Westminstenders: It couldn't get any worse... Until today

[RedToothBrush]

We are trapped in the tailspin of the end of the UK. Firmly headed downward and getting more and more frenzied and desperate.

Even the most sensible of types like David Allen Green have finally noticed that Brexit isn't about leaving the EU it's about the frenzied and wilful destruction of our state instutions and structure. The collapse of the civil service, of our justice system, our democratic institutions and social order. All in the name of rule Britannia, a warped sense of taking back control to preserve an ideal that never existed and an idea of sovereignity that simply was a fantasy.

We move ever closer to Johnson becoming Prime Minister and a life under President Trump.

Joy.

Ode to Joy really isn't that bad.

I'm a bit distracted with DC end of term stuff...so the following has probably been covered but is it correct that:
•Conservative party members aged15,16 and 17 can vote for Johnson or Hunt. But ..
• The party is opposed to lowering the voting or referendum age to 16?

Self interested hypocrisy like that, threats to prorogue parliament, trying to trigger Art 50 with no Parliamentary vote, suppressing impact assessments etc are the essentials of British democracy these days? Such flexibility gives an air of Mugabe or Idi Amin in our due process- why goes no one care?

Boris Johnson was a popular Mayor of London

Pretty much everything he did that was popular was planned and executed by other people ('Boris' bikes). He has all the crappy water cannon business and refusal to come home from holiday to deal with riots and spending money on plans that wouldn't wor all for himself, though. Mostly he just bumbled about making jokes and spending money on stupid things (garden bridge, anyone?) - the popularity was entirely down to a ridiculous cult of personality which won't, unfortunately, cut it as prime minister.

Since teenagers are likely to be most affected there is a possibility that it could backfire if 15 - 17 year olds voted against.

In the construction industry BJ is quite famous for having basically allowed anyone to convert any building into something bigger and posher and residential. The fact that it’s been by large a totally useless increase of housing for “normal” people and it’s only profited developers and rich (foreigner) investors is often overlooked....

Israel was created in 1948 under a British and American jurisdiction to give a country to Jews displaced by WW2

Actually, the British had ample chance to allow displaced Holocaust survivors to settle in Palestine from 1942 on, when the Allies became aware of the Final Solution, but refused to issue travel papers to allow Jews to settle in the UK or in Palestine, and at the end of the war had turned ships away and repatriated to DP camps or held on Cyprus thousands whose vessels were intercepted and many who managed to land.

The British held their mandate to govern Palestine from the League of Nations and tended to bow to Arab pressure on matters of Jewish settlement despite the open sympathy and collaboration of Haj Amin Al-Husseini and his followers in Palestine with the Nazis.

After the Anglo-American Commission of Inquiry report in January 1946 President Harry Truman pressured Britain to allow 100,000 Jews to immigrate to Palestine. By that time the Haganah, Irgun and Lehi Jewish factions were engaged in open warfare with Britain, and Britain was fast losing control of the situation.

The creation of the state of Israel wasn't a case of a gentlemen's agreement between superpowers with an altruistic motive on Britain's part. It was effectively a case of an armed insurgency and a pulling of rank by the US.

I don't vote in London mayoral elections. It all seems about a personality cult to me.

I voted Khan though. It was fun to see him beat Zac.

Dh thought that the posters on this thread would appreciate this application of the currently fashionable FaceApp which shows what the subject will look like in years to come

Theresa May warns about Absolutist politics

Pity she didn't think about that three years ago.

Now just how come did that Seven Nation Army fail against a rag-bag of half-starved death-camp survivors?

You might add, despite several instances of British officers participating on the Arab side too...

I think 'half-starved death-camp survivors' is putting it a little strongly though - the backbone of the IDF had been fighting the British for many years, and there were also WW2 veterans, along with Holocaust survivors. Arms from Czechoslovakia were supplied.

I've just watched part of May's Chatham House speech

Does she really have no self awareness? All the things she was railing against and warning about were perfect descriptions of the way that she operated

How long do you think before there is a united Ireland prettybird?

I never thought Communism would collapse, or Germany be reunited, so we can never say never.

I can't bear to hear her speak - she annoys me as much as Thatcher did.

Just to answer Clavinova's cut and paste about Johnson being anti -EU:
www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/17/boris-johnson-support-eu-revealed-leon-brittan-widow-letter

I don't know Peregrina The need for a Border Poll and the fact that NI will be expensive to integrate may well delay it - but there again, a No Deal Brexit NI will also be expensive to cope with. I'm not Irish, so I can't really know how the people across Ireland (the island) would vote.

I did however comment to dh this evening that the British Open being held in Portrush might be the first time in the 21st century - and the last time ever that the British Open is held in NI.

Ironically, I think an independent Scotland might happen sooner

May seems to have had a sharp reality check
possibly even come to realise how badly she screwed up

Unfortunately, a PM who comes to office in the biggest post-war crisis and is so ignorant of the basics she required,
is as disastrous as a surgeon learning the basics on the job - that would never be allowed though

However, her successor will dwarf her incompetence,
so if she is worried about her place in history, then BJ will rescue her by doing so much worse

Theresa May bemoans the rise of populism, but she should look in the mirror

https://news.sky.com/story/theresa-may-bemoans-the-rise-of-populism-but-she-should-look-in-the-mirror-11765165

So often it felt as if the person who most needed to watch her speech was the prime minister herself

Nicholas Watt@nicholaswatt

Breaking:

I have learnt that some cabinet ministers are giving serious consideration to resigning tomorrow to vote in favour of preventing the next prime minister from suspending parliament.

No final decisions made yet on resignations.
More at 22:30 on Newsnight

@BBCNewsnight

www.thesun.co.uk/news/9529059/new-tory-members-stop-boris-johnson/

TORY party membership has surged to 180,000 as members sign up to stop Boris Johnson becoming PM,
insiders claim.

More than 60,000 have joined since 2018 as the race to succeed Theresa Mayay_ goes on.^
....
One senior party figure said:
“It looks like there has been a late Remainer surge to stop Boris, but I’d be amazed if they changed result.^^

Boris is too far ahead among the older rank and file for Jeremy to catch him
and quite a few new members missed the cut to vote.

Looks like Clav decided to delete 1&2 and numbers after 3 on Boris' 'Pro EU' article...wonder why?

As for him being a 'popular' mayor - is he not trying to appeal to ppl who actually voted for Brexit? Ones who don't like bikes in cities/new fangled busses but may possible have enjoyed his failed water cannons due to authoritarian bent? He's hardly the voice of the North!

@Big don't forget Farage also claimed that Eurosceptics had been joining the Tories for months to ensure Brexit happened... I doubt those thousands are all remainers; far more likely to be paid up Kippers/Russians/Americans.

Dedicated reader, infrequent (if even that) poster. I’m black.

I’ve just woken up to reports that there were ‘send her back’ chants at the latest Trump rally. I’m chilled to the bone. I’m scared.
How long before it starts here.

The number of apologists on Twitter terrifies me. No Republicans have spoken out re Trumps tweets and now this? How long before someone else (Jo Cox), is assassinated.

I know I’m mixing Brexit/Trump but the two events have always been in a wild dance together. Lord knows LBC has had a lot of people supporting Trumps ‘send her home’ mantra and denying it’s racism.

The US has children in cages. We have children in Yarl’s Wood and have done for years (I’ve not checked this actually, but we used to I wrote a paper on it).
We have the blatant lies, the suspicion of immigrants/dark people. The unquestioning worship of despots (is it too soon to call Boris a despot?)

Again, how long before this starts here. How do I protect my child?

I think I’m more scared by the normalising of this behaviour, it led to the Holocaust, Rwandan genocide, Serbian genocide.

"Boris Johnson was a popular Mayor of London - come up with someone better than Jeremy Corbyn if you don't want a Tory government."
Delusion Central.
No he wasn't. And the plea for a decent non-Corbynite Labour leader on here is expressed daily.

As if us lot in here have any say over the shambles that is Labour! If we had, Corbyn would've been replaced by somebody competent months ago.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49021081

Panorama tonight at 9pm. Popcorn ready.

@MythicalBiologicalFennel , another one for the iPlayer. My dh has enough stress at work. He cannot bear watching this stuff.