Westministenders: No Australia Don't Have A Deal

[RedToothBrush]

Since Friday, far from letting things calm down, Johnson has doubled down stating that if we can't have a Canada Deal (which the EU says wouldn't be equal because we are much closer than Canada geographically) we will go for an Australia Deal.

This is the latest rehash of a managed no deal package up as something else which the EU have already repeatedly said no to.

So we are on track for no deal.

At the same time Johnson has got very excited about American food and how its great. Almost as if he wants no deal wit the EU to force a shitty bad deal with the us through.

Johnson and his chronies have also been trying to undermine journalistic transparency by blocking access to the lobby to some media outlets in a move that makes us look like a tinpot dictatorship. Fortunately there was a mass walk out of journalists but it remains to be seen how long that can be maintained.

Far from being a clean slate to move forward from its already proving that nothing has changed and old divisions are as deep as ever, if not worse...

"Unfortunately I am not sure that either RLB or Starmer have the power to keep Bozo in check"

With the Tories having an 80-seat majority, no Labour leader can do that
BJ doesn't need to change his policies so long as his MPs back him
In Parliament, Starmer would probably dismantle BJ's bluster, but the public tend not to watch PMQs - which BJ avoids as often as possible anyway

The main tasks for the new Labour leader imo are to develop sensible policies that appeal to centrist & left voters
and provide a sane, non-toxic alternative at the next GE & at the next locals

An important part of that is holding the Tories to account,
after Brexit either harms the economy or - unlikely- becomes BRINO

So preventing the Tories from blaming Labour for Brexit and any economic / social / public services / infrastructure problems after what will probably be by the GE 14-15 years of Tory govt
Not trivial, because BJ has managed to disassociate his govt from the failures of the previous 10 years of Tory govt - can even BJ manage such disassociation from his own govt ?

The leader also needs to overhaul party organisation and electoral planning, allocation of resources and targetting of seats etc

Reading the article about the Sardines, put me in mind of the way Communism was brought down in E Europe - people congregating to protest.

We have to be positive, we have to harness that spirit. Since precious few of the UK's problems were caused by the EU, it is almost impossible to think that they will be solved by leaving. And at the risk of boring you with repetition, this is Boris's Brexit - he must be made to own it.

The states don't matter, the seats the number of states have matter. The electoral college swung on a few hundred thousand votes in 4 or
5 states (PA has 20 on its own and Trump won by 77 seats).

The challenge Trump thing may not be as hard as you think.

It is by no means certain that the Republicans will control either house come November

I take some encouragement from this. If they don't have control of either, Trump I assume, becomes something of a lame duck President. Will Johnson be quite so enamoured of the willy waving contest with someone who looks like a loser?

BCF I would really worry about the lights of those African students. On an individual level racism is rife in China. I have witnessed parents in open revolt in a private Chinese school when a talented and motivated teacher was bought in from the USA. He was if anything overqualified and there for an adventure. Britain is not the only society to be racist. I dread to think of that combined with Coronavirus paranoia. I also lived there through the SARS out break. Though the paranoia about SARS was far far worse in the west

Plights

I'm agreeing with everything you say Peregrina!

I hope that the pendulum will gradually swing back to the centre. In my lifetime. Or maybe a bit quicker.

Pete Buttigeig seems to be doing something interesting in the Iowa caucuses.

But Trump escapes being impeached.

Borntobequiet I am sure I heard something on the news about the Democrat big guns not liking Pete ? Not sure why ?

Just heard that about Trump on the radio , heard one republican voted against the rest but didn't catch which one ?

Mitt Romney I think.

Police uncovering 'epidemic of child abuse' in 1970s and 80s

When you examine BJ's "piffle" - the bits that are intelligible - much of it is very nasty

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/feb/05/police-uncovering-epidemic-of-child-abuse-in-1970s-and-80s

PM told to say sorry for remark about ‘spaffing’ money up wall as 4,024 claims lead to guilty verdicts

< don't hold your breath waiting for BJ to apologise >

Did anyone hear the thing on radio 4 earlier about how or what does Boris Johnson think ? I was on a bit of cleaning spree so didn't catch the full thing.

As far as I can tell, the whole of China has shut down? Workplaces and schools shut? Companies are taking a hit, having to pay staff while they sit at home.

Are there any animals that would bite off someone elses testicles and fling them after a pursuing attacker to save themselves ?

Population growth is happening in countries without maternity pay ....
Not Europe
Not North America
Not South America
Not Asia
Not Australasia
only Africa has a birth rate above replacement

and as per the chart I posted at the top of the thread, the carbon impact of one American = 10,000 sub saharan africans

we need to consume a lot less rather than penalise the poor

Well said, ListeningQuietly.

we need to consume a lot less rather than penalise the poor

I hope there's a plan B then, because as a Plan A (briefly takes reading across other MN forums) that is dead in the water.

So peerages rumoured for:

Ken Clarke
Philip Hammond
Ruth Davidson
Ian Austin

Makes sense but still surprising. Feel that's the first remain sop in 4 years.

Ruth Davidson could then be given a role in government? Perhaps some divide and conquer bringing us all together role? Also now very suspicious ad to why these peerages have been revealed early.

It must mean there's more sinister stuff to follow. Probably effing farage.

How about some decent MEPs as peers- Molly Scott Cato springs to mind. (Although if I was choosing peers I'd pick Tusk! )

With a Tory majority, we have to make sure that problems are laid at their door, so that they are seen to be failing - so it's not the EU's fault, it's not the Lib Dem's fault, it's not Corbyn's fault, it's not 'Remoaner' MPs fault, it's 100% the fault of Boris if his Brexit fails.

Ross Hawkins @rosschawkins
Exc: PM’s dad Stanley Johnson met Chinese ambassador, passed on concerns about Boris Johnson reaction to Coronavirus – then accidentally emailed the BBC with the details - more on @BBCr4today

Stanley Johnson met Chinese ambassador Liu Xiaoming earlier this week. He emailed minister Zac Goldsmith, from his personal email address, including this paragraph

He also copied in the BBC. Sources stress he was not acting, officially or unofficially, for UK govt. Stanley Johnson is a longstanding environmental campaigner, was at embassy to talk about climate & biodiversity summits

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-politics-51394044?__twitter_impression=true

If you were not worried about coronavirus before, the news that Stanley Johnson is doing diplomatic duties, should have you terrified especially if you saw 'Hunted'.

It also smacks of gross nepotism and shades of the Tinpot Trumps.

So it seems that like Trump, Johnson believes in using family ties. Stanley Johnson smoothing things over:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51394044

ugh.

hah. x post!