Westministenders: Its Really Not Getting Any Better Is It?

[RedToothBrush]

We are STILL on collision course for no deal.

Christmas is here, and whilst we might appreciate the respite from Brexit News, its really a luxury we can't afford.

The meaningful vote is scheduled for January.

Chaos is scheduled for shortly after.

I wish you all a happy and enjoyable Christmas.

EtVoila I agree:
Which why I would advocate for a totally different way of looking at brexit.

Brexit is predominant now - pushing everything else out.
Let’s turn the narrative on its head.... TM says to the public:
‘You can have more money for housing and homelessness, the NHS, supporting low-paid workers, sorting out UC and giving our youth the opportunities they deserve. Or you can have Brexit.’

(Ok, unlikely I know! And we’d need some actual figures to support the possibilities. But this is the choice we are faced with. I sincerely believe we can’t have/afford both.)

Did he? What a fool.

No Deal or even an FTA Brexit:

Crashing the economy, destroying the manufacturing and farming / agriculture sectors which employ 8% of UK workers - which the Brexiter's / Thatcher's economist Prof Minford say is acceptable collateral damage ...

All that will worsen austerity for the poor and increase the wealth gap

The "bonfire of red tape" - slashing of workers' rights, environmental law -
tax cuts for the already better off - and hence slashing welfare, the NHS, cre services, mass transport systems
lowering of food standards to the US levels ....

all hit the poor and benefit the already wealthy

I've had a look at the footage and I think he may have done, but it's not quite clear. Unfortunately the House have now gone ballistic. They are absolutely right to if it's true. Unfortunately it's yet another distraction.

But true about Nicolas Soames too.

It's all so toxic. We need a massive reset. Maybe the Christmas break is a good idea after all, they are all cracking up and losing any thin veneer of civility.

As far as I can tell he definitely said stupid but it's less obvious the second word was woman...

Dead right, Mother.

I feel another email to my useless MP coming on. And does one write to the Speaker in cases like this?

I wonder if Kirsty Blackman, say, (deputy leader of the SNP MPs)had been called a "stupid Scot" if there would be the same outcry?

Very belated Plaice Mat King. I've got lots of reading to catch up on

Parliament is indeed a toxic environment, which is why I find it so difficult to rely on them finally putting country before their twisted arses and parties.

Remember Cameron's "calm down, dear" and the cheers from his side over it

Soames making exaggerated gestures about breasts whenever a Labour woman spoke in the HoC, a few years ago,

all the sexual harassment allegations against MPs that have been quitely side-lined
also the bullying allegations against the speaker

and the Lords minimising harassment allegations against Lord Lester

For a bit of 'light' entertainment I have been watching 'Spitting Image' and it is interesting that subjects now were relevant then. There was a bit in one sketch from 1987 where there are references to Mrs Thatcher showing her bum.

I've had a look at the footage and I think he may have done, but it's not quite clear. Oh it's clear all right.

While I would prefer people didn't sit in the house of commons muttering these things while women talked, right at this very minute I do feel I have heard a lot more unpleasant things said out loud in the chamber and if I was there I'm not sure I would personally be able to restrain myself from calling the whole lot of them some pretty choice names. It hard to believe that even the most ardent advocate for greater civility really believes that someone muttering stupid woman in the current heated climate is worth wasting quite so much outrage and precious time on.

I really just can't stand any of them right now. Can we just sack them all on the spot and start again?

PainInTheEar
Can't see how WA gets forced through parliament without EU changing something to attract 1 of the groups in parliament - not in remainers' interests (rather remain), hard-leavers seer it as Brexit in name only + puts UK in perpetual backstop limbo at EUs discretion, labour will continue to oppose to agitate for GE - only tory soft-brexiters seem to accept it.

Can't see EU changing the clauses protecting the GFA permanently as they need to continue supporting IE's interests (and UK's though it's not appreciated). Perhaps add in a clause allowing UK to rejoin during transition & backstop periods on current terms to attract remainers? Why not just extend A50 if that were the case?

The only other mechanism is to threaten UK and parliament with no-deal which seems to be what's happening. Can't see parliament backing down in January as don't they get control of what to do next after the deal is voted down in January? Perhaps missing something.

Was it Plato who said those that seek power are not worthy to hold it? Or similar

Douglas Adams certainly said something like that:
“The major problem—one of the major problems, for there are several—one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them.
To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it.
To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.”

Why Brexit actually HINDERS tackling poverty

We need to reverse the UC cuts & rollout, spend more on welfare, the NHS,
more on the regions and the derepit infrastructure
more on education

BUT Brexit makes this much harder & less likely to happen:

it is difficult to raise taxes for the better off and / or for businesses, because it makes them even more likely to quit Britain, or to go under

It is difficult to increase borrowing, because that places even more strain on Sterling & business confidence

• the trade deficit and interest rates are likely to increase because of Brexit; Sterling has already been devalues a lot since the 2016 ref and could crash once No Deal is likely and certainly once it has happened. Manufacturing gained less from this devaluation than from any other sice WW2

Kate Devlinn*@_katedevlin

Labour says Corbyn did not call May a “stupid woman”

Brexit: European Commission implements “no-deal” Contingency Action Plan in specific sectors

Published today:

UK expats rights dependent on E27 expats rights
Prepping in selected areas the EU wants, not consulting the UK about what it wants

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-releaseIP-18-68511_en.htm

Labour says Corbyn did not call May a “stupid woman” Well I watched it live and was gobsmacked when I saw it. /p/ is produced by putting your lips together unlike /w/ where the lips do not touch.

Veteran Leaver RNorth speaks out on UK No Deal Plans & Unicorns

http://www.eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=87089

the idea that the UK government can make any meaningful preparations for a "no deal" Brexit, with the expenditure of a mere £2 billion is absurd.

Apart from anything else, there are 320 workstreams across Whitehall on "no-deal" with each workstream likely containing numerous plans.
In government terms, the amounts are trivial.
< the EU know this >

That amount of money, therefore, is likely to be only a down-payment – with no top limit.^

^And government expenditure will doubtless be only a fraction of the amount borne by businesses and the population at large, in lost opportunities and additional costs.

With 100 days left before Brexit day,businesses are having to commit huge sums to executing contingency plans.

These will move into high gear as HM Revenue & Customs email 80,000 businesses this week to explain the impact, providing 100 pages of updated advice online on possible changes at borders.
....

There are several possible scenarios, but the most likely is a logjam at the ferry ports, specifically the Channel ports at the European end.
...
Statutory checks < required by WTO at the EU end > will so delay the trucks that the build-up at the ports will prevent the ferries being offloaded.
And, if they can't be offloaded, they can't return to be loaded with new goods, and the whole system seizes up.
....
The trouble is that there is no rational way of countering this stupidity,
as Raab – like many of his "ultra" fellow travellers – is not acting on a rational level.

This is unicorn farming at its highest level, an article of faith that requires none of the inconvenient things like reality to make it happen.