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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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Thread gallery
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RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 22:16

amp.ft.com/content/214ca7da-f455-11e7-88f7-5465a6ce1a00?__twitter_impression=true
Donald Trump and Brexit are no longer identical twins
Britain’s approach to the world more closely tracks the EU than America

Perhaps the most consequential policy division is over the WTO. The Trump administration is quietly hobbling the world trade body by blocking appointments to its court. But a functioning WTO is critical to Mrs May’s plans to make Brexit work. The UK has stressed that, if it cannot strike a new trade deal with the EU, it will fall back on WTO rules. Mr Trump’s agenda could wreck the body that Britain is relying upon as its insurance policy

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RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 22:18

Isabel hardman @isabelhardman
Tory MP: “worst reshuffle I have ever witnessed in any party ever. None of it makes sense. It’s sabotage. I think someone’s trying to destroy her on the inside. I can’t think of a less dramatic reason!”

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woman11017 · 08/01/2018 22:19

Creepy holocaust normalising tripe from the BBC.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-42568390#

That Jews had to work for those who incarcerated them didn't make them SS: this is a holocaust denying trope.

BBC is getting genuinely dangerous.

woman11017 · 08/01/2018 22:20

Sorry to disrupt thread, made the mistake of checking news on BBC site, I've learnt my lesson.

RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 22:22

Yvette Cooper @ Yvettecoopermp
So 2 people she wanted to move stayed, 2 people she wanted to stay in Cabinet left, 2 people got appointed to the same job in ten minutes, & 2 people got extra words in their titles. Quite a reshuffle

And another front page.

Coupled with photo of Oprah.

Westministers: Happy New Year?
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RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 22:26

Stephen Pollard @ stephenpollard
Both DWP and MoJ are vital jobs. Both had solid Secs of State who had just begun to get on top of their briefs. Now both have - yet again - new bosses. This really is no way to run a government

Note. This retweeted by Tim Montgomerie. Thats Legatum Montgomerie.

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RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 22:36

Britain Think @ britainthinks
BritainThinks focus group of swing voters as featured on @itvnews at 10 now: our voters don't have any good news for @theresamay on #reshuffle day with @debmattinson & @morrelllucy
More bad news for @theresa_may: Despite not fully trusting @jeremycorbyn, our older swing voters would still vote for him over May for having a clearer purpose #reshuffle

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RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 22:46

Laura Kuennsberg @ bbclaurak
By our numbers demographics of full Cabinet ministers pretty much unchanged but proportion of Oxbridge and private school has increased

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RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 22:49

More front pages

Westministers: Happy New Year?
Westministers: Happy New Year?
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RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 22:52

In other news

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-nigel-farage-michel-barnier-meeting-eu-brussels-chief-negotiator-commission-no-deal-wto-a8147881.html?amp&__twitter_impression=true
Brexit: Nigel Farage meets with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier

No one cared.

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Tanith · 08/01/2018 22:52

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

There was a freedom of information request when the Highways Agency changed to Highways England. It didn't say much, only that the cost of rebranding was not £5million and they were still looking into it.

I have a vague memory that OFSTED once changed their name, too. I think we were all told we could carry on calling them OFSTED. Just as well, really...

OlennasWimple · 08/01/2018 23:04

Once upon a time departmental re-branding happened overnight and new stationery etc was ordered immediately. Now it tends to be a bit more sensible and phased in, so old stock can be used up before new is ordered (though very few hard copy letters are sent any more, most are emails). Signs outside departments are usually changed quickly, but it doesn't cost much to change the name on a website.

RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 23:12

Jim Pickard @ pickardje
Here's the leaked letter from Davis to May about the threat to British jobs from EU "no deal" preparations

Westministers: Happy New Year?
Westministers: Happy New Year?
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RedToothBrush · 08/01/2018 23:14

Steve Peers @ stevepeers
David Davis letter: "None of these statements take account of the implementation period"

Commission statement: "Subject to any transitional arrangement..."

Davis is making a false statement.

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BigChocFrenzy · 08/01/2018 23:24

(Ft paywall) Long, but it shows the batshit entitled mindset of DD's letter* -
complaining the EU won't keep no-deal consequences secret from EU businesses WTF !^
^
https://www.ft.com/content/7306b972-f49a-11e7-88f7-5465a6ce1a000^^
^
David Davis has consulted lawyers over the EU’s preparations for a no-deal Brexit, Hmm
claiming Brussels’ planning is harming British business and breaching the UK’s rights as a member state.^

In a letter sent to Theresa May, UK prime minister, last month and seen by the Financial Times,
the Brexit secretary pointed to^ EU “measures” that could jeopardise existing contracts
or force British companies to decamp to the continent if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.^
< i.e. telling them the facts about no-deal >

Mr Davis said in the letter that he would ask the European Commission to revise its guidance to business
so it highlights the potential for a future transition and trade deal.

^But the demand drew accusations of hypocrisy from some British MPs,
given that UK ministers have emphasised the extent of their own no-deal planning.^

“The government is implicitly threatening a no-deal scenario,”
said Pat McFadden, a Labour member of the Brexit select committee.
“It should come as no surprise that the EU is also preparing for this possibility.” Hmm

Mr Davis said in his letter to Mrs May that the guidance from EU agencies sees the UK becoming a “third country” when it leaves the bloc in March 2019,
without referring to the British government’s hopes of sealing a two-year transition period or trade deal.

Mr Davis said this treated the UK differently from other member states, even before it left the bloc, “in a way which is frequently damaging to UK interests”.

“The EU has adopted a number of measures that put agreements or contracts at risk of being terminated in the event of a ‘no deal’ scenario and/or would require UK companies to relocate to another member state,”
Mr Davis said.
< Confused but these ARE the natural consequences of a no-deal Brexit >

“The commission had issued similar unilateral statements on company law, civil justice and private international law, transport and the breeding, transportation and protection of live animals.”
< Confused natural consequences again >

The EU is unlikely to be open to revising its guidance to companies.
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, has repeatedly stressed that companies must prepare for the UK leaving the single market and customs union in 2019. < as May has promised >

“On 29 March 2019 at midnight, the United Kingdom will cease to be a member state,” Mr Barnier said in November.
“I don’t know if the whole truth has been explained to British businesses on the concrete consequences of Brexit.”
< any business that doesn't know by now is wilfully ignorant / thick / delusional - how many businesses !>

The UK government has insisted it would be prepared for a “no deal” Brexit if necessary.
Philip Hammond, chancellor, set aside £3bn in last November’s Budget for preparations in the case of Britain leaving the EU without a deal.

“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,” Grin
said Mr McFadden.

Stephen Kinnock, another Labour MP, said
the government was “naive” not to imagine that the EU would want to prepare for scenarios including a no-deal Brexit.

“The passive-aggressive tone of the letter demonstrates that the government doesn’t have a clue,” < it's never had a clue, hence danger of cliff edge >
he said.
“The relationship between the EU and UK does seem to be falling to pieces.”

An aide from the Department for Exiting the EU confirmed that the letter from Mr Davis to Mrs May was genuine

“It’s clear there have been a number of instances where the commission, by treating the UK differently despite still being a member of the EU, have not acted in good faith,” the aide said.
< Confused it is would not be good faith if the EU kept it all secret and didn't warn of the consequences of what the UK keeps threatening >

“It should be no surprise that if the commission attempt to stoke fears about worst-case scenarios.
< the UK keeps threatening this worst-case >
We will correct them and reassure our firms.” < you mean proclaim your delusional cake deal again ? >

Mr Davis wrote in his letter that the measures amounted to “potential breaches of the UK’s rights as a member” of the EU.
He told the prime minister the government “cannot let these actions go unchallenged”.

However, Mr Davis added that he had sought legal advice from officials, only to be warned that any legal challenge would probably fail.
< DD can legally force secrecy on the UK, but everywhere else will just laugh >

“Any legal action would also be high-risk politically and financially and may not conclude until after we exit,” he said.

While the EU is preparing its position to negotiate a “standstill” transition with the UK until 2021,
negotiators in Brussels have stressed that businesses will have no “certainty” until a full withdrawal deal is agreed and ratified later this year or early next.

BigChocFrenzy · 08/01/2018 23:31

imo, DD is furious because:

  1. The EU is stating plainly the serious consequences of no-deal, whereas he wants to keep this secret from everyone

  2. The EU has professionally analysed the possible outcomes, including no-deal and has made suitable recommendations how to handle this,
    whereas DD has been too lazy, thick & delusional to do this for the UK

Cailleach1 · 09/01/2018 01:46

That would be the same DD who said the EMA remaining in a non-member state after Brexit would be subject to negotiations.

So a possible no deal is damaging to the UK's interests. Really? Is there a Brexit in any guise which doesn't?

woman11017 · 09/01/2018 06:37

@bbcnickrobinson
Toby Young's past has caught up with him. He has resigned from the board of the Office for Students after more than 200,000 people signed a petition calling for him to go

HashiAsLarry · 09/01/2018 06:40

Remember that Rachel Johnson quote about people who disliked Trump took him literally but not seriously whereas his fans took him seriously but not literally?

Something tells me the Eu are going down the literal route and DD is stamping his foot that they aren't going down the serious one.

HesterThrale · 09/01/2018 07:00

Toby Young resigns from the Office for Students

Glad about this. From his tweets, he seemed like a really horrible person.

www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/09/toby-young-resigns-office-for-students

Peregrina · 09/01/2018 07:30

So Justine Greening has basically got the sack because she's from a very much working class area, Rotherham, which has made a success of its Comprehensive system? We can only have people who were successful via the Grammar School system (like May herself, who would have stayed at her little private school if she hadn't got into a grammar.)

May, being no student of history, does not appreciate how deeply unpopular the old system was; Maggie Thatcher allowed schools to convert to Comprehensives for a reason i.e. Tory votes.

Peregrina · 09/01/2018 07:32

I see David Davis's tantrums as preparing the ground to blame the nasty EU for not giving us a deal.

BiglyBadgers · 09/01/2018 07:41

Signs outside departments are usually changed quickly, but it doesn't cost much to change the name on a website.

You would be amazed. I had to update sites for a lot of department rebranding in the local government organisation I worked in. Everyone thinks it's just a click of a button and magic fairies do it. It isn't! It would take our entire team days just to update the basic webpages (every page needs to be checked and changed). You then have the more complex IT systems and forms that need updating, which can take significant IT development times, particularly if it is joining up two departments in a way which would change form logic. If URLs change you have to set up redirects and manage those.

And of course you have to inform all your external partners that names and URLs have changed. If you have an organisation that you link to from your site as it provides meals on wheels than they need to have the correct info on their site and forms, because if they don't people will assume they are the council and contact you. Chasing these orgs to update so you don't get loads of support calls from confused members of the public is a flipping time eater.

Oh and than there are search terms to think about. You need Google searches to work for old and new names at least for a time while people get used to it. Again, this doesn't happen by magic.

So, you may find it actually costs quite a bit to change a name on a website, but of course the poor sods who have to do it will get no recognition for that at all because, you know, magic web fairies init.

BiglyBadgers · 09/01/2018 08:25

I can't decide if Toby Young resigning is to distract me from the reshuffle or the reshuffle is distracting me from Young's resignation.

DGRossetti · 09/01/2018 08:29

May, being no student of history, does not appreciate how deeply unpopular the old system was; Maggie Thatcher allowed schools to convert to Comprehensives for a reason i.e. Tory votes.

Even leafy Tory Harrow kicked the Tories out in the 60s to get a comprehensive system.

And in my time there (1970-1984) it was one of the best in the country. I left school with 9 O levels, 1 CSE and an A/O level. A friend in my year had unconditional offers from Oxford and Cambridge, (which he turned down).

It was only when I went to Uni I realised how incredibly variable education was across the UK. We had 6 years of French before we were allowed to drop it. (Plus Latin for me).

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