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.

BJ at the UN, same bollocks he says in the UK
Maybe the UN will pass a resolution condemning the UK for sending him there

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/23/boris-johnson-refuses-to-rule-out-suspending-parliament-again

Boris Johnson has refused to rule out suspending parliament again if the supreme court rules on Tuesday that he abused his powers as prime minister in doing so earlier this month.

The British prime minister, who is in New York for a UN summit, also indicated he would not feel obliged to resign if the justices rule he misled the Queen in his reasons for suspending parliament.

@red What do you see as our most feasible route to avoiding the hard authoritarian right gaining ever more power ?

I don't see a Remain or Brexit strategy that stands out wrt this

Friend has shared this meme in Facebook . The original oust is entitled "The thrush emerges"

Oops - a rather inappropriate (or appropriate ) autocarrot typo. It should of course be "The truth emerges"

Going back to Labour (because I'm depressed), I'll just point out that Labour have committed to wasting a year, minimum, negotiating a WA and PD.

Which will prove to be as destructive for Labour as it was for May.

Nothing from the manifesto will get done.

And the ensuing WA and Lexit will please no-one.

What a waste.

But it doesn't matter - because this position is going to ensure GE defeat. Quite possibly even defeat of a progressive Party-leaning hung Parliament.

Leave seats aren't the ones under threat. It's Remain seats that are under threat, mainly from the LDs (which may lead to Conservatives winning the seats).

It's baffling why there is so much denial about this.

Anyway. I must stop obsessing- it's pointless.

I think the only chance we have is Johnson being banged up, impeached or forced to resign. I dream of watching my telly as a white van goes into the gates of the scrubs with Boris Johnson's fat arse in the back

Also in the John Smith Fan Club, I was at a session that he gave to business leaders in the City in the early 90s and he was clever, funny, knew his stuff and won everyone over, an audience who were inclined to be hostile but this was the early days only 5 years after Big Bang and there was considerable debate about the risks and opportunities. He really knew his stuff, and was pragmatic and listened. My boss, a Board Member for Finance of a FTSE 500 came away eulogising that this was a Leader who you could deal with on a sensible level (bearing in mind not just Thatcher’s handbag but that the Tory Minister for Trade and Industry was, now ERG member, Peter Lilley who you definitely could not) . So sad. I hadn’t realised until I read this earlier in the year that he was one of only 5 Labour MPs to vote to join the EU...... www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/lifeinfocus/john-smith-labour-leader-politics-death-obituary-kinnock-blair-a8732851.html%3famp

@prettybird this kind?

Or the other kind?

Yolo. I didn’t think that article had been linked to before but the threads are moving too fast for me so I must have missed it too. Thanks for the link - Mark Steele is always worth a read - incisive and very funny.

BJ's post brexit plans:

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/23/johnson-hints-at-major-reforms-to-tax-and-industry-post-brexit

• deregulation (ie no rules) in financial sector and biotech (latter sounds somewhat sinister). Rogue bankers and scientists. Great.
• 'roll out' the red carpet for US businesses.

@bear
Caught up with the thread. Sorry to see offensive comments directed at you. There IS something in the water... It's division to make us all weaker.

• divide the people through a deliberately confusing ref
• undermine institutions that represent the people
• divide the people some more so they can't organise resistance to the stealth authoritarianism creeping in

You see the pattern...

Talk of Douglas Adams and something in the water - for weeks I have been increasingly reminded of when Arthur Dent returns to Earth, which it turns out was not destroyed by the Vogons; it had been a mass hallucination induced by something in the drinking water. Reminded increasingly because what I wouldn't give for a similar Deus ex machina now.

How will we ever roll back from this madness nationally with Brexit and internationally with climate change? The future looks so very bleak however you slice it.

The future looks so very bleak however you slice it.

It does.
In my darker (insomniac) moments I follow through the awful logic of inequalities at play in the world today and fear the 0.1% with power and wealth out there are looking for a convenient way to dispose of the bottom 50%.
Then morning comes and I hope it's all a nightmare and humans aren't inherently bad.

I'm awake and hungry and wondering what the SC will rule tomorrow. I wonder if BJ is sound asleep or lying there shifting himself? I hate 3am insomnia. Too many thoughts form a kaleidoscope in my head and because my brain is awake my stomach thinks it's breakfast time and starts feeling very hollow and acidy. I also have a stupid virus and my sinuses are very painful. It's all rather shit.

Snap - keep waking at 1am and catching up with the thread here too! I also am thinking about noodles but dd is in with me and has pinned me under both legs. Stealth typing here!

I was sleepily thinking re dementia/age related illness and cost of homes; if done in a sensitive manner could the patient's homes not be used for social housing until they have paid off cost of care? So a team would go in once they agree to be in a home and check safety/take out all posessions and give to children. Family moves in for x amount of years until cost of (for the sake of argument as it was mentioned upthread) 18 months of specialist care has been paid back into the system in rent for social housing. When it comes time for the family to move out the house is made good - it would have to have been updated in many cases prior to becoming social housing - and so may have increased in value, and then is returned as inheritance to the children of the initial patient.

I'm sure there are issues with it but worth throwing ideas about. Of course not every patient owns their own home but this is a way of giving back without seemingly giving anything up. It also gives families time to resolve issues after death of a parent - IME these can be what breaks up a family, so having a few years buffer might calm situations here?

FWIW I also think Labour are trying to stay central in Brexit and not take sides. I posted a while ago this has been my friend's argument for JC since the ref. She goes on voting history rather than reads the papers.

In other news, I have a lady chimney sweep coming over today

Is "lady chimney sweep" a euphemism? It's a long time since I've had my chimney swept.

Hahaha Bercows - I didn't think of that before I typed! Same here. I sometimes wish all of the stories about single mothers out partying the nights away were true... especially when I want noodles and dd has me pinned down

Re sinus - I make up grated ginger, honey and lemon tea when I feel like that. Also can recommend a v hot shower then putting you head upside down (I did it to put hair towel into turban) then when you arise you may find it clears a bit. I won't go into detail but my blockage was cleared! Hope you feel better soon.

And now I keep reading euphemisms...I'm going to try to go back to sleep!

Just thought I'd try and scrape the barrel to start the day with some positives. Feel free to add:

1. We are still (just about) members of the EU.
2. The courts will (probably) decide today that the government acted illegally.
3. The Johnson prosecution over lying or misfeasance in public office is continuing.
4. Labour have after 3 years gauged that the public mood enables edging towards a ref with remain on the table.
5. The cats have not been sick.

1. The glistening lump of brown on the kitchen floor was a slug invader, not a hairball.

1. My enormous visible from space stye is going down.

Lonely, where is number 3 up to? Is it the appeal of the last decision?