Westminstenders: Constitutional History

[RedToothBrush]

The Supreme Court case continues
(ruling possible Friday but likely Monday)

The new NI proposal is bollocks and Johnson didn't get why until it was discussed in Europe.

There was a press conference in Luxembourg which looks good for Johnson.

Johnsons approval ratings are up.

And we are making no obvious progress to anything but no deal...

Prime Minister lies on camera or Labour activist complains about state of NHS to Prime Minister.

What angle should a journalist take?

Sever cuts to NHS - or isn't that news? Why is he electioneering instead of negotiating? Why isn't he in Parliament? Why did he run away?

Before letting Boris Johnson or Laura K get away with it, ask yourself what would have happened had it been a Labour PM lying in front of the cameras. You have your answer right there.

I am having fantasies of breaking his leg and making him stay on that ward for 6 days....

Make him wait hours for an ambulance first, then wait hours to be admitted and then have his six days.

OK, am done for the night, lots of wine.
Thought i'd see if anyone had picked up on the air bnb stuff.

Tbh I feel the politics is in the way of the debate atm. We all see there are negative forces working to break down the two main parties, LD are struggling to see past post Brexit. WTF.

Anyway. Am hopeful not much can happen on a Sunday so I won't feel bad not catching up over the last couple of days and the weekend. Apols if I do go over stuff... I feel we are in for ND and eventually a labour govt. No idea how we will get there on the detail politically but the details of how each person/business are going to feel it is where I'm at. It's all about that personal touch as CumFace would say.

Boris Johnson's Choice: Shift For A Brexit Deal Or "Go Straight Through" The Rebel Law Blocking No-Deal

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/boris-johnsons-choice-shift-for-a-brexit-deal-or-go

If a deal can be done, Downing Street has a plan for inducements and political pressure to win over rebel MPs.
If there's no deal, it wants to ensure the EU does not offer an extension.
.....
If a deal can be done,
BuzzFeed News can reveal Downing Street is putting into place a strategy of inducements and political pressure to win over rebel MPs
and the Democratic Unionist Party - which one cabinet minister said is “desperate” for a deal -
and then asking Brussels to rule out another extension
and pose MPs with a choice of a deal or no deal on October 31

If no deal is struck,
Number 10 is plotting to “go straight through” rebel legislation aimed at forcing Johnson to delay Brexit by attempting to ensure the EU does not offer an extension.

In such a scenario Downing Street is expecting a second and final Supreme Court showdown in the last two weeks of October,
with an emergency budget also being prepared to eat up parliamentary time.
....
Should the UK and EU reach a deal before the October European Council,
a senior European government official told BuzzFeed News that the 27 leaders "could well" agree to no extension

• or a very short delay only for the purpose of ratification -

if Johnson makes the point that such an approach could help the agreement get the approval of MPs.

Yes but Mother you've just brought it up again and the way of threads people will respond with their point of view. That's the way of debate. Doesn't mean you're wrong but that's what is likely to happen. That's why grey rock is hard to do!

Am hopeful not much can happen on a Sunday so I won't feel bad not catching up over the last couple of days and the weekend.

Don't speak too soon!

The point about LauraK's latest debacle is the intimidating / dangerous situation she put a fairly ordinary bloke
(very low level in the Labour party, if that matters)

That combined with the Heil threatening to publish Maugham's address
means that most people would think twice before sticking their heads above the ramparts

imo, criticising an obviously Tory-leaning journalist - we are not revealing her address or threatening her in any way - is something that has been legitimate & normal in politics for many years;

in contrast, the rise of far right terrorists
and the rightwing media intimidating opponents with implicit threats of exposing them to such nutters
is a serious development that has blatantly affected our politics since Brexit revealed its ugly face in 2016 and 2017

Also, we are probably all fed up with posting how dim Corbyn / Labour and BJ / Tories are !

So, it's someone else's turn for criticism

Anyone near Sunderland / Newcastle / Teeside / Durham or would travel to attend on 24 September ?

Free tickets available for Sir Ivan Rogers on No Deal V Remain and his thoughts on prevailing situation

4 events in 1 day - crikey, he's spreading the word

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sir-ivan-rogers-no-deal-vs-remain-sunderland-tickets-71401330301

imo, it's a v bad development if people are discouraged from speaking out when BJ holds a GE event at their hospital or town etc,
because they fear the rightwing media inviting a pile-on

Also, the role of the media in getting to this stage hs been crucial:
they have been very unprofessional;
they have not been holding the PM or govt ministers to account for lying or talking rubbish

The BBC above all others should have been doing this, but it has just rolled over and offered its tummy to those who decide the licence fee
Or can advance careers by granting privileged access

Mother yes it's totally fed up making! I just have to keep plodding along though because I'm desperate for a sign it's not going to be the worst possible outcome. But it's a ghastly never ending nightmare!

And so unbelievably pointless. And fucking stupid.

Re pointing out the dimness of people. Shooting fish in a barrel comes to mind.

It doesn't feel as if Lord Hall is doing a very good job of running the BBC. But presumably he'd say if wasn't running it this way, it would be defunct.

Look at the crap with the reporting of the free license for over 75s. The government told the BBC they had to foot the bill, BBC can't afford this. But it's framed as the BBC being evil to pensioners.

And the BBC World Service used to be funded by the Foreign Office and suddenly the government told the BBC has to fund it. Now it's a cash strapped service.

Plus endless other shit from the Tories.

www.wiltshire999s.co.uk/british-army-to-set-up-camps-in-swindon-ahead-of-brexit-civil-unrest/#

This news story claims there's a British Army camp being set up in Swindon to carry out 'urban exercises', ie. training for post-Brexit civil unrest.

And there's more...
Andrew Fisher, Corbyn aide resigns. Well, actually, it was a while ago, but news is just breaking. He doesn't like the infighting, and doubts Jezza can win an election.
home.bt.com/news/uk-news/jeremy-corbyn-aide-resigns-with-attack-on-labour-leader-11364396671108

Wrt JRM's comment, “It is human to err, it is divine to forgive & the Prime Minister is very close to being divine I think"...

I don't see any problem there vis a vis Catholicism. UC RCs tend to have a fairly casual approach to scripture and literature laced with sacred references and themes. It's all fair fodder for turns of speech.

I know someone whose family had a donkey who rejoiced in the name of Beelzebub.

https://amp.theguardian.com/media/2019/sep/21/john-humphrys-attacks-bbcs-liberal-bias-days-after-retiring-from-radio-4?twitterr_impression=true

The Guardian piece about John Humphries' statements following his departure from 'Today'.

To the surprise of no-one, he's pretty much outing himself as a Leaver and a Tory. Which may, or may not, have relevance for the LK debate. In that, if it walks like a duck - and your eyes and ears are telling you it's a duck - it may well just be that it is, in fact, a duck.

The Andrew Fisher story is being broken in The Sunday Times. Which is quite a choice to go leaking s story:

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/general-election-poll-boris-johnson-conservatives-brexit-lib-dems-labour-a9114826.html

The Independent.

Tactical voting might save us from another Tory government.

People's Vote campaign commissioned a poll & are looking st a tactical vote drive.

(The PV campaign is very small. Rather obviously, what would really help would be the main Parties getting together on this. But they won't.)

Sunday papers:

S Times has unearthed another BJ skeleton

Mirror story that Corbyn wants 2 deputies, one a woman

Telegraph claims Corbyn ready to pack it in, hence hard left plans for succession

Presumably he wants Rebecca Long Bailey. God knows why she's been groomed for the top!

The Guardian also carrying the story on Fisher's resignation BUT also carrying details of polling.

The gist of the polling is that Labour's Brexit position is tanking with voters.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/21/remain-mps-accuse-jeremy-corbyn-shutting-down-brexit-debate

R L-B is malleable and loyal. And I suspect the thinking is Labour needs a woman because not having had a female PM is beginning to look odd.