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...

He's never had to be accountable for anything in his life. He either blags it or someone else bails him out.
Spot on. In reality, he's always been a bullshitter with money and people to fag for him.
Now, he is surrounded by Irish and other EU politicians who see the bullshit for what it is.
They see that the Emperor has no clothes.

There are programs on which it is appropriate for a group of journalists to debate and indulge their own bias openly

However LauraK's job is to present and analyse the political events - independently - in the worst peacetime crisis since the Depression

Not to give soft-focus interviews to a PM who ran away from a very minor & peaceful demonstration
Not to uncritically indulge the govt and promote their views more effectively than they ever could themselves

Just when we need BBC impartiality as never before, she is contributing to a massive BBC fail
If she wants to work as the govt's chief press officer, then she should apply for the job openly

Proper Media journalism ReKquired (by LK)

Thanks Red

While no deal is a scary prospect, I'm glad the EU is being fucking blunt with BoJo and his pretend negotiations. It's time people started calling it as it is.

There are some interesting comments under the Jenni Russell article BCF linked to in the Times especially alongside the guardian article -

'For over three years Gove has been a central figure in this drama, biding his time. He is Machiavellian and pragmatic.

If Johnson is toppled by the Court ruling and Gove replaces him, then he would I think make a major pivot - inviting back the One Nation ex-Tories; and persuading other parties to cooperate in the national interest in approving the WA, with some NI tweaks. '

Watch the Gove!

#sacklaurakuenssberg is trending on Twitter.

I'm just bitter.

I studied this. Had all the politicians say it was a mickey mouse degree.

Then I see the highest profile journalists in the country forgetting the very basic because they know sucking up the right people gets the privileged access and scoops no one else gets.

It's essentially corruption of the profession which lowers its standards and ultimately destroys its purpose.

It's funny, cos I started off this morning having a bitch about Laura K and then she proved my point about her lack of scrutiny in spectacular style.

The financial markets are either being taken in by the BJ / Cummings spin, or they assume that BJ will fold and accept the WA or an extension

because Sterling has been rising on the assumption that No Deal won't happen on 31 October

Gove would throw NI under a bus.

He wants to end the GFA.

BCF it's too early to make that call.

I think confidence is growing that the supreme court will do something and parliament will reopen and some holding to account will happen.

Plus I think this talk of an all Ireland solution is being massively over egged.

I think that's misreading the situation.

No guarantees on the SC and the all Ireland proposal is dog turd.

Her sucking up is totally unprofessional, but so is outing a very small Labour fry - who happens to be a desperately worried father - to her 1.1 million Twitter followers

Labour warhorse Paul Mason has now piled in, with his unique twist on this event:

Paul Mason✔@paulmasonnews

Thanks for reporting that.

It shows that our party of 500,000+ people is everywhere,
among people suffering as the Conservatives destroy our health and welfare systems,
and that even chosen at random they can make the PM look like a pillock...

Did the dad have a point about understaffing?

Well lost in all this, it seems yes.

I've just found this tweet from 5 hours ago.

Kevin Maguire @kevin_maguire
Whipps Cross Hospital's boss apologises for its handling of the week-old baby's care so Boris Johnson's apologists smearing her dad miss the point the NHS is suffering under the Tories.

#sacklaurakuenssberg is trending on Twitter tonight!

They see that the Emperor has no clothes.

Puh-leeeeze I've not had my supper yet. I don't need the image of a naked BJ-Cummings created in my head. 🤢

Goes and searches for the brain bleach

red I am very concerned that so many people - including those who really should know better - ar etaking this Alternative Arrangements bollocks seriously

The key people who know its bollocks and are saying so .... are the EU
So AA is a zombie fantasy

Knowing this, the issue is what happens from 19 October onwards:

Will BJ keep his eyes firmly closed and lead the UK over a cliff ?
Will Gove & the few remaining adults in power stop him ?
Will the Rebel Alliance stop him ?
Can any of them ?

re Gove :
He is one of those who originally saw Brexit as a means to shaft the GFA they hate, not just to roll back the welfare state etc
However, several reports indicate that he isn't prepared to put the UK through all the shortages and economic calamity of No Deal to achieve this
Dependson how much power he has left - he has been severely weakened in 2 Tory leadership contests

Schools told to check they can provide meals after a no-deal Brexit

Schools, supermarkets, businesses, hauliers .....
The govt preparing to blame them all after No Deal, for not doing enough

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/18/schools-told-to-check-they-can-provide-meals-after-a-no-deal-brexit

DfE letter aims to gauge preparedness but offers ‘little practical advice’

The Department for Education has told schools to ensure their own sources of food in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, as part of an urgent appeal to gauge preparations for Brexit.

The letter from the DfE – sent out this week and revealed by the education company Tes – was criticised by school leaders for putting the burden for maintaining food supplies on English schools and councils without giving any practical advice or support.

It comes after a secret DfE briefing paper last month warned of food and travel disruption possibly leading to school closures, as well as difficulties in administering exams, if there were a no-deal Brexit.

A recent survey of universities found some colleges were planning to stockpile food and other essential supplies, including toilet paper, in expectation of shortages.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/sep/18/bbc-apologises-to-prince-harry-over-race-traitor-image

The BBCC^ has apologised for failing to warn the Duke of Sussex before broadcasting and publishing online an image from a neo-Nazi social media group
that called him a “race traitor” and depicted the royal with a gun pointed at his head.
.....
The BBC Online article, which investigated the activities of Sonnenkrieg Division, reported:
“One image suggests that Prince Harry should be shot for marrying someone of mixed race and exclaims ‘see ya later race traitor’.”
.....
Harry was the only person to complain to Ofcom about the issue

In May people wanted Laura Kuenssberg sacked because she had given BJ too much of a grilling over Carrie Symonds.

This headline in The Irish Sun amused me.

Leo Varadkar's Burn of British PM Boris Johnson I think it's the first time I ever clicked on a Sun "article". It's amazing how they change their stance according to their audience.

Agree Gove is weakened. And crucially not trusted by the Tory hardliners nor many of the more liberal side of the party because he was part of Vote Leave.

Ironically he has supported the WA throughout and was pretty thorough whilst at Defra getting a good understanding of the nature of problems (merely acknowledging they existed is HUGE let's face it).

He has now started spouting shite again in line with the cabinet policy, but for a while he did look sane, compared to the frogs in the box.

And less we forget WHY he stabbed Johnson in the back. Because he felt that Johnson as an individual had personality traits which meant he was wholly unsuitable for the job.

In hindsight it does make him look less Machiavellian. We just don't remember the why bit too well as we want to believe its purely because he's a backstabbing bastard cos he's Gove. He is, but I can't help but feel the assessment of that based on the leadership incident is somewhat unfair now.

Much as I'd like to think Gove is sane -

A. The Price of Peace - granted, written many moons ago
B. Leave the EU for what reasons?

I don't normally do twitter - what did Laura Koenssberg say?

PMK thanks!

Has anyone else been feeling, since Johnson became PM, and appointment his cabinet of ghastlies, that you can begin to imagine what it would be like to be in a country where the Army Chief has rolled in on a tank with his favoured henchmen?

Peregina she said

Another very, very awkward encounter for PM - taken to task by a parent on a children’s ward in London where he says repeatedly the ‘NHS has been destroyed’ - Johnson like rabbit in headlights

Not a word about him lying his ass off that there was no press.

It's just poor Johnson, he's in a bit of an embarrassing situation here

Then she retweeted the parent and made comment about his political leanings.

And not a sausage about how the parent was right about staff shortages last night at the hospital which the chief executive has apologised for.

Implication being the parent was only ranting at the PM because he was politically biased, not that he might have a genuine grievance and seeing the PM come bouncing along for a photo op for campaigning purposes, and then have the barefaced nerve to lie in front of the cameras that there was no press rather than a) be sympathetic b) listen and perhaps suggest how he as PM intends to resolve the issue.

It's awful awful reporting.