Westministenders: Oh No Not Another One. Thread that is.

[RedToothBrush]

In this edition of Westministers we play a game of ‘Where are they now?’

In June 2016 our screens were subjected to the sight of a number of particularly vocal MPs who participated in debates and stood on soap boxes to talk about the referendum.

The most noticeable of these for Leave were perhaps Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Andrea Leadsom, Gisela Stuart, Nigel Farage, Priti Patel and Kate Hoey. For Remain it was David Cameron, George Osborne, Jeremy Corbyn, Ruth Davidson, Sadiq Khan, Nicola Sturgeon, Nick Clegg and Tim Farron.

It is starting to seem that anyone involved in campaigning either for or against Brexit in June 2016 has faced an epic battle for survival. Just how long can they last before being defeated or conceding defeat.

David Cameron’s scalp was the first to go, as he swanned off leaving everyone to clear up his mess.

Boris Johnson, who was keen to stamp his mark and pitch for the leadership by stitching up Cameron, got stitched up by Michael Gove who also lost his own bid for leadership as a result.

Johnson, of course, still lives to fight another day by getting a nice job as Theresa’s whipping boy. He’s occasionally let out by himself, but its Michael Fallon who does the ‘Grown Up Business’. He was said to be one of the last to support an early election. I can’t think why that might be.

Poor old Gove is now confined to a straight-jacket, the back benches where he’s been told to think about what he’s done like a naughty school child and a column in the Times

Andrea Leadsom was sent to a field of cows never to be seen again except to pop up for the odd cameo line shouting about ‘Jam’.

Queen Theresa also dealt with the other Conservative Leader Leave Candidate Mr Liam Fox, by shipping him off to every dodgy corner of the global to get pampered by state hostility.

Stephen Crabb simply crawled back under his rock.

The announcement of the General Election seems to be like the major soap incident episode where half the cast get killed off by a totally unrealistic disaster because their acting contracts weren’t being renewed.

The quitters and abdicators who now have legged it at the sight of a General Election are Gisela ‘Champion of the Brexit Bus’ Stuart and Nigel ‘Too chicken to be defeated for an eighth time and risk losing my nice EU pension’ Farage. George Osborne took the advice of his school teachers and had another career to fall back on when he didn’t become successful in his first choice.

Its rather starting to look like the curse of being a leading Brexiteer is to be made to disappear off the face of the earth or fuck off when the going gets tough. Have you seen Priti Patel lately? Does she even still exist? And Chris Grayling? He was convinced he was going to get chancellor when he supported May in her bid for the leadership.
Instead he got packed off transport and disappeared off the face of the earth much to the annoyance of everyone caught up in the rail strikes.

The only one who is remotely visible seems to be David Davis and is like May’s pet poodle who just tries to please his owner.

It’s almost like the only one still standing or hasn’t been banished is Kate Hoey. And the Lib Dems are trying to work on that one and make her sink beneath the waves, on board her Alan Partridge Titanic once and for all.

Conversely the visible Remainers seem to be – on the face of it - fairing rather better at the moment.

Sadiq Khan is hugely popular and actually does his job rather than fannying about on zip wires. Ruth Davidson is also well respected and apparently has saved Priti Patel’s job from abolition. If the rumours are to be believed bored with scrapping with Nicola, she might be lining herself up for ‘Big Things’ in Westminister. Cameron’s one time love interest, Nick Clegg hasn’t shaken the tarnish of the coalition but he is enjoying a new reputation as the Brexit Soothsayer and some people actually know who Tim Farron is now, which is progress. Nicola Sturgeon is of course riding high and seems to be a permanent thorn in Theresa’s side.

Jeremy ‘I’m a Remainer, honest comrades’ Corbyn is the one who seems to be something of a walking disaster area yet is also thriving with it like a zombie who just keeps going regardless of what you throw at him.

And then of course there is Queen Theresa. The Remainer. Who has crushed everyone in her party. Not just the saboteurs. Even her supposed ally Hammond and BBF Rudd have been thrown under the bus at her wimb when its suited May personally.

The General Election now sets a new scene and opportunity for new characters to emerge. Now the rats have left the ship or been put in their place.

Will May set course to the left or to the right or simply plow on like a bull in a china shop?

Anyway I’m now looking forward to the shocking soap opera moment where your favourite hero or villain gets killed off in a twist you didn’t see coming. Role on June 8th. If only to get pass the upcoming horror of the next six weeks.

Fair enough on Goldsmith.red Like father like son, eh.

A remain snp/lib/lab/sf could change the game,even to reduce tory majority, though lala but that's not happening now, I see that. A very selfish/ destructively partisan approach to mainland politics is what we seem to have atm. Old Nelson Mandela and his comrades could have taught this bunch a thing or too about collective action.

I reckon the best effort might be spent on a 'get the vote out' campaign. There's so little time(22.5 is deadline to register), and I see no one in the mainstream media encouraging it. Except the Daily Mirror. Like you all said earlier, it's encouraging apathy and non voting which benefits the ukip/ tories.

Quite funny on French elections

www.dailymotion.com/video/x5ijiuv

Lib/Lab pact isn't really going to work if it's the switching Ukip-ers' vote that will boost the Cons

Depends on what happens to the left of the Cons. If the right of centre starts to believe the LDs have a chance they might be more tempted to switch.

If next Thursday is a Labour blood bath of epic proportions and the LDs do well, then the polls are going to do odd things as a result of belief in who can win shifting.

That could also affect turnout for Labour and Cons for opposite reasons.

Expect CCHQ communications and the right wing press to go at the LDs with all guns blazing.

If that happens you also know the Tories are more worried than they are letting on.

The LDs have stood down in Brighton Pavilion in favour of Caroline Lucas.

I must admit, I do keep forgetting about the local elections (they're not happening in London and they have been somewhat overtaken by the GE in the news cycle). They certainly could be a game changer.

Pretty Your laconic DH re Nuttall as Ghandi: "Well, he's bald..."

Lalalonglegs they are a big deal. I saw what the Tories were spending on Birmingham mayor campaign today compared to Labour. It dwarfs it (i can't remember figure). Phillip Hammond has been at their phone bank today making calls. They are throwing everything at it as it will make a huge impression if, as expected, the Tories break the tribal trend and win there.

Heres something that will cheer you up:

Sam Coates Times @SamCoatesTimes
EXC: Times / YouGov poll shows for first time since referendum more people think Brexit as wrong decision

(ducks)

Right 43% (-3) Don't Know 12% (+1) Wrong 45% (+2)

(Of course don't get too carried away, it's just one poll within the margin of error but hell we'll take any good news we can right now)

Gumpendorf Oh bugger, I thought McVey losing her seat was one of the highlights last GE

That's what happens when you forget to hammer a stake through the vampire's heart: you wake up and suddenly there are bloody victims everywhere with her fang marks

Remind me again what positive changes Brexit will bring

Our new besties:

Remember HMG recently sucking up to Philippines president Duterte - who boasted that he threw a criminal suspect to his death from a helicopter ?

He also boasted killing people during his 22 years as a mayor of Davao city, sometimes riding a motorcycle looking for “encounters to kill”.

He claimed all those killings were part of “legitimate police operations”

He’s now facing the ICC for crimes against humanity.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/25/mass-complaint-launched-against-philippines-president-duterte-at-icc

“A Filipino lawyer has filed a complaint at the international criminal court (ICC) accusing president Rodrigo Duterte and 11 other Philippine officials of mass murder and crimes against humanity.

In the first publicly known filing to the Hague court against Duterte, Jude Sabio submitted the 77-page complaint that says the president has “repeatedly, unchangingly and continuously” committed extra-judicial executions or mass murders over three decades, amounting to crimes against humanity.

It says the killing of 9,400 people began in 1988 when Duterte was mayor of the southern city of Davao and has lasted throughout his 10 months so far as president”

Can anyone confirm the LD's official position on forming a coalition with the Cons post 2017 GE? Had Labour canvassers on my doorstep earlier saying they hadn't ruled it out when I thought I'd read on here that they had.

Thank you MO4D.

Isn't the labour hope that a council election crash causes a de Corbyning just in time? Tories and Lynton Crosby may have overplayed their hand; one line of attack might be too narrow. If JC is such good Marxist, collective action means selflessness for the common weal.

illegitimate
No coalition with May's Tories or Corbyn's Labour.

No propping up a minority government through a confidence and supply deal.

Basically they may do it with other leaders or in a different way to how they did it previously is what I take from that.

I would disagree with posters saying that the grant available prior tuition fees/student loans coming in was more attractive to those from poorer backgrounds. I went to uni in the last few years before fees came in and was given a full grant (child of a single parent family). It was not remotely enough to live on and my mum had to pay my rent for me. It was the same for most of my friends. I had a few friends who had no parental support and they basically could not afford to live so either relied on hardship grants from the uni (not always easy to come by) or bar work. They still struggled even when working.
When they brought fees in they massively increased the loans which meant you could now live on them without parental support. It's a trade off as you end up in more debt afterwards, but it did, initially at least, open up uni to those from more deprived backgrounds.
So I would support fees remaining in place but I would cap them.

Sure,MO4D she's 'won'. (probably ) Meanwhile Richard Branson has donated £25k and office space to Gina Miller.

"The problem we have in the UK is that it doesn't matter whether you go to Oxford university or Kingston, Bristol or London Metropolitan, the fees are all the same"

The tuition fees policy is deeply flawed, and this is one the issues. The top 5-10 universities in the U.K. could probably charge fees in excess of £30,000 a year and still fill all the places. I'm not in favour of having fees at all, but given that we have them, a better policy might be changing international market rates for the courses, and then offering full scholarships to a larger number of students. Or the government could fund universities properly and abolish fees for local students (this is the case in many other countries).

Or what I take from it is - TF is going to say nothing just in case there is a chance the Lib Dems can grab some power here - and then do what everyone least expects, and also go back on most of what they said in order to get into this position.
I don't think the members would let him enter into the same sort of deal as they did before.

but it cannot be true that the product (i.e. degree) you receive is the same from Oxford as one at the lower end

Although Oxbridge is put on a pedestal, I would dispute whether this is always as true as Oxbridge or others would like you to think. Some vocational degrees from ex-Polytechnics can be very good courses, and probably equip their graduates better for life after university than some Oxbridge courses. Ponder the contribution to society a person who qualified in midwifery or nursing at Oxford Brookes makes, against the undoubtedly academically clever David Cameron with his Oxford degree, who has so far managed to tear the country in half, and cleared off humming a happy tune.

The Lib Dems have ruled out going into a coalition with the current Tory or Labour leaderships, so not ruling out a coalition with Labour if JC steps down. I think there is no way there will be another coalition with the Tories, given how badly that went last time.