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.

@Kevin_Maguire

No 10 now says: "Neither the PM to Mr May have DIRECT(my emphasis) offshore investments."

Oh dear.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41859691

Reality Check: Does the UK trade with 'the rest of world' on WTO rules?

"Even if we leave [the EU] without a deal, we still get most favoured nation status under WTO rules, which is how we trade with the rest of the world," said MP Bernard Jenkin MP on 17 January.

Reality Check verdict: This is wrong. With regard to tariffs, the UK trades with 24 countries and territories under WTO rules alone. With 68 others it has, as part of the EU, free trade agreements, either fully or partly in place, which all enable trade on better terms.

BBC's Reality Check is wrong.

See Richard North's letter in a reply to Mike Galsworthy.

Sam Coates Times‏*@SamCoatesTimes*

And disbelief and despair from most Tories I talk to who often worry that - basically - Theresa isn’t governing and there’s a vacuum in No10
One cabinet minister told me there’s no appetite for boldness from No10 any more and her lack of political energy will kill her Government

Political vacuums are dangerous things.

I can not stress this enough.

More evidence of the toxic Westminster environment:

inews.co.uk/opinion/bullying-politics-next-westminster-scandal-exposed/amp/

“In the last few days, I’ve spoken to staffers who recall MPs suddenly breaking out into tearful, screaming tantrums over issues as petty as what food their staff have bought them for lunch.

Another tells of a prominent parliamentarian who would refuse to talk to her staff at all for days on end – eight hours a day in a small shared office – as a punishment for some perceived slight. The MP’s silence would only be broken by bouts of swearing, or throwing objects – phones, books and even handbags – at their unfortunate researcher.”

@AdamBienkov
David Davis says it will take an unspecified amount of time to release Brexit impact papers "in a way that is accessible and informative".

He then shows the letter DD has written in which it appears that the brexit assessment papers don't really exist, as such. Worth reading but I can't manage to copy it here.

I'm getting a little bit annoyed about the coverage of tax havens, Panorama and the Paradise Papers

As the BBC itself states while still working itself up into a froth , what people have been doing is not illegal

How about directing their ire at the law makers (......like, say, our government - which has resisted the EU's attempts to improve financial controls ) who have created - and chosen not to close - these loopholes.

The wee mention of what the government should be doing at the end of the piece is too little too late - and there is so much that they could have described over thwarted efforts in the past **

Or how about using some of the investigatory resources that they have deployed to question what little work has been done in Brexit and its consequences.

It smacks to me of "Oh look, a squirrel"

what people have been doing is not illegal

It may not be, but the laws did not make themselves. For many of us, it sticks in our throats to see already extremely wealthy people finding ways to increase their wealth, whilst at the same time others are suffering real austerity.

I think the Guardian etc. are only continuing the work they started before the Referendum, and it's rather gone and got taken over by the event of Brexit.

@timjn1
Leave voter here. This can’t go on. Time for Parliament to rise to the level of events and stop this insanity. @Anna_Soubry @ChukaUmunnaTim Neale added,

Peregrina - I agree. Which is why I am angry at the lawmakers They've had plenty of chances to address them. Plenty of times the loopholes have been pointed out. Plenty of opportunity to work with the EU to strengthen financial regulations.

And they chose not to

Worse, they resisted pressure to do so.

As is said so often, tax avoidance is legal, but tax avoidance is not. A good tax system tries to minimise the opportunities to avoid tax. But ours does not - especially for the super-rich

And yet we sanction and reduce benefits for the poorest.

Where are our priorities? Rather than highlighting the who , we should be highlighting the how - and putting pressure on the government to stop it

But of course, the WM Government now has a full programme of Brexit related and harassment work to carry out instead.

prettybird I am as angry as you.

I think you meant tax evasion is illegal. There is a point when some avoidance schemes come close to being evasion.

However, in AIBU the thread on the Super rich has some people trying to argue that some of these avoidance schemes are little different to us ordinary mortals putting money into ISAs or a pension pot. Except that we don't need to employ a battery of tax lawyers or accountants to open an ISA or enrol in the firm's pension scheme, or a private scheme. Nor is there the same secrecy about them.

You're right - I meant tax evasion being illegal - I started talking to dh about it and must just have repeated the word I was talking to him about (I was explaining the difference - correctly - between the two)

....and I think we are vehemently agreeing

If the schemes for the super rich were really like ISAs or pension funds, then they wouldn't be getting so upset about being "exposed".

And at any other political time, I'd be welcoming the spotlight being shone on them. It's just at the moment it feels like a distraction from the absolutely critical things that are happening or not happening that need to happen in this country

What sticks in the craw is the moralising directed at the poor and those on welfare while the perfectly legal greed of the rich is apparently beyond censure.

I don't understand why people who use these schemes don't jsut come out and say "Of course I use them. I pay a large amount of tax in the UK, but it's only prudent to invest the rest of my money in a tax efficient scheme, in this case one that is off-shore"

I would have more respect for them if they at least came out and owned up to what they were doing, rather than being so secretive.

On MP bullying, did everyone think that Liam Byrne back in 2008 was the exception not the rule??

Maybe they are not paying a large enough amount of tax in the UK though. Maybe they only pay as much as they need to to look credible? Maybe they are hiding millions. Why else be so secretive?

There has been much speculation as to the source of the funds that paid for Brexit - what if it all came from Arron Banks' own hidden stash? What if he had squirreled it away for years with Brexit in mind?

If the Trump campaign and many others before it show anything, they show that there are far too many people out there with far too much spare money on their hands and far less commitment to the basic premise of the democratic process (i.e. one wo/man one vote) than you would like to see. I am thinking of the obscenely rich Robert Mercer and his daughter, the Koch brothers, and the Chandler brothers who bankroll Legatum.

Faisal Islam @ FaisalIslam
Lost in scandals -highly noteworthy that 3 Tory MPs, not signatories to Repeal bill amendments, gave support to Efta/EEA at backbench debate
Tory MP @JohnStevensonMP in the backbench EEA debate said UK should join Efta which would “turbocharge Efta”
Here’s his reasoning:
www.conservativehome.com/platform/2017/10/john-stevenson-lets-have-a-brexit-settlement-that-all-can-live-with-by-joining-efta.html
John Stevenson: Let’s have a Brexit settlement that all can live with – by joining EFTA
Stevenson says that “damage is already happening” -£155m tyre factory due to be built in his constituency postponed and “may never happen”
ref to DMack plan for Carlisle motorsport tyre factory - 2m tyres, 100 jobs directly up to 650 later..“Brexit put paid to it” with investors
Tory MP @AlexChalkChelt “If EFTA allows 3rd party trade deals emergency brk while ousting ECJ jurisdiction, shd merit closest consideration”
No 3: Tory MP James Cartlidge: variation on free movement not going to be unpalatable to Brit people, don’t want visas applied to themselves
... so advocates considering Efta membership at least for transition...

Political parties across the board at every level in this country do not like whistle blowers. It manifests as bullying. It's general behaviour rather than the exception. It's all about being loyal. Good people regularly quit politics because of this culture.

Parveen Agnihotri @ parveen_comms
Britain isn’t broke coz of immigrants claiming benefits. It’s broke coz rich employ expensive lawyers so they can avoid paying tax #Panorama

That's basically it when it comes to off shore funds. Anyone who is pro remain and off shores in anyway or is pro Labour needs to have words with themselves.

The legality of it is something else. The question is where have British billions gone? We know it's disappeared due to cuts yet billions spent.

I think my absolute favourite thing about the BBC coverage of the paradise papers has been the sort of oh-shit-the-queen-is-implicated panic and then suddenly it's become major news about the Mrs Brown's Boys actors. Not that they don't deserve the same sort of exposure as everyone else but I'm sure they aren't really the most noteworthy.

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Britain to fall in line with American post-Brexit ... or else

http://uk.businessinsider.com/us-commerce-secretary-wilbur-ross-on-post-brexit-trade-with-uk-2017-11?r=US&IR=T

Ross attacked "burdensome and unnecessary" EU labelling requirements for chemicals,
"geographic indicators on food products",
< US agribusiness doesn't want us to be able to identify - and avoid - their chlorinated chicken, hormone-ridden beef, GM products etc >

and called for the UK to allow car manufacturers to self-certify that vehicles meet safety standards

< holy crap. That means self-certifying crash tests.
I know that US vehicle manufacturers can just keep repeating crash tests until they get a pass, whereas EU / UK manufacturers add a safety margin to ensure they pass reliably >

Ross attacked "regulatory divergence" between EU and US,
and called for Britain to follow US standards to boost trade.
^
....
Asked about recent aircraft tariffs that have put 1,000 Northern Irish jobs at risk,
Ross said:
"Even our best friends really have to play by the rules."
< you mean play by US rules >

Europe Is Tiring of 'Anglocondescension'

After Trump and Brexit, the Anglo-Saxon world's intellectual leadership may be on the wane
< hardly surprising >

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-11-03/europe-is-getting-tired-of-anglocondescension

Just a few years ago, fatigue from "Anglo-Saxon lecturing" was a hallmark of authoritarian regimes like Vladimir Putin's in Russia or Xi Jinping's in China.

Now it's surfacing in mainstream European media

• a sign that, after Brexit and Donald Trump's victory, the English-speaking world is losing intellectual legitimacy.

.... has shamelessly flowed from the United States and the United Kingdom,
two countries that have committed collective suicide in the last year in the view of the whole world
as part of a boorish, populist reality show, starring the most rancid elements of the right wing, the most mediocre politicians,
and the most dishonest media outlets,
all working together to bring a corrupt clown such as Trump to power, and prompting a folly on the scale of Brexit,
something that not even they can find a way out of.
...
They are trying to establish new rules of engagement,
under which the U.S. and the U.K. can no longer speak from the position of moral superiority that was born of their World War II victory.
< but Kippers will forever bang on about beating the "huns" >
....
As the events of the 1940s fade into the historical distance,
English-speaking societies' more recent intellectual and moral failures gain relative importance.

I'm not sure if this Mail on Sunday story has been posted. Surely the authenticity of the referendum vote must now be questioned. Even the Mail ran the story.

How Putin's troll factory did twist Brexit vote.

www.pressreader.com/uk/the-mail-on-sunday/20171105/281698320016354

www.google.co.uk/amp/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5050169/amp/Inside-Putin-s-fake-news-HQ-Moscow.html

The comments below the Fail article are so unanimous that it does make one wonder where the posters are based.

Yes Hester wonder if this is coming out now as Russian links in US investigations

UK must not compromise with EU over Brexit, says senior Trump adviser

US commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, issues warning regarding future US-UK trade deal

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/donald-trump-brexit-negotiations-eu-cbi-wilbur-ross-a8041181.html

This is make or break time for us all.