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.

Re the Canaries - there are two types of special territories associated with the EU due to geographical remoteness from the mainland:

Outermost Regions, which are part of the EU, have EU law applied but can opt out of some aspects (such as Schengen, VAT etc) eg the Canaries.

Overseas Countries and Territories which are not part of the EU can opt in to certain aspects (FOM for instance) to strengthen trade ties with the EU, eg Greenland.

And then you have British Crown Dependencies like the Isle of Man:

The Isle of Man is not part of the European Union (EU) in its own right, and is not included within the scope of the UK’s membership of the EU. The Isle of Man makes no financial contribution to the European Union nor does it receive any funding from the EU. It is not represented in the European Parliament.

The relationship between the Isle of Man and the EU is set out in Protocol 3 to the UK’s Act of Accession by which the UK became a member of the EU. The Protocol allows the Island to be part of the EU customs area which permits the free movement of manufactured goods and agricultural products in trade between the Island and the Union.

Which is interesting.

www.gov.im/media/1353298/brexit-faqs-final.pdf

interesting to watch the leavers reaction on this

peregrina The Canaries are in the EU, as a devolved region of Spain, but not in the SM or VAT area

Wiki and a couple of other articles I've read say they asre not in the CU either, but some cources say they are - so we're not the only ones confused !

Greenland is part of Denmark and hence used to bel in the EU
However, Greenland left the EU, while remaining part of the EU

Hence why there was a "reverse-Greenland" solution proposed for the Britain, NI & possibly Scotland, soon after the ref - that has since died the death, as NI unionists would refuse.

The negotiations for Greenland, with only a couple 100,000 population, depending totally on the fish industry, still took 2 years

interesting to watch the leavers reaction on this

Still thinks we're right to leave the EU cos of politics, innit.

Interesting video Justanother.

Basically when May says ‘as frictionless as possible’, it means not frictionless at all.

It’s nonsense.

And the UK is NOT ready for this.

I complained to the BBC about Banks and am pissed off that they have posted a reply on their website, but not emailed me yet.

Coming back from a holiday in the Canaries earlier this year, I we were told that they weren't in the CU, when it was a question of duty free allowances. Which was news to us knowing that it was part of Spain.

As for Greenland, I always go back to the fact that with one major industry, and a population of something like 50,000 people and still being part of an EU kingdom, and with only 9 (or 10, can't remember now) countries to negotiate with, it still took them 3 years.

Our Government by contrast thought it could all be sorted out in an afternoon, although the Leavers are now busily backtracking on that.

peregrina The Canary Islands are part of the customs territory of the EU, but they are not part of its excise duty or VAT territory. Hence the duty free differences.

Aaron Banks and the BBC are operating out of the Trump/Fox playbook.

Every time there is a new Russia-Trump collusion revelation, Trump, his surrogates and his pet Fox News presenters go full on about how

1. It's not true
2. It's a deep state (read metropolitan elite) conspiracy. Witch-hunt!
3. It was the Dems that really colluded with the Russians
4. Look over there at.... Labour's antisemitism

As a result, the activity is normalised, and people accept it's just part of normal electioneering and the voices crying it's not are muted.

And the useful by product is that it reinforces the deep state conspiracy theories, and convinces people that HRC did really collude with the Russians to lose her own election.

We've seen aspects of this already with Brexit and the BBC, but the Banks defence has ratcheted it up several notches. 

Here’s something for anyone planning a Christmas shopping trip to London: www.makevotesmatter.org.uk/lobby/

We dom't know if the Canary Islands are part of the Customs Union or not - conflicting references
I would believe only the EU's own site, but I can't find where they say this

We do know that they are not in the common VAT region - which I had thought automatically meant they couldn't be in the CU, because those are external tariffs too.
They always have checks on goods between them and the Spinish mainland

1984:

" War is Peace"
" Ignorance is Strength"
" Freedom is slavery"

Trump and Brexshit rely heavily on Nr. 2 above

BBC criticised over Arron Banks slot on Andrew Marr show

Lawyers and MPs condemn plan to interview Brexiter under criminal investigation

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/03/bbc-criticised-over-arron-banks-slot-on-andrew-marr-show?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet

Thanks to everyone who complained to bbc.
Link again.
www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/

I complained and I emphasised the fact that I had never before felt compelled to phone the BBC to complain about something - although there’s been plenty before that has annoyed or angered m

High Noon for a Sensible Decision on Brexit

James Patrick linked to the editorial in this month’s Lancet (haven’t worked out how to put a twitter link in but pic attached. Hope it’s readable)

Complained. Much of my time now is spent complaining to the BBC!

Thank you for the link to the BBC - I have complained.

Lonelyplanetmum - great analysis! And Redtoothbrush , what a brilliant roundup of recent political news!

I guess you've all seen this.

Reality bites indeed.

A cancer unit closes as a direct result of the ref. This is where rejecting our EU workforce, creating the hostile environment and making essential immigrant workers feel unwelcome leads to.

The most vehement Leave voter I know has a daughter who recently had cancer treatment. I do so want to send her this link.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/03/london-hospital-ilford-drops-chemotherapy-nursing-shortage-nhs?CMP=ShareAndroidApppPagesManager

I have just read the link about the cancer centre having to close - but the Leavers comments will be predictable - they were planning to close it anyway. It doesn't say it's a shortage of EU nurses, and we should be attempting to train our own. I happen to agree with, rather than letting other countries do the training, but I don't see the Government making plans to do that either.

Where are the Leavers - the end is in sight for them, why aren't they on these threads?

Leavers aren't on these threads because apparently we are all meanies who ask the questions that we expect answers to.
Sadly, in real life you'll still meet plenty of Leavers.

Numbers > actual people.

Trafficked Europeans may have to pay to stay in UK post-Brexit

www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/03/protest-fees-trafficked-europeans-brexit

From the article:

"In 2016, after becoming prime minister, May described human trafficking as “the great human rights issue of our time”.
....
The government recently decided to slash financial support for potential victims of modern slavery in half, taking it down to just £37.50 a week

Cos slaves should be able to live on that 🧐
Now this decision to charge them for registration

A Conservative MP has called on the government to reintroduce hanging for people who commit violent crimes

John Hayes, MP for South Holland and the Deepings, and a former minister, asked justice secretary David Gauke to consider the “potential merits” of the death penalty

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tory-mp-bring-back-death-penalty-john-hayes-lincolnshire-capital-punishment-a8615731.html?amp&__twitter_impression=true

EU plans post-Brexit London 'embassy
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-46076860

Brexit diet could lead to 5,600 deaths a year as fresh fruit and veg prices shoot up

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-46076860

5600 seems out by about 4 million.

I don't understand why no-one seems to mention the obvious conflict of interest that is Theresa May's husband.

Surely it can't be right that the Mays stand to make a personal fortune out of the decisions she makes as Prime Minister, especially when those decisions are so bad for the majority of the country?

I don't understand why no-one seems to mention the obvious conflict of interest that is Theresa May's husband. Surely it can't be right that the Mays stand to make a personal fortune out of the decisions she makes as Prime Minister, especially when those decisions are so bad for the majority of the country?

Also one of the Drugs minsters husbands is trousering so much from his cannabis investments (which, by the way, le May is also) that she has had to recuse herself on the subject in parliament.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/drugs-minister-victoria-atkins-hypocrisy-cannabis-paul-kenward-british-sugar-a8356056.html

This is the politics of the gangster. Get your mates to make and keep something illegal, while you fill your (and their) boots with filthy lucre.

Whenever any politician talks of the war on drugs, I wonder how much the barons of Columbia are paying them.

no-one seems to mention the obvious conflict of interest that is Theresa May's husband

I did, on these threads, a year or two ago tanith . A particularly unpleasant troll attacked me when I posted reputable newspaper articles detailing these apparent 'conflict of interests'.

I now realise why.

Disappointed in retrospect that so many vicious trolls were allowed on here.

But there we are.

And now we're looking at being trapped in a regime starving us and bringing back hanging.

So the many who have substantial 'conflicts of interest' can make an absolute 'killing' on planned market shocks and tax law omissions over the next year.