Westministers: Happy New Year?

[RedToothBrush]

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.

Paul Waugh @ paulwaugh
No10: Caroline Nokes MP attends Cabinet as Minister of State (Minister for Immigration) at the Home Department. Maybe Leadsom to get Women + Equalities + continue Parl sex harassment overhaul?

It gets worse.

Nokes wiki selected bits

In August 2011, Nokes joined a Parliamentary delegation to Equatorial Guinea, an African country criticised for its human rights record. The decision to visit the country was criticised by the Labour MP Paul Flynn. Others commended the delegation for its bravery in going, and for publishing a balanced report which was critical of the regime. Nokes said her decision to go was because Amnesty International were no longer active in the country, and information about Equatorial Guinea was possibly outdated. The delegation had Foreign Office support, and was asked to assess if historic reports of the country were still valid. The delegation met with the country's Prime Minister, whom the delegation challenged about the country's human rights record. Nokes went on to call for the country's President to instigate proper democracy and permit press freedom.

Nokes was reported to be one of the parliamentary candidates who signed a pledge to "respect, uphold and protect the right of Christians to hold and express Christian beliefs and act according to Christian conscience". She has also stated she was 'broadly supportive' of same-sex marriage providing religious organisations are not forced to act against their theology. In February 2013, she cited her support for stable and secure relationships, both gay and straight, but also referenced her previous pledge to Christians, and voted against the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill at Second Reading, saying she was "not convinced the safeguards sought by the Church of England have been guaranteed".

Yes. It's the most anti Women government in living memory.
Noted.

Nicholas Soames @ NSoames
I don’t mean to be rude or to be seen to be disloyal but there needs to be a major improvement to the Reshuffle tomorrow #doitwell

Fucking hell!

Don't worry May has less than a year before she toddles off!

Paul Brand @ paulbranditv
A former Equalities Minister herself, for the first time PM has decoupled Equalities brief from a cabinet role. Has previously been tied to Home Office, DCMS, Education. Unless she links it to a new dept, the ‘diversity’ reshuffle has ended up demoting equality, not promoting it.

I read upthread that Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs, may have received more letters than he has admitted,
from Tory MPs wanting a confidence vote on May as leader.

Could he be sitting on the fact that the number has reached 48 - which should automatically trigger the vote on May ?

Did he get a knighthood on the NY Honours List ?

Problem is, some MPs who sent him letters don't want their names public, for career reasons
Otherwise, everyone who sent a letter could get together and count noses

Laura Kuenssberg‏ @bbclaurak
Claire Perry will attend Cabinet and become member of the Privy Council

Paul Brand‏ @PaulBrandITV
Cameron used ‘attends Cabinet’ to boost gender balance and seems May has adopted it too.

Libby Wiener @LibbyWienerITV
‘Attend Cabinet’ - but of course not be too ‘chatty’ which apparently was Greening’s problem

Big Choc I just read a tweet, I forget from whom, which said they thought that May might get a leadership challenge afterall.

Why?

Because half the Cabinet think they are more powerful than her already and this reshuffle seems to be pleasing precisely no one.

Faisal Islam @faisalislam
Friends of Justine Greening tell me: “She should have absolutely expected to continue... she saw people who have been massively disloyal, others not competent, allowed to stay in Cabinet, and even given expanded briefs”

So silent women are allowed in cabinet like the BBC.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/corbyn-slams-mays-reshuffle-as-pointless-pr-exercise-plp-meeting_uk_5a53be02e4b0efe47ebb8e53

Jeremy Corbyn told a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party that the reshuffle was a "pointless and lacklustre" PR stunt.

"In 2018, the impact of Tory austerity is hitting home with the public, most tragically with the most serious NHS winter crisis yet," he said.

"And yet the government's big plan for the new year is to dodge the real issues and reshuffle the pack in a pointless and lacklustre PR exercise. It's simply not good enough. You can't make up for nearly eight years of failure by changing the name of a department."

Harry Yorke @HarryYorke1
Not a lot of background on Damian Hinds' agenda on education, other than glimpses from edu committee and APG on social mobility. But he was grammar educated in Altrincham, like 1922 chair Graham Brady. Do they share the same views on grammars and sector more widely?

Bob Harrison @BobHarrisonEdu
Damian Hinds went to St Ambrose College a Grammar school in Hale Barnes one of the most privileged parts of Trafford whose MP is Graham Brady Chair of 1922 Committee and pro-grammar head salesman..coincidence?

Altrincham = Posh Greater Manchester
Hale Barnes = As Posh as Greater Manchester Gets. Altrincham is very much beneath it.

Laura Kuenssberg @bbclaurak
10 women will now attend Cabinet, it was previously 8

red This was her one chance to cement her authority
Even if she had to leave the 3 Dunces in place, there are another 20 odd cabinet ministers, plus junior ministers

She just dithers endlessly, caves in to those with powerful cliques, gets tough with those she thinks have little support, U-turns, muddles ...
So, business as usual for her.

BUT
who apart from May is sufficiently stupid and also desperate to be PM that they would grasp the Poison Ivy Brexit ?

"Jeremy, I'm reshuffling my cabinet and I'm moving you from Health."

"No you're not! I'm staying right here!"

"Oh. OK, then. Here: have a promotion." (repeats Strong and Stable mantra under her breath)

It’s like he can’t bear to let Theresa revel in the shitshow spotlight for long

Jeremy Corbyn insists UK cannot remain in single market after Brexit

<a class="break-all" href="https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jan/08/jeremy-corbyn-eu-single-market-after-brexit#click=t.co/icbiOe5Fs8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">amp.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jan/08/jeremy-corbyn-eu-single-market-after-brexit#click=t.co/icbiOe5Fs8

Jim Pickard @PickardJE
Remember all the times that ministers told us they were making contingency preparations for no-deal Brexit, setting aside £3bn and appointing a no-deal minister etc...?
Well, according to a letter from Davis to May (leaked to FT) they are now consulting lawyers about EU's own contingency preparations for a no-deal Brexit. Here's the scoop.
www.ft.com/content/7306b972-f49a-11e7-88f7-5465a6ce1a00
David Davis attacks EU’s ‘damaging’ no-deal Brexit planning
Minister’s letter to PM says Brussels guidance to companies is threat to UK interests

In the words of @patmcfaddenmp: "It seems extraordinary that the government is exercised about the EU preparing for a no deal scenario when it has set aside £3bn in its most recent Budget to do exactly the same thing..."

First para of article:

David Davis has consulted lawyers over the EU’s preparations for a no-deal Brexit, claiming Brussels’ planning is harming British business and breaching the UK’s rights as a member state.

Makes sense if its just about PR.... and they intend to walk out...

Whoops sorry, missed some pages

Paul Waugh @ paulwaugh
Woah, another Twitter blunder on a day stuffed with them? Tory MP retweets @lisanandy criticism of new DWP Sec. Surely by mistake...?

First Hunt now Zahawi.

Plus Nick Soames comment.

One great big happy Tory family

they intend to walk out..
Lots in the Pravda press is pointing towards food shortages, self care for serious illnesses and the rest. Been about a year of grooming for walk out, so makes sense.

Corbyn's a moron. pain

Labour tried to take down the #FBPE thing with a #retain hashtag.
So there was a campaign to add #remain to those who want to push the Overton window and Labour back to just stopping brexit.

It appears to have beaten the labour one. All quite mad really.

Not sure that was the headline May was aiming for...

Btw anyone got an idea of how much it costs to rebrand a department? You have to re do all the letterheads, signs etc...

(I know how much it cost for various NHS trusts /pcts. Its not what you want to be doing if you are trying to save money and you are begging for money for your department already...)

May must be glad that Charlotte started at nursery today - and that her mother took cute pictures of her