Westminstenders: Oh Look is that a fire in the Italian Capital?

[RedToothBrush]

Next stop: 27th Feb.

Where we will apparently have Cooper-Boles II which apparently will pass but still assumes that
a) the EU will grant us an extension despite our fuckwittery
b) that it will prevent accidental no deal, which it doesn't
c) glosses over the minor point that the only way to 100% prevent no deal is to say you'll revoke if everything else fails

Meanwhile in reality we leave in law on 29th March, despite the rest of the law having zero chance of being ready in time. Withdrawal Agreement and No Deal alike.

All that is actually happening is the Tories and Labour fighting amongst themselves. Corbyn is still pretending that Brexit isn't really that important and hoping it will just go away. May is still trying to compromise with the ERG - whom if you paying attention 18 months ago were obviously were never going to compromise on anything - cos they are fuckwitted swivel eyed loons.

Meanwhile the entire country has no other alternative but to assume no deal and act accordingly.

A deal on the 21st March (as is the planned date of the Meaningful Vote) is simply too late for planners. For them no deal has already happened even if it does never come to pass.

The strategy of brinkmanship has destroyed us. We just don't know it yet.

A Split in the Tory and Labour parties may well make matters even worse going forward with further political polarisation.

Where next for Brexit?

Who knows and does it even matter now? The damage is irreversible and will take at least a generation to heal wounds. Economically it may never be recoverable.

FUKD.

I have two Berninas, and gave away a hand cranked 1908 machine, when there was an appeal for sewing machines from a charity we support in Africa. It was a lovely little machine, but I hadn't used it for ten years, so was happy with the thought of it going to someone who would be able to use it to earn her living.

Revoke Article 50 petition still crawling up through the low 80 thousands. Even if it gets to 100,000 it won’t make a blind bit of difference.

DG You need to distinguish between the handful of very wealthy people and their Tory MP stooges who know what No Deal means - because they plan to make fortunes from it

and the vast number of ignorant fools who don't realise what they are doing
.... or have since realised, but choose to carry on rather than admit what a colossal mistake they have made

@Icantreachthepretzels That's upsetting to even think about.

But where would Cameron fit into that theory? Was he duped too? (I don't disbelieve it, btw, nothing would surprise me now.)

It would have had a lot more scrutiny in parliament as a binding vote too - the terms of the franchise, the wording of the question, whether a supra majority was required (and in all constituent nations).

Missbel The EU cannot make the kind of concessions the Tories demand

• and most of the ERG specifically want No Deal anyway, so nothing would satisfy them.

The EU will only give more assurances that they intend a trade deal, not to invoke the backstop

However, since a trade deal of the complexity the UK needs would take 5-15+ years to negotiate
(depending on when / if the UK can get its act together)
they can NOT give assurances that there will be a trade deal - not violating the backstop - by the Tory's 2022 deadline, or indeed by any deadline, since it depends on the UK being serious too.

This is the most useful bit of Adler's thread:


katya adler@BBCkatyaadler

When I say EU will be more flexible than seems right now, I don’t mean ditching the backstop.

EU leaders want to protect the single market.

They earn more from it than from trade with UK alone.

Protecting border on island of Ireland = protecting SM as well as NI peace process 3

Apparently TM wasn't on the chamber last night after the vote went against her because she was furious.

Not stressed, worried, embarrassed, upset, wondering what to do next. Furious.

It's all about her deal being the winner I think.

My son has autism and is more open to compromise than she seems to be.

I used to have several treadle sewing machines
now I have a couple of electric ones but I let DD use them as her eyesight is better than mine

This incompetent, arrogant government have left the UK trapped in a corner

in a situation that no competent professional negotiators,

• e.g. in business or law - would have let happen to a client

either a No Deal which would mean economic disaster for the UK,
or a humiliating public climbdown accepting the WA

Quite BCF any negotiator in a professional sphere would have been sued by their client for professional negligence by now and probably also been fired by their firm for gross negligence!
Thanks Red for the “Fred” - doing a fab job as usual.

Some interesting theories around on why the EU Referendum was just a simple majority. One I find interesting is that it deliberately permits taking advantage of the fact that votes fluctuation exists. This enables manipulators of votes to use the media to engineer momentary public opinion fluctuations right around time the votes are cast with the objective of walking the public towards the outcome that the manipulators want.

But where would Cameron fit into that theory? Was he duped too? (I don't disbelieve it, btw, nothing would surprise me now.)

duped/ incompetent/ working with his disaster capitalist cronies all along... who knows.

But the ERG/ Atlantic bridge crew knew what they were aiming for all along. They might have been surprised everyone else was stupid enough to give it to them - but, based on the way TM and other cabinet members are acting - I think a lot of them were on board the whole time.

DG You need to distinguish between the handful of very wealthy people and their Tory MP stooges who know what No Deal means - because they plan to make fortunes from it

With all due respect, what difference does it make ? Even to a stats nerd like me, it would have been a matter of supreme difference about what make and model of plane dropped what make and model of bomb on my house during the Blitz. (It's astonishing how in the midst of the chaos such records were kept).

I have no agency. I have no power. I can't do anything of any import.

I think in Cameron's case, it was arrogance, hubris, out-of-touchedness, cushioned by a personal wealth that means he would never have to face the impact of his cowardly choices.

Cameron was an arrogant twat who surrounded himself with rich boy yes men and groupthink allowed them to think they understood the world outside their bubble

search.coe.int/cm/pages/result_details.aspx?objectid=090000168092dd4b

Declaration by the Committee of Ministers on the manipulative capabilities of algorithmic processes

1. Council of Europe member States have committed themselves to building societies based on the values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. This commitment remains and should be honoured throughout the ongoing process of societal transformation that is fuelled by technological advancements. Member States must ensure the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ETS No. 5) to everyone within their jurisdiction, equally offline and online, in an environment of unprecedented political, economic and cultural globalisation and connectedness.

1. Digital services are used today as an essential tool of modern communication, including political communication between governments and between public institutions and citizens. Moreover, they are fundamental for a growing number of users for news consumption, education, entertainment, commercial transactions and multiple other forms of everyday activities. This results in unprecedented amounts of new data that are constantly created with mounting speed and scale.

1. Advanced technologies play a pivotal role in maintaining the efficiency and public service value of digitisation, in strengthening individual autonomy and self-determination, and in enhancing human flourishing by creating optimal conditions for the exercise of human rights. Reference is made in this context to Recommendation CM/Rec(2007)16 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on measures to promote the public service value of the internet; Recommendation CM/Rec(2014)6 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on a Guide to human rights for internet users; and Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)2 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the roles and responsibilities of internet intermediaries.

1. Technology is an ever growing presence in our daily lives and prompts users to disclose their relevant, including personal, data voluntarily and for comparatively small awards of personal convenience. Public awareness, however, remains limited regarding the extent to which everyday devices collect and generate vast amounts of data. These data are used to train machine-learning technologies to prioritise search results, to predict and shape personal preferences, to alter information flows, and, sometimes, to subject individuals to behavioural experimentation.

1. Current discussions regarding the application and strengthening of data protection laws should consider the particular risks for and interests of those persons that may be especially unaware of the dangers of data exploitation. This includes children as well as persons belonging to marginalised communities who may face language barriers or other structural disadvantages. It may also include those who, because of their particularly large digital footprint, are especially exposed to new forms of data-driven surveillance.

1. Increasingly, computational means make it possible to infer intimate and detailed information about individuals from readily available data. This supports the sorting of individuals into categories, thereby reinforcing different forms of social, cultural, religious, legal and economic segregation and discrimination. It also facilitates the micro-targeting of individuals based on profiles in ways that may profoundly affect their lives.

(contd)

Sabine Weyand Retweeted Brigid Laffan@BrigidLaffann

#EU27 will remain open to all options that do not undermine or contradict the WA

-there is flexibility but that does not extend to altering WA in a substantive way

I also have a treadle machine in a bespoke cupboard. Because I am hard core!!!

I want a treadle machine! If I had just a bit more space I would get one in a shot. They are awesome and sew through just about anything. We've been talking about getting some sheds in the garden and a treadle machine and bigger weaving loom will be the first things going in mine.

Here is a jacket and cat pic in one just for you guys.

www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Brexit/Crowdfunding-launches-for-new-EU-citizenship-case

A report on the latest development for EU citizenship.

@BiglyBadgers - double fab.

BCF, I agree - there are no concessions that will satisfy the ERG - if the Backstop suddenly magically disappeared, they'd be objecting to the payment of money owed, or the maintenance of citizens' rights, or the sun rising in the east...(Why should Germany get the sunrise before us?) I thought what Katya Adler was saying was that late in the day, there was a possibility that they would try to come up with some kind of face saver for May - if they thought it might get the WA through the H of C.

I thought what Katya Adler was saying was that late in the day, there was a possibility that they would try to come up with some kind of face saver for May - if they thought it might get the WA through the H of C.

Not really. If the WA gets passed, well that's nice. But the EU won't go any further than it has - bearing in mind it tries to be scrupulous about the line between EU and member state, and a member states internal politics.

Once you accept we are committed to no deal in the same way night follows day, then you will find a great weight lifted from your mind. It's well worth a try, especially on a day as beautiful and calm and wondrous as today (if you'd in the sunny bits of Britain). It will be a day of Clear Seeing.

Musical interlude. Check out the lyrics .....

Re DGR's post about Declaration by the Committee of Ministers on the manipulative capabilities of algorithmic processes

....how soon after Brexit do we think that the ERG will transfer their efforts to leaving the nasty, interfering Council of Europe? Especially since the nasty, interfering ECHR comes under its auspices?

Thank you Bellini

That's the thing with May's strategy of appeasing the ERG pretty. People who get what they want by lies, bullying and threats don't then go all reasonable and sidle off back to whatever hole they crawled out of just because they won. They will see this as a licence to demand more and more. Why stop with the EU? After all there's always someone else to blame for the lack of milk and honey.