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Brexit

Westministers: Happy New Year?

976 replies

RedToothBrush · 05/01/2018 11:37

And so we enter a New Year full of hope that things might just be about to recover from our national nervous breakdown... or perhaps not.

As we have Damien Green ejected from his role as Deputy PM over allegations of inappropriate conduct towards woman and use of porn at the end of last year, 2018 sees a bright new progressive dawn with the appointment to the role of universities regulator of Toby Young. A man who has deleted 20,000 tweets including many which are inappropriate and offensive to women, is a fan of eugenics and hates the working class and disabled.

Meanwhile the NHS is facing a crisis which is totally unexpected to the government and couldn't possibly have been planned for by a man who has over seen it for over five years. Which naturally bodes really well for Brexit planning.

We are apparently planning to join the TPP. Never mind geopolitics we can move the UK to the Pacific region.

We still are not ready for trade talks because the Cabinet can not agree on anything. Not that it sounds like they have actually discussed anything along these lines yet.

Rumours are that the Cabinet - including arch leavers such as Gove - are leaning towards supporting May and a softer option, despite the disgust of Johnson, who once again is the subject of malicious chatter about his sacking in a forthcoming Cabinet Reshuffle.

There is talk of further Tory Party war with the revelation that membership of the party has dropped to a core of just 70,000 hardline authoritarian men, most of whom are over 60. Tory HQ now wants to (perhaps with some good reason to prevent the loons) rewrite the constitution and limit the power of local associations to select candidates. The Tory party is now lining up to be a power struggle between internal authoritarians, who don't like democracy voices or structure.

Meanwhile the Labour Party membership now apparently overwhelmingly looks upon staying in the customs union and single market favourably and is in favour of a second referendum. In opposition to the leadership who are utterly committed to Hard Brexit. Much to the annoyance of Lord Adonis who is pitching a fit about government corruption and incompetence and being accused of being elite because he going skiing. Unlike of prominent Leavers who are in touch with the working class.

And finally Nigel Farage has got a meeting with Barnier. Farage, unlike Clegg, Clarke and Adonis, will not be accused by the Right Wing Press of undermining the government's negotiating position because...

It appears that we are in for another year of Brexit nonsense then.

We've not even heard mention of Gibraltar yet.

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RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 18:45

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jan/08/nhs-beds-crisis-sick-patients-can-sit-in-ae-says-health-minister?CMP=twt_gu&__twitter_impression=true&__twitter_impression=true
NHS beds crisis: sick patients can sit in A&E, says health minister
Philip Dunne’s comments ‘ignorant and appalling’, says Labour, as claims emerge of patients sleeping on hospital floors

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woman11017 · 08/01/2018 18:49

Greening is quitting government Whoops.

Peregrina · 08/01/2018 18:52

I hope that Greening quitting Government is a sign of someone with some principles.

Was it this thread that someone talked about the night of the blunt knives? ( I have been away, so don't remember where I read it.)

RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 18:52

Sam Coates Times @SamCoatesTimes
It's definitely promote white men day

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Icantreachthepretzels · 08/01/2018 18:52

I'm actually enjoying how badly things are going with this reshuffle. My major hope for this year is the complete and utter destruction of the current government. (and if that leads to the complete and utter destruction of the entire Tory party forever and all time - so much the better).

This seems like a pretty good start to me.

Maybe not what TM was hoping for, though.

WifeofDarth · 08/01/2018 18:52

Wow. Where did you see that Woman?

Peregrina · 08/01/2018 18:56

and if that leads to the complete and utter destruction of the entire Tory party forever and all time - so much the better

Yes please.

RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 18:56

I think I need to put Hollyoaks on.

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SwedishEdith · 08/01/2018 18:57

Maybe not what TM was hoping for, though.

Seems to be a recurring theme for her.

RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 18:57

Liam Fox confirmed as being shit, er sorry, staying at DIT.

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Peregrina · 08/01/2018 18:58

Theresa May seems to be utterly clueless, although it has to be said that the talent available in her party is a little thin.

RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 19:05

Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor
Hunt has been telling No10 for awhile that he did not want to be moved. So his objection to a new job can hardly come as a surprise

No 10 does not listen to anything beyond its walls.

Gove at No10.

Still no confirmation on Greening's fate.

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RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 19:06

Grayling apparently staying at Transport. That will please so many...

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RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 19:11

Beth Rigby @BethRigby
So... who’s left; Gove, Greening, Cairns, Mordaunt, Mundall, Baroness Evans. And those attending cabinet; Truss, Leadsom, Wright & Julian Smith

Mordaunt now confirmed as staying. Still no Greening

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HashiAsLarry · 08/01/2018 19:12

The problem with the death of the Tory party is god knows what would spring up in its place. Therefore I hope they're just severely wounded in some irreparable way.

BiglyBadgers · 08/01/2018 19:15

No 10 does not listen to anything beyond its walls.

May's entire leadership strategy seems to be:

  1. Decide stuff on her own in a locked room.
  2. Envision what an amazing success this will be and how everyone will agree with her every word.
  3. Announce her amazing plan
  4. Look shocked when people don't all agree with her
  5. Flap wildly
  6. Repeat 1-5
RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 19:17

Re Greening:

Stephen Bush @stephenkb
It’s politics so wouldn’t expect being good at her job to save Justine Greening but the parliamentary upsides of creating a sacked pro-European in pro-Remain marginal are not...obvious to me.
I don't want to become a Justine Greening fan account but the failure of Downing Street to brief anything nice about her instead of what's in today's papers is mystifying to me as well.
"We're sacking you, we think you talk too much, now please kindly vote in ways that increase your chances of losing your seat, kthnxbi." lacks a certain something.
Another reason not to brief heavily against someone who you are planning to sack is that it encourages them to be obdurate and gives them time to psychologially prepare.
If in December, articles had appeared talking about how May rated Greening and thought she was the party’s only hope of beating Sadiq Khan*, and today, with no build-up May’d said “‘Minister of London”, things wld be different.
*Not hard this as she is also their only candidate.

Principle of this doesn't just apply to Greening. This is probably why the reshuffle has gone so badly.

Tom Newton Dunn @tnewtondunn
Justine Greening is going badly: in No10 for over an hour and still arguing. Removed from Education Secretary, offered DWP, currently refusing it.

Tim Shipman @ShippersUnbound
Greening also fought becoming international development secretary for most of an afternoon

Clearly Greening is doing the thing that May hates most. Going on and on and on... I would. Just to piss her off!

James Forsyth @JGForsyth
Gavin Williamson's warnings about the dangers of a reshuffle are looking rather prescient today

Gove says put.

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RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 19:24

Tim Shipman @ShippersUnbound
The point of this reshuffle is tomorrow's parade of the new talent. Worth remembering as the next secretary of state for paint drying is appointed

That and grammar schools it would seem.

Greening has been in No10 for three hours.

I have stuff to do. This is the one I was waiting for (apart from Jeremy).

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RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 19:29

Baroness Evans staying as Lords Leader.

Loathsome still to come yet.

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Icantreachthepretzels · 08/01/2018 19:31

Seems to be a recurring theme for her.

She always survives though! It's uncanny! How many disasters was it said she had left before the unbelievably disastrous Tory conference? And how many disasters since then? (really - can anyone count them? Does it take more than one hand?) She must be due a vote of no confidence soon. The woman has more lives than a cat.

bigly's list is all too true.

RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 19:40

How does Trump differ from May's management style?

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RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 19:40

Jim Pickard @PickardJE
Corbyn told meeting of PLP (Labour MPs) tonight that "single market membership requires us to be members of the EU" and no one knows if he was disingenuous (it's not true) or just confused

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woman11017 · 08/01/2018 19:44

just confusedHe is dangerously daft.
Flowers for great posts today red and all.

OlennasWimple · 08/01/2018 19:48

Belated thanks to Red for the new thread and Flowers to Pointy

Greening has got to go, according to my sources, because she's not very good at the job and she hates grammar schools (not that there's any likely legislation in the offing to bring back grammar schools, but there is a principle at stake)

Hunt has surely chosen to state that he wants to stay to gloss over the fact that last week's NHS crisis meant that he couldn't move (and let's pause to consider why the news about the cancelled appointments came out last week, just ahead of the planned re-shuffle....)

Presumably May knew that Brokenshire would be standing down a little while ago, but persuaded him to hold on until this point so that the NI Secretary post could be part of the bigger picture?

RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 19:49

Laura Kuenssberg @bbclaurak
Greening was offered DWP, turned it down and has quit

Robert Peston @Peston
Greening leaves government. She turned down DWP. PM "disappointed"

Paul Brand @PaulBrandITV
BREAKING: Greening leaps into car and leaves Downing St.

Faisal Islam @faisalislam
Justine Greening has just left Downing Street. Smiling

Laura Kuenssberg @bbclaurak
Greening's departure means another powerful voice on the backbenches, and somehow who knows how to fight a marginal seat in London
PM is 'disappointed but respects her decision to leave the Government'

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