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.

pmk and thank you Red

PMK through fingers over my eyes. I can't quite believe what "interesting times" we live in.

PMK

The Great Hack is essential viewing. But I would add that it's not down to people being thick. It's about obfuscation, smoke and mirrors.

I'm reminded of this quote:

'If you think you understand Quantum mechanics, you don't understand quantum mechanics.'

Is anyone watching what is happening with the new junior health Ministers?

Jacqui Doyle-Price is confirmed to be out. Her patch was mental health and also IVF and by extension, abortion (since the 1967 Abortion Act is linked in the UK statute to the IVF laws). I can scarcely believe my eyes reading this on social media but Nadine Dorries MP is now a junior health minister.

Nadine Dorries is an MP who has tried unsuccessfully in previous governments to reduce the abortion time limit to I think 20 weeks, and from memory I think said she personally wanted a much lower limit if it were up to her to decide (somewhere around the end of the first trimester, IIRC?).
Dorries also wanted to bring in abstinence teaching for teenage girls (not sure what her views were on what she wanted the boys to be taught), and she also led an unsuccessful move to stop the big charities like BPAS and Marie Stopes from providing women with abortion counselling along with abortion care to remove their ‘vested interests’ and presumably to also encourage new entrants into providing abortion counselling. However this led to fears of these new entrants also including pro-life organisations who are critically opposed to all abortion...

So I see that Nadine Dorries MP has now reportedly been given the mental health brief as a junior minister.

And if she is also going to be put in charge of the whole of what was Jacqui Doyle Price’s old brief .. then that means Nadine Dorries will inherit the brief on abortion, IVF and embryo research. I can’t see that other part of her brief confirmed anywhere yet though.

I am really hoping that they have redistributed the briefs within the team or something. To put someone with a record of active anti-choice parliamentary campaigning in charge of these areas would seem.. well. I am not sure I can find the right words at the moment for how I would feel about that.

I know I'm childish for laughing at this but oh well

twitter.com/i/status/1155085482973376516

which seemed a tad rich coming from such a Brexit-backing paper. You'd think they'd be glad for a start ....

Yes- a headline of
" The people are proud as the pound plummets further - we are unprepared to pay the price!"
At least that would be logically consistent with their stance to date.

Just seen that my MP has changed his name on Twitter to ‘Andrew Gwynne Esq., M.P.’

Very funny, now how about dumping Jezza and doing something useful about this utter mess, please?

Very funny, now how about dumping Jezza and doing something useful about this utter mess, please?

Fine with Corbyn thanks

Thanks, Red.

I'm in two minds over what's happening now, and neither is good. I think the Tories are now strengthened in the public view because it seems many like Johnson (at least better than May) and like his 'let's just get Brexit done' talk. Plus all the money being put into various areas like strengthening the police force. Therefore if a GE is called the Tories will probably still wind up in power, and we'll be stuck with them for another eternity and whatever ghastliness they're going to inflict on us. This leads me to wish Johnson or one of his motley crew fuck things up and therefore lose public support...but then we will all suffer from whatever fuckups have been made! So it's lose-lose. Is there any possible glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel?

He's my MP too queen

From memory he is o Corbyn supporter

He is a Corbyn supporter

PMK

PMK thanks as always! 💄🐷

Don't forget Crunchy that May was hugely popular at first - the Tories couldn't get enough of her at her first Conference. She fell from grace and didn't she fall.

Earlier the same could have been said for Blair, he was teflon coated until the Iraq war.

Ta red

I wouldn't mind Jezza if he did something in our time instead of his. All this I will stop no deal when I want, I will call an election when I want, I will back a second ref when I want, I will do what I want when I want has lost me completely. Crack on man do what you want but do you have to be leading the Labour party because you don't seem to want to actually do that much. Should cut him slack it's not like there's a minority government to take advantage of and it's not as if the minority government in power is being lead by a bimbo with a cabinet of far right wankers now is it...

Oh snap I forgot it is

I wouldn't mind Jezza if he did something in our time instead of his

I think he's a bit old school for that, I dont think he's able to speak let alone act soundbitey if that makes sense

PMK. Coming to lurk officially instead of on the sidelines, if you don't mind .
On the Beeb Gove has just said that the government is assuming no-deal Brexit. If we were in a country with less propaganda, what's happened with Boris and his mates taking over cabinet would be a called a coup.

Earlier the same could have been said for Blair, he was teflon coated until the Iraq war.

But he had many, many more choices about what he could have done (and dragged the country into) than Theresa May did. And Blairs actions resulted in untold innocent deaths.

Ruth Davidson of the Scottish Tories has said that she won't support a No Deal Brexit.

Ruth Davidson of the Scottish Tories has said that she won't support a No Deal Brexit.

I'd have to check, but I think the guy that services my lads gas boiler won't either. If we are talking about "people Boris doesn't care less about".

The question is not who will support what at this stage. The question is what the hell can be done about it - and who will do what.

I'd have to check, but I think the guy that services my lads gas boiler won't either. If we are talking about "people Boris doesn't care less about".

The question is not who will support what at this stage. The question is what the hell can be done about it - and who will do what.

I think it's too late. Faint heart never stopped a fascist coup, as the saying should be.

It will be interesting when we finally learn who we will be going to war against. And indeed, why.

Thanks, red 💐

A grim OP, but like you I expect, I never laughed at JRM:

His comic turns and eccentricity were just to disarm people, many of who who would otherwise have been repelled by his views and aims

Humour is very effective camouflage and we see 2 experts at using it that way in BJ and JRM