Westministers: The Lords Strike Back

[RedToothBrush]

This needs no fanfare or lengthy post. Just this:

The Lords are demanding amendments unilateral protection for EU citizens.

Labour was split 358 for an amendment to 256 against.

This is after Amber Rudd had tried to reassure the Lords by writing a letter assuring peers that EU citizens would be treated with the utmost respect.

Utmost respect = an amendment to guarantee unilateral support.

Today is a good day. It should have been done in the first place.

Peregrina. Scotland was fine when we moved here. Since the referendum some of the abuse has been every bit as bad... sorry.

And what May is not doing is addressing the substantial sectarian troubles that underpin playing to the unionist gallery in Scotland and NI.

Bad move Teresa.

YER, I think as they say, that 'you are flogging a dead horse' with this one - trying to prove something about being Scottish and an immigrant, or whatever? I am getting lost.

But to get back to the purpose of the thread - if May wants to have a country which works for everyone, which includes all countries of the UK, then IMO, she is not going about it in the right way. I dare say her bossy, hectoring tone works well in the bars of the Tory clubs in the South-East, but I don't think it plays well elsewhere.

Strange that some one so vilified by Scots has an allegedly Scottish monicker meaning "Your bottom out of the window." unless that's code for something.
And the timing of our esteemed visitor's posts this week.

Yep I hope she'll tone it down a bit

She can't help her accent , but she can help her bossy tone!

That she has got.....by the bucket load.

You can see it in the language - any poster who uses "bias" instead of "biased" as an adjective almost certainly picked this up on alt-reich websites or forums (it's a strange error that I had rarely seen until about a year ago and which propagated rapidly across social media; the intersection between language errors and political ideology would make a fascinating PhD subject).

Good point. Of course research does exist on the broader topic of the intersection of lower IQ, prejudice and right wing ideology.

scottbarrykaufman.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Psychological-Science-2012-Hodson-0956797611421206.pdf

Peregrina. Scotland was fine when we moved here. Since the referendum some of the abuse has been every bit as bad... sorry.

That goes for the whole of the UK - I know people from settled Polish communities, who came over after the War, who never had any abuse, until after the Referendum.

A total of 1,254,709 people were eligible to vote for 228 candidates competing for 90 seats in 18 constituencies.
The turnout was up across the board:
Mid-Ulster: 72%, up 13 percentage points on 2016
Strangford: 61%, up 11 points
North Down: 59%, up 10 points
Foyle: 65%, up nine points
East Londonderry, 63%, up 12 points
Belfast West: 67%, up nine points
Belfast East: 63%, up six points
Belfast South: 64%, up 10 points
North Antrim: 63%, up 10 points
East Antrim: 60%, up nine points
South Antrim: 62%, up 11 points
The first declarations are expected around lunchtime on Friday, with the final make-up of the new 90-seat Assembly unlikely to be clear until Saturday afternoon.

I think the intra country othering is inherently though not exclusively British and it's why British patriotism carries a very different flavour to that of other nations, America included. The taint of being associated with or born somewhere else and therefore being lesser is very pronounced here. A large chunk of other nations don't see the taint, they celebrate the part of you that is theirs and stake claims to you unless you're a dick of course. Rather than addressing this we are now pandering to it. It's a sad state of affairs.

Yes it does mean something, why not google it.

My parents are scottish? I am trying not to let arse holes taint my view of scotland

It is very difficult at times not to turn it round and hate back, but I need to or I would hate everybody. I try very hard not to feel like an outsider..or to hate people just because of the behaviour of some.

I am an immigrant in Scotland. I arrived here when I was 3 (from a Commonwealth country). Yes, I was teased when I was young (at primary school, because I had a strange name) but as far as I am concerned, I am 100% Scottish - albeit one with a heritage and history from elsewhere (in May's parlance, a "citizen of nowhere" as I am proud of my Australian/South African/Irish/French/Danish/Swedish/German/English ancestry )

The only time I ever had nasty teasing was when I worked in England post-graduation which was the typical "Jocks go home/scroungers" stupidity. I didn't however brand all English as stupid. I do accuse May of encouraging negative attitudes even racism with her "citizens of nowhere" comment (and it is interesting reading about its roots in anti-semitism )

In the same way, there are Leave voters, like Howabout and Semipermanent, who argue their case cogently and sincerely. I respect their opinions.

I don't respect those that continue to argue that it's the EU's fault that it doesn't follow its own rules which we knew about and signed up to and complains about our current bi-cameral system of democracy just because the upper chamber does its job in reviewing the legislation that passes through it. It's not supposed to just rubber stamp it. I remember being grateful for the House of Lords during the Thatcher years for ameliorating at least some of Thatcher's policies (despite wanting it to be reformed). I am grateful again for a 2nd chamber without vested interests trying to do the best for the country (and on this occasion I will accept the UK as the definition of "country" )

peregrina A very df of mine post referendum has received a lot of abuse for her polish surname that she'd never experienced before. Largely because it's Russian. Though she does say it is ironic that she's never visited Russia but us holidayed in Poland

Hash that is horrible

Bingo!

YER ISIS supported Brexit on their various sites, because they think it weakens the West.
Same logic as Putin
They were jubilant afterwards

I agree pretty about the sweaty sock thing... that is disgusting.

There was gentle teasing like that when I moved here too an I was willing to accept it. It became more than that since 2014.

The fact that NATO is being called obselete by an American president is more concerning.

"Prime Minister Theresa May has called on her fellow Conservatives to continue "loudly and clearly" putting the case for the "precious Union" of the UK.

During a speech to the Scottish Tory conference in Glasgow she said "we are four nations, but at heart one people".

The PM insisted that "logic and facts" were on the side of the UK.
Watch the Scottish Conservative conference

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has maintained that a second referendum was "highly likely" because of Brexit.

Voters in Scotland backed remaining in the EU by 62% to 38%. The UK as a whole voted to leave by 52% to 48%.

On the issue of Brexit, Mrs May told the conference that she was "determined" to ensure that "we leave the EU as one United Kingdom and prosper outside the EU as one United Kingdom".

Mrs May said the the UK "we cherish" is not a thing of the past.
She added: The Union I am determined to strengthen and sustain is one that works for working people across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland."

WTF?

Looks like she's already missing her allegedly corrupt adviser, Nick Timothy.
Again, it would make a good episode of 'The Thick of It'

She added: The Union I am determined to strengthen and sustain is one that works for working people across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland."

So, plans for investment? Or just more empty rhetoric? The latter IMO - soundbites are about the only thing she does well.

The PM insisted that "logic and facts" were on the side of the UK.

They are

WM: The EU are harsh overlords who tell us we need to shut up so we are leaving.
Scotland: sounds like a plan
WM: oi Scotland, shut up and know your place

Facts like 65m people are behind brexit.

Alternative facts otoh are very much on TMs side

Teresa May's chief of staff Nick Timothy's election expenses controversy:
www.channel4.com/news/election-expenses-new-emails-reveal-pms-top-aide-in-central-role-in-local-campaign

A cache of secret documents obtained by Channel 4 News reveal the Prime Minister’s chief of staff Nick Timothy played a central role in a controversial election campaign now under police investigation.

Among the documents seen by Channel 4 News is a “message sheet” written by Mr Timothy dictating crucial arguments used to persuade voters in South Thanet to vote for the Conservative candidate.

Key sections of that text later appeared word for word on thousands of leaflets that were distributed to voters in the constituency.

The South Thanet seat is one of 29 currently under police investigation after Channel 4 News revealed hundreds of thousands of pounds in Conservative campaign spending may not have been properly declared.

The dates of the documents contained in the cache further suggest that Mr Timothy may have breached strict civil service rules that banned special advisors from any political activity while they are still receiving their taxpayer-funded salary.

The emails between Conservative campaigners could be crucial to the police probe into whether a Conservative MP properly declared tens of thousands of pounds of campaign spending on his spending return as required by law.

Sounds dodgy

ISIS supported Brexit on their various sites, because they think it weakens the West.
Same logic as Putin
They were jubilant afterwards

You have to think when groups like those are reacting like that.
Sometimes it is worth listening to see what it says about us that we might not want to hear.