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.

If I understand correctly, I could then get citizenship, but my children couldn't, am I on the right track?

Yep. But you need to apply to go on the Foreign Births Register first and that's taking around 12 months atm. You need to get quite a few docs as well beforehand. You can't pass it on to born children but it's a backstop 😉 of sorts.

"the unicorn would need to be taken off the (navy blue ) FUKD passport's coat of arms when Scotland is no longer part of it "

I'm pretty sure we'll nick that unicorn, pretty

It'll be the English national symbol in future, an essential part of our culture in which belief trumps all else

flouncyfanny I'm sure Enid Blyton covered the art of trout tickling in one of her books so I'll volunteer. When I was eight I used to catch sticklebacks in a similar way very close to where a few toffs went to school. Only I used a jam jar. Someone might have to help me get up again from the prone position these days though

2 of many problems for Uk exporters which are rarely mentioned
(veteran Leaver) R North explains why they are so serious:

http://www.eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=87314

Whereas a UK enterprise can at the moment ship goods to EU Member States without formalities,

after Brexit they will find that their goods come under customs supervision when they enter the EU,
and can only be released for circulation by an importer, who must be an entity established (and resident) in the European Union.

This change has scarcely, if at all, been discussed in the UK
but
the change to requiring goods to be placed in charge of an EU-resident importer represents a major barrier to trade, and an active disincentive to EU buyers.

For instance, while currently a UK exporter to the EU retains legal responsibility for standards conformity,
post-Brexit the importer becomes liable, with significant cost and legal implications
.....
for the 20 percent or so of products where there are no EU harmonised standards, and mutual recognition of standards falls away,

UK enterprises will suddenly find themselves having to conform with a raft of local standards that many of them didn't even know existed.
And without that knowledge, they are hardly in a position to prepare.

Does JDD still post at all on Richard North's blogposts?

red The British media have been claiming for months Dublin is under pressure / the EU is about to give in on the backstop

I don't know whether they invent these stories themselves, or are printing without corroboration the inventions of No.10 / Brexiter MPs

German officials have long said not to believe any such stories until you see them in the German media

chickens No, JDD stopped posting, over a year ago, iirc
Then he started posting as Anthony Wycher on Guardian CiF - I don't know if he's name-changed since

Dominic Cummings expressed damning views of party in 2017:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/30/dominic-cummings-tories-do-not-care-about-poor-people-or-the-nhs

"I know a lot of Tory MPs and I am sad to say the public is basically correct.

Tory MPs largely do not care about these poorer people.

They don’t care about the NHSS*.

And the public has kind of cottoned on to that.”

We've had a couple of gos at the fantasy WM commune over the years and actually I find it very funny and therapeutic- important as someone very wisely pointed out, earlier, we do need to ensure our own resilience.

We get to 'know' each other on here as far as we allow ourselves to be known, and it sort of adds to it.

Besides, many of us ( but not all 😂) need more cat pix.

Maybe a separate Fred could be started , with an innocent sounding title?

Perhaps @DGRossetti and mates could help us out with the redecorations for some of the rooms, directed of course by the glorious Elizabeth Siddal!

Another, perhaps more ...post modern style challenge would be to design some sort of elaborate red dental thought piece in honour of @RedToothBrush ?

Ok - we'll let FUKD keep the royal cost of arms and the unicorn The Union of Crowns did happen a century before the Union of Parliaments The Union Flag might have to change though Maybe swap the blue of the saltire for green for Wales

Iirc, in Scotland's Future (you know, a White Paper produced in advance of a Referendum ) it was proposed that Scottish citizenship could be acquired if it was wanted (ie it wasn't compulsory - and as long as we were in EFTA/the EU it wouldn't have been an issue as British passport holders would have been ok to stay - especially as a FTA like the one with Ireland was proposed) by either descent (back to grandparents) or by residency at the point of independence. (Can't remember how long it was proposing would be required after independence).

Scotland is needing more immigration - but not sure we can take all the Remainers but I'm sure the Westministenders would be welcome

The No Dealers can fuck off though.

Boris Johnson drops investigation into MP who manhandled protester

Field is still a Tory MP - not surprising BJ thinks his behaviour towards the woman needs no investigation.
BJ sacked him as a minister, for not being a supporter, but needs to keep him sweet for his vote.

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

No 10 says inquiry into Mark Field’s conduct was a matter for the previous PM
....
The decision to drop the investigation comes at a time when Johnson cannot afford to lose the support of any MPs,
as he has a majority of just three which may drop to two after the Brecon and Radnorshire byelection.

This is kind of serious for many apart from those who might profit from NO DEAL.

But there doesn't seem to be a voice for those who will suffer (us generally) at all. Is there?

@BigChocFrenzy interesting about JDD. I noticed he stopped posting about that time and felt vaguely concerned. How do you know he is the Guardian poster?

I am presuming that you lot have found the government advice on no deal Brexit...

Reading through for travel advice for DD. Going to be a massive pain in the arse.

Why Varadkar is NOT under any domestic pressure to give in:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/30/leo-varadkar-uk-ireland-boris-johnson

Johnson and his new administration haven’t fully realised just how vile they appear to the rest of the world – and Ireland especially.

They are, in short, acting like a pantomime version of the Etonian imperialists Irish people have sung rebel songs about for centuries:

a prime minister, who in his time as foreign secretary is said to have asked why Varadkar, za man of Indian heritage, isn’t “called Murphy like all the rest of them””^;

a foreign secretary who just threatened Northern Ireland with direct rulee^ mere days into the job.

Standing up to this is not just strategically essential for Varadkar, it’s as close to a no-risk gambit as exists in modern domestic politics.

David Yelland@davidyelland

I’ve been shocked at two dinners recently when Tories of influence have told me privately “Varadkar isn’t bright” and “the Irish will blink”

and it seems, amazingly, that this is the actual policy of HMG under Johnson.

They are anti-Irish, arrogant, dangerous and wrong.

We swapped a PM that was “just” incompetent but trying to be responsible with a Pm that is both incompetent and irresponsible...

Why is this all happening. That is the question.

Lewis Goodalll@lewis*_goodall

Irish Leader of the Opposition weighs in on Boris Johnson.

Newsflash:
Ireland has politics too and after PM’s opening approach to the negotiations it has become even harder for Varadkar to be seen to be offering Britain concessions.

Micheál Martin@MichealMartinTD

To be absolutely clear; the refusal by PM Boris Johnson to engage with European leaders and our Taoiseach without pre conditions on the issue of Brexit is unacceptable

and is not within the realms of normal diplomatic or political behaviour.

How soon before it's not just airport exchange rates ?

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/pound-euro-exchange-rate-brexit-gatwick-heathrow-gbp-eur-a9026226.html

The pound has sunk well below €1 at Britain’s biggest airports – while the dollar is at parity.

At the ICE desk at Heathrow airportt^ on Tuesday morning,
The Independent was quoted £117 for buying €100 – making each pound worth just 85 euro cents.
....
The interbank rate for dollars was £1 = $1.21, but Moneycorp at Gatwick airport was quoting parity: £1 = $1

There is no leader of the Opposition in ROI.

Confidence and supply applies. Just like in UK now with DUP

But the FF party were not given a few billion to keep them onside, they are patriots. Country first, party last. No bribes needed.

FFS...Leavers are getting their knickers in a twist on FB that "anti-Brexit agitators are trying to rewrite history" because of course Leavers all wanted no deal from the outset.

Sharing this article that says "It is simply not true that no-one anticipated 'no deal' during the referendum. Quite the reverse, no-one anticipated...a deal"

No-one has yet responded to my posts drawing attention to:

• The official Leave leaflet that says “Taking back control is a careful change, not a sudden stop - we will negotiate the terms of a new deal before we start any legal process to leave”

• The official Leave website which says "Given that all the big issues have already been solved over the years between the EU and countries around the world, and there is already a free trade zone stretching from Iceland to the Russian border, the new UK-EU Treaty should be ready within two years. In many areas we will continue existing arrangements at least for a while. Obviously the relationship will change and improve over time but a main goal for the first phase is to avoid unnecessary disruption. All the important elements of a new Treaty should be in place well before the next election.”

No, the specific 'withdrawal agreement' wasn't a known entity but these two official Leave campaign statements make it pretty bloody clear that it wasn't being pushed that we would be out with absolutely nothing in place. Yet we're the ones rewriting history

Forgot article link from Torygraph

It's time to quash the Remainer myth that 'nobody voted to leave without a deal' ANDREW LILICO

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/07/30/time-quash-remainer-myth-nobody-voted-leave-without-deal/