Westministenders: Hey Hey we're the Monkies.

[RedToothBrush]

Welcome to the Listening Parliament.

Have you noticed it yet?

The Three Monkeys of See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Speak No Evil have been in a bit of a fight with didn’t fair well. Its funny how politicians of all shades and levels are desperate to prove just how good they at listening and how they see the problems.

Its quite incredible to think that officials elected to serve the public are even in this position where they are having suddenly think about how they show they are listening. It rather shows up that they have been accustomed to telling the public what to think and what to believe.

What they are still to work out, is that in saying they are listening, they also have to demonstrate they are listening and be credible.

The trouble is, that even though some of the monkeys have been killed off, we still have a lot of monkeys in parliament. 'Monkey say, Monkey do' actions still lurk. Politicians who imitate others without understanding the consequences.

There is no point in listening if you are only listening to one group and don’t understand the consequences of simply repeating the words of others.

Politicians saying they are listening when you can find dozens of incidents where they have said completely the opposition, without having the gumption to explain they have changed their position and without having the grace to explain the evidence that has lead them to change that position rather undermines the idea they are listening.

U-Turns are not a bad thing. U-Turns can show that you were making an error but were wise enough to admit that and why you were wrong. U-Turns are bad when you fail to acknowledge your failings and only do it to chase votes. This is where cynicism creeps in and lack of trust in politicians occurs.

Listening also requires actions to reflect words. There is no good in saying one thing, if your actions don’t reflect that. This is where the Listening Parliament is already failing. And I’m sure we will see it more.

Above all, listening is only part of a conversation. A politician is supposed to be accountable. They are supposed to have their eyes open to evil, not deaf to it and not unwilling to speak inconvenient truths where they recognise the evil.

Any politician who tells you they listen needs to back it up somehow. They need to demonstrate and justify their positions accurately. If they don’t they aren’t listening properly.

Isn’t it funny how it was in Hartlepool that the monkey got hung for being a Frenchman? No one was there to explain differently.

I bet you're glad to be out of there, LH.

Just a bit .

Speaking of Euratom, surprised no one picked up on yesterdays slice if George ...

www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/revealed-brexit-risk-to-uk-cancer-patients-fears-over-shortage-of-vital-isotopes-used-in-cancer-a3584076.html

Theresa May today faced a Tory rebellion and a stark warning that “thousands” of cancer patients face delays to their treatment as a direct result of Britain’s decision to quit the European nuclear body Euratom.

(contd)

Now, reading the subject, language and tone as a whole, I wonder who that article is aimed at ?

20. Parliament, and UK ministers, are no longer in control of Brexit, whatever the "numbers".

Oh my aching sides ... taking back control has never left a nation so powerless ....

See points 6,7 and 8 and the legalise I linked the other day. Just smoke and mirrors and GO blowing hot air and sour raspberries as per.

cancer patients face delays to their treatment as a direct result of Britain’s decision to quit the European nuclear body Euratom.

Ah, but Freedom and Control and Sovereignty: Priceless.

Bottom line is - people won't care or refuse to believe stats until they affect them and their families.
Twas always thus

Jim Pickard‏ @PickardJE

David Davis on chances of Brexit prompting domino effect elsewhere in Europe: "I don't think anyone is likely to follow us down this route."

Strange times....
Govt ministers openly admitting brexit is a disaster
Presidents son tweeting treason
Political satire must be writing itself these days.. .

David Davis on chances of Brexit prompting domino effect elsewhere in Europe: "I don't think anyone is likely to follow us down this route."

ah yes the much lauded Brexit domino effect. Blighty was gonna be a fashionable trendsetter and lead everyone else out the exit door. Or not.

Bottom line is - people won't care or refuse to believe stats until they affect them and their families

Just like austerity measures - tax credit cuts, bedroom tax etc. This country never learns.

Can't ever see the expression "Twas always thus" without thinking of the company I used to work for which went through a costly and pointless rebranding from a reasonable name to a silly name

I worked at a hospital a few years ago.
2007 - changed its name
2010 - changed its name again
🙄
Waste of resources you say? Yep!
😡

....those who have worked in the telecoms industry may recognise the relevance of the expression "'Twas ever thus" and therefore the name of the company

You are not thinking of Consignia, are you? Which was called something sensible, changed to the ghastly appellation given and then promptly changed back.

Stainless : we thought it was a joke when it was first proposed (together with the logo) . It had the feeling of a generic brand that some brand manager had been keeping on a shelf and presented to a series of clients until some mug one bought it

The UK is not really a muscular exporting giant:
UK exports are only 2.5% of global exports.

It will take one hell of a lot of new trade deals to compensate for the large drop in exports to the E27 that would result from losing the frictionless flow of goods within the Single Market & Customs Union.

In 2016, UK exports by value:

54.3% to Europe
21.2% to Asia
16.7% to USA & Canada
2.8% to Africa

http://www.worldstopexports.com/united-kingdoms-top-import-partners/

Most U.K. exports to the EU are services, which are not usually covered by FTAs
GATS does not provide good access and requires jumping through multiple hoops

May said at the launch of the Taylor report on work that there was 'a clear understanding that the EU referendum vote was not just a vote to leave the European Union, but a deeper and more profound call for change across our country"

There will never need to be another referendum or election in the UK again. The EU referendum was about everything in the past, present and future. It is like that widget in the Golden Compass. The Oracle as well. And I only got one question on my paper. Where were the other million pages?

How did they word that bit about change in the UK? I would have liked to have my spake and give my wishes on what they would be.

Where were the other million pages?

Darn it, I'm always forgetting to turn over the paper and miss all the important questions.

https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/02/quick-trade-deal-us-brexit-less-likely-think/

.... for all the bluster about a quick trade deal, there are several reasons why it won’t be so easy:

1. the UK is by far the junior partner ....

In a US-UK negotiation, the UK would be alone, not backed by the collective weight of 450 million other European consumers.
....
An independent and nimble UK might strike deals quicker than the EU would do.
But it would face more difficulties getting the US trade colossus to budge on key issues like market access.

2. The US will ask a lot and give little. Trump likes trade surpluses but dislikes trade deficits. .... The UK had its largest trade surplus in 2015, worth £39.4bn, with the US. It is reasonable to assume that the US will insist on deeper market access to correct this imbalance.

Team Trump may push to open up parts of the National Health Service (NHS) to American healthcare providers,

and seek greater access to Britain’s agricultural sector.
UK farmers are already under pressure from higher input costs due to a weaker pound and cuts in EU subsidies after Brexit.

3. It is less clear what the UK can ask for in return.

One issue the UK pushed for during the EU-US talks about a transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP) was getting access to the American public procurement market.
....
The US federal government cannot force state governments to open their doors....
And America has some protectionist rules on federal government procurement (particularly the ‘Buy America’ act of 1982), not all of which are relaxed even for countries with an FTA with the US.

It is improbable to think that a US president whose inaugural message was to ‘buy American and hire American’ will tackle this legislation.

4. Finally, the US will wait for the EU.

The most important factor preventing a quick and meaningful British-American deal is that
as long as the terms of trade between the UK and the EU are still under negotiation,
the US will not know what preferential access to the UK market is really worth.

After all, it matters a lot to a US investor if a British business can, or cannot, sell its goods or services into the EU free from tariffs, customs checks or red tape.

Well, you see, there were no more pages. What we got were Individual ballot papers. Mine said 'Are you happy to remain in the EU?' and I said, yes please.

Others had 'Would you like more money for your local hospital?' 'Should all Muslims be kicked out?' and so forth.

You get the picture.

So when I and the other 48% voted to remain was that a deeper and more profound call for the status quo?

However much May redefines the referendum she'll never eliminate the fact that nearly half the vote was for the exact opposite.

Hmmm, I think that there is something in what the referendum result was trying to say. I know a few people who voted Leave, never expecting it to win (and not really wanting to go through with it) but wanted to send a message that they were unhappy. Yes, yes, I know that's not what the referendum was supposed to be for, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if there were lots more Leave voters like that out there, who wanted to make a protest vote and rather than spoiling their papers with messages of disgust at the ruling elite, they decided to put a cross in the Leave box.

I don't think politicians should ignore this group of people, though it's hard to identify them and understand their real concerns. Perhaps one of the clever polling companies could focus on this rather than re-running the Leave / Stay question ad infinitum