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.

He's PPC for Bournemouth West, held by Conor Burns; arch-Brexiteer, pro No Deal, pro-Life, Climate change denyer etc. So he clearly thinks he needs to put some spaces between him and such a sell-out pinko.

"The whole bloody lot of them"

Sorry, but this catch-all kind of answer means that you basically can't have any further opinion on any of the sides whatsoever. Otherwise, you're admitting that some have done a better job than others, which would be a considerably more nuanced position.

I think crashing out is the most likely scenario because nothing has to be done to achieve it.
Brexit was only ever going to benefit those with money to spend on shorting the pound and businesses they wanted to run without regulations.
If they don't benefit there was no point to the whole thing.

which would be a considerably more nuanced position. I don't care about having a 'nuanced position' or applying 'critical thinking' or whatever linguistic signifiers you use to mean 'only diehard Remainer opinions count' And now look where we are. We have an extreme right wing cabinet and are on the verge of leaving the EU without a deal.

I heard a clip of Johnson on the radio this morning, talking about the Irish border. He didn't sound as though he had a clue what he was saying. Later I heard a Dutch (or Belgian) politician speaking to Nick Robinson. Robinson went full bluster, and the weary resignation in the EU guy's voice was striking as he tried once again to explain the need to protect the single market, the inadvisability of any border checks...

Re the next prorogation, if it happens, the new Private Eye is quite interesting on precisely how pissed off the Queen is at the whole situation. Which is very.

How can we crash out if it's illegal?

That's not me being annoying, but I genuinely don't know how it will happen.

We have an extreme right wing cabinet and are on the verge of leaving the EU without a deal.
I'm afraid I've forgotten what you specifically wanted instead of this? I can't remember which type of leaver you are/were? I'm not being facetious there I just feel I should like know what you feel has let you down.

My prediction: JRM will go to Brenda, will be told that she has taken legal advice not to rush into anything without consultation with legal team and meanwhile she would like to see if BoZoCum can command a majority. BoZoCum fails. JC will be allowed to run GNU for a limited time but only as we await a GE as precendent dictates. Will this all happen in time to avoid ND...therein is the catch.

unwravellingagain - it is 'illegal' in UK Law, not as far as EU are concerned, IIRC. To them it is simply what happens when we fail to come up with a deal.

('it is' being No Deal obvs)

If ANYONE can get into the hot seat fast enough to at least attempt for an extension, we have a shot at avoiding ND. I think Brenda is possibly the only hope here.

I can't remember which type of leaver you are/were? I'm not being facetious there I just feel I should like know what you feel has let you down. Really? I'm not a leaver at all.

@derxa
I would probably describe myself as a committed remainer. I am like you, exasperated by the behaviours of (most) MPs and veer between optimism and despair

So maybe we are not so different.

It's just that for me optimisim means believing there are still some brave, honest MPs left, on both sides of the HoC. On a good day I think that they will eventually come together and agree on a second referendum (which I am aware Remain could loose), soft Brexit or some other compromise solution.

BJ does not fill me with optimism. He pays lip service to it, but is actually fuelling anger and sowing division.

How can we crash out if it's illegal?

It is perfectly possible to do illegal things, prisons in the UK are pretty full.

Don't have a go at derxa - she voted Remain but is understandably pissed off at the whole situation.

Now I personally don't think you can blame the "whole shower of them" but I can empathise with her frustration as she sees her livelihood potentially being destroyed and not enough others yet standing up to be counted to be a realistic opposition.

You need to give her credit for being a farmer who didn't give into the siren calls of the Leave campaign and their promises of a great new world outside of the CAP.

On a good day I think that they will eventually come together We can only hope.

"I don't care about having a 'nuanced position' or applying 'critical thinking' or whatever linguistic signifiers you use to mean 'only diehard Remainer opinions count'

I'm not a diehard Remainer. I voted Remain very reluctantly because I didn't want to lend my vote to a Faragist view of the world. I see the EU as quite a problematic set of institutions.

My point is that we don't get a choice to throw up our hands and say "Oooh, I've had enough, why can't they just sort it out". Politics of this kind is difficult. It's stressful. It's horrible. It's exhausting. But the only way we can find our way out of this is by not giving up, not getting entrenched, and trying to find a workable compromise. I'm not saying it's not OK to be pissed off - I'm pissed off too - I'm saying that we can't just give up and we should'n't give in to an uncritical lumping of everyone together as 'all just terrible'.

I am not sure whether this makes me an optimist or a pessimist. Probably a mixture of the two

Thanks prettybird. I just have the occasional rant on here as you know. How is it today in God's own country i.e. the outskirts of Glasgow? (not being facetious)

Just watching TM she’s said more of worth in five minutes on the Domestic Violence Bill than the entire of Johnson’s speech earlier.

I am not a TM fan usually but she and all the other MPs debating this deserve credit. It will however get zero coverage.

derxa you sound so angry and sad. Venting is ok, we all need it sometimes.

TM got to be PM in the first place because she was the grown up in the room. Subsequent events have shown us that this perception was correct. Even my Corbynista colleague has expressed grudging admiration for her ability to walk the tightrope and come up with the WA (regardless of her pretty much sabotaging her own efforts with her red lines).

Sorry derxa I did the silly thing of assuming for a second - I've got a lot going on at this end and for some reason remembered you as a leave voter apologies.

Sorry, derxa.

Honestly, don't give in to the nihilism.

Take a break. Force yourself to follow no news for a set period (days/week) & concentrate on the things around you (cooking; reading; gardening; friendship; family).

Cherish the things you love.

Then - when you've watered your garden & drawn strength, re-connected with what you hold dear, what you value - then dive back in.

You'll have re-established that there are values and things worth protecting, and you'll feel strong.

Honestly, pace is everything. It's been three gruelling years, in which we've seen values slide and we - the civilians - have been effectively terrorised by our government.

It's corrosive - and maintaining resilience is a form of resistance.

derxa feel free to vent farmers do seem to be accepted as ‘collateral’ damage in all this which is plain wrong.

"maintaining resilience is a form of resistance"

So much this.

I've done quite a lot of activism in my life. And I think, in a way, the whole country is going through the same kind of fatigue, exasperation, and despair that activists often face when they've been fighting for their cause against whatever obstructive institutions they are up against for a few years. You often see people getting burned out, having to step back and take a break, because it's just all too much. With Brexit, though, that's harder to do.

derxa I did the silly thing of assuming for a second - I've got a lot going on at this end and for some reason remembered you as a leave voter blush apologies. Don't worry. Am I right in thinking you have a DW who suffers from MS? Or am I mixing you up with someone else? If it's you then