Westminstenders: Exit 2020 Vision

[RedToothBrush]

Yet it is a great mistake to suppose that the only writers who matter are those whom the educated in their saner moments can take seriously. There exists a subterranean world where pathological fantasies disguised as ideas are churned out by crooks and half-educated fanatics for the benefit of the ignorant and the superstitious. There are times when this underworld emerges from the depths and suddenly fascinates, capturers and dominates multitudes of usually sane and responsible people, who thereupon take leave of sanity and responsibility. And it occasionally happens that this underworld becomes a political power and changes the course of history.
Norm Cohn ‘Warrant for Genocide’ 1970

(As referenced by Nick Cohen).

We have a deal (or bits of a deal). Bino til Dec 2020. Then the cliff?

Still a long way to go. It sounds better than it could be. But worse than it initially seems.

Michael Deacon @ michaelpdeacon
Jacob Rees-Mogg was supposed to board the Brexit fishing boat at Embankment pier. But he's just been told he's not allowed on because no one asked TFL's permission
Blocked from boarding his Brexit boat, Jacob Rees-Mogg is now having to walk to Parliament instead

thecat

I can't take the credit for the Maths as the comparative figure was RTB's figure not mine.

It's a theme that runs through the whole referendum though. If you talk about any sums in terms of millions/ billions it sounds a lot to a voter on £16 k a year. However everything should be seen in the context GDP really.

Dh pointing out if data laundering, likely to be money laundering too.

In which case it become the domain of the Serious Fraud Office.

And potentially it could be viewed as an act of terrorism to interfere with an election. So freezing of assets.

I am doubtful we will take this route but interesting especially since there are moves to disband the SFO by the government.

no one asked TFL's permission

Tee hee.

Hats off to whoever at TFL or perhaps the Mayor's department who spotted that one!

By the way, the fish stunt is seriously pissing me off.

It's more of the whole: 'Brexit is a hilarious cartoon/carnival' schtick.

It really isn't. It's been an effective right-wing coup, that is continuing. It's been professionally operated by extremely shady people who continue to evade prosecution - possibly because out government (which is in shreds) is comprised of a Party that has been compromised by shady funding for years.

BigChocFrenzy's earlier post - highlighting the effects on, and movements of, businesses already - should be one of the top news stories today. That and detailed analysis of the implications of the CA story - put forward in really plain language - for democratic process. Instead we have this continuation of 'Brexit-is-so-funny-and-not-really-very-serious' - which was one of the most damaging 'memes' in the campaign.

Even more than that figure on the bus, the whole 'carnival' atmosphere was a damaging lie.

I remember trolls posters on here arguing that, whatever the result, the UK wouldn't leave the EU, so it didn't really matter how you voted. And the whole thing was conducted with a profound lack of seriousness - even when Cameron came and delivered his 'FFS, don't vote Leave' speech' - with his 'serious' face on. Boris Johnson, with his 'Take Back Control/Independence Day' speech (just before the bloody film aired) was another moment - his whole 'clown' persona in full effect.

I keep praying that people will, finally, be sickened by all of this, and see it for what it is. The coverage really should be something along the lines of: 'Here is the Leave campaign, pulling another stunt. Have we reached saturation point yet? Here are some actual figures ...' But it won't be. That sort of comment will be the preserve of social media. Which isn't right. Mainstream media have a duty to be more thoughtful than this - partly because they are trading on a reputation for having been like this in the past.

(And of course, respect to C4News, who are covering a serious, lengthy, investigative piece on CA at the moment.)

(I have no idea how this works in law.)

That'll be you and the ICO then. Apparently they raided CA Nottingham office a few months ago for an 'unconnected' reason

RTB Yes. I perceive a major issue with CA to be that they acted as a conduit for money laundering - or were 'caught up' in money laundering (I'm not sure it's even possible to say that). There isn't the proof for that yet. And there seems to be no will to amass it.

It's absolutely baffling.

Wendy Siegelman
@WendySiegelman
UPDATE: Emerdata Ltd created by SCL/Cambridge Analytica's Julian Wheatland, with Erik Prince's business partner Chun Shun Ko appointed director Jan '17 - just added Rebekah Mercer & Jennifer Mercer as directors, along w/Alexander Nix HT @SoftWarmKitties beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10911848/officers

CA folks - something going on with Wheatland's Emerdata, Mercers just became directors, along with Erik Prince's business partner 👆🏼
@carolecadwalla* @annmarlowe* @profcarroll @Jamesp @peterjukes @brexitsham

Typo in tweet - should say Chun Shun Ko appointed January 2018 (sigh)

Carole Cadwalladr
@carolecadwalla**
More Carole Cadwalladr Retweeted Wendy Siegelman
Journalists! There's a whole new rat's nest right here...
New Mercer-backed venture with Cambridge Analytica's newly-defenestrated Alexander Nix

(& kudos as ever to super-sleuth @WendySiegelman)

And

Carole Cadwalladr
@carolecadwalla**
UPDATE: An ex-employee source points out "Cambridge Analytica is a legal fiction. Alexander Nix has been suspended from NOTHING."
This is a very good point. More to follow...

Look. This is in Cambridge Analytica's own words (from when it was trying to sue us). It's a shell company with no employees. What exactly has Alexander Nix been suspended from???

Brexit-is-so-funny-and-not-really-very-serious' ...the whole 'carnival' atmosphere was a damaging lie.

But for the Johnsons and Rees Moggs of this world it is just part of the politics game.

That's why Boris says one thing one minute and the opposite the next.

It's 'I'm alright Jack' playing at politics and policy. (Or perhaps that should be Alt - right Jack.)

George Eaton @ georgeeaton
Real wages down by 0.2% in new ONS figures - they've now fallen every month for a year.

There isn't the proof for that yet.
Is a confession regarded as proof by a court?

They said something in the c4 documentary which is the very definition of money laundering.

Waits for the speech from JRM on what a terrible thing it is that bureaucracy can stop a salt of the earth fisherman from going about his business on the Thames. Bonfire of red tape, blah blah blah

2 useful Twitter threads on micro-targeting that I'm parking here for future reference. I suspect most people on this thread will a. have seen them b. be familiar already with the content. So I guess I have posterity in mine!

USA, what the Facebook snatch enabled

Tweet at the end about the 'low information voter'

Nice play there TfL!
It really shows people like JRM up for what they think they are - rules aren't for the likes of them.

Not all fishermen are in favour of Brexit.
Rees-Mogg has a constituency in the SW. Fishermen in the SW export disproportionately to the EU. My fave BBC news source, Farming Today, did a piece a while ago where fishermen from the SW said they were very worried about their businesses if their exports were to be affected.
Someone should tip a lorryload of rotting mackerel onto Rees-Mogg's driveway.

Another one to add to cat's collection

twitter.com/peterjukes/status/976399231354359809

Jacob Rees-Mogg was supposed to board the Brexit fishing boat at Embankment pier. But he's just been told he's not allowed on because no one asked TFL's permission

When passions were high, last year, I was pretty unrestrained in aiming and firing the Rossetti moron cannon. Which attracted howls of opprobrium about considering myself a smug intellectual.

I'm sorry, nothing since has changed my opinion about the intelligence of the Brexit element of the Leave camp.

They really are that thick, really.

It's a shame that HIGNFY is off air at the moment. A clip of JRM floundering (that's my fishy fun) on the embankment as his boat sails by might have been a game changer.

Funny ... lacking their bot-shills, the Brexit side of things really have gone off the radar. Or is it just me ? It seems a little lumbering now ...

Its not just you DGRossetti. It does seem a little quiet, don't jinx it.

JRM: Sole survivor ? Gives a new image to being grilled in Parliament I guess.

Re:Brexit silence just adds to the atmosphere of confusion.

Bearing in mind some Leavers will now assume that Brexit is sorted ... oh, look, Poldarks back.

Let minnow if he gets permission from TFL.

Bet JRM was cross and needed to clam down.

Unemployment up. Shit. It's hitting us faster than I expected. Not good.

www.theguardian.com/business/2018/feb/21/uk-unemployment-rises-at-fastest-rate-in-almost-five-years?CMP=share_btn_tw

Am I the only one who thinks Emerdata sounds like emmerder?
Je t’emmerde. Oh dear.