Westministenders: Slow News Fake News

[RedToothBrush]

Things have been slow whilst we are in proroguation, ahead of next weeks Queen's Speech and the EU summit.

We've been in full spin mode, from the likes of the far right and an unnamed source at No.10.

People seem to be waking up to the reality that its highly unlikely we will get a deal now, unless something significant. And No.10 has worked out the NI problem. FINALLY.

Anyway, if you have a little time this week and you are interested in the history of where technology change and fake news meet and how where we are now is merely things repeating themselves, Ian Hislop's Fake News: A True History, is essential viewing.
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00095hv/ian-hislops-fake-news-a-true-history

I really feel strongly this is stuff that should be being taught in schools somehow as its what protects us from extremism.

Tabloids don't have Brexit news on front page

If anyone is still watching there is a segment on a few of the 168 children who were killed in the troubles.
One child, one tragedy. And 167 more.

Cant be allowed happen again.

Johnson cheats at tennis

I have observed that. In mayoral times he used to have a regular Saturday morning booking for social tennis on the court adjacent to where I had my weekly lesson. The line calls on his side of the net were well dodgy.

• his tennis buddy on the other side of the net was a BBC journalist (not LauraK!).

Identical twins held, 15 yo with SEN. they didn't know which one to shoot. They shot one.

Basilpots - it's not your fault - it's simply the way it's reported

The fact that the SNP could win 56 seats in Scotland where le the Conservatives lose 12 of their current 13 seats there, the DUP lose seats in NI to the Alliance or SDLP (or even SF ) and PC could make inroads in Wales doesn't seem to matter to the pollsters and most of those that interpret the polls

186 children 3,500 people in total

Whatever else, NI must be protected from this happening again
We mustn't fuck up Ireland yet again

Children of the Troubles: They took a child off the road, put a hood over his head and killed him

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/children-of-the-troubles-they-took-a-child-off-the-road-put-a-hood-over-his-head-and-killed-him-1.4037704

7Days Horrendous. Must ever be allowed to happen again.

Britain Electss@britainelects*

If the EU doesn't agree to Boris Johnson's proposals for a Brexit deal, the UK should leave on 31st Oct without a deal

Agree: 42%
Disagree: 40%

via @ComRes 04 - 06 Oct

Fuck. We live amongst idiots

Pretty yes!

Lark I feel for you having to endure Johnson in tennis attire.

Just been to look at the ComRes data tables. I think we've talked about them before but having looked at them myself, I agree that they are highly leading - and not good "weighting's" given the populations, as well as extracting dubious headline figures.

The specific " If the EU doesn't agree to Boris Johnson's proposals for a Brexit deal, the UK should leave on 31st Oct without a deal

Agree: 42%
Disagree: 40% " data table is here:

If you believe it, 54% of the Welsh would prefer No Deal, which helps add to the 43% of the English to counter the minority of 27% of Scots who still oppose No Deal if the EU reflects BJ's proposals

That in itself is a loaded question, which is the last in a series of questions about who is largely, partly or not at all to blame (Leo Varadkar, the EU Commission, the PM BJ, Remain supporting MPs, Leave supporting MPs, Parliament generally) and then "How angry you would be"

Link to full data tables here: https://www.comresglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TelegraphVotingIntentionTablesOct_2019.pdf

NoWordForFluffy

Depending on the contents of the proposals, Johnson might well lose the support of the DUP. He could introduce a bill along the lines of 'notwithstanding the FTPA' an election should be called for X date in November. This would require a simple majority (but also would have to pass committee and HoL). Or the Tories could propose a VonC in themselves, and Parliament would be faced with the bizarre scenario of voting in favour of a detested government in order to avoid an election, with the alternative being Corbyn stepping down in favour of an agreed candidate to form a government, or everyone including Tory rebels backing Corbyn. Gauging of public opinion and crunching of numbers in every constituency is no doubt going on at a feverish pace right now.

Had one of those nights where insomnia strikes and I worry.

What I want to know is, say the polls are right and the current Tories win an election. Just assume the resistance fails and the right wing shift continues at each stage. What Next domestically and internationally ? Just Assume at every stage the ERG etc succeed -they get their no deal. They get their build up of US trade on favourable terms to the US . The NHS progressively gets shrunk and bits get privatised.Food prices and poverty increase. The gap between rich and poor widens. Taxes for companies go down. Worker's rights and product safety standards reduce etc etc. Capital punishment returns. Higher education opportunities for the poor become inaccessible. International travel opportunities become unaffordable for the majority. The pound stays shrunk.

Just Hypothetically assume all this happens. - what's next on the agenda internationally - what's the long term goal. Where does it end?

Whichever way you look at it, Math, Johnson has a minority government and the opposition don't have to do what he wants them to. That is the top and bottom of it, regardless of unusual scenarios which could occur.

@bellinisurge that sort of detail wouldn't be in the WA, but in the implementation bill or one of the myriad other pieces of secondary legislation. The point is that there are a lot of those loose ends to tie up.

Enjoying this clever twist on the use of FB ads to spread lies and disinformation.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/oct/11/elizabeth-warren-facebook-zuckerberg-trump-troll

Facebook has been taking heat all week for its decision to allow politicians to make false statements in paid advertisements. Now the Democratic senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren is taking the fight to the social media company’s own turf by taking out a series of Facebook ads that make false statements about Facebook and its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.

“Breaking news: Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook just endorsed Donald Trump for re-election,” the ads read, above a photograph of a recent Oval Office meeting between the billionaire tech executive and the president.

Our local British embassy invited all British citizens who work for the EU to a reception, which was seen by many as a farewell do! There was one in March, a second in June and now another one is planned for this Month. An indication I suppose that at the time the invites were sent out the government was sure Brexit would happen on 31/10.
But a lot can happen in a 2 weeks and cancelling it now would give the wrong impression.

Am wondering how many more of these receptions will happen in the future?

Leo may not want a united Ireland which is where one of the alternative scenarios end up
JeSuisPoulet

www.politico.eu/article/election-two-thirds-of-irish-would-vote-for-united-ireland/
'Two-thirds of Irish would vote for united Ireland, poll says'
A united Ireland has majority support in the case of a no-deal Brexit. But remaining in the U.K. is more popular if Brexit does not go ahead. The two sides are neck and neck if the U.K. parliament finally approves the Brexit deal negotiated by the U.K. government, according to polling by LucidTalk.

Varadkar will go where public opinion and potential votes lead him. His party didn't get where it is today by ignoring the way the wind is blowing.
Agree with Inniu wrt Varadkar's potential legacy and Oh the irony..

The mood music so far sounds like we are moving much closer - certainly a step at least - to a united Ireland than was contemplated even a year ago. Which Boris damn well knows most people not in NI don't understand enough to care about. The fundamental question is what are the odds it will lead to Unionist violence in Britain, compared to Republican violence in Britain?
DGR
Agree Johnson would happily heave NI overboard and would get away with it.
I suspect there is a far greater likelihood of Loyalist violence in Britain than Republican, and lower level incidents like Orange marches and football-related clashes. Glasgow has already seen flare ups, which I suspect were designed as a hint to the government that urban unrest might become a thing in some cities.

It would be incredibly stupid for Republicans to risk any incidents that could harken back to the Troubles and bombings 'on the mainland', which would cause public opinion to become dimly enough aware of NI to inspire a kneejerk reaction against reunification. So any Loyalist provocations (Orange marches, destruction of RC property, threats to life and limb) will probably go unanswered at least for the time being, but scores will eventually be settled.

I think there is a likelihood of Loyalist violence in Ireland tbh.
.............
To be realistic wrt 'seeing a path', a path has always been right there in front of everyone's eyes.

If there is any 'doing a British' (i.e. trumpeting a deal and ordering party supplies) then it is for the purposes of forcing the DUP to confront positive reaction in NI to the possibilities that may lie on the table.

Lonely Insomnia is the absolute pits and it does magnify worries x1000.

I still err towards cock up rather than conspiracy we are here for the most part because a series of ridiculous decisions by the Conservative Party to try and protect themselves from UKIP. In recent elections in Europe the far right parties have not done well at all.

If you believe it, 54% of the Welsh would prefer No Deal

Thatll be the the valleys and a certain sect of immigration we get into Wales , Brexit is as everyone knows, is and always will be an English thing, the only positives on Wales especially up north is a reinvigoration of the Welsh independence movement thanks to these bunch of tossers in the Tory party

Elizabeth Warren is determined to take the tech giants on she wants to break Facebook up and force it to have accountability.

I was rooting for Kamala but I'd take Elizabeth Warren. She's a smart politician and this is genius:

Elizabeth Warren is taking the fight to the social media company’s own turf by taking out a series of Facebook ads that make false statements about Facebook and its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.

On the Brexit front, we're all being played for suckers. This is the original NI-only withdrawal agreement. The negotiations are surely about putting lipstick on the pig political declaration.

Brexiters are suckers because WTAF was the last 2 years all about? You could have had this deal in December 2017!

Remainers are suckers because they have taken their eye off the "level playing field". Labour leavers are going to sell you all down the river and take away your rights.

ridiculous decisions by the Conservative Party to try and protect themselves from UKIP

Yes lack of sleep doesn't help I
agree. Under May I could accept cock up rather than conspiracy theory. Now though with the cavalier attitude to parliamentary process and the rule of law I feel there is a more sinister shift. There are clear trails of US money coming into the leave campaign( like from Robert and Rebekah Mercer) and a very ruthless disregard for half the electorate. Outrageous and inconsistent comments from the home office go unchecked.
I do feel workers' rights and any kind of welfare stare are under threat too. If the current trends continue the gap between rich and poor will exacerbate irreversibly . I'm not sure what the end goalmouths all this is and I'm sure people like JRM know their end goal
either. I know many ERGers like Francois would be happy for maternity rights to be curtailed and for the gender pay gap to increase.i think given a free reign a lot of the ERG and most radical Faragists would disenfranchise women completely to be honest.

Goalposts ... not sure what goalmouths are!