Westministenders: Hustings and Humilation

[RedToothBrush]

Round 1 has passed.
Boris is winning. But these are the Tories. Surprises might yet happen.

But the chances are the lying buffon is full speed ahead to be the next PM. As long as he manages to keep his mouth shut.

Unfortunately being Prime Minister involves talking. This might prove to be something that bursts the BorisMania rather rapidly.

A GE is still very much on the cards.

And we might face the Constitutional and undemocratic shutting down of parliament to satisfy the Tory Faithless.

Meanwhile the EU couldn't give less shits. They just think we are wasting the time we were granted in good faith.

31st October beckons with No Deal.

The anti Boris numbers are pretty big. Much as it pains me, there should be some drop outs so the numbers get behind an anti Boris candidate. God forgive me for even thinking that Gove or Hunt would be better than Boris.

It really is about who is less shit, rather than having the perfect candidate there, isn't it?

Does Rory Stewart need to get to round 3 to get on the tv debate on Tuesday? Love rhubarb and ginger jam. They gave Rory loads of airtime on Last week tonight this week.

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Careful praising (or not disliking as strongly) Rory Stewart. If the Be Leavers realise that he is seen as vaguely tolerable for Remainers, they'll adore Boris even more fanatically.
Although, frankly, fuck 'em all. Let them clean up their own shit.

Here's the email I got from Vince Cable this morning about Chuka joining the LDs.

Thanks Red

Some lovely kitties in this thread.

Words fail me re Boris and the other hopefuls. What a crap bunch. So sad we've reached this point.

My prepping continues. Also as many veg as I can manage to grow on a patio in containers! The heavy rain isn't helping much at the mo, though.

Tamara Cohen@tamcohen
Boris Johnson on TV debates, speaking to ⁦*@SkyNews*⁩ last year

Oh. Well that's awkward.

He'll either drop a clanger or be really dull . Which is why he is scared of it. Nice spot, Red.

Thanks again RTB.
Personally I like the cats, they don't 'derail' so much as 'de-stress' something that will be increasingly necessary.

I now have "fuck em all, fuck em all.." going through my head to the strains of Frozen. The Sequel is out in November, so that will be something to look forward to after the economic and political suicide of this country.

Heather Stewart @ guardianheather
Gloves off! Jeremy Hunt says Johnson needs to be “a little bit braver” in confronting the media. Asks “what would Churchill say?” about refusing to do the telly debates. Ouch. [NB as of last night Hunt hadn’t agreed to take part either].

Hunt says Johnson is offering a “rather apocalyptic” choice, between a no deal Brexit and a general election.

What the Brexiteers and their 'leave' cheerleaders are not factoring in is that the relationship with the EU was on an even footing with generally like minded people (similar heritage) who have a dual wish for 'people relations' and trade.
All new 'deals' will be focusing on trade, almost entirely, with visas and 'quotas' to enable trade, not as a societal aspect at all.
Had the UK been trying to 'leave' as a state of the USA for example the attitude from Washington would have been 'sod off then'.

PMK

And we might face the Constitutional and undemocratic shutting down of parliament to satisfy the Tory Faithless.
And a No Deal forced onto the countryc wo any democratic approval.

I’m getting scared again. Very scared.

Cross posting with the Boris thread as people here may be interested in Jon Worth's latest flow chart re Brexit (came out yesterday):

jonworth.eu/brexit-what-next/

"I now have "fuck em all, fuck em all.." going through my head to the strains of Frozen."

I have 'Curfew' by the Stranglers going through mine. Might have been written in 1978, but it's beginning to sound quite prophetic...

"Grey becomes black and white
Is it true what they say?
They turn the day into night
Black and white becomes"

I won't quote the apocalyptic verses - that would be too depressing. I will warn Scotland that, according to the song, the Government could be heading their way at some point, though.
Do be sure to welcome them, won't you?

PMK

Started slowly building up my stash again using my "what works for us" approach.

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Project Decapitation? Project Anyone But Boris? Or just reporting that Boris Johnson has no integrity.

Henry Zeffman @hzeffman
EXCLUSIVE: Boris Johnson appeared to drop his opposition to Heathrow third runway at 1922 hustings earlier this week

Four years ago Mr Johnson vowed to his constituents that he would “lie down with you in front of those bulldozers and stop the building, stop the construction of that third runway”

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/boris-johnson-drops-opposition-to-heathrow-third-runway-22xg2bhtb
Boris Johnson drops opposition to Heathrow third runway

A local issue like this, is important to voters on a constituency level.

FT reporting today on Ministers overpromising on future trade deals and making them out to be better than they are (you can read the full article via Twitter):

Even this draft deal, whatever Mr Fox says, will not provide “total continuity”. London and Seoul seem keen on rules of origin including “diagonal cumulation” that allows EU inputs to be treated as though produced in the UK for the purposes of exporting to South Korea. But the EU for now will not be making a reciprocal concession, so European exporters to South Korea now have an incentive to source from within the EU rather than buying British inputs.

Civil servant negotiators do what they can within possible limits ... But as with other deals — such as with Canada, where the authorities are reluctant to agree a continuity deal, or Turkey, which needs to see the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU before making any agreement —they cannot make up for lack of political will or insurmountable technical

And it seems that one of Boris’s old DT opinion pieces from 2007 complaining about Brown taking over from Blair is proving prescient:

It’s the arrogance. It’s the contempt. That’s what gets me. It’s Gordon Brown’s apparent belief that he can just trample on the democratic will of the British people. It’s at moments like this that I think the political world has gone mad, and I am alone in detecting the gigantic fraud.

They voted for Anthony Charles Lynton Blair to serve as their leader. They were at no stage invited to vote on whether Gordon Brown should be PM… They voted for Tony, and yet they now get Gordon, and a transition about as democratically proper as the transition from Claudius to Nero. It is a scandal. Why are we all conniving in this stitch-up? This is nothing less than a palace coup… with North Korean servility, the Labour Party has handed power over to the brooding Scottish power-maniac.

The extraordinary thing is that it looks as though he will now be in 10 Downing Street for three years, and without a mandate from the British people. No one elected Gordon Brown as Prime Minister…

Ho ho ho.

Alex Wickham @alexwickham

Channel 4 are planning to put up a lectern with Boris Johnson's name on it in large letters and keep it in shot throughout Sunday night's debate if he doesn't show

"It will be very obvious to viewers all the way through the 90 minutes" – source

Turkey, which needs to see the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU before making any agreement

As expected of the toilet papers we call "news" in the UK, I'm not surprised there's been zero real analysis of the impact of Trumps threat to stop providing F-35s to Turkey, if Turkey buts some Russian anti missile technology. Of note to the UK, since our entire F-35 programme is predicated on the engines being serviced in Turkey. (No way are the US going to let US anywhere near their tech).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-35_Lightning_II_procurement

www.theregister.co.uk/2017/10/19/f35_fighter_engines_turkey_overhaul/

Funny how in that deal, Turkey was the only choice ?

Channel 4 are planning to put up a lectern with Boris Johnson's name on it in large letters and keep it in shot throughout Sunday night's debate if he doesn't show

I can send them a tub of lard to put on it, if they need it .....