Westministenders: Before the Fire Alarm of Rome goes off

[RedToothBrush]

I’m going to keep this one very simple.

THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO VOTE IS 22ND MAY.
www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Postal votes start to go out on 23rd May.

Your challenge is to persuade someone to register to vote or to get someone who is considering not to, to get their arse to the polling station.

Go forth and harass. Especially women and the young.

That’s it. No frills OP.

Business can't wait - so is way ahead of the politicians, woman

Businesses Preparing to Sever Supply Chain Ties Between the UK and the EU to Avoid Brexit Tariffs

The original survey of 2,111 supply chain managers by Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS)

https://www.cips.org/en-gb/news/news/businesses-preparing-to-sever-supply-chain-ties-between-the-uk-and-the-eu-to-avoid-brexit-tariffs/

"Diplomats either side of the table have barely decided on their negotiating principles and already supply chain managers are deep into their preparations for Brexit.

Both European and British businesses will be ready to reroute their supply chains in 2019 if trade negotiations fail and are not wasting time to see what happens.

Fluctuations in the exchange rate or the introductions of new tariffs can dramatically change where British companies do business.

The separation of the UK from Europe is already well underway even before formal negotiations have begun.”

"The UK’s “weak negotiating position” is seen as the biggest hurdle in trade talks"

Note also:
"Almost two thirds (65%) of UK businesses have seen their supply chains become more expensive as a result of the weaker Pound"

Emphasized by Richard North - Brexit: Uncertainty the Enemy

http://www.eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=86476

"managers cannot afford to wait to see what the Article 50 settlement brings before taking action

It would irresponsible of them to do so.
Nor can they rely on bland, non-specific assurances from the politicians about getting the "best deal".

They must take whatever action is necessary to protect their operations from the potential impact of tariffs, customs procedures and regulatory hurdles."

"Effectively, this demonstrates a lack of confidence in the Government's Brexit strategy, which is hardly surprising.

Beyond generalities,
Mrs May and her ministerial team have nothing to offer, and are not been able to give any bankable assurances."

Can't see if someone already posted the delightful introduction to politics a Tory MP gave to schoolgirls

Tory MP 'told schoolgirl to "f off back to Scotland" when she said she'd vote for independence'

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/general-election-2017-james-heappey-tory-mp-referendum-scottish-national-party-a7735311.html

"Almost two thirds (65%) of UK businesses have seen their supply chains become more expensive as a result of the weaker Pound"

Pound dropping. Shares rising. Bubble forming. Crash possible.

NancyWake, it is entirely possible that the NHS is the only organisation in the UK with the fatal combination of an outdated OS together with non-existent security. The hackers found one soft target, among many armed targets.

RTB wrt your post about the urgency of resistence -

I wonder could this be John McCain's finest hour. If he has any gumption at all, he should be up to his tonsils in a movement to dump Trump.

..........

Also, it is no secret that the US wants to ban laptops in hand luggage, so they probably know already that they have a spy in their midst.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/17/dark-money-democracy-billionaires-funding?CMP=share_btn_tw
Dark money is pushing democracy in the UK over the edge

Does the UN still check on the fairness of election campaigns? Sky is running a 'campaign' to check on online political targeting at which the tories have invested hugely. No jurisdiction for Electoral Commission.
(German government managed to check extremist online content, obviously not possible here)

BigChoc among the many gaps in the knowledge of British people are the sight of empty shelves and scared supermarket staff.

They will learn soon enough.

Time for ; full tank of petrol; food stores, medicine, .

math Bill Maher said to Schiff. "Do you think you guys (dems) are just being too nice?"

It's a thought round these parts too.

All power to Mc Cain. Pro choice public servant. It's not a surprise he wasn't the crackers' choice.

On whether Trump will resign or be impeached, though.

Like May, it's not up to him. They are the useful idiots for a bunch of seriously bad shites, who have been waiting and planning for this for half a century.

This didn't just happen. As some of the money for Leave in the uk and I suspect Trump comes from forces like pro apartheid white supremacists, linked to the equally unscrupulous evangelical and unionist movement, and DUP. They have been quietly building up a head of steam ready to grab a post depression power grab. Since 2008, there has been some cruel inevitability about this.

In some ways Brown and Obama should have let capitalist 'natural selection' do for the banks. This is their prize for stepping in, and trying to mediate rampant greed with attempts at humanity.

There's no humanity in white supremacist capitalism, as we are finding out.

Just seems mad that 26 miles away, there are countries with electoral law, equal rights legislation, intelligent attempts to counter rigged polls, workers's rights (and decent food).

It feels like we're being held hostage by complete lunatics, here and in US.

BigChoc And what's particularly surprising is that the MP in question holds a seat thought to be particularly vulnerable to the LibDems - this hardly seems a good way for him to encourage wavering voters.

I find myself wondering who the 3rd party country who supplied the US intelligence Donald Duck Trump blabbed; was ?

I'm surprised no one has picked up on the darker implications of this episode ... to me there is a very real danger that Trump has just gone and isolated US intelligence from the rest of the world. As now, not only will that 3rd party country not be able to share information with the US (because they can't trust da Prez). But other countries will be reluctant to share their intelligence with the 3rd party, for fear it will end up on Fox News that evening.

Let's hope for Treezas sake, it wasn't UK intelligence ...

www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/rabid-anti-albanian-sentiments-grip-serbian-media-05-16-2017
Rabid Anti-Albanian Sentiments Grip Serbian Media Growing ethnic and political tensions across the Balkans have triggered rabid warmongering and ethnic anti-Albanian slurs in Serbian media, local experts warn.

More concerns for EU. More political instability. Of course all these Balkan countries were about to join the EU according to Leave campaigns.....

I agree LH, the upshot is likely to be that US intelligence will have to assure third countries and their contacts that the WH will be kept out of the loop.

the upshot is likely to be that US intelligence will have to assure third countries and their contacts that the WH will be kept out of the loop.

Thus making US intelligence "traitors" and "part of the problem". Leastways that's what the US public will be told.

I can just picture a whiny Trump press conference where he tells "the people" how the intelligence community is ganging up on him, because "he da man" ... which makes it a retrospective justification for his firing Comey You see: these guys are all against me now

Night of the Long Knives, anyone ? ( I realise that's an elitist reference, and probably a touch too metropolitan ... )

I'd say it's less Röhm Putsch and more Carry On: 'infamy infamy they've all got it in for me'

NancyWake, it is entirely possible that the NHS is the only organisation in the UK with the fatal combination of an outdated OS together with non-existent security. The hackers found one soft target, among many armed targets.

It's just not very likely. XP is on 5 -7% of Windows computers in use world wide. It's unlikely that the NHS is the only entity in this country running on XP that didn't use the March patch. You'd expect small and medium businesses with old IT and poor security to be affected.

The head of IBM confirmed this, saying they have heard from many big organisations on this attack, but not much from individuals and small businesses as they would expect.

Hospitals, universities, transport, communications - high profile infrastructure, large organisations seem to be the target, rather than firms that would be likely to pay up.

And anyway, as detailed, this apparent ransomware has not followed typical patterns. The three bitcoin accounts have not been touched. It's had the lowest profit margin from any small to medium ransom campaign. Some analysts say faults in the setup mean the hackers couldn't know know who'd paid and who hadn't. To the point that some security researchers suspect it may not be a money-making scheme at all.

Don't know about you I'm slightly over the whole subject.

BigChoc, I posted about that lovely MP last Sunday. Great joke, huh. Bet the schoolgirl is still laughing.

I also posted about his fellow Tory, the Councillor.

'This councillor has been suspended. He was upset at Ireland giving 'nul points' to the UK in the song contest.

www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/tory-suspended-as-racist-tweet-follows-irish-eurovision-vote-1.3082703 '

About the banks not being allowed to go to the wall because of the market. That phrase 'socialism is for the rich, capitalism is for the poor. Risk and liabilities being 'shared' out, but not the profits.

On a slightly different tack, I imagine the Finns and Baltics are loving the idea of Nato with Trump. Not.

Leastways that's what the US public will be told

And their Ku Klux Klanny Trumpsters:.

^Torch-wielding protesters gather at Lee Park
Several dozen torch-wielding protesters gathered in Charlottesville’s Lee Park just after 9 p.m. Saturday, chanting “You will not replace us,” “Russia is our friend” and “Blood and soil^
.
www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/torch-wielding-protesters-gather-at-lee-park/article_201dc390-384d-11e7-bf16-fb43de0f5d38.html

More political instability
Those with a need to provoke division would hate it if peace broke out. Look at Andrew Neil's bouncy blood vessels when Macron won.

I wouldn't be surprised if talks collapse completely by the end of July.

Me either. And then what happens?

I imagine the Finns and Baltics are loving the idea of Nato with Trump. Not
Yes.

Woman, you know very well that the nearest country to the UK is not 26 miles away. It is one where you can have a cow's behind in the UK and it's head can be in the EU. Or vice verse with any part of it's anatomy. As Michel Barnier was shown as part of his reconnaissance trip.

Mind you, it may not in truth be one with the best electoral law, equal rights legislation, intelligent attempts to counter rigged polls, workers's rights (and decent food). Hence, that may explain your ref to France. It does more policed referendums, though. With a referendum commission, which should always be in force to help safeguard against lies untruths in a referendum. Here is an example of their function.

' Q: What is the Role of the Referendum Commission?

A: Since 2001, the Commission's primary role has been:

To prepare one or more statements containing a general explanation of the subject matter of the proposal and of the text thereof in the relevant Bill and any other information relating to those matters that the Commission considers appropriate.
To publish and distribute those statements in such manner and by such means including the use of television, radio and other electronic media as the Commission considers most likely to bring them to the attention of the electorate and to ensure as far as practicable that the means employed enable those with a sight or hearing disability to read or hear the statements concerned.
To promote public awareness of the referendum and encourage the electorate to vote at the poll.

Q: I heard the Referendum Commission provides the argument for and against the referendum?

A: Since 2001 the Commission no longer has the role of putting the arguments for and against referendum proposals. However, in a number of areas, where the Commission considered that is was a matter of significant public concern and importance, it may decide to clarify matters and to provide appropriate information in relation to them. '

The meaning of the referendum would maybe have been clarified. You wouldn't have May 'interpreting' her favourite scenario. And maybe Penny Mordaunt's performance would have had to have been corrected. And the money. And, and, and.......

Unfortunately, I doubt if any such body is geared up to combat against the online world. And the impact of forces way beyond the borders of the state in which the election/referendum is being held.

.

Conundrum: should I vote for Labour and their good local people or Lib dems and hard remain? I disagree with a lot of the policies on both sides and our constituency is a safe Labour seat. [sigh]