Westministenders: A week in politics is a long time....

[RedToothBrush]

Lost track of politics in the last week or so?

Someone asked how do I keep on top of this? I’ve struggled this week there is so much going on.

Brexit seems to be on a bit of a back burner and we have become utterly swamped in mud and sleaze and corruption allegations

So here is a summary of the last week:

1. Government defeated over the impact reports due to an ancient parliamentary protocol. They must release papers to the public though this is likely to be heavily redacted.
2. Currently we are holding talks about talks with the EU. Instead of speeding up talks. They are annoyed at us for this.
3. Baroness Anelay, the minister responsible for getting the Repel Bill through the Lords, quit citing an injury caused by jumping out of a helicopter several years ago. She was the second person to quit this role. Lord Bridges quit saying it was impossible task.
4. Michael Gove has joined the Brexit Cabinet, which now has a majority of Leavers.
5. There is currently no one employed at the Brexit department for strategic planning.
6. Brexit Bill likely to face even more opposition in the face of Williamson’s self promotion. More Remainers who have been loyal to May talking of joining the Rebel Forces.
7. The has been a threat to rig the Lords to pass the Repel Bill according to Lord Adonis
8. Clegg, Adonis and Clarke went to see Barnier. Farage got jealous.
9. Talks for Stormont broke down. No direct rule but not home rule. Who is ruling is a mystery, but the same can be said in England at present. DUP are not getting their dosh.
10. FTA may not be possible on lines UK want as it would be better than Canada and South Korea and that’s not legally allowed. The real problem for the UK is services.
11. EHCR related issues – prisoner voting rights and letter to Romanian which brings into question whether the EHCR is deliberately being flouted.
12. Clause in the data protection bill which allows it to be ignored ‘cos immigration’.
13. The Electoral Commission are being sued for allowing over spending by Vote Leave
14. Arron Banks is being investigated by the Electoral Commission over how he donated to political causes
15. UKIP whistleblowers reported donations they thought were odd and not declared but only just has come to light
16. Arron Banks is winding up a charity under investigation by the Charities Commission
17. Arron Banks paid for Kate Hoey to go to Washington DC.
18. Lord Ashcroft apparently exposed by the Bermuda hack, like Robert Mercer
19. Steve Baker reported for taking money from the mysterious donor to the DUP
20. Priti Patel breaks ministerial code with an undisclosed trip to Israel with lobbyist. May says she has done nothing wrong, despite it being clear breech of the rules.
21. Michael Fallon quit over multiple incidents
22. Damien Green embroiled in accusation over Kate Maltby. Also having a fight with former counter terrorism copper who he has history with over ‘extreme porn’ found on his computer during a raid. Copper previously said he had been set up in the paper but dropped the accusation. Green is denying everything
23. Charlie Elphicke has had the whip removed and case has been referred to police. Says he has done nothing wrong and isn’t even aware of what he has been accused of.
24. Steven Crabb under investigation for sexting. Has apologised.
25. Michael Garnier under investigation for dildo buying. Has apologised
26. Daniel Kawcyznski allegedly tried to set up dates with aides and wealthy friends
27. Dan Poulter reported by fellow tory MP Andrew Bridgen for allegedly putting hands up skirts. Whips told in 2010.
28. Chris Pincher alleged pound shop Weinstein who attempted to untuck the shirt of former Olympic rower and tory activist Alex Story.
29. Gavin Barwell former whip and May’s special adviser. Broke special advisor code by tweeting politically controversial things. Is accused of being complicit in hiding the bodies and not taking action.
30. Gavin Williamson gave himself a promotion and pissed everyone off. As former whip knows all the dirt but is vulnerable as a result of that, as he didn’t report or discipline offenders.
31. ‘The Lift Lunger’ – as yet unnamed Tory MP said to have ‘attacked’ Labour MP in taxi. Date rape drugs possibly involved.
32. Boris Johnson, Alok Sharma and Tobias Ellwood all named as having contact with the mysterious Maltese professor named in the Papadopoulos indictment.
33. Farage makes anti-Semitic remarks on LBC. That’s Farage, a person of interest to the FBI.
34. Three indictments in USA for Trump Russia. Which implicate a whole load of people by association.
35. Some stuff is going on in Saudi Arabia which should have half an eye kept on it.
36. Jared O’Mara, Clive Lewis, Ivan Lewis and Kelvin Hopkins on the Labour Shit List. Also a rape allegation against a Labour activist which was shut down by a senior Labour figure

This week the Repel Bill and the Budget. Plus no doubt, lots more scandal.

Good analysis and overview of the legal side of Brexit and especially the Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (ATAD)

https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/w-004-6057?transitionType=Default&contextData=(sc.Default)&firstPage=true&bhcp=1

Good comment about that on RN's blog today
http://www.eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=86661

which may explain the frantic push by ultra-rich Ultras for the Uk to leave completely and asap:

"If brexit is (a) "full"
AND (b) before April 2019
THEN wealthy individuals will escape the rules of the anti tax avoidance directive entirely.

So if (hypothetically) certain individuals such as ( just for instance)
Rothermere, the Barclay brothers, Desmond, Dacre, Ashcroft, Bamford, Griffin, Armitage, Rowland, Banks, Sykes, Hargreaves, Odey, Hosking, Edmonton, Dyson and Martin
should (hypothetically) happen to be using off shore accounts to avoid tax

they might have a really strong personal incentive for pushing the no-deal variety of brexit,
despite the damage to the UK overall.

Likewise; anyone looking to make a killing out of a disaster-brexit will no doubt prefer the profits to sit in an offshore bank account
rather than be wasted on things like education, defence, pensions or healthcare."

woman. Agree absolutely. The word ' gentleman' came to mind to me too as I watched that piece.
How many true gentlemen and gentlewomen do we have in govt today? ( rhetorical question, don't want to derail)

Apparently Boris Johnson's wiki page suffered vandalism today.

I have to say I think its in keeping with being factual.

Lord Buckethead time and time again seems to be talking sense....

I would be quite surprised if this pathetic excuse-for-a-government had actually managed to research and write 58 sectoral reports, to be honest. But all this time-wasting, denial, promising and retracting, redefining and pointless arguing is suspicious, and more evidence of extraordinary incompetence.

So here's DD's letter with the list of reports list of sectors used to help structure our analytical work on EU exit.

www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-committees/eu-external-affairs-subcommittee/Brexit-trade-in-goods/Response-brexit-trade-in-goods.pdf

In the response to the petition asking for publication of the 'reports' it was said:
'Stakeholder engagement is a central element of our plan to build a national consensus around our negotiating position.'

Really? The vast majority of us stakeholders are not being informed at all. So consensus cannot be built.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/200634

splendid red.

Sam Coates Times‏ @SamCoatesTimes
The most amazing thing about the Priti Patel story is that NO ONE is defending her in Tory ranks. Yet she thinks she can be leader.

I couldn't believe that wellbeing report!

I read somewhere that if the government is in contempt of parliament then they can just apologise. Wow!

Is anyone surprised by the conclusion by legal experts that Brexit and the GFA are incompatible? Isn't this what was being said well before the referendum was even agreed?

Apologise, suspended or expelled according to the Guardian

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/05/ministers-could-be-in-contempt-of-parliament-over-brexit-papers

Sam Coates Times‏*@SamCoatesTimes*

Imagine the financial system collapsed like it did in 2008. What would this government do then?

Mo Mowlam must be spinning in her grave, poor woman. All that work on the GFA for this. I even remember where I was when it was announced and I have no connections with either Ireland or NI. It was just such a huge thing.

Call me a dreadful old cynic but I can't imagine the (old, white, male) Tories making Patel their leader

I saw one of those games where you start a sentence and then hit the middle button of your suggestions bar to see what came out. It started I would never. I got...

I would never ever suggest you take Boris Johnson at his word

My phone clearly knows

Sam Coates Times‏*@SamCoatesTimes
Imagine the financial system collapsed like it did in 2008. What would this government do then?*

Well all the ministers would do or say whatever they wanted, safe in the knowledge TM would do nothing as long as they didn't touch anyone's knee. JRM would find the explosion in the demand for foodbanks so uplifting he'd represent his constituency from a cloud. And TM would sit in her office convinced she was
a) right (all the time, no matter what)
b) in complete control (despite all evidence to the contrary)
and c) avoiding any pesky votes in the commons in case the results caused a realisation that a) and b) weren't in fact true.

And all the rest of us would be up shit creek. So many people on zero hours/part time hours only just getting by. An economic downturn will be catastrophic for so many. Well it would probably cause complete collapse as the cabinet would not agree on what to do.

Call me a dreadful old cynic but I can't imagine the (old, white, male) Tories making Patel their leader

They said the same of Mrs Thatcher ....

MPs held in contempt can be asked to apologise, suspended or even expelled by their fellows. Offenders can also theoretically be confined to a room in the Big Ben clock tower

I wonder who would end up in the Big Ben clock tower....

LH...but Thatcher was white.
No way in hell the Tories will ever have a leader from an ethnic minority
In my lifetime

They might make an exception for an anti-feminist,anti-foreign aid, pro-brexit, slathering reactionary who is entirely lacking in humanity, mrsr. She's basically been out-winging the loony section of the Conservative party for years and shows nothing as dangerous as a sense of humour or an ability to think through her knee-jerk conclusions. She strikes me as perfect Tory leader material .

LH...but Thatcher was white.

And fed into Tory "strict nanny" fantasies, which Patel is unlikely to do.

FFS, aid to the Golan Heights

Exactly
Child of a minister too - just like TM

And meanwhile here on MN, the Leaver brigade have got a lovely self-congratulatory thread going about how brilliant everything is how the economy is doing so well. I haven't had the heart to read the links or any more than the first page.

@Peston

So I am hearing that Priti Patel is likely to be sacked within hours. That would be two cabinet ministers gone in a week.

at pointythings and MrsHoolies if you're around.