Westminstenders: The Imperial March

[RedToothBrush]

There are many ways to enforce power indirectly using privilege. Jacob Rees Mogg knows every trick in the book and dresses it up as respectability rather than a subtle form or intimidation and deliberate exclusion.

It's not the stuff 'of the people'.

Meanwhile the newly crowned PM, is making rather a bug deal of how he is the man 'of the people', here to serve them and to deliver their will.

There's a big theme here about presenting as 'of the people' whilst simultaneously serving the interests of the elite and reestablishing its power over the people.

It's a theme that is set to run for some time, and is entrenched in Trumpism too.

This shift in power is particularly harmful to women it must be noted.

'Strong and stable' was 'weak and wobbly' and we should be mindful that in the era of reversed spin, what 'of the people' signifies.

We've long known about the authoritarianism at the heart of leaving thinking. It's only now that it's finally going to start stomping it's feet all over our freedoms and power.

The road back will be a long and hard one because we failed to spot the threat and the dangers of it.

It's hard not to conclude that Boris really believes he's Caesar - destined to rule

Surely Blowjob, with his expensive education, does not need reminding what happened to Caesar?... Or Caligula? or Nero? or Charles I? or Hitler? or Mussolini?

My comforting thoughts as we spiral into no deal and the resulting economic depression, decrease in living standards, increasing mortality rates and possible war

1. The third reich only lasted 12 years - things might be dire now but the downward trajectory we are on is not necessarily going to last the rest of our life times.
2. Dictators very often do get what is coming to them.

I look forward to the day when, the government having lost all control and the whole country has descended into violent chaos, the army knock down the door of ten Downing street and lead Blowjob out in handcuffs, weeping like the fat baby bitch he is - ready for his treason trial.

While I do think the current situation is a crock of shit and the noises coming out of Johnson Central are troubling, I still believe it is transient bollocks.
Even if we No Deal, the civil service will still be needed to get shit done. Having lived through Thatcher as an adult, I am confident that mad shit will only last so long.

I am miserably/probably coming to the same conclusions as DGR.

But not entirely. To 'go under' and see that the 'old rules' no longer apply IS giving in. I'd think there is enough people inside and out of Whitehall and Westminster and local auhorities and companies who simply will not go along with this shite - esp. when it immediately and gravely has a negative impact on their work.

The greater loss is the public seeing what a bunch of shyster this lot are and totally lose faith in democratic institutions.

I'm also coming around to DGR's way of thinking; certainly to look at things from an entirely different direction. And the fact that non No Dealers have failed to do so and are waaaay behind the game.

No one will probably question the government having to spend all this money on warning us about what will happen when we No Deal. Why we have to be warned when it's supposed to be all brilliant.

I repeat what I posted earlier today, the only thing remainers have on their side atm is the lack of Tory majority. For what that might be worth....

A bit more on polling. Looks like Labour is about to suffer the same fate in Wales as it already has in Scotland. The reasons are different (Brexit rather than Indy) and there is no intermediary switch to Plaid as there was to the SNP. However the bottom line is a switch from Labour to Conservative of about 8 seats. If the Brexit vote goes any more Conservative and the Remain vote any more LibDem / Plaid the effect gets worse.

www.itv.com/news/wales/2019-07-29/boris-bounce-as-poll-puts-tories-ahead-in-wales-for-westminster-election/

To recap from yesterday, implication is that outside England Conservatives are already up more than a dozen seats on 2017 despite the wall to wall prevailing narrative that rUK is lost to them.

Surely Blowjob, with his expensive education, does not need reminding what happened to Caesar?... Or Caligula? or Nero? or Charles I? or Hitler? or Mussolini?

Surely we know about bank robbers, or gamblers and "one last job" ?

Also, it's axiomatic that someone with an ego to match Caesar will automatically believe that they will be the one that doesn't make mistakes. And infect those around them with the same delusion. Including MNetters. There are threads on this site suggesting Boris is the second coming already. That'll only swell - especially when it shifts papers which up until now looked like they were obsolete. Boris is good news for the old guard that live their lives through Daily Mail headlines.

Incidentally I don't count Caligula or Nero when talking about Caesar. They simply inherited the throne and messed it up. Caesar set out from day one to build the throne - and sit on it. A better comparison might be Napoleon. But my memory is that Napoleon came from more humble stock than Caesar ... and while Boris isn't aristocracy like Caesar he did rise from privilege. For that reason, Charles I, Hitler and Mussolini aren't in the same league either. In fact both Mussolini and Hitler had to play on he opposite "man of the people" to court popularity initially. But as Italians and Germans have long observed, we British English are obsessed with class.

I wonder if we'll see a Telegraph column from Boris ...

Britain, as a whole, is divided into three regions ...

Surely Blowjob, with his expensive education, does not need reminding what happened to Caesar?... Or Caligula? or Nero? or Charles I? or Hitler? or Mussolini?

Yes, but look at the damage done before Hitler killed himself. Millions murdered, cities destroyed and the country split into two, with two opposing power blocs, because conveniently the war had helped to destroy the British Empire.

Even if we No Deal, the civil service will still be needed to get shit done. Having lived through Thatcher as an adult, I am confident that mad shit will only last so long.

I'd like to believe you Bellini, but Nazi Germany is the example of how badly it can go wrong even with a cultured, civilised country.

As soon as people like Grieve, Stramer and the old guard indicated they were going to play by the rules, the extreme Brexiteers realised they had their "in". The only way to have defeated them at that point required all the things we have bred out of our career politicians.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but Remains first misake was to try and convince the public of the virtues of remain, rather than the cabal behind Boris. The bottom line is Remain didn't make it attractive enough to them to remain. A public that narrowly backed leave now backing no-deal could just as easily have been turned back to remain if the overlords had so decreed.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/29/boris-johnson-drops-investigation-mp-mark-field-manhandled-protester

The bottom line is Remain didn't make it attractive enough to them to remain.

If the status quo was to everyone's satisfaction there would be no need for politics and politicians. Politics is always about selling a vision for the future.

At the moment I feel total despair. I stay on these threads because it reminds me that I am not alone. Another reason is that I have seen virtually nothing sensible posted by any Leavers.

Then I remind myself that Communism collapsed, the blatant white rule and apartheid in South Africa ended, so we have to have courage.

I am quite sure when it comes down to it that Barnier is more than a match for Boris Johnson, and will not give in.

I've just realised that the simplest most effective way to deliver no deal is to do so before parliament returns in September. It won't make that much difference whether we no deal now or in October however it saves the government the inconvenience of having to deal with MPs and a potential opposition.
I expect BJ to announce ahead of the G7 on the 24th that there's no hope of a deal and that we'll be out the next day.
Nothing anyone could do.

Guys, let's brace ourselves as it could happen any day now.

Wolfgang Munchau:

Nobody will be truly ready for a no-deal Brexit - but come October the UK will be relatively more ready than the EU. (link: eurointelligence.com/public) eurointelligence.com/public

Of course, Nigel Farage poses as a man of the people...

@IceDream
This makes a lot of sense. Would he be likely to get that majority? What is the soonest a GE can be scheduled for?

I haven't quite got that far but I think I agree with John McDonnell for the first and only time (GE in spring).

Boris won't call a GE until he is confident that he can win it. £100m can buy a lot of votes.

In my considered opinion, an extension will be agreed, because the EU is not stupid, and refusing an extension would be stupid (they might willy-wave a bit first, especially Macron - I'm not anti-Macron but he's playing bad cop here).

I had the thought they might brexit early during Johnson's scripted speech outside number 10. It fits with the narrative do what they expect us not to do who would expect an unprepared country to do the thing they are unprepared for early? That's super dumb, they are super dumb though.

Also that will undermine or squash Rory, Hammond and Starmer, the court cases, labour, everything. Despite the negative tone of the thread that the game is over so to speak it actually isn't which creates the need to leave earlier then expected.

Basically I think it's highly unlikely that you will get a no-deal Brexit, but it is highly likely that you get another 5 years of Blowjob.

Between the devil and the deep blue sea, etc.

I wonder if McDonnell knows there will be a new Labour leader by the spring?

Basically I think it's highly unlikely that you will get a no-deal Brexit, but it is highly likely that you get another 5 years of Blowjob.

I think the chances are linked. A no-deal Brexit gives Boris the chaos he needs to suspend elections. He's desperate to fill the pages between "Adolf" and "Castro"

@smallalbatross
"There's no financial benefit at all to the ROI producer in adding illegality to something they can currently do legally so why should it make their produce any more attractive to the NI/UK consumer?"

The UK has decided unilaterally on zero tariffs on certain goods, which under WTO rules must apply to all countries with which it doesn't have another deal

So Ireland would be doing nothing illegal

BUT
the EU - which includes Ireland - has NOT set zero tariffs for the UK, because there is no deal
They will apply the normal tariffs they would apply to any other 3rd countries with whom they have no tariff deal.

In fact, all countries will apply their current 3rd country tariffs against the UK, even though the UK willl have zero tariffs

Some countries may decide not to have a UK deal, if the UK sets zero tariffs on the type of goods they mostly export

e.g. Canada has publically said it probably won't negotiate a deal with the UK because it would already have the perfect deal:
zero tariffs on its own exports, while applying 3rd country tariffs to UK goods under WTO rules

Johnson pictured on a submarine now

And £ hits two year low.

Whoop de doop!

Meanwhile, the BBC lays it on with a trowel - headline stating the exact opposite of the reality.

Goebbels would be ecstatic.

myriad "Someone pointed out before (was it one or two threads before?) that the EU had actually made some major concessions to the UK with the WA. I’m wondering how far they are ready to go to’save the situation "

I was probably the one you mean, who posted that some EU countries thought the WA with all-UK backstop gave the UK too much:
in particular most of the SM benefits without actual membership

That is why there is no chance the EU will concede any more
Zero chance that they would abandon Ireland

What BJ is probably hoping for is that Ireland itself blinks and abandons its demand to the EU for the backstop

So far, a huge majority in Ireland are against this, as it means the UK would be allowed to impose a hard goods border any time it wants

• and BJ is immoral enough to impose it the following day !