Westministenders: Back to School

[RedToothBrush]

No, I'm not referring to the start of a new parliamentary season, I'm referring to the number of politicians who need to literally go back to school. Its embarassing, and worrying.

Anyway, here is a slightly lengthy, end summer news round up for you.

The Brexit Headlines
It seems to be Cabinet Office policy to push for the Chequers Deal or for No Deal Even though Macron has very firm, plainly and clearly said "non" in no uncertain terms. Its significant because its come from the official Brexit Department and not from a sweating Dominic Raab at Dexeu.

He has however delivered the first batch of the Brexit Untechnical Papers which are supposed to advise what to do in the event of No Deal. In reality this is a PR exercise, which makes the assumption that some sort of minimual deal will have been done, rather than no deal at all, combined with a very practical plan for 'a wing and a prayer'. Which is a bit of an issue if we decide that we really are going to stick to the line that its Chequers or no deal.

These untechnical papers are ludicarious shallow, which some having the audaciency to say "plan for the news rules, but we haven't actually decided what the news rules are and we'll get back to you as soon as we've made them up". The completely skirt the entire subject of NI, saying merely, more or less "oh that one will just work itself out". Despite the untechnical papers don't include the crucial aviation one, which apparently was held back because it was regarded as 'too shambolic' which is quite the statement, if you've read any of them. Nor do they include details of the contract for hundreds of portaloos to line our motorways so that lorry drivers can still take a pee whilst they are stuck in queues for days. They might starve and no one else will have any food because all the lorries are stuck, but hell they'll be no exposure on the M20 to offend you.

Its not quite as bleak as it sounds though. The Chequers Deal is a vision of our future relationship with the EU. Its not the Withdrawal Deal. And the Withdrawal Deal (and backstop) is the thing that needs to be done in Oct / Nov. Which then will lead on to talks about the Chequers Deal. You can't talk about Chequers without having ALREADY agreed the Withdrawal. Which is very important to keep in mind as its continuely being lost in the media coverage. Could it be that all the sudden noise from the Cabinet Office, is an attempt to distract in the short term to protect the Withdrawal phrase?

Also as an alternative to Chequers, Macron is reportedly expected to propose something akin to an 'associate member' style agreement for the UK with a vision for the EU and its allies to form a series of "concentric circles", with Britain closely tied to the 27 "core" EU member states. If this sounds familiar it is. Guy Verhofstadt has been banging on about this as an idea since before Brexit. Its also a plan which has long been muted by Barnier too. It will probably go down like a lead balloon here, but there is a political will in the EU for a deal. There just isn't in the UK.

More generally in UK politics
Jeremy Corbyn has had a nice relaxing summer but after the hard upcoming weeks ahead, I think he'll still be looking forward to his holiday plans for the Autumn Break, when he visits Israel to profess he's still definitely not an anti-semite, because look he's visiting the evil Zion and talking to Jews. He will spend the next few month telling us that No Deal is a Very Bad Idea, whilst also trying to get his MPs to vote in ways that are a Very Bad Idea. Meanwhile the rest of Labour will indulge in a very public slanging match which most normal people have long since stopped caring about in anyway because they are so bored and disappointed in how far heads have been inserted up backsides.

Theresa May, has been in Africa, where she is trying to get trade deals with lots of countries we already have trade deals with through the EU. She's also in the midst of a fight with Spreadsheet Phil who has been busy telling her to butt out of the budget and realising information to undermine the 'No Deal' narrative all week. Oh and trying to persuade beg Mark Carney to stay another year at the BoE cos no one wants his job. Rees-Smug has been up to his usual English Gentleman Act where he replicates the MPs of the Victorian Era who were into fucking those from the colonies whilst stripping them for asserts, with impecable manners. Boris Johnson is looking for his next photo op where he can look zany and drop a headline grabbing offensive comment. If it winds May up, so much the better. The Tory Creche outing to Birmingham looks like its going to be a scream.

I should say something about the LDs here, so here's a tumbleweed for you.

Back to Brexit
The fishing wars have started. Michael Gove has yet to be sighted in a souwester though (give it time). The Scallop Wars are an insight into why we need a relationship with the EU. It turns out that the French are pissed because we've been using these big fuck off ships which dredge the sea bed and are a ecological disaster and haven't observed a break for a 'breeding season' this year, whilst the French are forced to do so by law. We had been observing an informal agreement where we stick to the same rules, but for some reason this year, some bright spark though it was a bad idea for us to do so. So the French have got a bit shirty in response. Gove is spitting the dummy and saying we will do something. The reality? Well what exactly can we do apart from go to the EU and use the EU courts apart from patrolling the seas with a lot of customs boats and officials we don't have? Cod Wars III here we come!

We've also announced plans for brand new white whale money pit satellite to circle solely over the UK. We aren't in need of coverage for the rest of the world, so we aren't going to waste money on flying over anywhere else who isn't prepared to help contribute financially to its construction. It is going under the draft name of 'Heliocentre'

In other news
If none of this cheers your spirits, then great news; Good Old Nige is making a come back!!! He's dead excited because he's planning his first big Nazi Leave means Leave rally in Bolton where he act out his childhood Hitler fantasy. It'll a cost you a fiver to get in. He's also bored and worried about his income, as he's now considering getting pasted in the London Mayoral Election for the publicity. So soon his face will be back on your TV boxes for Questiontime. Are you all so happy.

I rather suspect the Greens won't be objecting and will be only too happy they aren't getting the publicity they deserve as the 4th biggest party at the moment...

So the Summer is over and normal service is resuming. I hope you have enjoyed the rest and this post brings you a little up to speed. We have Party Conferences to look forward to in the upcoming weeks. Won't that be a joy to behold? And the resumption of shooting ourselves in the face in EU talks.

Oh and don't forget that Trump fellow too. Its all starting to look a bit tasty over there ahead of the November elections. What happens there in the next couple of months might be very important to what happens over here.

Who is excited?!

I am just dancing to the sound of the South African Beats.

Someone posted a link to a short piece about a German supermarket...

It's here > www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/edeka-german-supermarket-empty-shelves-racism-diversity-largest-chain-a7908551.html

The impact of having no food imports coming into the UK would be the same - half of the shelves would be empty, not just of finished food products, but also of domestic foods that require imported ingredients (e.g. British sausages contain herbs, spices, preservatives etc from the EU, without which the sausages don't get manufactured).

Jack Ward, chief executive of the British Growers Association, explains the situation regarding imported vegetables;

“We have a mountain to climb,” said Ward. “It is scary, really scary.” He said a no-deal Brexit next spring could wreak havoc on food imports, as Spain in particular is a key supplier of fresh vegetables to the UK in the early part of the year.

“Life was easy under the EU when things moved seamlessly [across borders],” he said. “If there is no deal, that comes to a shuddering halt.”

www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/03/falling-yields-of-key-uk-crops-could-raise-food-prices-and-leave-farmers-struggling

Quote from one of your links, woman:

"it does appear to be one rule for friends of Jeremy [Corbyn] & one rule for others."

Both major parties have been perverted by extremists and both also have endemic racism, of one sort or another

I now exclude voting for the Green Party as well, since they so prioritised supporting TRA activists & their feelz that they ignored a sadistic paedophile in their organisation.
The Women's Equality Party have also put men first

UK political parties are batshit and corrupt, full of incompetents, sociopathic careerists and predators
Very depressing.

cat Just been working my way through Lisa Muggeridge films. What a dame! Didn't really know of her before. Very interesting take on this all, and its effects on us women. Her PhD should be fascinating.
At least 50 000 German anti racists turned up to see the Toten Hosen bigchoc The racism and anti semitism here is visceral, and those around me are choosing not to see it for the moment. They claim, as several friends and family do that it's 'no better anywhere else'. I really do think there's a bit of Stockholm syndrome going on.

havana If no deal happens, I expect even this hopeless bunch will use an WTO emergency waiver for imports of food and meds,

As we won't be able to export food or many other goods to the EU and probably to other countries too, for several weeks at least, maybe months,
this will spike the current UK trade deficit
probably bankruptcies and unemployment too, if it lasts

There won't be supermarket shortages in the E27, but probably a few E27 firms will find they lack some components, or financial instruments from the UK.
Calais and Rotterdam may be logjammed unless they ban handling UK exports in advance
The RoI will suffer by far the most of the 27, but should receive generous emergency help

I expect Sterling to plummet as soon as either side announces no deal is happening, or it becomes obvious
1£ = 1€, maybe worse after Brexit Day.

Yup, I expected Toten Hosen would be a really big draw 
Good for them, standing up for decency

I listened to a bit of Womans Hour (R4) earlier and the Brexiteer woman was allowed by the presenter to go unchallenged spouting things that have already been disproved. It did sound rather like a catfight though so rather pointless, just a token 'airtime filler' rather than anything useful.

I think red's earlier post was about this? Our
precious GFA peace.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0bj7ldv/mothers-day

Very apt:

it's so frustrating people aren't even basically aware.

This is so true. I was talking about brexit to some of my friends over the bank holiday weekend. They think I'm mad. 'Pretzels thinks there isn't going to be any planes flying' one of them said - sounding highly amused, as if I was completely deranged. That this is the logical conclusion of no deal seems to have completely passed her by. I told her what the woman from Arla foods had said about formula milk becoming an occasional luxury - and the ramifications that would have for babies who couldn't breastfeed- particularly those from poorer families. 'Babies will die,' I told her, 'or have lifelong problems stemming from poor nutrition'.

'No they won't,' she replied, 'they'll get formula milk from somewhere else.' (the magic formula milk tree?)
She's a teacher for FFS. She's just going back to work after being on maternity leave. She should know better.
I tried to convince another one, who I think would qualify for an Irish passport through her adopted mother, to apply for one. 'I don't want to be Irish' she said. (Her birth family are from Barbados - following Windrush I'd be getting every passport there was going, if I were her.)

No wonder nothing ever happens. These people are anti brexit - they aren't even in the 'I voted remain but let's make the best of it' camp, they want it to go away - they still want to remain. But not only do they not do anything about it, they haven't even bothered to educate themselves about what it all actually means. And they put any kind of warning down to me being OTT.

If things continue the way they have done for the past two years - then come April my friends are going to have cancelled holidays and hungry children. I just can't fathom how people can be so complacent. But there is a growing part of me that thinks they will all deserve everything they get for burying their heads in the sand.

Why??
Why try to redefine anti semitism!???

Because the current perfectly good definition is obviously created by hardline Zionists who support Israel and are up to their necks in conspiracies to take over the world, people who hate the ordinary working man and only want to extract profit from the working class, and forrin to boot, so clearly Labour has no option but to flip the bird to all of that, innit...

Why try to define anti-Semitism ?

Because you might have said things previously that go against the current definition ?
Which is a mad way to look at life really isn't it ? I know that I have changed my viewpoint over the years about many things. I know I have said things in the past that if they were trawled up now would preclude me from political life, although given the current political landscape, that probably is no longer true !
I guess what I am trying to say in a rather messy way is our viewpoints evolve , I would happily admit being wrong though, so clearly not cut out for political life

our viewpoints evolve
Sadly, though, anti semitism does.
The english have never taught or learnt from their own anti semitic history, (or anti Catholic one either)
I wonder why.

@mathanxiety - there are valid concerns about blanket adoption of the ihra definition. -
cf publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmhaff/136/13605.htm

and www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/27/antisemitism-ihra-definition-jewish-writers

• but those considerations have been crowded out

Just checking in after a couple of weeks distraction with our house move. Thanks for the OP summary Red.

I’ve been scanning the threads when possible but, if I’m honest, while the move has meant a lot of my time has been tied up elsewhere, I’ve also perhaps used it as an excuse to step back from all the Brexit news. My sadness and fear is, I think, in danger of tipping over into full-on depression - perhaps partially down to the failure on Irish ancestry investigation front, on which I had pinned rather too much hope for rather too long. I’ve felt myself wanting to withdraw from what’s going on. Actually, seeing that written down I realise that’s probably just a very natural response! But - I can’t allow that to happen. There are far too many people totally disengaged from what is being foisted on us and I will not allow myself to be one of them.

Thanks to everyone on these threads. They are a real refuge in what is feeling like an increasingly crazy and scary world.

I may have missed this (apologies) but does anyone know if we can access the list of medications supposedly being stockpiled? I’m desperately worried for DH. I suspect Parkinson’s medication may be given low priority as PD is not, in itself, fatal. DH relies on a cocktail of meds - some manufactured in Portugal, some in Denmark, some in the Netherlands - and even with them his life is a constant struggle. Without them... well, I cannot even allow myself to contemplate it.

From that article frankiestein401

But freedom of expression is at the centre of this debate. While the IHRA “definition” is not part of our law (at most it is a statement of policy), the right of free expression is. The Human Rights Act enacts article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, guaranteeing the right of free expression and qualifying it only where proportionate restrictions – for instance on hate speech – are imposed to protect the rights of others

You know whose company one keeps with this argument?

This is why, whatever criticism the IHRA’s “examples” may seek to suppress, both Jews and non-Jews in the UK are entitled, without being stigmatised as antisemites, to contend that a state that by law denies Palestinians any right of self-determination is a racist state, or to ask whether there is some moral equivalence between shooting down defenceless Jews in eastern Europe and unarmed Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza

"may seek to suppress^ Tortuous and unsupported assertion at best, a fib at worst.

baboo they haven't released what's on the list yet.

Stockpile at home if possible, ordering the prescription a day or two early or saying your going on holiday.

I haven't got the link to hand but James Moore wrote an article for the independent about the medication issue and he is going to do a series of articles to show how indivdual get their meds.

Your not alone with this, your a head of the curve thinking about it now, lots of other people haven't.

baboo forgot to say if you haven't already contact your MP specfically about the meds. The medication issue is in my view the most important thing to have sorted and needs to be on MPs radar.

I know it's really hard confronting this, my DP is on 20+ meds a day but as soon as I had a vague plan I felt better. I have told DP my love for him is so big and strong it can stop brexit but alas we do still need a plan b

Maybe it would be useful to start a suitably titled thread saying that EVERYONE who is on regular medication should write to their MP telling them that they are indirectly responsible for your welfare, and and discuss with your GP a 'back up' plan so that if you have shortages for specific meds you know what alternatives COULD be used and whether a strategy such as reduced dosage could be used to prolong your supply IF necessary. Knowing exactly what is sufficient to keep you reasonably well could be crucial. It is obviously a terrible situation to be in but this sort of knowledge may help.

to all med short posters. Unbelievable situation

Big demo outside Labour Party HQ atm