Westministenders: The bookends to a year of political chaos. Just how far have we come?

[RedToothBrush]

The 15th June 2016.

The Thames was filled with a flotilla of boats in a publicity stunt for the Leave campaign to draw attention to fisheries. Nigel Farage and Kate Hoey in their heads thought they were Leonardo and Kate, but the moment was rather more titanic in nature and could not have been more Alan Partridge if they had tried. Coming up behind was Bob Gedolf in a shameful and cringeworthy display of swearing and abuse that really didn’t help the Remain camp in anyway. Largely unnoticed was a small boat with a family following it all unfold…

The next day things went from fiasco to horror.

Farage unveiled the Dog Whistle Poster and Jo Cox was murdered. And the UK seemed set on its course for 7 days later when the world was turned upside down by the referendum itself.

14th June 2017.

Fast forward 365 days later and another tragedy unfolded. This time of a very different nature but with no less political significance.
Grenfell.

A moment of national shame. A symbol of so many things that had come to pass in the previous twelve months.

The election just the previous week had changed the direction of travel we seemed to be headed and left the Prime Minister exposed and looking wildly out of touch. The Maybot was given one more chance.

And the Maybot seems to be failing the test of her party who had the grace to grant her a second chance.

The Queen dressed in the same shade of blue, May delivered her ‘victory speech’ in, ignored the security threat and visited the ranks of the poor and the forgotten. A deliberate message to May not to forget who she serves? A Queen who feels aggrieved and angry by May’s behaviour? Who knows.

As for Brexit. The government looks lost. Adrift. The ‘Fight of the Summer’ over the EU’s plan for talks sounds out the window despite the denials from the Brexit Department. Hard Brexit is still on the cards. Apparently. But what does anyone believe now? May’s and the Brexiteers domination of the agenda is shattered, its power starting to be questioned.

What next?

This evening the anger is building.

Who knows, what will happen. Some of it might be predictable, but the future is far from certain and we have definitely entered a new era. We just don’t know who will lead it, or what its ambition or what the end goal now is.

What we do know, more acutely than ever is that we are all human and the wise words of Jo Cox about having ‘More in Common’ ring though ever more strongly.

Once again we feel ‘on the brink’.

Disagree about the Telegraph. Absolutely not stirring hate in the same way the Daily Mail does, and not sure about the ultra brexit control. Maybot has been highly criticised.

My social media is noticibly quiet today. If this had been an islamofacist attack they'd be out handringing at kicking them all out of the country. I'm awaiting the lone wolf excuse. Because terror only counts when it's performed on whites or by non whites it seems.

Mine too Hashi

Social media definitely quiet about this. It took me 5mins to even realise this Terrorist attack has happened as people were talking about other things.

White hate preachers have been noticeably quiet saying 'oh this is different' and 'oh I warned you this would happen'

Sorry about the random gin. That definitely said angry when I hit send. Though gin may well help.

I think it's about time we were honest here. We have an extremism problem. And it's not confined to one race, religion or political leaning. Nothing will be solved until that is addressed. And this is what comes from letting a political campaign be run on racial lines.

Sorry about the random gin. That definitely said angry when I hit send. Though gin may well help.

I think it's about time we were honest here. We have an extremism problem. And it's not confined to one race, religion or political leaning. Nothing will be solved until that is addressed. And this is what comes from letting a political campaign be run on racial lines.

79 now confirmed dead or missing at Grenfell. Also that that might still go up

Another attack
It's all over my social media but I used to live near there and a lot of my friends still do

I have been reading this with a heavy heart and then I got back to the Daily Hate headline posted by Valentine and now I am really angry, talk about dog whistle.... and they know exactly what they are doing. It is a call to arms, isn't it? Vile and disgusting. I am going to complain to the PCC.

Laura Kuenssberg‏*@bbclaurak*

Important to remember today, man is in custody so by law, reporting of awful attack limited in case it jeopardises future trial

This does need to be kept in mind I suppose. Other attacks have resulted in those carrying them out being dead so not relevant in the same way.

Laura Silver‏*@laurafleur*

Nabil (right) isn't surprised to see Corbyn at the scene. "He is my neighbour, he is one of the family". Does't expect to see May here today

There you go Treeza. Perfect opportunity. Take it.

My local station for years in London. Quote of the day reaction from underground board.

Tough times
Don't last
Tough people do
Stick together
ALL OF US

That's lovely citreon

Yes. This too will pass

Not sure of boundaries but Corbyn is Islingtons MP. So even if Finsbury Park isnt in his constituency it would be v v close

Ciaran Jenkins‏*@C4Ciaran*

DD today: We are starting negotiations in positive tone.

DD last month: EU are bullies.

Its Corbyn's constituency. He says he knows some of the people caught up in the attack personally very well and has done for years.

There will be extra police patrols apparently.

How?

I was hearing at the weekend about police who hadn't had a day off in two weeks already as it is.

So I found out that my aunt (in law) lived on the same street as the Corbyns and were very friendly with them. Apparently lovely people. This contrasts with my aunt who was in chambers with Tony Blair and before he came PM said he was teh most right wing person she had ever met.

@DavidDavisMP: (1/3) Post #Brexit a UK-German deal would include free access for their cars and industrial goods, in exchange for a deal on everything else

DD posted this on 26 May last year. It took Merkel 11 (or was it 12?) attempts to get the message through to Trump that he couldn't do a "special deal" with Germany - that he had to negotiate with the EU. How many times do you think it will have had to be still has to be explained to DD?

Corbyn lives round the corner to terrorist attack I believe. My head hangs even lower today at the state of our country and I feel we actually don't have a leader of any calibre. I think people are feeling a lot more nervous because of it. Yes we must pull together but we are do divided in so many ways its difficult to see how we can solve all the problems. Grenfell and its community pulling together should be an example to us all. 79 souls lost and rising probably.

Should we be interning all these right wing extremists?

The EDL had a protest in Manchester just last Saturday which police were attacked with smoke bombs and scuffles broke out.

And the anti DUP march in London had no issues at all. Guess which march had it's motivation questioned by RW trolls on SM and MSM?

Any German speakers ?

mobile2.derbund.ch/articles/59442e3cab5c3744ba000001

I think Big choc speaks German?

LH Tranlation of
"Lachnummer Europas
Analyse Vor den Brexit-Verhandlungen sieht sich die EU einer Regierung in London gegenüber, die nicht weiss, was sie will, und die von einer weltfremden Politikerin geführt wird."
The laughing stock of Europe

Analysis: Before the Brexit negotiations, it looks like the EU are facing a government in London who don't know what they want, led by a politician who is ignorant about the world.

It relates history of what they called Cameron's unwise decision to call a referendum as he did
That the UK having lost its empire still can't find its pace in the world
Also that Barnier is still waiting for the govrnement to decide what it wants cause he can't negotiate with himself

LH's article run through translator:

If the situation in the UK were not so serious, it could all be fun. The country is governed by a speech robot, Maybot, who was able to talk with survivors or volunteers when visiting the burnt-out high-rise in West London. On Monday the negotiations on the withdrawal from the EU are to start, but no one has even the approach of a plan. The government is dependent on a small party that offers climate change deniers and creationists a comfortable home. Boris Johnson is Foreign Minister. What happened all over the world with this country?
Two years ago David Cameron emerged as a dazzling winner from the parliamentary election. He had won an absolute majority, which meant that the career of this serene light weight seemed to be an astonishing accomplishment. The economy grew faster than any other industrialized country in the world. Scottish independence and the disintegration of the United Kingdom had been averted. For the first time since 1992 there was again a conservative majority in the Lower House. Great Britain understood herself as a universally respected actor on the international scene. That was the starting point.

Cameron's fatal decision

In the shortest possible time, from this comfortable position into the chaos of the present, there was essentially two things: on the one hand the obsessive hatred of the conservative right to the EU and on the other the irresponsibility of Cameron, who risked the future of the country with the referendum To pacify a few fanatics in his party. It is becoming increasingly clear what an exceptionally bad decision this was. The fact that Great Britain has become Europe's laughter number is directly linked to the vote for Brexit.
The British citizens, who were lied to by the Brexit supporters during the referendum campaign and betrayed by parts of their press, were sold to the British people. The shamelessness still has no limits. The "Daily Express" asked in all seriousness whether the high-rise fire might be related to the fact that the building had been disguised according to EU regulations. It is easy to find out that the answer to this question is no, but by putting it unchecked, the suspicion is in the world: the EU is probably to blame. By the way: A country with a press, which is so demotivated in parts, is a real problem. It is a disaster like the fire of the Grenfell Tower for its absurd propaganda.

In the end, Great Britain will be weakened in every way.

Already prices are rising in stores, inflation is already rising. Investors hold back. The economy is growing more slowly. The negotiations on the Brexit have not begun. Prime Minister Theresa May has already wasted an eighth of the available time with her unnecessarily scheduled election. As in the remaining time a complex undertaking like the Brexit is to be negotiated, is a mystery.
In the end, Great Britain will leave its most important trading partner and be weakened in every respect. To remain in the internal market and customs union would probably be economically reasonable, but it would have to be subject to regulations which would no longer have any influence. It would have been better to stay right in the EU. The government would now have to develop a plan that is politically communicable and has the least economic disadvantages. It is only a matter of damage limitation, and yet in Westminster politicians around the neckkrause, full of complacency trumpet, if the EU does not feel, she will already see what she has.
The EU is facing a government that does not know what Brexit wants it to be and is led by a world-wide politician whose days are counted. She looks at a party in which old trenches are breaking open: the more moderate Tories are just hoping to make the exit more gentle. But the hardliners among the conservatives, including a few ideologically bored concrete heads, have already threatened a rebellion. There is an epic dispute that will paralyze the government.

Position clearer

The EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said that he expects the British to finally clarify their position more clearly that he can not negotiate with himself. The point of this statement is that it would be best for the British to do the same if Barnier did exactly that. Then they would know a representative on their side, who is looking at the extent of the task and is able to find a deal that is fair for both sides. They do not have a negotiator of this format in their ranks. Quite apart from the modalities of the withdrawal, debate and voting on the brexit have proved to be a poison, the effect of which is now felt.
The division in society is as deep as it has been since the English Civil War in the seventeenth century. This is reflected in the parliamentary elections, which account for 80% of the votes on the major parties. None of these parties offered a program of the middle, the choice existed between hard right and hard left. The political center is orphaned, which is never a good sign. In a country like Great Britain, so long considered pragmatic and rational, this is a cause for concern. It's just going to be a big one.
After the loss of the Empire, the United Kingdom had begun to search for a new place in the world. It finally found him as a strong, uncomfortable and influential part of a larger network: as part of the EU. This place has given up without any need. The consequence, as now becomes apparent, is a veritable identity crisis, from which the country will not recover for a long time.