Westminstenders: The Tory Party Spectacular

[RedToothBrush]

A row over parliamentary language and conduct and how MPs are afraid of extremists has over shadowed talk of Brexit.

Cummings has said if you don't want to leave without a deal, vote for a deal.

Yet there isn't a Johnson approved one in front of the Commons and the EU are utterly despairing of Johnson's blank non papers and his full on Trump bullshit.

Then there's the threats to the rule of law.

Apparently there are five known suggestions to bypass the Benn Act and refuse to ask for an extension.
See Twitter Thread Here

This weekend sees the start of the Tory Party Conference. With a parliamentary vote to block a recess, its rather scuppered plans for the rest of the conference. Johnson's planned speech at the conference clashes with PMQ so he may well not attend the Commons.

Expect the conference to be.... Er... Inflammatory...

Lord Rothermere is generally committed to no interference into the editorial line of the newspapers he owns, in response to the 1930s when the then Lord Rothermere drove a fascist editorial line for which the Mail has been condemned ever since.

Did someone say "Lord Rothermere" ? Here's one picture I found of a Lord Rothermere.

Numerous secret British MI5 papers related to the war years were declassified and released in 2005. They show that Rothermere wrote to Adolf Hitler in 1939 congratulating him for the annexation of Czechoslovakia, and encouraging him to invade Romania. He described Hitler's work as "great and superhuman".[11][12]

The MI5 papers also show that at the time Rothermere was paying an annual retainer of £5,000 per year to Stephanie von Hohenlohe, suspected by the French, British and Americans of being a German spy, as he wanted her to bring him closer to Hitler's inner circle. Rothermere also encouraged her to promote Germany to her circle of influential English contacts. She was known as "London's leading Nazi hostess". The secret services had been monitoring her since her arrival in Britain in the 1920s and regarded her as "an extremely dangerous person". As the Second World War loomed, Rothermere stopped the payments and their relationship deteriorated into threats and lawsuits, which she lost.[11] [12]

I wonder if they are by any chance related ?

(The sins of the fathers, eh ?)

Here's an exclusive of tomorrows Express front page ...

Has BJ said that he didn't grope Charlotte Edwards or that he doesn't recollect groping her? Which is it?

The first is saying she's lying. The 2nd is, well, damning, in that he effectively admits that it's the sort of thing that he does do but just can't remember if he did it to her

Thanks BCF and Irene - perhaps my hopes of Geordie Greig were over-optimistic.

The author of the Mail's "Enemies of the People" front page is now the PM's official spokesman.

DGR bit of a dated colour scheme?

Well racism is a bit of a dated idea.

DG afaik, the current Lord Rothermere is a Cameron-type Tory and horrendously embarassed by his fascist GreatGP

Dominic Grieve talking about writs of mandamus now ...

www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/sep/30/brexit-latest-news-boris-johnson-conservative-conference-boris-johnson-groping-allegation-deeply-concerning-says-former-cabinet-minister-live-news

DG afaik, the current Lord Rothermere is a Cameron-type Tory and horrendously embarassed by his fascist GreatGP

Well, when he acts that way, I'll believe him.

Incidentally, "Cameron-type Tory" is not even close to being a compliment.

Somewhere on Twitter there was a thread showing all the connections between the media/bbc and Conservative party/Downing street and I even remember one of the names mentioned popping up with connection to the GOP over here in the UK.

I try to avoid conspiracy theories and accept that if you work in linked fields there is overlap as you tend to move in the same circles. There are people in our industry that swap between our various customers and suppliers. The person that compiled the thread wasn’t even involved in politics she was an accountant who was concerned at how things are progressing politics and media in the same way many on here are. But the wheels in wheels of this one even made me go

Questions need asking. I will try and find the thread but it was a while ago.

As the current Viscount Rothermere lives in France, I suspect he is a Remainer.

pretty I'd say #2 - He gropes too often to remember any particular incident
...or possibly a #3 - that he remembers, but is the one lying

Lewis should know: BJ's fans don't care about anything he does

Lewis Goodall@lewis_goodall

This is the key point- something has changed.
It was often been said that had the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal happened in the UK a British prime minister “wouldn’t last five minutes.”

That was probably true in 1998.
I’m not sure it’s true now.
========
Aditya Chakrabortty@chakrabortty

When was the last time a British prime minister had to deny he was a groper?

Thanks DGR, I didn’t know that about Nazis being obsessed with English toffery (if that’s a word). It does appear that a lot of it went both ways, what with the Duke of Windsor, Lord Rothermere and some of the bonkers Mitford sisters being on pretty good terms with Hitler & co

"Cameron-type Tory" is not even close to being a compliment.

It wasn't intended to be a compliment
Cameron has only been saved from the title "worst ever British PM", because BJ has claimed it.

But let's be fair:
Cameron is not remotely a fascist, even though he irresponsibly opened the door to let them in

When was the last time a British prime minister had to deny he was a groper?

I don’t think this one has denied it, has he? I’m a supporter of theory #2 as well - so many gropees, he can’t possibly be expected to remember them all.

When was the last time a British prime minister had to deny he was a groper?

DLG's nickname for his secretary/mistress Fraces Stevenson was "My darling Pussy," which was a reference to her gentle nature, Lord Longford wrote.

True BigChoc - it's probably a close call between #2 and #3 (and about the level to which UK politics has fallen - or rather, the standards that we, if not accept, no longer find surprising in a PM )

Thanks DGR, I didn’t know that about Nazis being obsessed with English toffery

They were a well weird bunch. They weren't all obsessed to be fair. But they noticed (as have some on this thread) how the English system had kept "the right people" in power for nearly a millennia.

They also had an unhealthy obsession with arts and crafts and eschewed mass production in favour of artisan production - which meant their factories were spectacularly inefficient compared to the "Jewish-run" US. That plus cronyism of the worst kind meant that despite starting the war with an advantage of numbers, they simply could not build planes, tanks, ships fast enough. Meanwhile the US fulfilled it's destiny and was churning out a bomber every hour at the peak of manufacturer.

Not sure if anyone else would agree with me, but it seems media fascination with the nazi era has intensified since I was a kid. Or is that just a function of growing old ?

I'm curious about which of the Tory 21 rebels, plus Amber Rudd, are attending conference.

I seem to have seen that David Gauke is there*, but that Philip Hammond has said he's not going. And Sam Gyimah is obviously a LD now.

I don't understand how they could go, if they've lost the whip.

• www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/09/30/watch-jacob-rees-mogg-david-gauke-explain-tories-can-get-brexit/

Rewatch Jacob Rees-Mogg and David Gauke explain if and how Tories can 'Get Brexit Done'

I wonder if Boris smokes cigars ?

Speaking of interns, why is a Tory MEP advertising for one to start November 1st ?

www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/tory-meps-job-listing-in-brussels-after-november-1-1-6297959

I think Matt Hancock might be about to jump - why else would he make a point about believing Charlotte Edwards?