Westminstenders: 30 days to save us all!

[RedToothBrush]

It's quite remarkable to watch the British press atm.

It's like it doesn't understand English. Well only if its English spoken by foreigners.

Merkel made the observation that the UK had spent two years looking at the Irish border but had failed to come up with a workable solution, and now Johnson has waltzed in and made statements about how the backstop must go, and only has 30 days in which this can be achieved.

The British press writes this up as Merkel giving the UK a deadline to come up with a new solution.

Which is nonsense. The UK have a deadline to save itself, from itself and that's 31st October. This is a self imposed deadline.

Meanwhile comes out with the Brexiteer smack down that he didn't think the UK wS leaving the EU to regain its sovereignty only to become a vassalage or junior partner to the US.

Both these ideas being the result of leaving the EU have long been key issues. From before the ref. Both have been the UK's to solve in order to get the terms the UK wants from a deal.

The referendum was about choosing to align with the EU or to ditch that and rights and align closely with the US. Then Trump happened and the sell on this got harder, but still essentially the same. And it continues.

And then there was the Irish border. The magic solution to Brexit that doesn't break the GFA. I personally think there isn't one as long as the DUP have their red lines about the Irish sea.

So here we are. More than 3 years after the ref.

Leavers still have no plan. Apart for charge headlong over the cliff. Remains still have their heads wedged up their own backsides and also, after spending months criticising every one else on social media anyway who makes a stand again this bull shit.

Yet the newspapers fail to report what Merkel said or why the UK has this issue in the first place. Its an ongoing exercise in national delusion and self denial.

Another proposal from a rightwing thinktank / IDS to hammer ordinary people into the ground

State pension age 75 ? = work until you drop

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/aug/22/work-75-iain-duncan-smith-pensions-life-expectancy

An influential conservative thinktank – fronted by the former work and pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith –
has proposed the state pension age should rise to 75 over the next 16 years.

If the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) had its way, the retirement age would go up to 70 just nine years from now, as the change is phased in.

I have little faith in BJ obeying Parliamentary commands to extend, if he is not replaced

He does seem to be taking (or being given) legal advice though, as there was the comment last(?) week that parliament has legislated that it had to be sitting in the run up to Oct 31st when the government was questioned on the proroguing issue. So I'm not sure.

I think Mistigri may be onto something: when he blames parliament for blocking his plans, meaning it's not his fault, this is exactly what he is banking on to stop him.

I'm at the 'just bring back the bloody WA' point now. I just want to avoid no deal!

morning. trivial point, but Blowjob doesnt even look the part, scruffy git.

Centre for Social Justice (CSJ)
What irony in that name!

Things are turning out much as I had expected (but sooner).

Too soon to relax but as my favourite Twitter Brexit commentator said yesterday
^
"^I note in passing we’re all old enough to remember that a political nanosecond ago there was meant to be absolutely no negotiation until the backstop was dumped."

Boris wants a proper term in office which means a deal or a delay.

PMK. Here is a cat sleeping the sleep of one who neither knows nor cares about Brexit.

pmk

Beautiful!

Defenbaker - my apologies, it was late last night and I was tired

What I meant to write was that the UK MSM & UK political commentators confuse courtesy/diplomacy with agreement/acquiescence So someone being polite and smiling = they're agreeing with BlowJob's nonsense

The British press writes this up as Merkel giving the UK a deadline to come up with a new solution.

Which is nonsense.

Not really nonsense, since it’s exactly what happened

IDS: "Removing barriers for older people to working longer has the potential to improve health and wellbeing"

What tosh. So many people now have multiple health concerns even in middle age, how are they supposed to carry on working? oh wait, more pills and medicines propping them up I suppose, with Big Pharma cashing in even more.

No, it is not what happened. Did she say 'you've 30 days and not a day longer'? That is a deadline.

Merkel didn't give the UK a deadline

""I said that what one can achieve in three or two years can also be achieved in 30 days. Better said, one must say that one can also achieve it by October 31," Merkel told a news conference in the Hague."

Removing barriers for older people to working longer has the potential to improve health and wellbeing

Us disabled people have been fed that line since 2010

Shanker Singham babbles about the physical infrastructure being moved away from the actual border. Doesn't he realise then that the Customs houses in Belfast, Derry or where-ever they are sited become the border and will attract the bombs.

Interestingly I saw on the thread about the UK losing its measles free status someone commenting that it's not just anti-vaxxers to blame but to do with underfunding and poor admin. It goes on to say how the media consistently blame the anti-vaxxers while ignoring this.
Seeing how DIL and GS have been messed about by poor admin, I can well believe it. It's not good enough, when you have taken a day off work to take a child to the clinic, to have the appointment cancelled two hours beforehand. This is NOT a criticism of the medical staff, who are wholly dedicated to their patients.

This is Brexit related because people do value the NHS, and a bus with Let's sell the NHS to the highest bidder, would not have been a vote winner.

Removing barriers for older people to working longer has the potential to improve health and wellbeing

? It's all just part of rolling back state provision. We are evicting the young and motivated EU workers (who are net contributors) and are left with an ageing population.So what can be done?

First shift the retirement are to 75 to be the oldest retirement age on the planet.

Then secondly facilitate working for those who are unwell. The government have already published a consultation on how to reduce heath-related job loss.

To reduce the burden on the state the government is looking at reform of Statutory Sick Pay which is low anyway.
Also a new right to request workplace modifications on health grounds for those employees who are not quite disabled.

It's edging towards a US position where healthcare costs bankrupt you and if you can't work you are stuffed.

He's proposing all island regulatory alignment on food - but whose regulations? The only acceptable regulations to Ireland are the current EU ones. So he's proposing a border in the Irish sea, which is unacceptable to unionists.

Unless he wants Ireland to accept UK regs and wave bye bye to Irish agricultural exports. It's just more of the same bullshit.

It's horrifying that the Telegraph is publishing that article and that people are reading it and believing it.

Exactly Apileofballyhoo . That's the real insidious piece of shite in there that people are going to miss.
As for this "technology away from the border" shite. That's still a border and, more worryingly, a target.

Johnson is relaxed because he does not care. He has no skin in the game (and it is a game to him). Rising food prices? Oh, well. Riots in the street? Arm the police with guns. GDP down? Blame the EU and invoke the blitz spirit. Pepe dying ? Fake news!

I cannot think of a single scenario where he will feel the consequences of what he has done. Even getting booted out of the job on a vote of no confidence will only lead to better speaking opportunities.

.

PMK, thanks Red

Has Macron been on Westminstenders?
Our lungs are on fire: the Amazon ones.
He's calling for a G7 summit on it.
Bolsonora is one of fattie de pfiffels mafiosi.

Environmental rights are always the sister of Democratic ones.

Agree with your post on pubic health cuts in large part causing measles peregrina.
And hope you are right MIstigri you often are.

Thanks red

I cannot think of a single scenario where he will feel the consequences of what he has done.

Arguably the key characteristic of a despot ?

What happened to the mantra that "we can get rid of our leaders" that's excused them these past centuries ?

Once again - and if I posted it every hour, it still wouldn't be too often, I give you Tony Benn

1. What power have you got?
2. Where did you get it from?
3. In whose interests do you exercise it?
4. To whom are you accountable?
5. How can we get rid of you?

The complete and utter lack of any journalist repeatedly asking these questions of politicians makes them complicit in where we are - they can drop all that "uninterested bystander" crap they've got away with for so long. And when it's them that's being crushed by the heel of the monster they have fed, then not a tear will I shed ... no not I.