Westminstenders: The Mask is Slipping

[RedToothBrush]

This week has seen the department of the Chancellor who launched a 50p piece, the serious contemplation of a tin pot bridge, the rebirth of eugenics as a subject for cabinet, the announcement of the end of the BBC as we know it, the cabinet chanting after the PM in a way Orwell would be proud of, suppression of a report into trade deals which dares to mention the effect of distance and geography, worrying signs of an ever growing rift with Europe over negotiations for a deal, an appointment which starts to make our membership of the ECHR look very dodgy and there have been rather a lot of floods which so far seemed to have escaped the attention of those in London busy in their own swamp.

It's becoming apparent very quickly just how Trump like our new government are and how they want the UK to emulate the very worst aspects of America.

We are falling fast and its not looking like it will be pretty.

All we need is a major global issue to test our national resilience and the incompetence will truly be laid bare for us all to see... But not necessarily speak of. Such us the way it works.

Brexit Britain is not a nice looking prospect.

In Trump's case there seemed to be an endless stream of resignations and replacements but I don't see that working here, they've made such a big hoo-hah about the reshuffle, it's got to be made to look businesslike and 'stable' (oh god..)

Seems they scent Cummings blood - it would all be very different for them without him

Note the throwaway remark in this Greek article on the Marbles - Brexit is reducing UK soft power

Then consider this happening every time in every international discussion, wheneve the Uk needs to defend rather more important interests than marbles

http://www.ekathimerini.com/249693/article/ekathimerini/news/eu-includes-parthenon-marbles-return-demand-in-brexit-talks-draft-document-upd

Greece’s culture minister said last month that Athens would step up its campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles from London
and expected to win more support from European peers as Brexit diminishes Britain’s influence.

Murdoch's new "Times" radio station has poached John Pienaar (who is getting a lot of schtick for it on Twitter). I luffs JP & loathe Murdoch so am holding breath on this one. Think Beeb hasn't treated JP so good, tbh.

Facebook doesn't know the name of my favourite band ... * I * don't know the name of my fave band!!

They're welcome to Pienaaar, he gets right up my nose with his irritating delivery and daft questions

A good idea to ask everyone about tariffs after transition or an attempt to blame others when it all goes pear shaped?

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-uk-global-tariff

It's not just No10:
Parliament looks a bad employer too - for BAME staff and MPs

www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jan/12/black-mps-tell-of-being-confused-with-other-politicians

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/18/parliamentary-rules-lead-to-institutional-racism-lawyer-warns

The research carried out by workplace equality network ParliREACH listed “examples of times when they felt that the lack of diversity and understanding of race had resulted in racist (inadvertent or otherwise) behaviours”.

These included senior managers “getting people’s names wrong or mixing them up with other BAME colleagues”;
disparaging remarks such as being told “you sound just like” another non-white MP
and Spanish speakers being warned “everyone here in parliament speaks English”.

All of those questioned “described themselves and other BAME colleagues being more frequently and more forcefully asked to have their passes checked”.

“As above, so below”

www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/former-tory-mep-ireland-stepped-back-from-democracy-by-voting-for-sinn-fein-982443.html

A former British MEP has claimed that Ireland has “stepped back from democracy” by voting for Sinn Féin in such big numbers at the recent General Election.

Daniel Hannan, a member of the European Parliament for South East England from 1999 up until the UK’s exit from the EU last month, said that the party “can’t quite shake off its vicious tendencies”.

“Ireland has just become the first European Union state to elect a party with an armed wing,” he wrote in the Washington Examiner, a conservative US publication.

Daniel Hannan is the man who supported a referendum campaign notable for a lie on the side of a bus and demonstrable involvement by shady groups from the US, and whose party entered a confidence and supply arrangement with a party that has a notorious paramilitary wing with which British security forces colluded through decades of dirty warfare.
www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/world/europe/gary-haggarty-guilty-plea-northern-ireland.html

mondediplo.com/2019/12/07northern-ireland
"The British government has never accepted responsibility for its collusion with Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary forces during the Troubles. This historical legacy issue will not go away and has lasting effects."

Daniel Hannan can fuck right off needs to give his head a wobble.

scientifically semi-literate cranks, actual white supremacists, and utter fools, whose self style heretical pose masks not just weirdness, but ignorance and bigotry

Dr Adam Rutherford as quoted by RTB.

He could easily be talking about the Cabinet.

newsthump.com/2020/02/18/downing-street-special-advisers-have-smaller-than-average-brains-finds-study/?fbclid=IwAR3S0Y7lY88pbTNHGAvkUQTW3UxgLZs2918W-NSAo01tDYAyOho6DwUB3EQ

Research published today in the Journal of Social Engineering reveals that there’s a very good reason why No 10 advisers are so fucking stupid.

“For years people have been calling my work immoral and discriminatory,” said study lead Professor Simon Williams.

“But I now have conclusive evidence that No 10 advisers are a bunch of asinine twats.

“Firstly, they have lower IQs than advisers working elsewhere in the public sector. Their verbal reasoning is mainly based on the phrase ‘because I said so’.

“They also have physically small brains. This causes a number of issues, not least giving themselves wanky job titles like ‘Superforecaster’ – a role which anyone with a modicum of intelligence would realise isn’t actually a thing

EU includes Parthenon Marbles return demand in Brexit talks' draft document

Erm ... no it doesn’t. The draft document covers the existing EU directive on cross-border co-operation on the return of stolen or looted works of art, and specifically doesn’t cover the Elgin Marbles.

More Torygraph nonsense.

Can anyone explain the new immigration proposals?

In a nutshell - you need a job offer, job has to be at a suitable level, speak English, be highly or skilled skilled, be earning £25600 or more, so - you get points for each, some of which can be traded, eg points for a STEM PhD can be traded for a lower salary.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uks-points-based-immigration-system-policy-statement/the-uks-points-based-immigration-system-policy-statement

I think the marbles should be returned to Greece.

Is a PhD the only type of qualification that counts towards the points? Great for academics, but I’m not sure how relevant this is generally

PhD is the only qualification shown in the current policy proposal as getting extra points, but further advice on qualifications and shortage occupations to follow. Apparently.

Henharrier - glad to see we don't have the only squirrel cats. We regularly tell our boys that they're a disgrace to the Siamese breed with their propensity to fluff their tails up whenever they're happy

Re the new immigration rules, I presume it would only be fair if the EU reciprocates and to follow the same requirements, such as expecting all UK citizens to be able to speak the local language and earn more than c30,000€

All very sad.
I'm not even sure the EU should reciprocate the silly immigration rules. I think on the contrary, it would be important to keep young going to the EU and getting to know our neighbours. That's the only way the next generations can turn things around. If they don't have access to the EU they'll just turn as insular as their grandparents.

Good Twitter thread by Prof PJ Cardwell on Patel’s policy document:

mobile.twitter.com/Cardwell_PJ/status/1230028403346153472

I presume it would only be fair if the EU reciprocates and to follow the same requirements, such as expecting all UK citizens to be able to speak the local language and earn more than c30,000€

Yes. Any chance those mind blowingly pig headed Brexiteers who retired to Spain (to beat the departure deadline) will be evicted due to their pension levels and inability to speak Spanish.

What is the care sector meant to do? The home near me is permanently desperate for staff as it is.

The only hope is people will agree to come from India as the immigration from there has been steadily increasing to replace EU staff anyway. However whilst they would get points for English speaking they won't meet the salary criteria.

Do ex empire or commonwealth citizens get extra points. Need to read up on this.

And over on AIBU someone’s proposed a way of covering the likely shortfall of unskilled workers. It’s not going down well ...

Do ex empire or commonwealth citizens get extra points. Need to read up on this

Don’t think so - at least not in this proposal.

From 1 January 2021, EU and non-EU citizens will be treated equally . We will reduce 1 overall levels of migration and give top priority to those with the highest skills and the greatest talents: scientists, engineers, academics and other highly-skilled workers.

Anyway, it’s supposed to be a wonderful new fairer system, isn’t it?

But we actually do need fruit pickers and care workers, and while the decent ones may not require the years of training that scientists and engineers have, they still need to have skills, but are unlikely to command wages of £26,500 or whatever the amount was.

Perhaps we could set Boris Johnson's newly unemployed SPAD onto fruit picking?

Just looked at that AIBU thread.
There's 81% consensus on there that you can't conscript the unemployed into care work.

So to get behind Brexit we must buy into Cummings focus on new radical innovative ideas. Old is bad.New is good. Ironically we must move away from anything traditional or tried and tested -like nurturing care from people who choose to help others.

This is a bit chippy but the options for care workers are what? Robotics? AI? Or genetically engineered slave humans, state euthanasia or perhaps prisoners that would save on prison costs?

I suppose we don't need fruit pickers as the fruit industry can just wind down like aeronautical, motor and financial services? But we do still have old people in need of care.

I'm still thinking outside the box. I suppose other options are having an arrangement with another country a bit like a call centre where the elderly are shipped overseas for cheaper care ? Or families will need to adapt to have more family based care like in Spain or Greece?