Westminstenders: The Brexit Apprentice

[RedToothBrush]

Theresa May is increasing looking like she is running an episode of the Apprentice with two teams trying to compete in their plan for Brexit. Complete with the obligatory reprehensible contestants.

On one side we have Team Creationists intent on hard Brexit and on the other we have Team Sensibles desperate to get a softer deal.
May herself has been held hostage by seasoned expert negotiators the DUP. Once No 10 has reported the deal was done, only for the DUP to say it wasn’t. Then it said, it would be settled today. But the DUP disagreed and said ‘the weekend’. Now its 'next week'.

Meanwhile the Queen has been messed about with a scapegoat over when her Queen’s Speech will be. It’s likely to be a week on Monday.
Meanwhile the Brexit department is also in chaos.

The Number two in the department was sacked and replaced by a Remainer, and the number three quit amongst reports that he no longer thought Brexit was achievable and that there was no way that the Great Repeal Act could pass through the Lords. He has been replaced by the Head of the infamous Arch-Brexit Whatsapp group.

Oh and Gove got hired. Nuff said on that one.

After some slight back tracking from David Davis, Hard Brexit is still on in all its glory. Negotiations are going ahead next week. Well that’s what we are saying. The EU, on the other hand, don’t won’t to go ahead until we have an officially sworn in government. Which seems pretty fair enough.

Tune in to find out which Team wins this week’ The Brexit Apprentice

Sorry, yes. I meant pencils! Too early in the morning

Regarding electronic voting, for some reason, I keep remembering the scene from "The Godfather" where the aging wily Don is advising his son; Michael, and tells him that after the Don dies, the person who will betray his son will approach him with a deal with the enemy "to settle things".

In the same way, I can't help but think that those that would abuse it are those that would approach us with Electronic Voting.

Although, in the modern times, they will probably be able to engineer it so it seems like we are clamouring for it.

Hammond departing from the Maybot line:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40283236

It's easier to find a remain scapegoat than admit you can't negotiate a good deal.

No deal is better than a bad deal isn't it?

Er what we are talking about the DUP not a50?

Just wait till Argentina get stuck in with the WTO stuff.

Cos negotiating with someone who has stopped the Northern Ireland Assembly reforming for 6 months because the don't negotiate is a going to be easy.

I'm not sure being a 'bloody difficult woman' really helps in negotiations does it? It just means you don't make a deal.

Which isn't such a good thing when the other party can just walk away and you can only talk about being prepared to walk away unless you want everything to just collapse.

London’s MPs have the power to change the course of Brexit
Greater London has 73 MPs to Scotland’s 59 and Northern Ireland’s 18. Within these regions, even London’s dwindling band of Tory MPs can muster 21, against just 13 Tories in Scotland and 10 possible Tory allies in the DUP.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/15/london-mps-hard-brexit

You you know that Kate Hoeys called out the extreme LIb Dems?

It turns out the alt-centre might be trying to form with extreme reason and armed with facts. There have been some postings from a group calling itself, 'The Radical Association' who seem to be trying to become a yellow Momentum. Their goal is apparently to 'fight unapologetically for a radical, distinctive and pro-EU identity for the Liberal Democrats.'

Sandals and socks don't appear to be compulsory but it's interesting to see it apparently happening. (It looks like it predates the election as an deal but has just got going this week).

I wonder if the idea will go anywhere.

Woman12345 that idea about London Tory MPs would be an excellent idea if not for the fact it is so spectacular and dumb in how it is flawed!

Why?

London Tories include: Iain Duncan-Smith, Boris Johnson, Zach Goldsmith, James Brokenshire (May lap dog) and Nick Hurd (currently being defensive about housing).

Amongst others.

Re Russian hacking Trump is now officially under criminal investigation and all enquiries are being handled by his personal lawyer, according to the Washington Post.

I saw the words 'special prosecutor' this morning.

They'll set the country on fire first though before they will allow themselves to be taken down. If they are at all.

HJA Civil Liberties @ hjacivillibs
More bad news for #LGBTI rights: Theresa May appoints MP who defended ‘gay cure’ charity as Arts Minister #reshuffle

www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/06/14/theresa-may-promotes-mp-linked-to-gay-cure-charity-to-the-government/amp/

Sarah Ludford @ sarahludford
I look forward to many extremely persistent media interviews, where there really is something to ask

Re Hammond, he is apparently going to announce that £48bn of funds from the European Union's investment bank (lent at preferential EU member rates) for infrastructure projects etc, is not going to be at risk. "The Treasury says it will use financing available from the British Business Bank to cover any shortfalls the UK faces", according to the BBC. Where is the Tory 'magic money tree'?

May to visit Grenfall this morning. Just how close will locals be allowed? Just how much will the BBC report on any such distance. May spent the whole Election being kept away from real issues. There are lots of angry people there right now. She needs to see and hear them. I wonder if Gavin Barwell will go with her?

More bad news for #LGBTI rights: Theresa May appoints MP who defended ‘gay cure’ charity as Arts Minister #reshuffle

...when Tim Farron was hounded for his views, not his actual voting record or behaviour.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/grenfell-tower-fire-corporate-manslaughter-arrests-david-lammy-mp-labour-london-kensington-a7790911.html
Grenfell Tower fire is 'corporate manslaughter' and arrests must be made, MP David Lammy says

Lammy has a friend amongst the missing. This isn't going to go away.

'Obstruction of Justice' criminal offence but criminal proceedings unlikely to be used against president, but impeachment (a la Nixon) another matter. Is the end in sight?

Sam Coates Times @ samcoatestimes
Tory-DUP deal stumbles yesterday over attempts by No10 to bypass Barnett formula for NI "bung"
Treasury warning No10 under Barnett for every £1 extra on Northern Ireland you have to spend £35 in other nations
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/6367960c-5135-11e7-9c77-dc4d2ab46f4b

Mistigri - that was precisely my point.

It feels slightly disrespectful.

Barnett Formula is a convention not law, so in theory could be changed. But it's been in place since 1979 and messing with it, is going to cause uproar.

Good on David Lammy, although I'm very sorry to hear about his friend.

I hope that raises, not just fire safety issues for all tower blocks, but just how shit they are for people to live in.

this not that ^

It could be changed or ignored, but I imagine the Scottish Tories might have something to say a about it.

That was about the Barnett formula.

politicalscrapbook.net/2017/06/new-dwp-minister-claimed-his-250-an-hour-job-gave-him-experience-of-zero-hour-contracts/#more-64762

A Tory MP who was yesterday made a minister at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) once claimed to know what it was like to live on a zero hours contact…because he was a £250-an-hour barrister.

So he earned in an hour what someone on minimum wage would earn in a week and he thinks he knows how they feel? Well he can just fuck the fuck off to be quite frank.