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Brexit

Westminstenders: The beginning of the dictatorship and the end of Boris?

999 replies

RedToothBrush · 09/09/2017 10:55

Brexit is being fought in the UK media and parliament on the premise that the EU is being difficult and obstructive.

The fallacy can not be understated.

What the UK fails to understand is the right of the EU to put their own interests before the UKs. It doesn't under that our demands cannot be met even if the EU wanted to for practical and legal reasons - not political ones because our understanding of the situation and law is so poor.

The net result is the slippage of the next phase of Brexit talks being pushed to Christmas by the EU due to lack of progress by the UK. Barnier is open to more regular and intense talks but this is bad news for the UK with the a50 clock ticking.

The main stumbling block is NI a with Barnier warning not to use the border as a way to test EU resolve. Brexit always about the NI border. The UK have never provided a solution to the EU that does not produce a hard border. The idea being pushed by the UK will create one despite claiming it won't. The reality is the only viable solutions are either staying in the single market and customs union or NI being granted special status and being different to the rest of the country. The former is opposed by the government, the later opposed by the DUP.

The DUP are getting a taste of their own medicine. They have been warned that Assembly Members might have pay frozen and if they don't reform Stormont they won't get their Billion Pound Booty. Plus Ian Paisley Jr just found a new scandal for the party.

May is trying to channel Venezuela by getting rid of democracy when it suits. The Great Repel Bill (aka as the Withdrawal Bill) faces it's challenge. The much feared Henry VIII in clause 9 are not only facing criticism from Remainers but also from the secretive crackpots of Tory Bastard Club (aka ERG). The TBC want hard cliff edge Brexit. May seems to support given her goodwill burning interference at the Home Office which seeks to discriminate against all foreigners and make them sign a register. The visa system and how it will attract much needed staff for the NHS makes the mind boggle.

The Repel Bill also could end the possibility of transition due to clause 6 which requires us to leave the ECJ. Given the May's ambition to make EU citizens display their stars in job applications this is totally unable to the EU. If it passes the chances of transition drop dramatically. Bye bye Smooth and Orderly.

Then there is the May-Bot paradox: the one were she gives a friendly speech to the EU and a nasty on to the Swivel Eyed Loon gathering. As if neither will be reported to the other audience.

On top of this May is attempting the Parliament Rigging Act as she has a 'majority Government'. Yep I know, this is the general election version of 'will of the people'. The Rigging Act seeks to stack parliamentary committees with Tory majorities so they can stop any bill they don't like getting anywhere need the main chamber this limiting the power of opposition to irrelevant. Sadly I think this one will get through due to maths of the HoC atm.

We shouldn't forget the role of the HoL though and the lack of a majority government (why do you think May is saying majority government? It's down to the Sewell convention and trying to make the case it applies when the argument is it doesn't for a minority government).

The other development is the rumours that Boris is for the boot. And Rees-Mogg might get a promotion.

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RedToothBrush · 14/09/2017 07:59

www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/politics/dennis-skinner-explains-voted-labour-whip-eu-withdrawal-bill/13/09/amp/
Dennis Skinner explains why he voted against Labour Whip on EU Withdrawal Bill

I don't agree with what he says here and I confess I am a little confused over some of it, however:

And he also slammed the eight MP’s who abstained rather than vote for Labour’s amendment to protect the democratic imperative of Parliament: Frank Field, Kate Hoey, Caroline Flint, Chris Leslie, Ian Austin, Kevin Barron, Kelvin Hopkins and Graham Stringer.

The Bolsover MP said he would have been “exceptionally pleased” if the Labour amendment had passed, and “the people who abstained on that need to answer for their decision.”

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RedToothBrush · 14/09/2017 08:01

I think he's saying they all should have voted on the amendment and if that had succeeded it would have killed the bill in its present form, but because it wasn't killed he had to vote with the government 'because Brexit' and to hell with democracy.

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RedToothBrush · 14/09/2017 08:04

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/cruel-tory-benefit-assessments-making-11166619.amp
Cruel Tory benefit assessments are making severely ill people's health worse, says shocking report

A shocking new report found 79% of claimants said PIP assessments had made them more ill due to stress or anxiety

As I was saying... Bullying can have a severe effect on your mental health and can come from authority like government.

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Peregrina · 14/09/2017 08:05

Sorry, I don't buy Skinner's explanation. This was not about attempting to stop Brexit - which as a Lexiter, he has always supported. This was a Tory power grab. He's an intelligent man - he must have realised that.

woman11017 · 14/09/2017 08:16

PIP assessments had made them more ill due to stress or anxiety

Hostile environment strategy for immigrants and the sick, which historical era does that remind me of?

RedToothBrush · 14/09/2017 08:17

Ian Katz @ iankatz100
Former Bank of England governor Mervyn King on Brexit talks: "I don’t think that the negotiations are going as we might hope" #newsnight

Simon Nixon @ simonnixon
Mervyn King is the British Varoufakis, consistently wrong on everything. Of course Brexit not going as he hoped...

Varoufakis, of course, has just advised May to walk out of talks...

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EternalOptimistToo · 14/09/2017 08:28

I am sometimes working with people who are going through PIPS assessment. It's completely crazy. The impact on the claimants is unbelievable. (Even when everything goes well and they do get the PIP)

The worse for me is to actually work along side some of these assessors. Very nice people who I have seen over the years getting less and less compassionate. People who all start from the point that the person in front of them is lying/cheating. The culture in that company is atrocious and I'm not sure any of them actually realise how bad it is. Because they are in their little bubble and are convinced that they know best (because they are th wines to meet these people everyday).
Ive seen some of their clients, people that they have rejected on the ground they are 'well enough' and can tell they are not :(:(

Gumpendorf · 14/09/2017 08:28

One of the problems was that they don't stop to think.

Many people think I've been exaggerating the impact of this week because they don't see any coverage/outrage in the media so it's not important. Or they think it'll all work out fine - 'they' know what they are doing. Angry

WaPo's strapline since January has been 'Democracy dies in darkness' or complacency

Gumpendorf · 14/09/2017 09:01

twitter.com/BBCr4today/status/908230684384342016

twitter.com/BBCr4today/status/908230684384342016/video/1

'I suspect we'll have to leave without a deal..which frankly will hurt the Europeans more than the British" says Sir James Dyson

The Today programme being patriotic as required by Tim Montgomerie.

RedToothBrush · 14/09/2017 09:09

That's James Dyson who is worth £7.4billion and does his manufacturing outside the EU.

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LurkingHusband · 14/09/2017 09:11

A shocking new report found 79% of claimants said PIP assessments had made them more ill due to stress or anxiety

Doing MrsLHs left me shattered. Not in a very good place.

woman11017 · 14/09/2017 09:15

Doing MrsLHs left me shattered. Not in a very good place.
Flowers or [hippy tofu] LH

woman11017 · 14/09/2017 09:19

School managers are getting pretty good at the old 'hostile environment stuff too. At DH's school, an experienced, well liked female teacher was forced through, 'capability procedure' (short hand for the clearances of expensive older teachers). And marched off the premises. She had and has cancer. Wasn't allowed back on site to say goodbye to students and colleagues. TES forums are full of this sort of thing.

RedToothBrush · 14/09/2017 09:33

'Hostile environment' is a euphemism for treating people without respect or conscience. Its an encouragement for bullying.

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RedToothBrush · 14/09/2017 09:33

'Hostile environment' is a euphemism for treating people without respect or conscience. Its an encouragement for bullying.

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RedToothBrush · 14/09/2017 09:33

'Hostile environment' is a euphemism for treating people without respect or conscience. Its an encouragement for bullying.

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RedToothBrush · 14/09/2017 09:33

'Hostile environment' is a euphemism for treating people without respect or conscience. Its an encouragement for bullying.

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RedToothBrush · 14/09/2017 09:37

So important I posted it four times!!
Blush

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LurkingHusband · 14/09/2017 09:42

"Hostile environment" is also weasel words for the state persecuting legal activities.

For many years now, it's been official (and unchallenged) Home Office policy to encourage local police forces to liaise with the local authorities in "respecting local cultures".

In practice this has meant harassing lawful shops (generally the "head shop") with an aim to closing them down, or preventing them trading.

In the Home Office guidelines, one "characteristic" of the sort of shop to be targeted is "display of material of a political nature. E.g posters calling for legalisation of cannabis".

It's also worth bearing in mind that ASBOs and the subsequent CBOs effectively allowed the police to criminalise legal behaviour. What a wonderful day that must have been at Home Office towers.

But, "think of the children", eh ?

Drugs, paedophiles and "terrorists" ... the sacred trinity of despots.

LurkingHusband · 14/09/2017 09:43

woman11017

Wine Smile

HashiAsLarry · 14/09/2017 09:51

Hostile environment strategy for immigrants and the sick, which historical era does that remind me of?
Slightly off but slightly on topic. My dm is currently in hospital ATM awaiting surgery for a broken hip. Paramedics yesterday tried to treat her as a waste of time because she 'already had a wheelchair in the house' and an appt with orthopaedics in two weeks for an unrelated matter. God knows what could have happened if df hadn't deployed full on belligerence which normally isn't a good thing
My family ATM are shocked at just how badly a disabled person can be treated. This is relatively new territory for us. Dm has been disabled for a number of years but has never been treated like this until now. I'd like to think her Irish accent wasn't a factor but apparently they were more deferential to English df's opinions prior to his fuss making he doesn't need the ego boost

Bolshybookworm · 14/09/2017 09:57

Listened to that interview and was waiting for the interviewer to ask "and how will increased production of your products in Malaysia benefit the uk?". Of course it never came Hmm
He also dismissed the views of the head of John Lewis, a company which employs far more UK staff than dyson and actually looks after them too.

Peregrina · 14/09/2017 09:58

And one of the Tories in the HoL was whinging about a hostile BBC.

woman11017 · 14/09/2017 10:00

An interesting aspect of 'hostile environment' which is very Hannah Arendty, it it conditions the perpetrators and by standers to collude.

In fact it ended a bit happily with a James Chapmanesque rogue lawyer governor sick of fascist head, organised coup, head was marched off premises too!

In most school, staff but much much much more importantly children are having to survive, or worse are actually implementing or standing silently during this sort of malarkey.

I still feel furious that at my own local secondary, little Year 7 girls, on their very first day at school had their skirts measured at the school gate, and were sent home with the 'wrong uniform'.

This is little children being treated like this, on the scary, historic, first day at big school.

Uniform punishment is a bit of a 'thing'. There are threads about it.

And of course it's gendered.

But adults are being taught to be knowingly being cruel.

Which is obviously necessary to ..........

RedToothBrush · 14/09/2017 10:06

You mean John Lewis which has announced today that profits are down 50% (partly down to restructuring but that's still significant).

The NHS is increasingly about those who can advocate (or have someone to advocate for them) and those who can be treated like shit.

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