Westminstenders: Christmas Cold, Campaigning, Canvassing and Cancelled Carols

[RedToothBrush]

It looks like a December General Election is on.

The EU have officially extended A50 until 31st January. We have to name an EU Commissioner though.

All that seems left to do is decide between the 9th and 12th December.

The difference between the two is about whether there is any possibility that the WAB can be passed before Parliament dissolves.

A pre-brexit GE is thought to favour the LDs at the expense of Labour and the Conservatives. What the Brexit Party decide to do and where they decide to stand will also be crucial.

I currently have my duck breasts defrosting so I can do some honey, soy and ginger duck with herby wedges and carrot sticks. The wine is chilling outside the back door in the fridge and the fire is flaming.

@borntobequiet xmas thread??????

90% change of a United Ireland in what timeframe ?

Continually changing demographics make it near 100% certain eventually, but it would be a longtterm process

This WA, with a permanent "frontstop" makes it likely that a United Ireland would happen much sooner,
but imo that means about 30-40 years instead of the 50-70 years it would have been before the ref.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3726369-to-think-that-an-election-on-the-12th-December-is-a-bad-idea-because-it-will-affect-Christmas-at-primary-schools?watched=1&msgid=91186883#91186883

Fuck me Cash AGAIN. My head

@borntobequiet thanks

What are the odds of the Brexit party and Torys doing a deal followed by a no deal Brexit. I really fear that this will be the election outcome

Fuck me Cash AGAIN. My head

Just mute him

Cat looking beautiful (unlike our politics )

From the end of last thread: an interesting comment from pesky experts about where the government is already choosing to align itself

Re the article about Barnier telling the UK to ignore regulatory standards at its peril: on a more serious point, a lawyer friend of mine told me on Sunday morning that he'd been at a Scottish Law Society meeting on Friday where they were told that the telecoms companies have been told to ignore European regulations and look to align themselves with the US companies

I said that's interesting: I must ask another friend of mine, who is a telecoms regulatory lawyer (former colleague of mine from when I worked in the telecoms industry).

A few hours later, while I was at the rugby club, with a visiting youth team, who should be skipping the queue in front of me be at the bar beside me, but said friend whose ds played for the visiting team (from the other side of Scotland) He reminded me that I'd always said he'd end up visiting "my" club

So, I asked him about what my friend had told me just a few hours before . He answered, "It was me that asked the question about telecoms companies" Scotland is a small place He went on to say that the major telecoms companies (BT, Vodafone, Virgin, Three...) have been told unequivocally to ignore EU regulations and align with the US. He says what's crazy about it is that the US companies (eg AT&T, Verizon) think that this is stupid and that the EU regulations are much better and the direction to go.....

He also said that the UK ministers don't have a clue and have no response to questions about how to deal with data protection

Pmk

Rowena Mason✔@rowenamason

An odd selection of the Tory 21 getting the whip back.

Harrington voted against the programme motion.

Plus Gauke and Rudd voted for it but are missing from the list.

Confirmed that the Whip has been restored to those 10 Tories, so they have all accepted BJ's offer

Several of these are standing down anyway, and so will be Tory MPs for only a few more days

• but are now eligible for peerages again It matters to some of them.

The others are free to stand again as Tories in the GE, which is handy if their local party can't select another candidate before the GE cutoff.

I wonder if those invited back are either retiring or haven't been replaced as candidate in their seats?
Or is it just that some faces fit better than others ?

pmk

I wonder if any of those on the benches looking at their phones are looking at these threads? They might learn something if they do.

"telecoms companies have been told to ignore European regulations"

If they do that while the Uk is still in the EU or in transition, then they and / or the UK govt will be fined heavily.
Or worse

The WA specifies that the Uk must obey all EU regs during transition
If not, we might even get suspended / chucked out of transition

Aaaand he's up again!!

Place marking

I'll be interested to see how many seats the Brexit Party will stand in. Can they fill all 650? Have they already?

Who is the lucky feck he's referring to saying they need to sort their postal vote cos their going on a cruise? Anyone here?????

God they are complete DINOSAURS. Someone suggested a debate on new ways of voting in the future and suggested an app. Thai was met with boos! FFs move with the times people.

PMK.

Apps could be easier to hack..

BigChoc - I think in the context, they meant after transition or in the event of No Deal.

But my regulatory lawyer friend was very dismissive of the Government's grasp of the issues that the telecoms companies will face (that in itself will not surprise us on here ) - and was particularly damning about the advice on the direction of travel being imposes proposed - when the American companies themselves say that it's not the direction to go and that the EU regulations are much better

And also that the Government doesn't have a fucking clue about how to manage cross-border data protection

Swayne just complimented Jess Phillips

Is Bill cash filibustering?!

"Is Bill cash filibustering?!"

No, his trousers always hang that way

@ArseDarkly not if done properly. Christ I sign into banking with my fingerprint.
Government gateway holds fuck loads of my info. It could be done.