Westminstenders: Where are we now?

[RedToothBrush]

Twenty thousand people
Cross Bösebrücke
Fingers are crossed
Just in case
Walking the dead

Where are we now, where are we now?
The moment you know, you know, you know

Just that.

Don't really want to reflect more than that right now.

On another subject: I actually cannot believe the mess this government has made around education.

I despair that anger is being deflected towards schools and teachers.

The situation is utterly disastrous. It really is.

And it's absolutely because Johnson appointed a cabinet of pro-Brexit nodding dogs and sycophants.

People should be enormously angry about education.

September is going to be a complete mess. There are no plans. It's already a disaster and nothing is in place to stop that disaster getting bigger and picking up speed.

I agree Cat. I am furious about so much of this but the education mess is the bit that’s affecting us significantly at the moment.

I’m glad it’s finally being talked about in the media (a bit) but otherwise we are so voiceless. We can’t even strike. There’s nothing left to boycott.

Tatiana yes, without trying to conflate the issues, my friend and I were saying how similar the methods of slow change have been. She worked in a company where there was outrage at women being "bought in" to do a role for representation (perhaps interestingly from a white gay male) because they expected them to be less qualified and there for show. I do think that most people understand that this would never be said about race but there is still within the lack of attainment, a lurking assumption that people from certain backgrounds are not bright because they haven't had the choices. So, although people are "woke" enough to recognise systemic effects of racism (poor parents = less opportunities for their kids) they are unlikely to give them a break and move them up the ladder as they might do for a white male. We all know white men perform worst at school/HE and yet get the best jobs as a group.

My friend has done very well and is in Management. She went to the same mid-range Indie as I did, where she admits she had a lot of opportunities. However, working in London, she tells me she is literally the only black person in Management in a very large company. The only other black people in charge of departments in every company she has ever worked in are in "cultural and racial diversity" specifically titled roles. It is depressing to her that there is zero representation. I keep telling her she is the representation

If I am honest I thought we were doing much better than this in terms of racial equality. To hear this is still an issue in our Capital is concerning considering the diversity of it. I know all about poor outcomes and the equity and equality advances we were making until the Tories got in, yet I didn't know that we still don't report on ethnic minority pay gaps, as we do with gender petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300105?fbclid=IwAR3VV4MI4mVD2MP6CqIvzFK0X1H0x-gBdHhZ-bkWiIfLK25jqNOp4Md05lk (link to the petition I posted the other day on the topic).

We have a long way to go and I still believe that taking names and gender off CV's is the only way to eliminate a lot of unconscious bias.

Yet the game haven't learned ..... or maybe they are just loving the populace fighting against each other......
The use of gender issues to distract from racism....... just read an article how they have done polling around gender issue (must have realised it's a powder keg ) and have tried to light a fuse under that....to distract ..... well from everything really.

I think gender issues are important- but this is just trying to wind people up even more

It is interesting watching Bozo tie himself in knots on racism though.

Yes, the man who talked about piccaninnies with watermelon smiles who was part of a Government of the Hostile Environment, and who only a couple of days ago was sounding off about the violence to statues. Dog whistles. This time the dogs came in force and he wasn't able to call them off. The man urinating against the memorial to the murdered PC was an absolute gift to show what scum those people are. So he bleats about the 2 metre rule which he imposed.

I think you'll find you left the stable doors open and a whole string of horses have bolted on that one, chum.

Race and sexism are a powder keg atm and being increasingly highlighted by other issues such as the lack of schooling mentioned upthread.

IMO people fighting for both of these are usually relatively sensible and able to work in collaboration. I am hopeful that the far right is trying to fight too many battles at once and merely showing themselves up as incompetent due to worshiping the past, not allowing change, surrounding themselves with yes-men with an inability to apologise or learn from others. Sounds like the worst brochure for Eton ever!

Very fickle, mobs....

One thing it is highlighting is the fact the far right are well and alive in the UK.
It doesnt have a party to represent it so who these are voting for? Im going to assume the Tories.
Which goes a long way to explain why they are going out of their way to atract those people. And to explain why so many people seem confortable with (extreme) right policies.

Respectfully, if you don't know that the tories are the party of the hard right then you haven't been paying attention....

So Sunak this morning going on the record with 'scientists advise, ministers decide', and saying key decisions in COVID crisis made by Johnson and ministers and they should be held to account.

Are the sharks circling?

It is interesting watching Bozo tie himself in knots on racism though. One minute we can't whitewash our dodgy history and Chrurchill is the bestest Great Britain and we don't have a problem with racism, then racist thugs from his own side attack police with over 100 arrests and he "condemns racist thuggery". He needs to get off that fence and admit there is a problem.

Johnson has a fundamental and growing problem with trust that is steming from the Cummings debarkle, Covid-19 handling generally and the BLM issue.

This morning the Times is running this story:

Matthew Syed @matthewsyed
The No10 press conference is now unwatchable. Ministers flailing around on quarantine, test-and-trace, you name it. PM talked about 5 threat levels, but nobody can explain criteria, why it hovers between levels and how it relates to policy. Trust has gone

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/comment/no-10-tells-it-like-it-isnt-so-we-make-the-rules-9fqvm7n9f
No 10 tells it like it isn’t. So we make the rules
The more ministers talk, the more they seem to be on another planet

You have to consider that Johnson's election as Tory leader was built off the back of his public popularity. And that was largely built off his celebrity image and his performance during the referendum.

Johnson, whilst he lied about buses, was trusted because he 'stood up for the people' and 'listened to their concerns' about immigration and the European Union. Even if there were doubts about the 350million pledge. He was thought to be the better alternative to Cameron to give the establishment a kicking, because he framed himself as the outsider and a Churchillian strong leader.

Then again during the Tory party election he did the same thing, though it was obvious to those paying attention there were cracks in this. Each appearance was a worry as Johnson didn't really have substance to back up the slogans. The slogans only worked on those not paying attention or still buying into the celebrity. When it came to being confronted with issue he felt the need to hide in a fridge instead.

The last 3 months has seen a slow unravelling of this with doubts about his handling of the situation punctuated with sympathy for his own health and his new baby.

Then the Cummings incident happened and huge questions about his leadership have come from his own side.

'Where's Boris' and questions about his reliance on Cummings as well as the spectacle of utter lies, hypocrisy and contempt for the public in the midst of a public crisis hasn't gone unnoticed.

Johnsons leadership over how to handle the race issue is now starting to show. He's gone for the law and order card, but given the lack of respect Cummings has shown for it and how ministers are above the law that's a hard one to maintain (watch Starmer on this - see my comment yesterday about holding to account and the rule of law in terms of how that's going to play out).

We also have the incoming narrative of the Withdrawal agreement and Johnson now saying that he didn't understand it / he didn't agree to what the EU say he did in terms of the rule of international law.

We already have seen there has been slippage on our side about border enforcement post 31st Dec, and the EU saying they will be enforcing customs if there is no alternative agreement made.

Johnson has to betray someone. He had a surprising big rebellion (though not defeat) over the Mogg Conga - which clearly a signal of backbencher disquiet and open revolt over his contempt for them.

The only question for Johnson is who he screws and how he covers it up and who he blames. Can he keep doing it?

That's the big question.

What happens in the US in the next 6 months has huge ramifications for us here. Trump is struggling more than he likes. He might yet ride it out, but if he does that's likely to spelt trouble anyway. The US as a stable trading partner and ally isn't looking the smart move right now.

We don't know whether the autumn will see a second wave of covid-19 still. The economy is in a precarious position and our handling of the health crisis has put us more economically fragile than many other countries in Europe even those who we badly hit. There are cracks with Italy within the EU, but that only serves to focus attention on rebuilding that rather than ties with the UK.

Johnson is in bigger trouble than I think appears. Political capital is spent. The public mood and newspapers are moving on...

Interesting times.

No COBRA meetings for over a month now because Johnston can't tolerate dissenting voices. Dictatorship here we come.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jun/14/prime-minister-has-not-hosted-a-cobra-emergency-committee-for-over-a-month?fbclid=IwAR0n6fCv6DSJSkqQFJxqVhnIbeZZtoSdNIMY1zkpnrtbYPcVpH_trE2kei0

.

Sounds like the worst brochure for Eton ever!

I said something like that on the last thread and Clavinova jumped in with how she thought Boris was successful because he was paid £250,000 p.a. for his Telegraph articles. Which rather illustrated where their values lay - write rubbish but it's OK because you are quids in. But we can tell from Johnson's behaviour that he lacks a moral compass.

Which rather illustrated where their values lay - write rubbish but it's OK because you are quids in.

Sort of ties in with Louises preference for a crap UK deal over a fantastic EU one anyday ....

If Trump wins the UK will not get a trade deal that civil servants can sign off.
If Biden wins, Ireland will get a veto on any trade deal.
The EU have no reason at all to accept any mad UK demands.

Time to start stockpiling
and sharpening my collection of historic bladed weapons

So depressing. PMK.

Johnson has to betray someone. He had a surprising big rebellion (though not defeat) over the Mogg Conga - which clearly a signal of backbencher disquiet and open revolt over his contempt for them.

The only question for Johnson is who he screws and how he covers it up and who he blames.

I am sure that the ones who will truly screwed up are us, the pleb. Even more so the low income group.
Whether the group that wins is the one who wants a deal to protect the economy or the ones who aim for disaster capitalism remains to be seen.

The EU have no reason at all to accept any mad UK demands.

The other reason is what is happening in europe now with the wish of more integration to offset covid and the resulting economic downturn.
I suspect that, seeing the UK demands as well as the way the UK/BJ is behacing (aka not a trutworthy partner), they are going to go for damage control on their side. And who wants an unwilling partner ready to throw yoo under the bus?

Johnson likes to be popular - which group will keep him popular?
I think he will now have realised that backing Cummings was a big mistake. Getting him to quietly resign two weeks ago, and he would be back in by the end of the month.

Anyone else sometimes feel a bit....odd....about stuff they have been/are doing/planning?

I grew up poor but I don't remember my parents having to have food and medication stashes did to shortages. Or having sleepless nights about our futures.

When I had kids I never thought I'd be actively pursuing alternative citizenship/passports, having to have food and medication stashes. Considering going veggie due to concerns over food standards, taking out private health insurance for my kids, Trying to figure out if out meagre savings should be transferred to another currency due to financial instability...

Odd times.

Listening to IDS on BBC News bleating on complaining about people not following the rule of law yesterday and that no marches should have gone ahead as they breached the Covid guidelines, and all I could think was, "You Tory hypocrite, what about DC? You can't call yourself the party of law and order if it's one rule for your lot and another for the rest of us."

...and he was going on about "the WHO only says 1m." Whenever anyone quotes the WHO advice, they always conveniently ignore two important wee words, " at least 1m."

Yoikes, I agree with being surprised with the plans I have made As a child I would never have guessed that I would get Dutch citizenship. I didn't even go to NL until I was in my 30s. Yet due to Brexit, I am a dual citizen, who feels they can never move back to the UK. I also lived outside the UK as a child and missed England terribly, so I was under no romantic illusions as to what living abroad entailed. My british friends here also don't want to return, which is very different from a few years ago.

I wish I had access to another passport. I am not wealthy enough to afford a Maltese one, and the side of the family with Irish connections came over after the famine, so too long ago.

As for the two metre distance - why one earth don't they use a measure which people understand? Stand two arms length from people, which is roughly two metres, or as near as damn it.