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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?

OP posts:
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HashiAsLarry · 05/05/2017 16:42

Ian Dunt again:

Quite apart from policy, the general election will encourage parties to select presidential leaders and avoid scrutiny and debate.
But media must take some blame. PM supposedly demanding mandate for Brexit plan. Should therefore be hounded by journos asking what it is
What're you doing about UK schedules at WTO in case of no-deal? What are plans for regulatory infastructure to maximise negotiation options?
What are plans for EU citizens' healthcare and family travel rights? How many negotiators have you hired and what are their specialities?
Questions go on and on and on. She will refuse to answer, sure. But only way she gets away with that is because media doesn't bother asking.
So in a few weeks, May will have held a referendum on Jeremy Corbyn and pretended it is one on Brexit.
But the actual thing she claims a mandate for won't have been discussed at all. A damning indictment of this country's political culture.
In her case, you can understand why she's done it. What I do not understand is why journalists have allowed her to get away with it

A damning indictment indeed.

Motheroffourdragons · 05/05/2017 16:45

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ on behalf of the poster.

Mistigri · 05/05/2017 16:45

I can barely even be bothered to read about the local elections. It's so depressing. I'm saving my election-watching energies for Sunday evening instead. I have a bottle of bubbly in the fridge already Wine and am very confident that I will be drinking to our new pro-EU president and not drowning my sorrows.

The Barmy Arms is even more bonkers than usual at the moment. Anyone would think something really bad had happened for them to be so worked up

I just paid my first visit and was absolutely made up to discover that they are blaming the remoaners for their thread being so quiet Grin.

Saboteurs!

RedToothBrush · 05/05/2017 16:48

Rob Ford‏*@robfordmancs*
Interesting pattern turned up by @StephenDFisher looking at the BBC keyward results - Con rise consistently about 50% of UKIP's decline 1/?
This is where UKIP stand both times - as they prob will in most GE seats.Is consistent with Con taking half of UKIP's support everywhere 2/?
I've just had a look to see what happens if you add half of UKIP 2015 share to Con 2015 share and leave everything else the same...3/?
Lab would lose 32 seats to Con in this scenario, even if they retained every single 2015 Lab voter. Seat losses would include...4/?
Dudley North, Mansfield, Hyndburn, Lancaster & Fleetwood, Ilford North, Wirral West, Gedling, Blackpool South, Eltham, Walsall North
So Cons could gain 30 plus seats from Lab even if Lab lose no votes at all. That's the value to them of consolidating UKIP support.

OP posts:
squoosh · 05/05/2017 16:51

I think the Shettleston ward includes Mount Vernon, which is home to a lot of middle class older people. Maybe they were the ones taken by the boy wonder. Still a shocker though.

Motheroffourdragons · 05/05/2017 16:55

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ on behalf of the poster.

HashiAsLarry · 05/05/2017 17:01

^I just paid my first visit and was absolutely made up to discover that they are blaming the remoaners for their thread being so quiet grin.

Saboteurs!^
I'm not sure you could make this shit up

Badders123 · 05/05/2017 17:06

Saboteur and proud ✊🏻

LittleNellsDog · 05/05/2017 17:28

Badders Grin ditto!!!

HashiAsLarry · 05/05/2017 17:31

badders I have found you a t shirt

TheElementsSong · 05/05/2017 17:35

blaming the remoaners for their thread being so quiet

But haven't they assured us that they were only interested in Article 50 being triggered, it's game over and now it's all boring and there is literally nothing to think about now?

Badders123 · 05/05/2017 17:36

Oh hashi!
I have to get that t shirt!

Frankly, the brexit arms makes me roll my eyes so hard they are in danger of actually falling out of my head.

ffs.

Badders123 · 05/05/2017 17:38

I am feeling less and less sympathy for the poorer people and people on benefits who voted brexit and Tory.
God help them, though.

PattyPenguin · 05/05/2017 18:11

Nice shirt Hashi but I need one that says "Je suis une saboteuse". Just to rub it in that bit more. (French A level and B2, I'll have you know.)

lalalonglegs · 05/05/2017 18:13

Hmm, that float is in pretty bad taste - I'm not sure I want to see a gun pointed at any MP regardless of satirical intent. More importantly, I don't think it will change anyone's mind.

MissShittyBennet · 05/05/2017 18:14

Anyone watching the Greater Manchester mayoral election results? Amusing to see Sean Anstee did so poorly even in Trafford. Their council is Conservative. I did think the Lib Dems might have done a bit better though. Shame that Gorton byelection never happened, would have been an interesting one.

BigChocFrenzy · 05/05/2017 18:15

Psychology, Numeracy and Biases in Brexit

Very interesting graphs in this psychology study:

The Role of Personality, Authoritarianism, Numeracy, Thinking Styles and Cognitive Biases in the United Kingdom’s 2016 Referendum on European Union Membership

https://www.onlineprivacyfoundation.org/opf-research/psychological-biases/psychology-and-the-eu-referendum-update/

"voters on both sides were, for the most part, found to be similarly susceptible to the cognitive biases tested, specifically ideological motivated reasoning, framing and the Dunning-Kruger effect"

"When compared with Remain voters, Leave voters displayed significantly lower levels of numeracy, reasoning and appeared more reliant on impulsive ‘System 1’ thinking.

In all three areas, older voters performed significantly worse than young voters intending to vote the same way" Hmm < indignant, but I understand statistics >

"These results raise important questions regarding the use and framing of numerical data for public consumption.

Not only do many voters lack the skills to critically evaluate the numerical data which is being presented, their inherent biases clearly influence the way in which they process information.

In the context of European integration, it is a plausible conjecture that these biases are significantly influenced by differences in authoritarianism"

BigChocFrenzy · 05/05/2017 18:17

oh and Leave voters were significantly more "authoritarian" in outlook - graphs show a clear Leave / Remain difference

BigChocFrenzy · 05/05/2017 18:26

Unsubtle electioneering again from TMay:

"despite the evident will of the British people, we have bureaucrats in Europe who are questioning our resolve to get the right deal.

And the reality is that only a general election vote for the Conservatives in 34 days’ time will strengthen my hand to get the best deal for Britain from Brexit.

So today I will continue with my efforts to earn the support of you the people."

< it's a nice story that the Brussels bureaucrats are stopping the nice E27 govt's from giving the Uk a good deal.
Problem is: no basis in reality.
The E27 heads of govt in fact hardened the negotiating conditions that Juncker & Barnier drafted - the bureaucrats are softer than the elected pols >

BiglyBadgers · 05/05/2017 18:47

So today I will continue with my efforts to earn the support of you the people."

By avoiding any actual people as much as possible.

prettybird · 05/05/2017 18:50

Motheroffourdragons and squoosh as people who know Glasgow: I'll see the Shettleston Tory councillor and raise you Possil ShockShockShock

prettybird · 05/05/2017 19:09

Bigly - I commented in that to dh. Her comments appeared to be made from yet another deserted factory Hmm

squoosh · 05/05/2017 19:12

Possil! Bloody hell I wouldn't have thought the denizens of Saracen Street would be Tory voters!

BiglyBadgers · 05/05/2017 19:26

I am starting to think that you only go to this much effort to hide a politician from the public if there is something really serious going on. I am starting to fantasise about ways to force her out into the open. Maybe setting all the fire alarms off in the house of commons and stealing her car so she can't just drive away? I am fascinated as to what would actually happen if she was faced with having to spend time in public. Possibly she would start speaking in tongues or her skin to fall off to reveal her hidden robotic core. Maybe she would reveal that she is really being held hostage by Boris Johnson and forced to make anti-eu speeches against her will.

ElenaGreco123 · 05/05/2017 19:26

Badders I am with you on not understanding why for instance Teesside would want a Tory mayor?! We had one for a few years in North Tyneside, but people appeared to have learnt their lessons.