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.

Interesting thread over on chat:

If you want a no deal brexit-what does no deal mean to you? http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3651351-if-you-want-a-no-deal-brexit-what-does-no-deal-mean-to-you

Interesting in that no one has given an answer apart from one poster with a Scottish utopia vision

To lighten the mood, here's a little ditty to be sung to the tune of My Bonnie Over the Ocean:

My Boris flies over the Ocean
With Dominic Jacob and Nige
Oh why won't my Boris just fly there
And give way to one who does care?
Fly there fly there
Oh why won't my Boris fly there fly there?
Fly there fly there
And give way to one who does care?

www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3002646/operation-yellowhammer-uks-murky-contingency-plan-no-deal-brexit

I've just seen this - travel bans?
As it happens, DH and I will be out of the country over that time period, in Europe. Will our presence their suddenly be illegal?

*There! Autocorrect ffs.

Ah, Operation Yellowhammer. Based on the fact that the bird’s call is supposed to sound like "A little bit of bread and no cheese"

Someone has a sense of humour, must be that famed Blitz spirit.

Just looking at exchange rates 😭 we bought some Euros last Tuesday and the rate was so low. Looks positively brilliant now.

But we have nowhere near enough! An awful lot of Brits are going to return from holiday an awful lot poorer.

And life is going to get an awful lot more expensive.

I can cushion it - rabid No Dealers - can you?

www.irishtimes.com/news/world/brexit-us-uk-trade-deal-impossible-if-peace-accord-undermined-warns-letter-1.3970109

I can cushion it - rabid No Dealers - can you?

Well the less well off Brexiteers may not be able to go abroad, and can enjoy a holiday in the UK, where the low pound has attracted tourists who may have previously not been able to afford a UK Holiday.

Maybe they can drop into a bar or two in Birmingham, where DS says you won't hear English spoken all night . (DS works with a lot of Italians in the Chinese quarter, and did well in French - so can muddle by in 3 languages ... and golly can these Chinese gamble. Anyone here counted £250,000 in cash ? DS has ....).

We can see where this is headed ...

(I have already contacted YouGov to spank their bottom over the sloppy use of the world "British", considering we have England and Wales, and Scotland with totally different legal systems ...)

@DGR agree but I am thinking about life in the UK. We import so much. Everything is more expensive already and it’s going to get worse.

Birmingham is such a diverse city. It’s what makes it the city it is and whilst all the work is a bit of a pain it is exciting seeing it change. We don’t go in very often so really notice it when we do.

Sitting in centenary square recently I got the chance to speak to people I wouldn’t normally 😀

agree but I am thinking about life in the UK. We import so much. Everything is more expensive already and it’s going to get worse.

But what price freedom ?

Playing with fire ? We really could see an influx of ex ex-pats from Spain and France if they decide what's sauce for the goose ...

www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/priti-patel-says-only-skilled-english-speaking-workers-welcome/29/07/

Priti Patel says only “skilled, English-speaking workers welcome”

Priti Patel said only skilled, English-speaking workers will be welcome after Brexit.

The new home secretary has rolled out plans for a new point-based immigration system when Britain leaves the European Union.

She said decisions would be based on what someone can contribute rather than where they come from and pledged that she would be “tougher on those who abuse our hospitality”.

“We’ll give top priority to those with the highest skills and the greatest talents — to attract who add the most value to our economy.

“Those skilled workers will only be able to come here if they have a job offer from an employer registered with the Home Office and if they can speak English.”

But people have been quick to point out the potential shortcomings of the policy.

If EU countries such as Spain and France adopted the same stance millions of British expats could be in danger of being returned back home.

A recent study, carried out by the European Commission for the European Day of Languages, found people from the United Kingdom are ranked as the least likely to speak another language.

On average, almost two-thirds of EU citizens said they could speak at least one foreign language, but the just 34 per cent of Brits can say the same.

At the other end of the scale, a total of 97 per cent of people Sweden and 96 per cent of those living in Latvia, Denmark and Lithuania say they can speak a foreign language.

Knowledge of at least three foreign languages was also high in Finland, where 45 per cent can do so.

Alex Wickham @alexwickham
NEW: Boris Johnson's political secretary at No10 will be Danny Kruger

Was previously the govt's civil society tsar, founder of criminal justice charity Only Connect, speechwriter to David Cameron

He famously called for a "period of creative destruction" in public services

I've had a thought about why people are still adamant that they are glad they voted for Brexit, and want a No Deal.
The No Deal part is bravado, and a total reluctance to admit that they got it wrong. Many people seem wired to find that impossibly hard.
The other thing is that people don't want to admit that they were influenced. You only have to read the threads about pubic hair removal and see just how angry people get when it's suggested that there's cultural influences at work wrt removing pubes. People seem to find it hugely offensive when it's suggested that their behaviours and thoughts are influenced.
I find that daft. Of course we are all influenced, we're social apes after all.

This is reminding me of Thatcher's occasional tours outside the Home Counties

Then too, it seemed a Tory leader was visiting the colonies

Birmingham is such a diverse city. It’s what makes it the city it is and whilst all the work is a bit of a pain it is exciting seeing it change. We don’t go in very often so really notice it when we do.

And yet voted Leave ?

Since I chose to live here, I have some affection for the place. I know it won't impress the knuckle dragging Leavers, but as a city and a country, I think we should be proud that we were able to save Malala Yousafzai's life, after her run in with the Taliban equivalent of EDOL/Britain First/BXP, and that she chose to complete her education in Birmingham, UK before continuing to fulfil a clear destiny to become a powerful world figure. Having already bagged a Nobel Prize and getting phone calls from Obama. I don't know if Malala is a UK citizen. I hope so - she's a wonderful ambassador for all that's good about the UK. Unlike that useless cunt of spite Priti Patel.

(I thought I'd write an essay in the hope a BXPer has an apoplexy - let's take them out one at a time).

It could make sense to restrict / ban holiday travel on ferries, if we are short of ferry capacity for essentials.

I doubt if it's practical to try ripping out airline seats for cargo capacity though, so if you are flying you'll be ok

I've had a thought about why people are still adamant that they are glad they voted for Brexit, and want a No Deal.

I'm forming an idea that they may say that, but they really aren't expecting it. There is a streak of forelock-tugging so deeply ingrained in the British psyche that expects to be mollycoddled by their betters.

Many years ago, I was shopping with the family in our local large Morrisons. Just before we reached the checkout a fire alarm sounde. It was not a drill (expected) as all the cashiers locked their tills and started helping evacuate people.

To my amazement, people were queuing to get out past a fucking fire door. Which I pointed out and one lady looked at me blankly and said "but it's got a seal ...". Which it had. One of those cable tie seals.

I kicked the door open and as I did, saw the briefest WTF !? from the queue. Before they cottoned on and left by that door, rather than the one 15 metres away.

As we got out, there were 5 fire appliances that had arrived. It turned out it was a false alarm, but the alarm system didn't know that.

(In hindsight, I probably didn't need to kick the door. There's probably a years worth of therapy to uncover what issues I must have had Testosterone and adrenaline are a potent brew I guess ?)

On average, almost two-thirds of EU citizens said they could speak at least one foreign language, but the just 34 per cent of Brits can say the same.

That's a vast overestimate...

40 million trips abroad are made by brits each year, Johnson will be out within a week if any sort of travel ban came into force.

Same with meds or food shortages.

Its why there isn't going to be a no-deal, we are probably heading for an extension and a GE, blaming it all on the EU and anti democratic MPs.

It could make sense to restrict / ban holiday travel on ferries, if we are short of ferry capacity for essentials. I doubt if it's practical to try ripping out airline seats for cargo capacity though, so if you are flying you'll be ok

How confident would you be if you apply the 2016-2019 direction of travel over that statement ?

Travel ban would be the most effective way to reduce black marketeering which will be a no-deal priority. The people who have paid for no deal, and bought the UK government aren't going to sit back and let the spivs undermine their investment.

Presumably there will be measures to take food grown on allotments into a central pool for distribution too ? (Ultimately Communism and Fascism are just different spellings).

No need for a massive fleet for distribution if you commandeer private vehicles (and their drivers) and get them to do the leg work (insurance policies are already written to allow this, although it's trivial to remove the need for insurance in such cases. Or MOT. Or indeed driving licence. After all, is this not the greatest re-enactment ever staged ?).

I really urge fellow posters to unleash their imaginations and try and posit scenarios that can't be foreseen. I'm struggling. And it's not even week Boris+1.

DRG Thats just stupid, none of this is going to happen, its just scaremongering, making us look ridiculous.

There is a GE happening in May '22 (at the very latest) and the Tories will want to win it, which they will not if they leave the EU with no-deal.

sorry DGR

@DGRossetti I agree with you that most people just don't expect it to happen for real. Or that if it does, it will somehow magically all be okay.
The UK has had stability and prosperity for a long long time now. I think many people don't realise just how quickly things can change, and how bad they can get. Look at Syria. Many Syrians had nice middle-class lives. Suddenly they are homeless terrified refugees with their homes in ruins. But I'm sure that some people think that chaos and bloodshed are some sort of Middle Eastern default, something that can happen to them but not to us.