

I would rather have blow fly larvae hatch in my aural canal than vote Tory

Oooops

I wonder if the Supreme Court will consider the HR Act and the ECHR when they make their decision.
If May pulls the UK out of the ECHR and repeals the HRA, the Home Office might deport low income partners afterwards, even those allowed to stay under current law.

Thanks, mother

badders Blow fly larvae

I think most true Labour supporters would cut off their right hand rather than let it put a cross in the box against a Tory name. Normally I would expect them to stay at home if they didn't like the Labour candidate. The only ones I can think of who might just vote Tory would best be described as floating voters.

mother your thinking is absolutely spot on wrt a GE in 2020 when Brexit is a done deal and there is a chance to change the government altogether but I don't think it necessarily holds in a by-election when triggering Art 50 is still being debated - I don't think the Lords are helping Labour. I am not even sure the current BBC focus on the NHS and social care is helping Labour. The message about funding is becoming very blurred with the discussion about reform and integration - what Andy Burnham was talking about in 2015.

The NHS news from today is pretty grim reading...
2/3 of areas are losing hospitals and beds
Including my in area...they are planning to close 3 community hospitals and they are downgrading two more (large) hospitals

It's happening

It's actually happening.

The tories want an end to the NHS and new labour and scaremongering and lies about brexit have helped them to destroy it

I'm so so angry and upset by this

Today my dh had to go to hospital - except he is covered by bupa through work
So he had a consultation (he needs surgery) and a ct scan all in 45 mins!!!

How lovely for those who are covered

And how worrying for those of us who aren't

I predict NHS charging for services by the end of 2018

Get saving folks!! Family cover will start at approx £400 per month (if you don't have any pesky preexisting conditions of course...)

My understanding wrt Norway is that they don't want the UK in their little EEA / EFTA pond:

• The UK because of its size would totally dominate. Currently Norway has a big say.
• The UK has the rep now for trying to wreck clubs it joins

When growing up in the 1970/80s I was mocked for being poor and then later for being half irish
We couldn't win really
My friends parents didn't like us coz we were poor
The Catholic Church didn't like us coz we were poor so we didn't really fit anywhere
The look of amazement on my friends mothers face when she found out I was going to do a levels was a picture 😂
I got better gcse grades than her child but I was far too polite to point that out
I got spat at once - still no idea why