Westminstenders: Frozen

[RedToothBrush]

Boris Johnson was empty chaired by C4 with a block of ice.

The Conservatives went mental and have threatened to look at C4 broadcast remit.

This is illiberal and anti democratic.

Journalists are supposed to hold power to account on behalf of the public. If MPs don't turn up then they can't be held to account.

They have a duty to show. It's not good enough to avoid scrutiny because it might make you look bad. That's the whole point.

The contempt with which Johnson holds the press and public is reprehensible and you should be concerned whatever your political alligence. It allows corruption to fester without consequence.

And to then threaten C4 because they do their job in line with their responsibility as a broadcaster is alarming.

This is how authoritarian dictators work.

Well this thread has taken a turn for the bizarre

Up until the random little geography lesson I just read through, here is the sum total of what I knew about Albania:

When Lord Voldemort was defeated, when he failed to kill Harry Potter, what was left of him fled to a forest in Albania. He had been there when he was younger to find the lost diadem of Ravenclaw, having got the grey lady (the ghost of Helena Ravenclaw) to tell him where she hid it when she stole it from her mother. He turned that diadem into a horcrux. Lord Voldemort lived for 14 years in Albania until he was found by Peter Pettigrew. Previously, Helena Ravenclaw had been murdered in Albania by the Blood Baron. Both their ghosts returned to Hogwarts.

The idea that British people are walking around with any kind of preconceptions about Albania and its people strikes me as ludicrous. In all my years, it has literally never come up in conversation.

I have never had reason to think negatively about a citizen of Albania until I read this thread. However they need not fear - I won't judge them all on this one.

You're right tobee - I do usually use the 🎶🎵 in that way.

I did feel in that sequence of posts that the assumption that a particular (or any ) nationality was an issue was somewhat goady given the predominant ethos of these threads. And I felt it was (for me) a diversion to engage any further.

The alternative is to start posting garden pictures in addition to the cat pictures I have a lovely frosty one of the garden taken today

Tatiana I'm agreeing with you about the NHS and how most consultants work a mixture of private/public here. This is not true in other countries. My reference was to other countries that have a more established two tier health care model with increasing 'out of pocket' expenses and higher insurance and what I believe we'll be seeing more of in the UK post Brexit as part of US-UK FTA.

Definitely higher drug prices. Possibly drugs no longer included in NHS as per Canada. Anyone not on benefits pays full drug price plus prescription charges in Canada and it's only going to get more expensive thanks to renegotiated Canada-US FTA.

To bring this thread back to its titular raison d’etre, BJ seems to be getting a pasting post-Marr interview, in that it is being pointed out that the freeing jihadis in the absence of any in-prison rehabilitation, privatised parole services, etc (brought to their attention as early as 2016) due to austerity mad Tories, in particular BJ & Gove, & issues ignored.
The security bonus Tories are hoping for post-attack May not materialise. Quite the opposite.

Ooh frosty garden pretty. (Hint, hint! )

Also is it @yolofish who is getting more chickens? I'd like to see chickens!

Re Johnson and his talking as if he wasn't part of the government, it just reinforces his disloyalty. One of the lessons I remember from my (long ago) government and politics o'level classes was the concept of cabinet collective responsibility.

Johnson and the right wing press are also getting a pasting from someone whose integrity and motivation can’t be doubted.

John Crace Retweeted

David Merritt
@butwhatifitsall
Don’t use my son’s death, and his and his colleague’s photos - to promote your vile propaganda. Jack stood against everything you stand for - hatred, division, ignorance.

Well that was an interesting overnight catch up. The festering hatred for Albania on these threads thoroughly investigated and disinfected. About time too.

Morning Born from another early bird insomniac.

On Albania I'm ashamed to say I'm not even sure exactly where it is.

The only anecdote I have is..There's an electrician who lives near me who I noticed superficially and avoided a little bit. He's quite abrupt & head shaven and has a Union Jack in his van. The only conversations I've had was when he was ranting about how people who break into his van want locking up. He seemed quite authoritarian and I assumed he was Brexity Faragisty etc. I've seen him coming in late and I assumed not the most helpful DH either.
One day he initiated a referendum conversation with me. Turns out he is Albanian by birth -moved to London as a baby. He was passionately waxing lyrical about how he loves being British and being part of the EU . He was lovely! Waxing lyrical about his dream to move the kids to somewhere greener outside London.Moaning about people working on sites who.nag him to go to the pub -he said why would I do that when I've two kids at home, they grow up so fast, I save all my money to show them the world etc etc.

Just goes to show you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Not hugely relevant to Albania though, other than he said his parents were always so grateful to the UK.

Albania has amazing Roman ruins.

You can see Albania from Corfu and there is a huge Norman Wisdom following.

My ex is Croatian but lived in Montenegro when we were together. I went to the coast with him a couple of times for holidays and the train crossed a huge lake with Albania on one side. Utterly stunning scenery. He and a friend still cross the border into Albania on shopping trips occasionally, even though he's based in Dubrovnik now.

But the view from the train made me want to go there and we never got around to it while we were together. Oh, and I used to fly Ryanair to Podgorica and the plane was often full of Albanian people because it was cheaper to cross into Albania from MNE than it was to fly there directly.

Had no idea @HateIsNotGood was Albanian. Do they make nice biscuits there? 😂

Hats off to the Merritt family.

They shouldn't have to worry about their son's murder being used for political capital.

Also SCUM.

I think that's the only way to describe Boris Johnson and his cronies in the Tory party.

Using the deaths of 2 people in this way. Deplorable.

They shouldn't have to worry about their son's murder being used for political capital.

Just when you think Johnson couldn't be any more odious and disrespectful, he proves you wrong and sinks to new depths.Horrible despicable man.

It works. This Tory campaign is a tribute band playing all the Greatest Hits that worked before in 79, 83 and 92.

• You (personally, but somehow at the same time everyone) will pay a specific sum in extra tax under labour.

The target voters believe this stuff, just like in 1992 they believed, as fact, that Labour's defence policy was to surrender. Just like they believed in 79 that inflation was 25% when Healy had by then got it down to single digits. And Labour's assertion that the Tories would double VAT was a "Labour Lie" (Daily Mail) - it went from 8% to 15%.

You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time....

I think its a parody, im not sure anymore

twitter.com/i/status/1200910259461726208

Not to worry. Trumpy's coming to town. Johnson surely trying to get through begging him not to give an endorsement.

...but he will, anyway.

Who watched the BBC Breakfast interview with Nicola Sturgeon?

I thought she performed very well but then I'm biased but I'd be interested in getting others' opinions

As dh just said, "What I like about Nicola, and I've said it for many years, she talks to you, not at you."

to me 🎶 or Scroll on By signals I haven't got the mental energy to engage with those that I believe are posting to goad, gloat or otherwise post not in good faith

Same. Although tbf I was quite interested in the Albania conversation, because I am ashamed to say that I don't know much about Albania except where it is.

But the bad faith was pretty obvious given that the same poster had an exchange on the previous thread with someone about whether they were sufficiently British to have an opinion .

@JustAnotherPoster00

That is quality

It’s only down the road from me and it’s a depressingly realistic image this guy paints.

lonelycrab' you know his 'wife' would be on here saying things like 'benefits isnt a life style choice' 'cant you take in some ironing' and the classic 'you should batch cook' after the OP has said something like I live in a B&B, I have no money and were all hungry

Aditya Chakrabortty
@chakrabortty
·
2m
My one year old daughter is leading a crawl-out at her nursery against any increase in education spending because that’s debt she’ll be paying off as a taxpayer. The entire baby class is furious about it.
Quote Tweet

Richard Delingpole
@DickDelingpole
· 41m
My two year old son just asked me “Daddy, how come they’re called ‘Labour’ when every time they govern unemployment ends up higher?” Everyone on the bus cheered.

yes tobee that's me with the chickens, but not til Dec 14. My post-election treat/displacement therapy!

That Jack Merritt's father should have to say that his son's death should not be politicised...

Our Sky died over the w/e so didnt watch Marr, but far more importantly DH had to watch the Grand Prix on his tablet which caused a LOT of harrumphing of grumbling.