Westminstenders: Pro Rogues

[RedToothBrush]

The Pro Rogues plan to prorogue again this week.

The Queen might be challenged to sack Johnson. Or he might be forced to extend.

It depends on which newspaper you read. Either way it strikes you that no one really knows what's going to happen...

A new technical phrase for you all to get your head around.

www.thesun.co.uk/news/10094898/boris-johnson-queen-sack-no-confidence/
Boris Johnson plans to tell Queen she can’t sack him even if he loses no confidence vote

The extraordinary move is based on 70 year-old rules, dubbed the Lascelles Principles.

Downing Street officials believe the PM can seize on them to advise the monarch that asking him to step down from power would risk chaos and endanger the economy – two red lines she must do her all to avoid.

Lewis Goodall@lewis_goodall
Ouch. @maitlis asks EU Parliament President David Sassoli if he thinks Boris Johnson is a serious politician.

Sassoli: “I think he is the Prime Minister.”

#Newsnight

Andrew Neil @afneil
Jean-Claude Juncker tells France's Les Echos that any blame for a no deal Brexit would lie "in the British camp". Then says: "A Brexit without an agreement would lead to a collapse of the United Kingdom."

And here we are.

It's all starting to feel like the big TV reveal you saw coming a mile off and are completely underwhelmed and annoyed by.

The strangest escort ever.
news.sky.com/video/extinction-rebellion-boris-johnson-gets-police-escort-to-number-10-11831061

Police escort the PM to Downing Street and beyond.
Are they really expecting a sniper hit?

Richard Tice @ticerichard
I am appalled by this stupid and offensive picture by Leave.eu. This absurd behaviour damages all Leavers.

A lesson in 'how to generate more publicity'.

Have you ever wondered why the Gallagher Brothers always have the strange coincidence of a new family spat when when of the former Oasis pair has a new album out?

This is the same principle. I don't buy a word of it, and the only reason I comment on it is to highlight the PR technique rather than discuss the merit or lack what's said.

The full frontal publicity drives by leave.eu happen at certain moments and they are usually the old tried and tested methods.

Oh interesting to see what channel 4 news did a piece on today

Channel 4 news @channel4news
Some of today’s politicians have learned propaganda tricks from 1930s fascists, Yale professor Timothy Snyder tells @krishgm.

www.channel4.com/news/some-of-todays-politicians-have-learned-propaganda-tricks-from-1930s-fascists-says-yale-professor
Video of interview.

Do you remember the collapse of the League of Nations?

Lewis Goodall@lewis_goodall
In news of other diplomatic woes, UN staff were informed by email last night the organisation will run out of money by the end of October. @antonioguterres informed them that as a result of a 30% underpayment by member states (esp Trump administration) they are nearly insolvent.

Am told UN Sec General has asked staff to implement emergency savings, including “curtailing areas of work”, “non essential travel” and “energy conservation”

129 member states have paid. 64 have not.

The UK has, btw.

Is this more stuff Putin has asked Trump to do?

Re getting the UN to collapse.

Re the Lascelles Principles

Steve Peers @stevepeers
1/ Surprise! Cummings' latest wheeze doesn't work on any level. The principles referred to here:
a) don't exist any more;
b) wouldn't apply to this situation if they did exist; and
c) wouldn't help Johnson if they did apply.

2/ The principles don't exist any more because they concern when the Queen can turn down a PM's request to dissolve Parliament. But the dissolution of Parliament is no longer based on the PM's request, but on the Fixed-term Parliament Act, as we saw last month.

3/ As section 3(2) of the Act says, parliament 'cannot otherwise be dissolved' except under the Act's rules for either an early election (section 2) or the expiry of a regular five-year term as set by section 1:
t.co/jLwaMcVxUu

4/ Next: the principles wouldn't apply to this situation even if they still existed, because they concern a request to dissolve parliament. This isn't about a request to dissolve parliament, but whether a PM must step down after losing a no-confidence vote & there's a replacement

5/ Finally: the principles wouldn't help Johnson anyway, because the whole point of them is that another dude gets a shot at being PM without an election - exactly the opposite of what Johnson is claiming. (cf King-Byng in 1926, as all Canadians know)

Tbf tobee it sounds like France and Germany are also in on the game if that's the case.

Re - UN
undocs.org/en/A/74/327
As of 23rd Aug 2019, only three countries were in arrears.

Something strange is afoot.

Prof Kate Williams @katewilliamsme
The #Lascelles code actually provides for replacement of PM who wants election (when Parl does not necessarily want same) with another PM who has a ‘working majority’. It’s about REPLACING /CHALLENGING a PM who has lost grip - not letting him stay forever....

Prof Kate Williams @katewilliamsme
good grief. Lascelles code was about protecting parliament - so PM could not impose election. Not allowing PM to stay forever!!!

@maitlis sincerely hope Newsnight does not show Vote Leave new appalling poster but manages to call it out as inflammatory etc. Its either that or ignore it.

Emily m @matlis
We chose to ignore it. The views are neither new or surprising. Why bother amplifying.

Newsnight don't need to. The BBC have Question Time for that job. And it's a bit ironic to come to an editorial decision like that in checks date October 2019.

129 member states have paid. 64 have not.

The UK has, btw

Well ... that actually comes as a pleasant surprise. I was sure we would be part of the problem.

Thanks for the amplification Red.

UN budget problems were being reported on back in July.

www.nytimes.com/2018/07/26/world/americas/united-nations-leader-warns-of-a-cash-shortage.html

Germany and France have paid (as has Russia). US historically pays late in the year apparently.

www.un.org/en/ga/contributions/honourroll.shtml

Prof Kate Williams @KateWiiamsme

I suspect that all this #Lascelles code nonsense from No10 is really about making the Queen look bad or a Brexit blocker. Yes we know that the code wasn’t about keeping a PM who refused to leave - but the more No 10 says it is, the more some will believe it and cast doubt on HM

The Lascelles stuff is utter nonsense - it can’t be used to keep Johnson. But what it is - is a propaganda war by No 10 against the Palace - and a threat to the #Queen that they will spin against her, so she should fall into line.

@Songsofexperience

Nigel Farage @Nigel_Farage
No British Government could ever accept Germany telling us that part of the UK has to stay in the EU.

Bloody eejit - that part of the UK itself voted to Remain in the EU.

The Late Late Show on RTE (mentioned by Outsomnia, wrt Bercow's upcoming appearance) has been on the cutting edge of social change in Ireland for decades. Under the guise of light entertainment, it's very much a forum for weighty matters to be treated of.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Late_Late_Show_(Irish_talk_show)
Ryan Tubridy isn't a patch on Gay Byrne or even Pat Kenny (former presenters) but the event promises to be well worth watching.

The used to show it over here when Gay Byrne hosted it

It still think all the bollocks about what they're going to do coming from No 10 is to throw people of the scent; a cacophony of noise which are designed to waste people's time as they investigate.

Unless they really are just utterly useless and stupid.

It's a fools errand trying to guess really.