Westministenders: The Art of the Deal

[RedToothBrush]

Well Trump seems to have put his foot in it.

Not that this should come as a surprise. For all the talk of closer ties with the US that was never going to happen. All that was need was for Trump to over step once too many.

By chance (?) Barnier also raised questions about our commitment to working with the EU on security.

Its almost as if we are being asked to choose whom we look to for security.

Meanwhile it sounds like the divorce bill is sorted - though this may not be as settled as that, if it comes with conditions. The deal might also be backtracked on, seeing as that appears to be the done thing presently.

Talks on Ireland are stalemated with Ireland threating to veto. No sign of a breakthrough here yet.

Talks on EU citz rights are reportedly going backwards (again) rather than going forward.

All of this is theatre for a British audience though, with the UK agreeing to everything. Because they gave again their cards when a50 was triggered.

The crunch is coming on whether we move to stage two before Christmas. We have no time to lose.

Some good news I thought was May standing up to Trump at long last and say that we weren't going to move our Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. I had thought she would rush right in behind him. Maybe his tweets last week were the straw which broke the camel's back?

I won't disgree it's good news, but I wouldn't characterise it as "standing up to Trump", more "joining a consensus".

The time to stand up to Trump was last week, when he endorsed an extreme political party that is associated with the murder of an elected representative. But that time has passed.

I'm very curious as to how Trumps purported visit on the 27/28 February will be managed. My money is on some of those "anti terror" laws being used to restrict access to swathes of London.

My money is on some of those "anti terror" laws being used to restrict access to swathes of London

I sense that if they do that, you are more likely to get either a violent reaction or a situation where the police end up doing a Catalonia.

I sense that if they do that, you are more likely to get either a violent reaction or a situation where the police end up doing a Catalonia

Only if you know it's happening.

It was pointed out a few years ago that every summer there are "roadworks" all over the country that have the overall effect of preventing any large movement of people.

On reflection though, it's probably easier to nobble the media than the crowd. As we've seen in this country, just pointing the camera away from the crowd (or lack of it) is all that's needed to spin the story.

And of course if any footage does slip out ....

FAKE NEWS ! FAKE NEWS !

but I wouldn't characterise it as "standing up to Trump", more "joining a consensus".

I recall though that when Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Change agreement, May didn't sign the letter along with the other countries, but issued some half-hearted statement of her own, so joining the consensus is progress.

As we've seen in this country, just pointing the camera away from the crowd (or lack of it) is all that's needed to spin the story.

100,000 people marching against Brexit in March and the main story on the BBC was Carswell defecting from UKIP. Crowds of people at May's election hustings? Careful camera angles concealed that there were only 30 people there.

Leak, leak, leak. Click, click, click

A Trump Protest is profitable to some in a way that other protests have not been. Want drama and sensationalism? Yes we'll cover something other than a Trump visit.

Capitalism is a bitch.

spin the story

Because of misinformation about the successful anti Poll Tax movement and march, I was googling this morning to share a really good long documentary called 'The battle of Trafalgar'.

It showed how the march went from a sunny fiesta of families and picnics to the police driving riot vans and horses at speed into the crowds in Trafalgar square.

This film appears to have disappeared to be replaced by 'Poll tax riots'.

They weren't. It was a peaceful march attacked: like Orgreave, like Wapping, like Beanfield.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poll_tax_riots

The poll tax riots were a series of riots in British towns

I was there, does anyone remember riots in any towns?

Fibby.

And extremist left wingers are getting all testosteroney about repeating something which didn't happen.

Strange times.

found it
www.dailymotion.com/video/x2eg636

I was on the London poll tax march (I saw Tony Benn just ahead of me). I remember really clearly getting to Trafalgar Square with my boyfriend, and saying that I'd had enough and was going home. It was completely peaceful and I wasn't particularly interested in listening to the speakers, by the time I was on the tube home it had - apparently - turned into a riot...

You must have been near the front lala? After the police's terrifying attack, I made a fast walking get away, it had been nice up till then. Very nice.

If you can bear to watch any of the film, it's fun for nostalgia's sake for fashions. And Julian Copes out of Teardrop Explodes, hidden in his big head costume.

But also for bus loads of permed ladies from the shires attending, pensioners, mums and dads etc. Very very like the grass roots remain groups in towns and villages up and down the country.

Non partisan, no political party, mainly just ordinary folk.

I was on the Poll Tax march too.

How lovely that you were there, Lala and Woman !

I stayed for the riot - I was separated from friends and was sheltered by a group of ravers outside the National Portrait Gallery. Well, on the NPG - they pulled me up, out of the path of a horse charge, and I sort of clung on to some railings in a completely dazed manner, with the ravers dancing away all around me. Very surreal. I was exceptionally grateful. The horses were large.

It really was utterly bizarre. An artist friend used some photos to construct a kind of Bayeaux tapestry of the day: starting out with lots of smiley people, gathering for a march; then horses and broken glass at the end. It really did turn from sunny carnival to riot.

twitter.com/kbutler95/status/938724863090544640

That should have explained that we were in Trafalgar Square and things became very confused, with me getting separated from my friends and ending up staying for the riot in my attempts to find them again. I'm not really a seasoned dissident. But the oddest thing about the Poll Tax Riot was that so few people caught up in it were.

Who does it suit to spin a story about a peaceful march against Trump? Who does it suit to spin a story about a 'riot' against Trump?

Remember this is not just for a UK audience but also to an American audience. Think "Look liberals being violent in the face of the American President, this is an insult to our national pride", blah blah, blah.

My prediction:
Trump will drop a clanger to stir up shit in the UK RIGHT before he leaves for the UK. The UK government will try and keep a visit quiet as they want as little to deal with as possible. Trump will open his big mouth. The UK government will be pissed off and won't have a clue how to handle the situation responsibly and in doing so will be heavy handed out of fear (and due to the demands of Trump). They will fuck it up.

I find it nonsense to believe that
a) An internal leak or a leak from the press won't happen.
b ) Trump, himself, can keep a secret
c) Trump won't use it as an opportunity for political gain

We shall see.

Esther Webber
@estwebber
Andrea Leadsom says a total of 16 peers and MPs have taken the trouble to go and read the Brexit papers

Jeremy Cliffe
@JeremyCliffe
Goodness. In his speech to SPD conference, Schulz calls for a federal constitution for a United States of Europe by 2025.

Brexit: UK fails to retain voice in European court of justice

Exclusive: Theresa May had wanted to keep a British advocate general in return for ECJ retaining role in UK on citizens’ rights

amp.theguardian.com/politics/2017/dec/07/brexit-uk-fails-to-retain-voice-in-european-court-of-justice?CMP=share_btn_tw&__twitter_impression=true

Another pipe dream gone ....

Any history fans will be amused by the BBC History magazines analysis of how the US first negotiated as a power in it's own right. They had John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. (Looks at Davies and Fox ....).

cat lala mother

Lurking - there is virtually no British Wool industry. Sheep that are breed in the main are for meat and their wool is no good for clothes. It was used in carpets but with fitted carpets being out of fashion and the tiny amount used in Harris tweed, it's hardly worth mentioning. It does have some uses in a sustainable insulation solution for homes but not much else. The price for wool given to British farmers just about covers sheering. So it's not some big thing any leaver is rubbing their hands thinking we are going to revive.

As for last week and Trump's tweets - I remember May responding saying that he was out of order. She certainly didn't stay silent.

(Looks at Davies and Fox ....)

I don't know why we should worry. Don't we have a talent pool of 17.4 million True BeLeavers, all raring to roll up their sleeves and think really positively get to work to make Brexit a Success?

@justinterject
And we can all help by urging our MPs to write to John Bercow & by emailing him directly ourselves insisting #DavidDavis is held to account for lying to the House

[email protected]

MrsR

Thanks for the email address, woman. I had had my head in my hands wondering what the jeff any of us could do to be heard.