Westministenders: Conference Cult

[RedToothBrush]

Is it over yet?

The Tory Party Conference is in full swing in the Manchester Rain, and is proving to be its usual fun.

Johnson is caught up in all sorts of allegations of abuses of power - the non-declaration of his "friendship" to a busty blonde whom was getting a large tax payer grant, and then there the Odey question after his sister said he was under the control of the Hedge Funders.

And thats before we talk about the 40 hospitals, his provocative language and how many times he can say the word surrender.

There is lots of distancing from Lyton Crosby. And accusations that Johnson has gone 'rogue' only listening to the wisdom of Cummings and Symonds.

The Queen apparently has asked for advice as to under what circumstance she can dismiss a PM.

AND NO ONE IS EVEN TALKING ABOUT A DEAL.

Ahh Berlusconi he if the bunga bunga parties.

When discussing who would be an equivalent running UK a few years ago with friends BJ and Peter Stringfellow were the candidates we came up with.

Corbyn could state that a GNU should be led by someone who is retiring and hence is not constrained by planning to be PM in the next GE

Maybe dress it up as not wanting to take unfair advantage of the situation

Margaret Hodge would be epic.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/oct/01/brexit-latest-news-boris-johnson-conservative-conference-interviewed-as-ireland-dismisses-uk-border-plan-as-non-starter-live-news?page=with:block-5d93467a8f081108db9c0104#block-5d93467a8f081108db9c0104

Addressing a ConservativeHome/Port of Dover fringe event at the conference,
the transport minister George Freeman confirmed the government was assuming that disruption would roughly halve the traffic on Britain’s main trading link for three months;
the drop would range from 40% to 60%.

< Not just 3 months - it'll last until a UK govt signs up to the main WA terms >

Doug Bannister, the chief executive of Port of Dover, said the assumed drop in traffic would cut £1bn in trade every week.

He said:

That’s how critical it is.
If there’s a no-deal Brexitt^, it’s not going to be OK.
But people are doing all they can to ensure Britain keeps trading.

Corbyn could state that a GNU should be led by someone who is retiring and hence is not constrained by planning to be PM in the next GE

have a fucking Facebook poll or something - I really don't care.

Leaving even with the customs union in place and 2nd ref would confirm to remainers that he was always a leaver because there's no point having a second referendum when we've left and a deal's done;

The second referendum wouldn't be held after we left (indeed that would be pointless). It would be held after the deal was negotiated. Very different. Perfectly fair - and indeed the entire idea behind the People's vote movement - what do you think they are all marching for?
I think very few remainers would have a problem with a referendum held between JC's deal and remain. Which is what he is promising.

It would be nice if a GNU could hold on for longer rather than shorter. Not least - the more time that passes before we go to election the less recently stirred outrage there will be when people go to the polls. It will be very hard to motivate people who were angry back in 2019 to go out and electorally punish the people involved in bringing about the GNU in 2022. Or to make them care about what they cared about in 2019.
However there were fears mentioned on the last thread that such a GNU would be so fragile it would not be able to survive much past the couple of days it would take to call a GE. Although - as pointed out - it does behove them all on a personal level to stick together for as long as possible. So perhaps they could survive out of pure self interest.

John Crace
@JohnJCrace
The treasurer of the 1922 committee, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, has been held by police after an incident in the International Lounge at the Tory party conference. Just hours before Priti Patel announced plans to get tough on crime

Big thanks and to PrettyBird for telling us a few threads back about the lovely Scottish word "thole", meaning to bear, stand or put up with. It's just helped me solve a clue in the Guardian crossword I'd never have managed otherwise!

(Sorry for derail )

But people are doing all they can to ensure Britain keeps trading.

I saw David Cameron in 2009 at a "Cameron Direct" - (I was in the front row, and missed my chance to change the course of history ...)

A phrase he repeated over and over again - and there was genuine passion in it - was Britain is a trading nation

it was his reply to people who talked about manufacturing, mining, heavy industry, noting that the City of London had made far more than any and all of our celebrated industrial output over history. From trading.

Now obviously there are arguments to be had about the redistribution of wealth arising from that trading. But it does underscore that Britain needs easy and seamless movement of trade if it has any hope of keeping afloat in the 21st century.

Incidentally, how are those autonomous cars that are coming out in 2021 coming along ?

Irish sources confirm they have NO incentive to agree to this UK proposal

• because it is what Ireland plans if there is No Deal

BIG difference is that the UK is expected to cave in sometime after No Deal, so the border would only last until then.
However, if the UK proposal were accepted, then it would be permanent

Mujtaba Rahman@Mij_Europe

So I hear from senior Irish sources that UK non paper is mirror image of Irish Govt no deal plans to protect Single Market.

Think about that.
UK plans for deal = Irish Govt plans for no deal.

Obviously no way these plans can be sold domestically other than in no deal scenario 1/4

The treasurer of the 1922 committee, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, has been held by police after an incident in the International Lounge at the Tory party conference. Just hours before Priti Patel announced plans to get tough on crime

Someone needs to print a T-Shirt saying "Start with Tory criminals" to wear to her speech ....

And of course, giving in would be reward the UK for breaking the spirit of the GFA

This is reminding me of the UKIP MEPs in the previous EP

• remember the poster that they had a crime rate that was multiples higher than Rumanian immigrants to the UK (who were the group being demonised at the time)?

I can't thole this Brexshit Tory psychodrama

< proud of the new word, but pretty can correct my useage if need be >

Whilst agreeing that the lack of any knowledge (let alone concern) about the GFA amongst the English electorate is shocking, depressing, and worrying, I do wonder if it conceals a slightly deeper sea-change in perceptions from the 70s and 80s ?

Ignoring the Brexiteers (which could really be a standing order), could it be that there is something in play, with the average English person refusing to follow the narrative and blame the Republic of Ireland for Leaves failures ? Breaking centuries of tried and tested "let's blame the Irish" tactics that have served the tóraidhe so well ?

re: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown

Am hearing that the door staff refused his wife entry into the International Lounge so he kicked off.

??????

International trade & customs expert, who forensically analyses why the UK proposal is crap for NI & Ireland

Start of a long thread:

https://mobile.twitter.com/AnnaJerzewska/status/1178924696617848832

Dr Anna Jerzewska@AnnaJerzewska

Apart from not meeting any of the conditions an alternative arrangement was supposed to met (apart from a super narrow definition of no checks AT the border)

I have two main problems with this new proposal /1

And of course, giving in would be reward the UK for breaking the spirit of the GFA

The same way leaving the EU rewards Leave for lying ...

Why would the English National Party even have an International Zone?

Hasenstein

It's one of my favourite Scottish words and I'm on a mission to spread its usage

Imagine if armed police had to attend a punchup at the Labour - or SNP - conference ...

https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/01/lockdown-tory-party-conference-punch-10841302/

A ‘kerfuffle’ has reportedly broken out at the Conservative Party Conference between MPs with police and paramedics at the scene.

The event, being held in Manchester, is believed to be on ‘lockdown’,
following a ‘punch-up’ between MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown and another delegate.

Armed police and paramedics are on the scene following the incident,^^
which is believed to have happened inside the International Lounge at the conference centre.

The Cotswolds MP did not deny the reports, and said: ‘I’ve got nothing further to say about it. I don’t want to comment on it, really.’
...
According to parliamentary sketch writer John Crace, the MP is now being held by police.

He wrote on Twitter:
‘The treasurer of the 1922 committee, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, has been held by police after an incident in the International Lounge at the Tory party conference. ‘

Just hours before Priti Patel announced plans to get tough on crime. Now to get Boris…’

Journalist Tom Peck, said the punch-up was in the ‘secure zone’ at the event.
He wrote:

‘There has been an actual punch up inside the secure zone at the Tory Party conference.
Police are involved.

‘In an hour, the Home Secretary Priti Patel will be on stage announcing more money for police stun guns. and saying:

“To the criminals, ‘We are coming after you.’”

BigChoc - that is indeed correct usage. The key thing to remember with "to thole" is that it is a transitive verb, so always needs an object - so "being able to thole the Brexit" is grammatically correct usage

DG The millions of Leavers didn't lie and ahould not be punished
In particular, no international agreement broken in the ref, just the usual lying to British voters by British politicians

However, the GFA is an international treaty and Ireland fulfilled all its promises, including changing its constitution to remove its claim ot NI

It is BJ personally choosing to break the spirit of the GFA and he would personally win a massive GE victory if he forces Ireland / the EU to back down (they won't)

However, if he can't stop MPs over his head deciding to vote for the WA, he might need his police bodyguard to protect him from the hedge-funders, who would lose out on billions
For the rest of his life - not a reward.