Westministers: May Shares the Cake

[RedToothBrush]

May's Speech Abbreviated:

We still have nfi how we are going to do this. EU this is your fault. You sort it out. We are too lazy, workshy and fighting like high school children to work it out ourselves. Be our whipping boy.

I support democracy as long as I get to do whatever I like
I support human rights as long as I can ignore them when I like.
I support the rule of law except when it doesn't suit my agenda.

Waffle waffle.

"Creative", "Dynamic" PR for my Premiership.

Waffle waffle

We really need policing cooperation, PLEASE keep it with us. I know I threatened to withdraw this, but I'm sorry, I was wrong and a bit of a dick about this.

Gets to the point FINALLY.

"2 year transition period"

(With another time bomb lock which is still too short for IT departments. Nothing to do with the next general election, honest).

RULE BRITANNIA!

Polite Applause.

Jennifer Rankin‏*@JenniferMerode*

Macron calls for a carbon tax at Europe's borders - this was a goal for Sarkozy as well.

He was also pointing out the fallacy of Corbyn's "justification" for leaving the EU/the single Market - that the UK is prohbited from using state aid to support industries/re-nationalise. He said that there are ways in which we can use state aid, so that we could support (for example) our steel industry

It's almost like none of our senior politicians has ever bothered to learn about the EU.

Which is why they have allowed themselves to be fucked up the arse by the civil servants (who understand the EU perfectly) when it comes to all the gold-plated regulations the UK has saddled itself with.

Either that, or they've started to believe the bullshit they've been peddling to the public for years ?

Mrs May had hoped her offer of a two-year transition period after Brexit would unblock talks in Brussels.

Well the wording from the BBC certainly plays to the government.

'Offer' not 'request', as if the UK were the ones being generous and had the power.

Words like this frame the debate. The word 'offer' is wholly inaccurate from a journalist point of view. Its simply not right however your look at it. It reflects a bias in its nature.

I did like the bit in Tusk's wee press conference where he said "This shows that the philosophy of having a cake and eating it, is finally at an end. At least I hope so. That's good news."

However, I was shouting at the TV for repeating the fallacy that May et al are promulgating - that "Florence was a major speech/a new offer"

She. Said Nothing. New. Unless you say that admitting the reality that a up to 2 year transition would be required.

And she is still saying "No deal is better than a bad deal" - despite putting in NO . nil . nada . contingency plans for No Deal

Cross posted with you RTB - but it would appear that we have similar views about the BBC's poor journalism use of words.

'Offer' not 'request', as if the UK were the ones being generous and had the power.

Well, they wouldn't want to get in trouble for being Enemies of the People/ Talking Britain Down. Surely everybody knows that the UK does have all the power because They Need Us More Than We Need Them and Don't They Know Who We Are.

I almost took a screenshot of the BBCs news page, with the link to that story as the strapline basically refuted the headline.

Then they changed it.

I wonder what could be done to remove the BBCs coverage of current affairs and news, and just stick to the populist stuff ? Because it has been abysmal - particularly about the EU - for years.

Well I'm generally of the opinion that the BBC is good on bias (QuestionTime and Andrew Neil aside). Laura K is not as bad as people say imo.

In this case, this is a detail that is not about an opinion, but a reflection of the situation the UK is in for Brexit. People thinking we are definitely getting a 2 year deal are being misled by it. That is people who are both remainers and leavers.

I think its probably sloppy rather than necessarily deliberate, but is reflective of bias that the British have out of ignorance over the EU. The point is its the BBC's job to inform and get rid of that ignorance.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/sep/26/leave-uk-immediately-scientist-is-latest-victim-of-home-office-blunder

'Leave UK immediately': scientist is latest victim of Home Office blunder

Dr Mohsen Danaie, who works at the UK’s synchrotron, received misspelt letter warning of forcible removal despite his valid work visa

Oh look, yet another hostile environmenting 'unfortunate error' from the Home Office. Still, I suppose being a scientist he is one of those pesky experts the people have had enough of.

I have to say, I used to read the BBC website from top to bottom daily. I no longer do that, because I find it too simplist and popularist. There is rarely much depth to anything these days.

I think its not so much an issue over bias and more the quality of journalism.

That's mainly down to cuts to the number of reporters, both here and abroad.

There is the odd thing that's cracking, but it used to be a lot more searching and had better analysis. Now things are done in a rush and without as much care - and not simply because of 24 hour news and shorter deadlines.

“It also left me curious to know what exactly was the bureaucratic process behind the letter. How could they possibly get my name wrong, but my address right? Did someone just type that info off of a physical dossier? How advanced is the infra-structure at the Home Office? Should we not fear for our safety?’ he said.

And 10% error rate??? WTF?!

ID cards and EU citizen registration systems with a 10% error rate!!?

Wholly bejesus.

For me, the question of whether a second referendum is worthwhile or not would be if there were any chance of an outcome that was close to remain (or even remain) as a result of it. If it was a choice between a shitty Brexit package and no deal, then I wouldn't see there being much point in that.

For me, the question of whether a second referendum is worthwhile or not would be if there were any chance of an outcome that was close to remain (or even remain) as a result of it. If it was a choice between a shitty Brexit package and no deal, then I wouldn't see there being much point in that.

One wonders what criteria - absent from the first plebscite - would be imposed on a second referendum. Also what the options are if they aren't met. Or will we be bounced into a hard Brexit because the only 3 people to vote were Leavers ?

In hindsight, the simplest fix to this mess would have been to legislate for a minimum turnout for the vote to be binding.

David Cameron's role in the rise of the far right in Germany

What is little known is the role that David Cameron played in propitiating the fledgling AfD after its foundation in 2013, by inviting its MEPs to sit with a group he created in the European parliament. The decision conferred respectability on a party which was already controversial through its links with the anti-Islamic Pegida movement. It was part of a strategy which ultimately led to Cameron's failure to achieve enough significant reforms of the EU to put before the electorate in the UK's EU referendum.

By April 2016, AfD MEPs had been expelled from Cameron's group after Frauke Petry told a meeting in Germany that border guards should shoot immigrants seeking to enter Germany.

www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2017/09/26/david-cameron-s-role-in-the-rise-of-the-far-right-in-germany

And May

Theresa May has also suffered by association through the ECR group's large Polish contingent of MEPs. Earlier this year, she abased herself politically by having contact with Poland's ruling nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) in her own fruitless bid to divide other EU governments in their holdfast position on Brexit. In a clear sign of British determination to curry favour, Mrs May even travelled to RAF Northolt to greet the Polish premier personally on arrival for a London visit and then countenanced a visit to Warsaw by the Duke of Cambridge and his wife.

yuck.

I also used to regard the BBC as a credible source, especially when I was overseas and it was a lifeline. That is with the exception of China coverage but I suspect if they did not have Carrie Gracie, whose relative star status and track record make her hard for them to sideline or ignore, that too would backslide to being some cheaper generalist recycling stereotypes. I thought it was interesting to watch the recent coverage of Aung San Suu Kyi's speech which saw the BBC flip flopping between the binary issues of her reputation and the Rohingya crisis, or rather the BBC made it binary. Only John Simpson correctly assessed what she was doing, in fact predicted it, without any false awe, but journalists with that depth of knowledge are expensive and few and far between. I agree Laura is growing into that role.

I'm with you there. I can't believe the ineptitude with which the referendum was held (ok, it was Cameron, so I can) but alas there's nothing that can be done now, and I've always felt that things like the petition against the process after the fact we're a bit pointless (other than for venting steam). The only hope, as far as I see it, is if there is a massive change in public opinion, but I still have no idea how you get there from here.

Oh, and by the way, I think JC is talking out of his arse when it comes to things like rail nationalisation. There's some fairly detailed expert legal opinion on this that suggests it would be possible. Dont have the link to hand but I remember it being easily googlable.

Gaah. I keep forgetting that MN doesn't warn you when others have replied while you are typing. That last was to LH.

The only hope, as far as I see it, is if there is a massive change in public opinion, but I still have no idea how you get there from here

Which is happening ... as alluded to earlier, wait until institutions/organisations which rely on reputation start telling the truth.

Sorties paradox etc ...

Oh, and by the way, I think JC is talking out of his arse when it comes to things like rail nationalisation. Despite the initials - and Jeremy Hardys bigging him up when we saw JH Sunday, I still don't trust Corbyn. Personally he's just as bad as the Tories at the moment by publicly - and incorrectly - blaming the EU for frustrating his pet projects. Hypocrite springs to mind.

So question...
You all seem really level headed. How do you manage your frustration and well.....anger.
I've just been listening to lbc in the car and found myself shouting at the radio.
In real life, front facing I cone across as calm etc and I spend my life dealing with other people's problems. But in real life, when thinking about brexit I'm seething.
I tell myself I shouldn't think about it because it's out of my control (but then if we all thought that then where would we be). And then something in real life hits me in the face - for instance, the possibility that the erasmus scheme will be gone when dd goes to uni - she is thinking about doing PPE with a year in France. I know that this sounds like a first world problem...but actually this is/was her opportunity...which she would have to fund herself...

(And I haven't forgotten the profile of TM and JC - I will post when I'm in my office tomorrow)

To explain it better - it's like I've had my consent taken away.

I bake cakes.

theworld I don't contain it irl! I swear almost constantly at the telly. I resent having to have conversations with my DC about racism when they're only 6 and 5, and have used very strong terms with them about the sort of people who say things they've picked up.

Though the DC sometimes make me laugh about it. When TM was on DD asked if she was a mayor (the necklace was her giveaway), I told her TM was our pm but unfortunately an idiot . DD said maybe she should just be mayor then.

Rage induced baking...lots of crumbles chez badders lately 😡😡😡😡

You all seem really level headed. How do you manage your frustration and well.....anger.

I post on the internet...

Seriously, its the thing that stops me going crackers. I splurge all those thoughts down onto type and it takes some of the anger and frustration out of it somehow, as you are doing 'something' even though its utterly pointless. It helps you convert WHY you feel angry into something meaningful rather than throwing the remote at the TV in a fit by focusing your mind.

All else fails, you have to laugh at it all in grim fascination and with memes. Having people here to share that with makes all the difference.

I'm not known in real life for being level headed. Quite the opposite.

Are that explains it all - my ovens broken. So when I get back to bread baking and cake making, I'll feel better.
I specialise in patisserie and boulangerie