Westministenders: Reality Bytes

[RedToothBrush]

Tonight the Corbyn and McDonnell Labour Party supported the Tory Party in improving the tax allowance for higher rate tax payers.

Yes you read that right. Did you even blink?

You've been so conditioned into seeing non existant opposition which seems to go against everything the Labour Party stand for that you no longer are shocked.

That's what 2 and a half years of Brexit has done to you.

You no longer care that Boris Johnson got £14,000 from the Saudis a couple of days before the Khashoggi murder. You know longer care that the former Defence Secretary is employed for £75,000 a year to advise a major Saudi Investor.

You are just happy that Trump hasn't started a war with Iran or North Korea yet. And hasn't started a civil war. (Though he's trying hard and next week is his best opportunity to stir it all up). You aren't surprised to hear that predictions are that the Democrats will fail to make gains in the mid terms.

You've suffered the 4657 story about how Therea May is just about to be challenged for the leadership.

You've heard about the squad set up at the Home Office to clear up all the cases the media get their hands on as the latest burning injustice. You are hearing that EU nationals who have been promised they are 'safe' are being subjected to questions about their right to stay. And you just shrug and say, "Yeah well thats the Home Office for you. The Bastards". And you do mean it, but you are so jaded by it all. And you worry that another 12 months from now, you won't even be interested in another story like that, and the press will stop printing them as they no longer interest the reader. What happens to your friends, your family, or even you then? Who is going to care then?

And then you have today.

A day where you hear that Bannon is being investigated by the Senate Intel Committee, Farage has been upgraded to the FBI's Really Naughty List and Banks has (FINALLY) been refered to the NCA. (We were only speculating on the possibility, on the 26th March...)

And you go 'Ooooooooo maybe there is hope'.

Maybe we COULD remain in the EU and avoid Turnip Soup and wiping your arse with leaves because of the national bog roll shortage. Or at least get a decent deal which suits us as a nation. Maybe, just maybe!

And that lasts for about 2 minutes before you log into twitter and the very first thing you see this:

Tom Newton Dunn @tnewtondunn
Excl: David Cameron tells friends he’d like a return to frontline politics, and fancies Foreign Secretary
www.thesun.co.uk/news/7639377/david-cameron-return-to-politics/

And you let out a high pitched screech as if you are were a dying cat as you remember this is 2018, and it just wants to beat the life out of you.

On the plus side, it shows you do still care enough to think 'Don't let that fucking bastard anywhere near power ever, ever again.'.

Ho hum.

Keep on, keeping on. Don't let the bastards win.
Keep caring. It matters.

May has actually been in a mild car crash this afternoon.

Hard not to believe in a God then ? Sounds like someone was covering all bases with "Transport trouble".

First thoughts are to notice how he mentions Boris in a subtly supportive way ... certainly not slamming any doors to the notion that it might be Boris that saves the day ?

Yep, I did wonder. Could just be fraternal support, of course, to head off thoughts that he's somehow pitted against his brother...

but it's the Johnsons and I think I trust them as much as I'd have trusted the Medicis.

woman11017, that is not totally unbelievable, is it?

Off to the supermarket for my dinner.

Here's a new thread.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eu_referendum_2016_/3419017-Westministenders-Game-Over?watched=1

I'm so punch drunk with this Nikita I just don't know.
Jo is married to Amelia Gentleman who's done excellent work on the WIndrush scandal, perhaps.............
But I don't know.

I wouldnt be surprised if Jo is put up as a stooge for Boris to get another bite of the cherry in Cabinet as his own ambitions as leader are shot to pieces.

4pm on Friday. May hasn't got much time to get her house in order to deal with the fall out as her advisers will be clocking off thinking all was well. She has tomorrow to deal with the crap before the fall out hits the Sunday Newspapers and chat shows.

Then next week.... next week is going to be crazy.

James Lydon @jambong
"JoJo's low-blow on BoJo" has to be a newspaper headline #StopBrexit

Don't forget May is going to be PARTICULARLY busy with 11th Nov this weekend

May is also out of the country...

Mueller Probe Examines Brexit Backer’s Ties With Russia
hillreporter.com/mueller-probe-examines-brexit-backers-ties-with-russia-13487

Tick tock.

JJ didn't mince his words about his former colleagues & boss:

"Hopes for “the easiest trade deal in history” have proved to be delusions.
...
Still less anything that offers the “exact same benefits” as the Single Market, as David Davis promised,
or the “precise guarantees of frictionless trade” that the Prime Minister assured us would be available."

The comments below are 50:50 applauding him vs Leavers who think May is conning them out of their magical Brexit

The divisions within the country - not just between the 4 countries - may take decades to heel,
as many Leavers clearly still believe the lies they were promised and will never be satisfied with what is possible

• they would regard Remain as betrayal / any bad effects of Brexit as sabotage

many Leavers clearly still believe the lies they were promised and will never be satisfied with what is possible - they would regard Remain as betrayal / any bad effects of Brexit as sabotage

I doubt they'll remain that much engaged. Vocal yes. But great in number ? How many of they were that worked up about the EU before it became a chance to "give Cameron a kicking" ?

Ultimately, unless they go out an vote to back up that feeling, no one is going to care. Certainly not anyone in power.

Mother NI is not a "normal" member of the UK like the other 3 nations:
Scotland chose to join with England and mostly consented to stay, until now.

Ireland was invaded and brutally oppressed for 8 centuries, continually rebelling and ever more brutal suppression.
Mass murder, torture, famine - The Irish famine is taught as genocide in some US schools - ethnic cleansing and bringing in Scottish settlers, from whom many Unionists seem to be descended

NI was only created because the UK didn't accept the democratic vote of Ireland to be finally free and forced the rest of Ireland at gunpoint to let them tear away a gerrymandered state.

plaid The Troubles were not NI "behaving badly" but the Nationalists finally rebelling at the systematic oppression and brutality of Unionist rule

It is as if the white colonists in Africa managed to ethnically cleanse part of a colony and create their own state, to continue oppressing and ruling the Africans

NI is a colonial relic, which has come back to haunt us

The 'labeling' of the differing parties in the troubles is tricky as in so many ways if you have been blown up or shot you are equally dead, be it terrorist, freedom fighter or patriot.

Wales was conquered (with difficulty, think of all those castles) by Edward I.

The story goes that he promised the Welsh that he would give them a prince who could speak no English. He duly presented them with his infant son, who couldn't yet speak at all. Hence, instead of the Prince of Wales's motto being Ich Dien, it's really the Welsh 'eich dyn' - your man.

Growing up as I did in Wales and then moving to England at age 10, I wondered why the town didn't have a castle, because all the Welsh towns I knew did.

Living in Brum, Wales is a short hop away. It's the "west" in the lyric

There's a feeling I get, when I look to the West ....

peregrina I was taught that tale about Wales in school, but was never sure if it was really true !
Sounds the sort of dodge our ruling class would pull

Mother Scotland most certainly does matter
I would love to keep the rUK of Scotland, England, Wales - if they all consent -

but I feel NI was stolen by force and does not belong

It is at best only with us until the Nationalists become the majority;
then we have to refuse the probable Unionist demands to partition NI further, so they can keep their settlerss' fifedom - some have already started demanding this

{Wales was conquered (with difficulty, think of all those castles) by Edward I.}
Surely if time isn't a constraint you can 'defeat' those who hole up in a castle by simply preventing them from escaping. Eventually they starve.
Do I spot an awkward parallel?

If Ireland had eventually consented after the conquest and joined in happily, like Wales and Scotland, I'd have a different opinion

• but Ireland never stopped rebelling through the centuries until they eventually won (most of) their freedom.

I don't think the tale is true either - but it's a good one!

As a parallel, it's why a sudden emergency Remain right at the end, to avoid disaster, would really worry me:
To be part of a Union needs full consent of most of the public.

The UK would continue to be a disruption & worry to the EU unless Remain gains a lot more support than 50%

I remember how disappointed - and concerned - some officials of the then Common Market were, after our 1975 ref only had about 65% Remain.
They said they hoped this would increase over the years

imo, 65% is a bare minimum, if we have to rejoin after Brexit
Remain is different, as it is generally a good idea to avoid disaster if you can

Who knows what the support would have been if successive governments hadn't used the EU as a convenient excuse for their own failures? Or had fully engaged, instead of constantly whining for special deals.

Mother Scotland most certainly does matter
Unfortunately I think plenty of people in England don't give a shit about Scotland, or Wales or NI. This is demonstrated by the Leave vote and our lack of knowledge or interest in them.