Westminsterenders: The Ersatz ImitationThread

[OlennasWimple]

I am no RedToothBrush, so I'm not going to try to emulate her exception OP style.

Here, though, in the interests of carrying on our conversations about WTF is going on with Brexit and the weird political world we find ourselves in right now, is a sort of continuation thread

(Hurry back Red, we need you!)

Interesting.

But then again - the Tories can win, admittedly on a particularly dismal turnout:

Kings Lynn & West Norfolk BC, St Margarets with St Nicholas – 3rd August 2017

Conservative 253 [36.2%; -6.6%]
Labour 210 [30%; -3.1%]
LD Helen Russell-Johnson 173 [24.7; +24.7%]
Green 63 [9%; -15.1%]
Majority 43
Turnout 19.19%
Conservative GAIN from Labour
Percentage changes from 2015

I think that Kings Lynn result needs posting every time someone asks why anti Brexit types aren't flocking to the libdems.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/04/britain-leave-single-market-trade-deal
Britain couldn’t leave the single market if it tried
Andrew Adonis
The UK has not negotiated an international trade deal in decades – we simply lack the capacity to negotiate bespoke deals. It’s folly to even try

I thought folly was all the rage these days

Duncan Jones‏*@ManMadeMoon*

Is this the "controlled" immigration that Leavers voted for? Family of US surgeon recruited because nobody else suitable could be recruited here are refused visas for their adopted children because "one of the parents could return to the States with the boys and stay in touch with the rest of the family through email and Skype"..... (making such a suggestion is illegal for the Home Office) Another tale of inhumane bureaucratic incompetence and obstruction. Why would any of the brightest and the best want to come here and contribute to society when it subjects them to such cruel and bigoted treatment? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/04/us-surgeon-may-be-forced-to-quit-uk-because-of-visa-nightmare

www.the-tls.co.uk/roman-britain-black-white/
Roman Britain in Black and White
Mary Beard

I think this might tickle the fancy of a few here. Citizens of the World were citizens of the Roman Empire much to the fury of many...

Mary Beard is a national treasure. I could happily watch any of her documentaries repeatedly ...

Thanks red. I am indeed tickled.

I love Mary Beard. And there you have it, an expert owning up to the limits of knowledge and a bunch of people who feel entirely confidant to proclaim their dogma and opinion as fact. Prof Tayab is an academic but one who studies probability and risk not Classical Civilisation.

Leavers have gone very quiet ...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40824937

Forthcoming rises to the National Living Wage may need to be delayed because of uncertain growth in the economy, small businesses have said.

The wage is currently scheduled to rise to £8.75 an hour by 2020.

But the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said that target may have to be reconsidered, following a string of poor economic data.

The FSB said real incomes, productivity and GDP growth were all falling, with only employment levels improving.

(contd).

I'm starting to enjoy the irony that Brexiteers - who managed to pretend that everything was the EUs fault by persuading people not to think too hard about things - are now seeing "the EU" replaced by "Brexit" as the fault for everything; with people starting to agree.

It's almost as if no one had ever read "Frankenstein"

She's been getting a lot of abuse on twitter from people who won't have it that the roman empire wasn't outstandingly white. It's so aggravating but also mansplaining in all its glory. Dick heads trying to argue history with Mary Beard

Without wishing to dumb down here, but roman multi racialism has been covered in such esteemed journalism as horrible histories. If these twats can't even understand that level, we've no hope.

Hashi 😂
I think HH is over their heads tbh - my 8 year old loves it though 😁👍

She's been getting a lot of abuse on twitter from people who won't have it that the roman empire wasn't outstandingly white.

Not just that ... there was a general policy in Rome to (a) ensure that countries were not protected by their native legions, and (b) use the fact that Britain was an island to keep mischief a long way from Rome.

Meaning that the bulk of Roman soldiers in Britain for most of it's near 400 years if occupation were almost guaranteed to have come from Tunisia, Turkey, Libya, Egypt and load of other territories I CBA to look up.

And the Roman policy of gifting retired soldiers land in troublesome countries (Britain raises hand) would have meant that those settling in Britain were unlikely to be that fair skinned.

But then classical knowledge is so elite nowdays. What with it's "facts" and whatever.

That said, even experts aren't always right. When I was picking up classics, there was a general assumption that Britain was a bit of a backwater. However recent archaeology (the unique waterwheel found in London, for example) means serious revision is needed. Clearly Britain was attracting the cream of the Empire. Although that's probably not the narrative Brexiteers would like to imagine.

Incidentally, if we are looking for past parallels, there is little debate that Britains previous "Brexit" of 410 A.D. was an absolute disaster, paving the way for centuries of miserable living for those left behind.

Is this the "controlled" immigration that Leavers voted for? Family of US surgeon

How very dare you suggest that anybody voted Leave without 100% clarity and complete understanding about literally everything you horrible insulting elitist you

I live very nearly to Hadrian's Wall, which was mainly manned by non-white soldiers. Why does anyone even dispute this?! [facepalm]

My DS loves HH, too. Their next topic will be the USA, so I have bought him the HH on US history. Even I have learnt a lot from it while ROFL.

Hear hear
twitter.com/Independent/status/893514194322153473

ron Your link is horrifying:
the US surgeon headhunted by the NHS - and the Home Office detained his kids and then split the family. 1000s of legal & extra travel costs, months of separation.

And that is for a highly skilled US mc professional, in great demand.

Imagine the situation post-Brexit for an SAHP, or retired widow, English 2nd language
Someone who can't afford many 1,000s in legal costs.

That's why expats need to retain current rights, including appeal to ECJ
The Home Office is a monster
It's not ok to say E27 expats should suck up the harm, because other nationalities do.

The UK post-Brexit will be the destination only for those professionals with no other choice

• e.g. those who just scraped through exams and can't get another job, those who have been sued too often for negligence in their own country.

The Mary Beard stuff on Twitter has been horrible. I honestly don't know where she gets the strength to put up with it all. And you can waste hours going down wormholes looking at all the various responders and seeing patterns in who they all follow etc. Depressing but, thank fuck, she doesn't just go away.

Don't know if anyone has posted this or not. I am quite fucked off though.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40823237

What's HH hashi?

HH = Horrible Histories

I believe there is a new series coming out. Ds and dh and I used to love them. Much of his history knowledge comes for them - the stuff he has retained best at least

Thanks for that pretty.

Bit of a whisper on the travel grapevine that the security staff in Spain are going on strike , every weekend through August , starting at Barcelona but going to spread . Lets see how the EU are blamed for that

Dh is an historian by academic love and he adores hh. Dc are a little young to get it now though, much to his disappointment. I don't think it'll be me ensuring they have some decent historical knowledge behind them. I am pushing operation ouch though, they may need some medical knowledge for when the nhs disappears on them

That was supposed to be a