Westministenders: Wake up and smell the coffee, shit just hit the fan.

[RedToothBrush]

Since the last update 12 days ago:

1. We have had the proposal to give barista visas. If we are giving out visas for this, what aren't we going to give visas for. Its just the announcement of a lot of red tape.
2. EU Banking and the Medicines agency are moving so they can serve the EU. In the EU. As serving them outside the EU is just weird. This is apparently a punishment for leaving the EU.
3. The number of students applying to become nurses has plummeted due to the removal of bursaries. This is as EU nurses leave.
4. The Brexit department published a couple of graphs promoting staying in the EU.
5. Theresa May said we were unified behind the idea of Brexit in her Easter message
6. The environment is being sacrificed for trade.
7. Turkey apparently has voted to become a dictatorship. This was a vote that Erdogan won by a whisper. His executive will not need scrutiny from parliament. Rather the UK referendum which at 0.6% more than the Turkish one is decisive. Donald Trump has congratulated him for it.
8. Trump has been dick swinging about nukes over North Korea. China are telling the children to behave.

And now we have a General Election.
Well if she can get 434 votes in the HoC tomorrow. That's ANOTHER broken promise. I'm sure its nothing but a formality.

What will Labour do? Support it? To get rid of Corbyn? Corbyn has backed the election. Given Corbyn is in charge, I'm not sure I'd have confidence to say that Labour will all vote for it, even with a three line whip. One Labour MP has already said he will not stand for reelection. (Tom Blenkinsop‏) I suspect there will be more.

Tim Farron has given support to the GE though, so it seems likely it will pass as that's a few of the votes that would be needed to block a GE.

(Note here abstentions do not count to the 434 votes needed.)

Trouble is what would happen if they didn't? Would the government collapse anyway? Might take May's head with it, but...

I guess the good news is that Corbyn will be gone by the end of June.

Otherwise the news is shit I fear. We will vote to give power to the executive with no parliamentary scrutiny. This is about getting rid of any opposition even from within her own party.

How will the campaigning go? Here's a clue:

Tim Montgomerie @montie
Tories want the exln to be about Corbyn and May; LibDems want it to be about Brexit; Labour want it to be about ?

then there is this:
fleetstreetfox‏*@fleetstreetfox*
I wonder what'll happen to the SNP. Polls not too chuffed about 2nd indy ref, Labour screwed... could parts of Scotland go blue again?

there will be lots of this about:
Dan Rebellato‏*@DanRebellato*
^Right. If we don’t want a huge Tory majority, we must all hold our nose and vote tactically. This MUST happen. How to organise that?

and the strategy is this:
Laura Kuenssberg‏*@bbclaurak*
Clear from May and hearing IDS that tories will go after idea of Labour Lib Dem coalition as risky

Council officials are now seeking legal advice over the Gorton By-Election that is scheduled for next month.

One more thing: Does this bury the election expenses row that is brewing and involves May's close adviser Nick Timothy?

Oh and the bottom line?
Alberto Nardelli‏ @AlbertoNardelli
Difference size of Tory majority will make to EU27 negotiating position: 0

Sigh.

I have been thinking about my opinion on the rape clause and can find very little statistics on pregnancy from rape in the UK.

I found reference to a government review which can only cite anecdotal evidence that in one Sexual Assault Referral Centre in England just three women who had been raped became pregnant. But of those how many continued the pregnancy?, and of those how many already had 2 children?

So I am wondering does this actually even affect anyone in the UK, or is it just a point of principal?

Jeremy Corbyn's son Seb is reportedly being gifted a v safe Labour seat.

Jezza's making a sterling effort to 'overturn the rigged system'...

MP for Blaydon (North East) Dave Anderson is also standing down. Shadow Secretary gor NI and Scotland.

Anon, I would imagine that the rape clause would primarily affect women in abusive relationships who would like not be visible in a sexual assault referral centre. Some men use pregnancy as a form of control in abusive relationships. Would you class this as rape? The sex may be consensual but the lack of birth control might not be. Lots of grey areas here which is why this policy is so wrong. It disadvantages vulnerable and isolated women.

*likely not

Slipped into writing like a teenager there!

The policy also penalises women for the abusive behaviour of their partners. Like many Tory policies (removal of legal aid, funding cuts to women's refuges, changes to benefits), single mothers, especially those that are most vulnerable, will bear the brunt.

''Twas the same in the 90s. I'm not sure why the torys hate single mothers so much but they have been picking on them for the last 30 years. As the child of a single parent, hell would freeze over before I gave them my vote. Their vilification of children like me by Redwood and his chums was abhorrent.

The vital change - after Labour's probable heavy defeat - is to choose a competent, energetic young leader who the public would like, as distinct from the one who is a total turnoff.
So do NOT replace Corbyn by McDonnell or Abbott

We might disagree on what constitutes centre and left of centre and where labour should sit, but this I can absolutely agree with you on. Labour desperately needs its Justin Trudeau to ride in on a white horse and save us all....(possibly i might have slipped into fantasy land again for a moment then )

It is only a matter of time before she has a Sean Spicer as her spokesperson...........

Who will be ably satired by Dawn French or Jennifer Saunders.......

Bolshybookworm I suppose some pregnancies in controlling/abusive relationships disadvantage vulnerable and isolated women. But how does giving everyone in the UK Child Benefit for unlimited children help women in that group? Wont a controlling partner control the money as well? Wouldn't the money be better spent on services that support vulnerable and isolated women?

Maybe not a Justin Trudeau but Chuka Amunna in my inbox has a similar effect.....

ron He hasn't been in mine for a while. Clive Lewis is pretty easy on the eye too, and seems nice and normal.

Normal as in, just human!

Seems as good an option as any right now

Louis Theroux centre of petition calling for him to be next Prime Minister
www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/louis-theroux-prime-minister-theresa-may-snap-general-election-online-petition-campaign-a7692276.html

Maybe it would, anon, but let's be honest, it won't. The Tories have no urge to help vulnerable women.
Regardless of whether the money went to the partners or not, you're still penalising women and their children for the behaviour of their partners. I personally think that's unethical and taking us back to the days of the "deserving poor".

"Jeremy Corbyn's son Seb is reportedly being gifted a v safe Labour seat."

So says the Daily Telegraph. The Sun says it's been 'categorically denied' that he is standing.

So what is your source?

Corbyn will only resign after the GE if his wing of the party ends up with 15% or more of the seats.

Not impossible: his supporters have some safe seats and they are tryouts ng to get their candidates adopted in safe seats where the Labour MP is standing down.

Failing the 15% hurdle, Corbyn will hang on like a limpet, until there is a rule change that candidates only need nominations from 5% of the PLP:

Corbyn is expected to stay on as Labour leader even if he leads his party to a crushing election defeat on June 8

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-stay-on-leader-labour-party-general-election-2017-party-conference-a7691911.html

"The key goal of Mr Corbyn’s group is that regardless of the election result, he cling to power at least until after party conference when his allies can attempt to change the system of electing the leader in a bid to secure a leftwing successor. "

Sinn Féin and SDLP 'open' to talks on anti-Brexit electoral pact

< really ? >

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/sinn-fein-and-sdlp-open-to-talks-on-anti-brexit-electoral-pact-786372.html

"Sinn Féin and the SDLP have not ruled out the possibility of entering into an anti-Brexit electoral pact.
Both party leaders said they were open to talking with other Remain parties about a way forward to protect Northern Ireland from a hard Brexit."

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood insisted his party would not be entering into a "sectarian pact", but admitted he was "open to any discussion on how we can protect the Remain vote in Northern Ireland".

"If Theresa May wants an election about Brexit, let's show her that people in Northern Ireland don't support a hard Brexit.

We don't do sectarian pacts where it's unionist versus nationalist < unlike the unionists, then >

We will speak to anybody who wants to retain our membership of the European Union and protect our citizens from a hard Brexit,"

Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill said the party want to fight the election "very strongly on the ground of anti-Brexit" and austerity policies and would therefore "be up for (electoral pact) discussions."

< So they need say the Alliance to join them, to stop it being / appearing a sectarian pact ? >

So what is your source?

Was in the Liverpool Echo & The Telegraph - but then following those reports, The Sun contacted the Labour office and were told it wasn't the case.

Perhaps the obvious charges of nepotism etc that would have resulted changed their minds?
Who knows?

But if Sinn Fein don't take up their seats, how useful is this - just to show the strength of Remain feeling ?

The unionists seem to prioritise their unionist pact above Brexit views, but maybe liberal unionists would vote for the Alliance, or even the SDLP.

Re the "rape clause" surely the underlying issue is whether it's OK for children to be penalised for their parents having "too many" children. And about the fundamental contradiction in discouraging people from having kids when

• you have an ageing population and a birth rate below the replacement level
• and your ageing population is furiously opposed to the idea of importing labour

This is the Japanese dilemma - Japan's economy has been stagnant for almost the whole of my working life, because it won't breed new workers and consumers but refuses to import them.

Craig Murray on how "open" to the public May is in her flying visit to Bolton well shielded from the public , how showing disapproval is not allowed and how the BBC's lack of objective journalism is already showing.

www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2017/04/crushing-dissent-theresa-erdogan-mays-election-really-looks-like/

and Misti the Japanese demographs are worsening all the time: fewer and fewer workers to support the increasing number of pensioners