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Brexit

Westministenders: Up Shit Creek without Wifi.

999 replies

RedToothBrush · 29/04/2017 22:12

Theresa May is being held hostage.

There is mounting evidence that all is not as it seems at CCHQ. It makes you don your tin foil hat and ask who is in charge.

Theresa May was a Remainer. She suddenly abandoned that when she became leader. Her proclamation of what would follow next seems directly at odds with her actions. This is not her fault. This is her plea for help and way of telling the outside world that she is a prisoner of Brexit.

At first it seemed like perhaps she had been locked up with Brexiteers for too long. She seemed to be developing a survival strategy which seemed totally irrational to outsiders. The signs of intimidation everywhere though. Instead of criticising those who did this, May joined in with them or was complicit in her silence.

Things are now taking a sinister turn. After repeatedly saying ‘No Election’, May crumbled and called one. She has now not been seen in public since. Instead she is being wheeled out at closed events to the party faithful. They are being dressed as mixing with the people but they are no such thing. The plebs in attendance are set to ‘mute’ or locked out completely.

Behold the coming of the May-Bot. She seeks to ‘prevent tourism’ in Wales. She now no longer knows which town she is currently in. (Much less have a plan for Brexit). She accuses an organisation set up to use its numbers to get better deals, of doing what it is supposed to, except she calls this ‘ganging up’.

May is not transported in a bus. Oh no. Instead she travels by the Bond Villian’s choice of transport; the helicopter.

More worrying still is the mantra ‘Strong and Stable’ repeated as many times as possible. It is almost as if, if she says it enough she might start believing it. She certainly has got her party members brainwashed and acting as if they were Zombies. Who needs ‘Spice’ when you are a Conservative? They ‘Believe’…

The ploy is to hoodwink people into voting for May instead of the Tories. CCHQ have removed Conservative branding from literature and campaigning in the North. The party are still too toxic, but May apparently scores well especially against Corbyn. Ironically however negatively I think of Corbyn he does display something May increasingly seems incapable of: humanity.

Many people might think of May as some sort of dictator figure. Its true. Every vote for her strengthens her hand. But not for Brexit negotiations. Mainly because Brexit is without merit or reward. Not unless you hold power. This is part 2 of the grab for it.

This is May’s power paradox. SHE is not powerful. She isn’t persuasive. She isn’t a healer of divides. She relies on authoritarian measures to get her way. This isn’t a sign of her personal power, but a sign of her personal weakness. She is sly and sneaky in her methods rather than compelling others to come along with her. They are doing so more because they dislike the alternative in Corbyn less.

She is not stable. She has lurched from one drama to the next, and has repeatedly been forced to back down from what she wanted. Nothing says ‘stability’ and ‘good leadership’ like appointing Boris Johnson Foreign Secretary. The lady is not so much for turning and leading, but is already staggering around dizzy whilst blindfolded playing pin the tail on the donkey. And Christ she’s got a lot of them in her Government. Including the numpty who decided to do a live event and broadcast it in an area with no wi-fi. Mind you, that is soon to be the entire country. Or what’s left of it.

She had said she had a mandate for Brexit and did not need this to be approved by the country as she was getting on with the job. This is why we are having a General Election to give her a mandate…

Not only that, but there is a lurking question here that should not be forgotten. Who is pulling May’s strings and making her dance as her actions are not natural? Every puppet show has puppet masters behind the scenes of the stage, hiding in the shadows.

They will dispense with their toy once she has outlived her usefulness like every good baddie.

Is she the one we should be most fearful of?

Hold on tight this is going to be a very bumpy ride over the next two years. Just how many casualties will be sacrificed on the altar of Brexit?

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BigChocFrenzy · 03/05/2017 22:45

Richard's son and fellow Leaver, Peter North, has biting criticism of May:

"I am glad it is out in the open that the PM has shit for brains and hasn't the first idea what she is doing.

Since there is an election on this is useful to know.

http://peterjnorth.blogspot.de/2017/05/theresa-may-is-out-of-her-depth.html

Justchanged · 03/05/2017 22:46

The FAZ has published an English version of the Brexit dinner article. Although well-summarised it is well worth reading to get the full flavour of just how off course Brexit is.

www.faz.net/aktuell/brexit/theresa-may-jean-claude-juncker-and-the-disastrous-brexit-dinner-14998803.html

May truly believes her 'ambitious' and 'optimistic' rhetoric. She truly believes that it is possible to cherry-pick all the best bits of the EU, whilst ignoring all the obligations. Since Brexit, the EU have consistently told her that cherry-picking isn't possible. She has refused to listen so they are having to shout louder. Unfortunately she still isn't listening.

woman12345 · 03/05/2017 22:48

By sticking to les grandes lignes, they retain control and stay within their comfort zones
There's a certain type of intellectual laziness peculiar to a certain type of bourgeois English, and she is very bourgeois.

Still a shame there's no 'Spitting Image', that meal would have made a corking episode.

Calyx72 · 03/05/2017 22:59

Woman yy to your Spitting Image comment!

hilbobaggins · 03/05/2017 23:25

Headfull You sounds exactly like me. I feel as if I've gone through a huge political awakening. I've also joined the Lib Dems.

I now need to get better at talking politics to people in a friendly persuasive way. At the moment I tend to rant - I'm like a ex-smoker who wants to tell everyone how evil smoking is, and it doesn't work.

Mistigri · 03/05/2017 23:40

Big sigh of relief in the misti household tonight. Macron decent, Le Pen incoherent, unprepared and aggressive. Think we should be safe now ... She will have scared off a few Fillon voters and he will have convinced a few undecideds.

prettybird · 03/05/2017 23:43

Hilbo - if it helps, I always try to think of the many lurkers on threads like this: using reasoned arguments, continuing to be polite and biting your tongue in the long run are more effective.

It's something I learnt on the Indyref threads and it's stood me in good stead.

Sometimes you need to learn to let some things wash over your head & ignore things - like the times we get goady fuckers visiting these threads.

It's why we manage to continue to be positive although today was difficult: sharing interesting articles and thought processes and even especially Wink finding humour in these chaotic times.

RedToothBrush · 03/05/2017 23:45

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/yvette-cooper/theresa-may-eu-brexit_b_16407580.html
Theresa May’s Attack On The EU Is Not A Stable Or Strong Thing For A Prime Minister To Do
Yvette Cooper

www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/03/the-six-brexit-traps-that-will-defeat-theresa-may?CMP=twt_gu
The six Brexit traps that will defeat Theresa May
Yanis Varoufakis

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RedToothBrush · 03/05/2017 23:53

Roland Rudd‏ @RolandRudd
So utterly depressed that the PM should accuse European allies of interfering Putin like in our election when it's obviously nonsense.

Not just Boris who is upset the family then...

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RedToothBrush · 04/05/2017 00:13

www.facebook.com/pestonitv/posts/1839163076408429
Robert Peston on Theresa's bollocks.

^What she says will resonate with many, especially those who voted to leave the EU. So it may help her consolidate the Tory vote, both in the general election on June 8 and the locals and mayorals tomorrow.
But this is a high risk gambit.^

As you will see, May is careful to focus her attack on Brussels - and the clear implication is that she has the EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and his most senior official Martin Selmayr in her sites.

But there is a risk that the ill-tempered debut of this Brexit process could deteriorate rapidly into serious breakdown - with the probability of the UK tumbling out of the EU in a chaotic and costly way that much more likely.

So the question for all of us is whether T May is being strong, stable and realistic or dangerously confrontational?

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BigChocFrenzy · 04/05/2017 00:25

May blamed the "Brussels bureaucrats", as distinct from the 27 heads of govt who she wants to deal with.

If she really believes the hard line came from Brussels, then she didn't notice that the bureaucrats' original draft negotiation plan was actually toughened up after feedback from the 27 heads of govt.

BigChocFrenzy · 04/05/2017 00:30

May can get a 200 seat majority and the EU won’t care, because it doesn't change the available terms of a deal.

It's not "strong and stable" to piss off the EU side and worsen chances of a deal

Or to organise GE events under the guise of children’s parties in a shed in rural Aberdeenshire

Or to lock reporters in a room.

"Strong and stable ? " Hmm
"Dictatorial and delusional"

BigChocFrenzy · 04/05/2017 00:33

She / Lyndon Crosby have obviously noticed Trumo's success with 3-word slogans
"Lock her up"
"Build a wall"
"Strong and stable"

They are also copying another master manipulator ....

Hermann Göring:
"All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.
It works the same way in any country."

Cailleach1 · 04/05/2017 00:49

Radoslaw Sikorski said on Newsnight that the thing Junker, Barnier etc. were shocked about was that May et al believed their own propaganda. And she has now, in effect, agreed it was a correct description of the dinner. It was interesting that Dan Hannan is given such a platform. Why didn't they take the opportunity to ask him about the mistake of the NHS (socialised medicine) and how it has killed so many people. Those it doesn't just make 'iller'. He spins that line for Fox news' audiences. So what should his party do about the NHS?

I was thinking as well about the scurrilous accusation that the EU were seeking to influence the UK elections. Just like Putin dontcha know. May set the time for the election and the dinner. Things won't be kept secret to satisfy her either. I am glad it will be transparent and through the EU reports the public will get to see how much preparation the Con's have been doing. Plans for every possible eventuality said DD! The EU haven't given concrete numbers. She didn't have any facts about the threats either. What threats? To let Brexit mean Brexit. This is the giveaway about their fantasy from that translated article from Justchanged, detailing the dinner. "everything like it was, only without the burdensome obligations". Something that is not possible and they have been told numerous times is not possible. They really think anything else is making a threat and someone else trying to make sure they don't succeed. Just wait until they do their first FTA! Just a pity they will get to screw with the island of Ireland. If the Cons go into the extra transitional timeframe, a lot of the payments will be moot in the exit bill. Quite a bit of the budget commitments will be paid during the upcoming 5 years.

Woman, it is such a pity Spitting Image couldn't resurrect itself. I don't think there has ever been such rich material.

I must admit I can't take Katya Adler's reports about anything seriously. I am biased because of a dreadful report she did on the EU and couldn't find the floor she was trying to get to. To paraphrase, she said that was symptomatic of the EU. No, it is just a reflection of your own skills in getting around. It was just plain daft.

I think these are very strange times.

From the EMA website. Has Theresa said this natural consequence of Brexit is a threat too?

"work will now start on the basis of the scenario that foresees that the UK will no longer participate in the work of EMA and the European medicines regulatory system as of 30 March 2019."

www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/news_and_events/news/2017/04/news_detail_002738.jsp&mid=WC0b01ac058004d5c1

Products exported to the EU will still have to be compliant with EU regulations. Also the marketing authorisation holders will have to be established in the EU or EEA.

www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/Other/2017/05/WC500226603.pdf

Cailleach1 · 04/05/2017 00:53

BigChoc, "Or to lock reporters in a room."

I saw yesterday that Michael Crick was reporting from Bath. They didn't get to lock up Michael! Mind you, I don't think the Cons would ever let him out again. A strong and stable lock.

LurkingHusband · 04/05/2017 01:10

While the mention of Goering may have triggered Godwins, law, a quick precis of the quotes of Goebbels could be confused with recent events.

optionalrationale · 04/05/2017 04:59

Yesterday 22:29 Headfullofdreams
"I am so ashamed to be British, I wish I was German"

You could move there. You have time.

HPFA · 04/05/2017 06:26

*You sounds exactly like me. I feel as if I've gone through a huge political awakening. I've also joined the Lib Dems.

I now need to get better at talking politics to people in a friendly persuasive way.*

Yesterday I was shoving LibDem leaflets through the door (having never done anything like this before) and met a couple who were doing the same thing (we had been given neighbouring areas) who were also first-timers. There seem to be a few of us around.

PattyPenguin · 04/05/2017 07:04

The oil and gas industry has written to TM warning of the consequences of a hard Brexit for that field. www.theguardian.com/business/2017/may/03/hard-brexit-oil-gas-industry-wto-freedom-of-movement

I don't doubt that their letter will be binned as defeatism and treason.

BiglyBadgers · 04/05/2017 07:07

Another reminder that it is local elections today. Don't forget to vote! The results for these elections could make a big difference!

Cupofteaandtoilet · 04/05/2017 07:14

www.cer.org.uk/sites/default/files/insight_ST_3.5.17.pdf

Peregrina · 04/05/2017 07:18

There seem to be a few of us around.
[Recent joiners to LibDems]

I am another. I felt I had to do something.

CopperRose · 04/05/2017 07:18

I must admit I can't take Katya Adler's reports about anything seriously. I am biased because of a dreadful report she did on the EU and couldn't find the floor she was trying to get to. To paraphrase, she said that was symptomatic of the EU. No, it is just a reflection of your own skills in getting around. It was just plain daft.

That'll be the part of the documentary where she pointed out that there was a floor 5.5 for no apparent reason, a floor which you can only access from certain lifts in the building.

It's rather misleading to say that you 'can't take her seriously' because she had poor 'skills in getting around' when she displayed nothing of the sort.

woman12345 · 04/05/2017 07:22

Misti MLP could have been May; ad hominem insulting gish garble, she was particularly incoherent over replacing the euro. Creepy to see Brexiteer/May arguments coming out of that mouth. Interesting how they share scripts.

Off to vote lib dem in tory area for first time in my life.Smile

woman12345 · 04/05/2017 07:23

Brew to all the Westminstender non tory voters, have a good day.Smile

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