Brexit Arms - Out with the old and in with the new

[time4chocolate]

It’s time again for another Brexit Arms thread to see us into Christmas and beyond.

Well what a week it’s been!!

Boris has now completed his first week and he’s been busy. New conservatives have been sworn in, the Queens Speech yesterday shows promise (aware that the proof of the (Xmas) pudding is in the eating) and Boris’ Deal is going to be voted on today with the results being around 3pm I believe.

Meanwhile, on the other side all four wheels have definitely fallen off the red bus and were very nearly joined by a garden gate and a car door. Oh dear!!

Anyway, I have added a few more Christmas decs to the pub and popped the fairy back on the tree (it took a nasty tumble)

We are now good to go.
Cheers all 🍷🍷

Ps. If anyone wants to volunteer for outside catering that would be👍🏻

Happy new year to all!
I am also so happy to see the bullying gone (almost) - there has been some open name changing going on but that's fine if they feel they can turn over a new leaf with it.

I met Osborne a few times in work capacity and he seemed okay but I really changed that opinion when he became Editor of the Standard - his venal hatred for TM was based sorely on not liking how he was fired - well it comes with the territory in that job and you have to be big enough to take it. His headlines were a complete disgrace.

I would love to see credible opposition and think we are in the wilderness if RLB gets it. Boris will reclaim the centre ground (Merkel style) for the next decade.
Any peace and happiness to all.

I am a member of the Tory party so am delighted with the GE result.

But I am also a democrat and believe we need a functioning opposition for democracy to work.
At present we have an "opposition" which is providing me with amusement.

Laughing at the opposition needs to be short lived. They are being paid by tax payers and they are not being paid as a comedy act.

I joined the Tories early this year purely to get a vote on leader as it was clear TM was going to get booted

I voted for BJ but with a spoiled ballot 😂
(Pic attached...!)
He was not who I wanted, but with hindsight I'm pretty pleased he got it - his seemingly boundless enthusiasm is what has particularly endeared him to me over last few months

Osborne I have never liked - he's got a smug wee face that riles me
His nastiness about TM was awful - proper spoiled brat tantrum stuff

I'd obvs love a functioning & credible opposition, and hope Labour can get a grip on this, but I cannot see it happening for some time sadly.

In the meantime, BJ has an amazing opportunity to do some real good - here's hoping he follows through 🍷🍷

Yes indeed, it would be ideal if there was, or had been a 'strong' political opposition to any current govt - but Brexit had become the centre-stage of the GE - and, in my opinion, quite necessarily so; any views on it didn't lie coterminously within any political, moral, religious, etc 'borders' but, within 'spectrums' for want of a better description.

I'm very happy with the basis on which the UK, EU and wider world now proceeds with their negotiations - the Referendum result has been argued against, scrutinized from every angle, machinated through Parliament, discussed extensively by the EU - and rubber stamped by the UK Electorate.

The only way now is to proceed, the Mandate to do so is, inarguable now and any attempts to demonstrate otherwise are only Artistry.

I voted for BJ but with a spoiled ballot

Under electoral rules, Dusty, it was still a valid vote for Boris and would have been counted as such. Don't worry too much about Dom, though. His time will come. I think it's quite reassuring to have a couple of potential leaders waiting in the wings. It keeps the current leader on his or her toes and gives the membership credible options if needed.

That's one of the reasons the Labour Party is struggling. It's been stuck in the cult of Corbyn for four years and those who might have carried the moderate vote have either jumped ship (Milliband Major, Andy Burnham, Alan Johnson spring to mind) or are irretrievably tarnished by their long association with the Corbyn brand. They come across as enablers - and that's not a good look among the very voters they need to win back.

Tom Newton Dunn predicted the split of the Labour Party this year. He pointed out that as it has 203 MPs, only 102 of them need to secede and form a new party. That would make them the official Opposition with corresponding entitlement to short money, offices and the chairmanship of various committees. The remaining rump of 101 MPs would just become a third party like the LibDems and SNP. It would require nerve and courage of course, and they'd have to agree on a leader, but it could be done quite legitimately. I'm not sure they have what it takes though. There has been talk for some time of a split being inevitable but they keep balking. However, if RLB is made leader, that might be the final kick they need.

I also met George Osborne several times, Megan, when he was just MP for Tatton. Smug doesn't come near. And shaking his hand was like grasping a dead fish.

A seasonal Telegraph cartoon, a little late in the day...

Dom is on manoeuvres...

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/01/01/civil-servants-could-forced-sit-exams-prove-competence-sweeping/

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/01/01/whitehall-woefully-unprepared-dominic-cummings-true-plan-reform/

Good moaning,

Spare a thought for Jezza who is now planning to skulk about in the shadowy corners of Westminster and preparing his Party to be "the Resistance" to the government. It's a novel approach. The second-largest party has traditionally been known as Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition but "the Resistance" sounds so much more dashing. I just hope it doesn't involve stolen paintings, trapdoors, hidden airmen and false moustaches. There's a few on the shadow front bench who'd never get away with it, although I'm now wondering if Diane's decision to wear two left shoes wasn't either a practice run or a covert signal to the SOE.

Today, the complimentary breakfast tray has an American theme: eggs sunny-side-up or over-easy, streaky bacon, hash browns, pancakes or waffles with butter and maple syrup, gallons of coffee. Please help yourselves.

The kettle, as always, is on ☕️☕️☕️

Dom is on manoeuvres...

He's been thinking about this a long time, Scary. I'm a day or two behind with the papers but I'm looking forward to reading these articles properly. For now, I've only skimmed through. For anyone who can't get behind the paywall, the author is Rachel Wolf who co-wrote the government manifesto and it seems the Civil Service is, drearily, predictably, already making noises about any reform amounting to moving the deckchairs around.

In best panto tradition, "oh no it isn't".

It's a root-and-branch reform that is long overdue and, on the basis of my skim read, it would take roughly six or seven years to turn the juggernaut around.

Almost makes me wish I was still in the Civil Service to see it.

Singing tbh my original impression of Osborne was that he was in dire need of a few new white business shirts (they were always grey from mixing with the coloured wash) and he was too fond of saying "hear hear" when he agreed with anything although we weren't in an environment when anyone would have said that. He was quite receptive to getting things done though, a snappy decision kind of person. As editor of the Standard he just came across as childishly bitter and did a huge disservice to journalism.

I'm assuming Lily that this will apply to the fast trackers and the upper echelons, as opposed to those who are COs and EOs as it used to be in my day. The articles make a great point about institutional memory though...it is needed, as HM Forces found out when they contracted out some of what used to be junior jobs like the stewards, and the more professional things like the chefs in the shore establishments. It meant fewer people to draw on for sea going jobs, and the civvy standards just weren't the same, and neither was the ethos. They also found this out when safety stuff was contracted out and accidents happened. If your life depends on it, then you make sure that everything is functioning properly and it will have been drilled into you that this is done for a purpose. If you have literally no skin in the game, then you are not as careful.

I don't think it hurts to move jobs; you move every couple of years in the RN, but always into jobs that build on your previous knowledge and skill set. You aren't landed somewhere where you have no knowledge or background.

I expect HM Forces will be delighted at an MOD Civil service shake up. There was one in particular who was disliked across the board and groans went up every time she set foot in Brussels. She had no idea, nor did she want to, of how HM Forces actually functioned.

Morning all. Saw this and needed some fellow travellers to share with.

Was about to quote my favourite bits but you really need to read it all to appreciate it.

Fun fact following on from Green New Deal discussion yesterday:
Thanks to Thatcher ..... "Britain’s energy generation is commendably green: the UK’s per capita CO2 emissions are almost 40 per cent lower than Germany’s,"

www.lawliberty.org/2019/12/30/one-nation-or-bust/

Watched the newspaper review last night somewhat aghast so called journalists aren't already au fait with the inner workings of the Civil Service, and once appraised how critical they were - I knew all this despite living in Scotland and never having working in the UK public sector - bit confused about competency exams though because the Civil Service has / used to have (?) pretty rigorous stand alone entrance exam and recruitment process. I also suspect, in the lower rungs at least, the portrayal of lack of oversight and accountability is somewhat outdated - unless they actually slimmed down during Austerity in the time-honoured public sector fashion of sacking all the up and coming juniors and keeping the over promoted dead wood?

I think the competency exams are effectively CPD to ensure that if a Humanities grad, you learn about, understand and can apply thinking in other areas out with your sphere. It's like me trying to do physics as a Theology graduate.

That's brilliant Howabout!!
Very funny but very true...!
And a wee bit of insight into the motivations of #Dmitri at the end (which we've been attuned to on these threads for a while now)

I would def identify as a Brexitshire voter 😍

That's a wickedly accurate article, Howabout. Brexitshire here too.

You're right, Scary; the quickest and most effective way to change the culture would be to start with the fast-trackers and upper echelons and to my mind, the first step would be to remove the sense of entitlement. There are a number of ways in which this could and should be done but I'm sure Dmitri already has a list. (Although if he is short of ideas, which would be uncharacteristic, I've got a few he might like).

Virtual immunity from sacking is the biggest problem. There is a procedure but it is so long-winded and tortuous that you would need about two years and a huge chunk of close managerial attention to achieve it. The easier option is to sideways transfer or, in cases where the civil servant is an old hand at conjuring up time-wasting and essentially frivolous grievances, to promote and transfer at the same time. Peter's Principle is in evidence everywhere. Lack of competence or even any basic sort of working knowledge in the relevant area is no bar to being a project leader. And it has always been easy to suffocate good ideas under a plethora of process so that they eventually wither and die.

If the Civil Service is to be made fit for the 21st century, it needs a disruptor. One with powerful backing.

Fortunately, it has found one

I expect HM Forces will be delighted at an MOD Civil service shake up. There was one in particular who was disliked across the board and groans went up every time she set foot in Brussels. She had no idea, nor did she want to, of how HM Forces actually functioned.

I'm fairly sure I worked with her identical twin. A fast-tracker who did the obligatory six-month stint in uniform as a prison officer "to learn the ropes" before going straight to governor grade. She told me that on her last day of duty in her previous establishment, her uniformed colleagues stood on the top landing and emptied a bucket of slops over her head as she was leaving for good. "It was a sign of respect, that they had finally accepted me", she said proudly.

No, chuck, it wasn't, it really wasn't. It was certainly a sign of something but, trust me, it wasn't respect.

Megan. I expect his valet was having a day off.

We should in theory be liberal remainers, having done a long stint in Brussels...however, we are firmly Brexitshire.

So in other words, Scary, you were radicalised by Brussels

Thanks How,
Brexitshire here to

Too!

Good article Howabout

Make that a fourth Brexitshire 😍

And a fifth Brexitshire.

And a sixth!

I cba reading the article

but surely a Brexitshire cocktail needs to be made?

me and my bestie like to order a cockail called an Old Square, though tbh I had too many last time and can't really remember what was in it

I think I’m Brexitshire? I need to go reread the article, I had a mindwipe during the article’s weird quoted word salad section near the end! 😂

It turned into the equivalent of a dismantled Times crossword for a minute there.