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.

Good omens

Looking forward to Good Omens coming to terrestrial TV. I like Neil Gaiman.

Chuka might be safe in an election. Heard him talking today about how anti-Brexit he is, and how Streatham was the highest Remain vote in the country. He probably feels reasonably safe, unlike some of the other Tiggers/ Changers. Maybe that’s why he’s gone LD.

So one day after YouGov did this survey

Useful summary: policies of the 6 remaining Tory contenders

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2019/jun/14/tory-leadership-candidates-policies

The final 2 candidates will each have to pay £150,000 to Tory HQ for the hustings around the country 🙄

UK democracy in action ?
How the Tories now ensure that only the wealthy can lead them

Also another YouGov Survey (which is a little difficult to work out cos they used too many purples)

What’s the impact of immigration, according to Europeans and Americans?

The UK's top three answers are Crime, Housing and Welfare. It is the ONLY country to name housing. It also rates crime much lower as a concern than everywhere but the US and France.

Housing.

HOUSING.

HOUSING

This says SO much.

That’s interesting, RTB. I’m surprised that only the Americans think that immigrants are after their jobs. Isn’t it supposed to be a common complaint?

So it's housing, not jobs or pay

Thats what the poll suggests.

I think polls on this a few years ago, had different results if memory serves me.

Its almost as if we are beginning to realise that immigrants are good for providing certain services ....

It wasn't immigrants who sold off the Council House stock to bribe voters with windfalls

Here's something else from the poll findings...

Looking at combined answers to the positive and negative aspects of immigration reveals that one in four Americans (30%) believe it only brings benefits, making them the most pro-immigration nation. Britain comes a distant second in this regard, on 22%.

By contrast, 37% of Germans were only able to name negative consequences of immigration, making them the most sceptical of the countries. They are followed by France, Finland and Denmark where around a third quarter (31-33%) likewise have nothing good to say about immigration.

This identifies the extent of the most die-hard groups on immigration. A further question looked at the more nuanced picture of whether people found the overall impact of immigration tended to be more positive or more negative. The nations split into three groups.

The first (France, Germany, Denmark and Sweden) are more likely to say that immigration has generally had a negative overall impact, and by wide margins. The Germans in particular feel immigration has been broadly bad for their country – 53% say this compared to just 18% who feel the opposite

The second group, into which Britain and Finland fall, are split. In Britain 39% think immigration’s impact has been more bad than good compared to 37% who think it has been more good than bad. In Finland these figures are 32% and 34% respectively.

Alone in the final group is the United States, where people are in fact more likely to believe that immigration has been better for the country than not, at 39% compared to 33% who take the negative view.

... I confess this surprises me.

On the subject of prejudice .....
Back to a story from the recent Trump visit that won't stay buried:

No 10: Sajid Javid's Trump banquet snub not Islamophobic

If Javid became PM, would he have to disinvite himself if Trump visits again ?

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/13/sajid-javid-says-not-being-invited-to-trump-banquet-was-odd

Downing Street has strenuously denied its refusal to invite the home secretary, Sajid Javid, to Donald Trump’s state banquet was Islamophobic.
< of course we believe them .... >

Javid, who is standing to succeed Theresa May as Conservative leader, expressed frustration at the snub, describing it as “odd” after more junior ministers were invited.

He stopped short of claiming No 10 blocked his attendance because of his Muslim background,
but the former Conservative party chair Sayeeda Warsi suggested it was an example of Islamophobia.

< iirc, she has said she would resign from the party if Boris became leader >

Raw data on the benefits of immigration

red With the E27 attitudes, you have to define which immigrants

I have never come across any Germans with concerns about workers from other EU / EEA countries
Even from the AdF

I haven't noticed hostility against Koreans, Chinese, Indians etc either

The concern is very focused on Middle East & North African / Muslim migrants
and that concern is about violent crime

The German govt is offering tax incentives to non-EEA workers - and the policy is regarded as necessary
Attitudes towards immigrants depends on where they come from

That may be similar in the UK - immigrants from the USA & white Commonwealth are probably not resented !

BCF I thought there were attitudes along those lines. It's been mentioned here before.

I find those differences interesting.

The UK doesn't seem to have 'fear' in its reasoning though. That to me, is somehow reassuring and almost makes me feel we are somehow closeted in our attitudes to immigration.

Our reasoning seems much more self interest and along austerity / inequality lines.

As I say I think there has been change since 2016.

The radio 4 interview with Javid was awful, nobody mentions the prejudice but everyone obviously knows it
twitter.com/BBCr4today/status/1139080604966883328

The flack he has taken to get where he is...

First time ds came across the term "trickle down economics" he heard it as treacle down economics

He still thinks that "treacle down" is a better term as it doesn't. Work.

RTB - those findings don't surprise me at all.
Cognitive dissonance ? We live in a dystopian post-truth world now.

Sorry it was bCF who was surprised...

I was only surprised that it was housing that was the concern in the UK, not jobs or pay

Can’t stand the Saj, but I’m disappointed that No 10 and the palace colluded in Islamophobia.

Meghan was wise to steer clear.

Does anyone know the details of the alleged NDA relating to Boris Johnson? AKA the No 10 superinjunction?

It would appear that at least three of the hopefuls are on the Tory Whips naughty list, so probably lots of scandal to come.

There were rumours of a superinjunction featuring a leadership candidate and a friends wife sometime ago. I always thought it bollocks, but there you go.