Westminstenders: Silly Season

[RedToothBrush]

It's that time of year again when politicians seem to completely lose their marbles in order to impress the faithful. And it is beginning to feel like conference season is increasingly an exercise in religious ferver to the party rather than considering what's in the best interests of the whole country.

Labour have got off to a good start before their conference opens, by almost starting complete melt down.

The Tories have promised to break from convention and try and over shadow the others, so that's something to look forward to.

And early this week we have the supreme Court ruling which could, regardless of which direction it swings, have massive ramifications for our democracy.

Big week ahead.

Ted Cruise was born in Canada. Trump made his political name with the birther shit.
Why not? Ply his trade over there when he comes unstick here (assuming he won't end up in prison).

Can BoZo the Clown be simultaneously Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland AND President of the United States of America

As a born US citizen, he can be President. Naturalised citizens can't. (So no President Schwarzenegger, for example). I can't be arsed to check, but I have a feeling a US president cannot owe allegiance to any other country. Which is why Trumps ties with Russia are so problematic.

Even US media can't be owned by foreigners, at least not above a certain size

Hence Murdoch getting US citizenship to spread his poison there as well

If Wankstain renounces his UK citizenship, I'm sure he could attempt to pitch some bullshit there. Not sure enough people would fall for it though. He's seen as a Trump wannabe. Eventually, that trend will be too old to sell again.

I can't stand Thornberry
and I don't get why she is touted so often as a "leadership frontrunner", the successor to Corbyn

She would be crucified by the Tory press for her 2014 snooty tweet about that voter having English flags & a white van
It cost her a job then and would likely cost her the PM job
She's long been sneered at as "Lady Nugee" - even BJ did so - and that would be in Tory attack ads too

Far more vulnerable than Miliband, even with his bacon sandwich

She's the caricature come to life of a sneering Remain elitist - a totally untypical Remainer, but toxic to us

Lucy Plint@lucyplint

Emily Thornberry effectively asking conference to back composite 13: "with your endorsement today, conference, with the instructions that I hope you give us today, I believe we must strive day and night, whatever it takes, to keep Britain in the European Union."

Lewis Goodall@lewisgoodall

She was received very very warmly in the hall.
She’s a real frontrunner for the leadership.

Thornberry: “With the instructions I hope you give us today I hope we campaign night and day to remain in the European Union.”

Hard not to read that as an explicit endorsement of Composite 13, which the leadership doesn’t want.
#Lab19

I'm starting to get confused as to who is Wankstain and who is Farty!

this tread is becoming frenzied - in a way, it's so good. It means there are actually policies and ideas that get us excited (and/or revolted) and that not all hope is lost...

on a margin note to the theme of expatriation, I just want to point to a little detail that I have discovered only this week end. It's not going to affect those of us who are already working abroad and 'professionally settled' but in my mind is a screw up of the next generation....Not only Brexit will deprive our british kids of the freedom of movement and work...but it's going to make the mutual recognition of their degrees in europe a lot less certain and a lot more bureaucratic. To the point that even if they were to graduate as Uk nationals in a Eu country, in a 'regulated profession' (medicine, nursing, law, engineering, architecture etc) they would have no certainty of recognition by individual member states...ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/file_import/professional_qualifications_en.pdf
I find this as a massive step back, to when in order to apply for a job you had to provide a dozen official translations of pieces of papers to declare what you did and what was the legal value of your degree/your chartership etc...

^As of the withdrawal date, United Kingdom nationals will be third country nationals and hence Directive 2005/36/EC no longer applies to them. It follows that:
The recognition of professional qualifications of United Kingdom nationals in an EU-27 Member State will be governed by the national policies and rules of that Member State, irrespective of whether the qualifications of the United Kingdom national were obtained in the United Kingdom, in another third country or in an EU-27 Member State.

The temporary or occasional provision of services by United Kingdom nationals in an EU-27 Member State, even if they are already legally established in an EU-27 Member State will be governed by the national policies and rules of that Member State. ^

I'm now seriously considering if I should not push for DS1 (doing GCSE now) to stay in the British education system....true, universities are top of the league in europe, but it costs an arm and a leg (unless Corbyn wins and zeroes the fees), and will basically be more easily recognised by an american company than by a european one...

Our Tranatlantic cousins have done us the honour of taking James Corden off our hands, so maybe they'll accept some more of our shit?

Wankstain. Not Wankstein. I have a cold. Not sure that counts as a bad afternoon.

...Dr Wankenstein who created the Brexit Monster?

That would be our Nigel.

Recalling what Terry Gilliam said, it takes a while

I renounced. It only takes as long as it takes you to file five years of tax returns, fill out a couple of forms and make an appointment with the Embassy/Consulate. Took me a couple of weeks. You only owe US taxes on unearned income and earnings over the threshold- currently a bit over $100k. It’s because of FATCA where the US is trying to cut down on hidden offshore investments, but loads of ordinary expats/accidental Americans ended up as collateral damage.

Here you go - just to lighten the mood
Forest School is actually no-deal preparation

Dr Wankenstein who created the Brexit Monster?

This is all getting a bit too close for comfort

@flouncyfanny my flu jab is on Saturday. I'm hoping the cold has gone by then.

Labour International Affairs/Brexit debate is live on BBC Parl, now.

Depending on your level of wealth and income renouncing US citizenship can be complex and costly.

As of the withdrawal date, United Kingdom nationals will be third country nationals and hence Directive 2005/36/EC no longer applies to them. It follows that:
The recognition of professional qualifications of United Kingdom nationals in an EU-27 Member State will be governed by the national policies and rules of that Member State, irrespective of whether the qualifications of the United Kingdom national were obtained in the United Kingdom, in another third country or in an EU-27 Member State

To be fair, I think if you obtained the qualification while the UK was a member of the EU it should be treated as if the UK were still in the EU. The key date should be when you got your qualification. If we do leave with no deal on 31 October, then if you qualify from 1 November, it's tough. But if you qualified on 30 October, it shouldn't be.

However, I have an EU qualification alongside my UK one, so if I did decide to emigrate to the EU I'd have a valid qualification.

And yes it's all rubbish for kids leaving school and uni now who didn't (get the chance to) vote for this!

To be fair though, a friend of mine had to leave a job in Germany because they didn't recognise her British (English) teaching qualification. She had to appeal to her local authority, and they eventually found in her favour, but after she'd lost the job, had to sell her flat etc. Just after that there was a similar case in Luxembourg where the person took the Luxembourg authorities to the European court, and won.

but BoZo has renounced officially his USA citizenship due to some tax dispute, already? can he get it back now?

Inniu, it's costly whatever your level of income! My husband renounced and it's irrevocable.

www.gov.uk/guidance/providing-services-including-those-of-a-qualified-professional-after-brexit
www.gov.uk/guidance/the-system-for-recognising-eu-qualified-architects-in-the-uk-if-there-is-no-brexit-deal
Recognition of professional qualifications in the UK

There will be a new UK recognition system after Brexit.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/794242/recognition-professional-qualifications-competent-authorities-guidance-2019.pdf

For EEA, Swiss and UK nationals who applied for recognition of a non-UK qualification under the pre-Brexit rules:

decisions made before Brexit day will remain valid
as far as is possible, applications made before Brexit day but not concluded by that date will be completed as though the pre-Brexit rules applied
applications for a recognition decision after Brexit day will be subject to the new system of recognition
for any questions on how your application will be processed please contact the relevant regulator

The new system of recognition of professional qualifications will:

require UK regulators to recognise EEA and Swiss qualifications which are of an equivalent standard to UK qualifications
no longer include certain obligations on UK regulators, such as offering compensation measures and partial access in circumstances where EEA/Swiss qualifications are not of an equivalent standard to UK qualifications
no obligation on UK regulators to make provisions for the temporary and occasional provision of services

What was explained to me was that I could naturalise as a US citizen but would never be a Natural Born Citizen. I’d assume the same would apply to Johnson.