Westministenders: Can you tell your Rs from Elbows?

[RedToothBrush]

This week Mark Sedwill has resigned (or was he pushed?) and David Frost (chief brexit lead) was appointed National Security Adviser in a move that enraged Theresa May. The former prime minister felt that his appointment was unprofessional and that was a political appointment not an independent one and that he lacked experience. Of course in terms of national security we still haven't had that report on Russia and I don't believe The Intelligence and Security Committee has yet been named (not sat since Johnson was appointed as PM).

We have passed the deadline for extending transition and we have now apparently said that negotiations on the end of transition will finish at the end of September.

The bill ending Free movement of people has been signed, amongst much fanfare by the Conservatives saying they have delivered on the Referendum promise. However we might have up to 3million Hong Kongers who we are willing to allow into the country which might not go down too well with those who were unhappy with 'unrestricted EU immigration'.

We also have the demonstration of utter incompetence, outsourcing and lack of coordination and communication from central government and local government in the covid-19 crisis. A national scandal that isn't being properly reported by the press and leave you with the very large question of who is this government serving? If its contract with Deloittes over testing didn't require them to report positive tests to Public Health England, what was the point in the testing? How can this be consistent with 'The Government’s new approach to biosecurity will bring together the UK’s world-leading epidemiological expertise and fuse it with the best analytical capability from across Government in an integrated approach.' and will provide real time analysis and assessment of infection outbreaks at a community level, to enable rapid intervention before outbreaks grow.?

The growing feeling that Brexit is being exploited by this government for personal interests and those of big business at the expense of the general public is one which was feared and grows harder to argue against by the day.

As you say, no surprise Sabrina - but it's still

Given that Frost is transferring to new responsibilities in which he has no experience in September, then it's becoming more and more evident that the UK is actively working towards No Deal again, no surprise there

But in these Schrödinger's Negotiations, the UK side probably still believes in everlasting cake with a cherry on top and that the EU will cave because... German cars insert other EU import

pmk

R S Archer Twitter account no longer exists.

Screenshot of las message

Oh dear, weren't China meant to be one of our "new" trading partners? www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/02/china-could-prevent-hongkongers-moving-to-uk-says-dominic-raab Unless this is a machiavellian plan concocted by both to stop UK having to take them?

Following on from the posts on the previous thread... some-one said why is no-one realising. This is what I want to know.I don't have words to describe the horror of it:

-starting with lies on the side of the bus

• illegally manipulating suspension of parliament

-suppressing impact assessments -ferry contracts without ferries -world leading apps that didn't work

• suppressing infection statistics, dropping charts showing our comparatively high infection rates

-etc etc

Yet the likelihood to vote conservative still remains fairly constant...

yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/trackers/likelihood-to-vote-conservative-in-the-next-general-election

Why, why.

www.spectator.co.uk/article/anatomy-of-a-fake-news-story-the-tale-of-the-idiot-brexit-voters

bettemidler
@BetteMidler
·
1h
Trump finally wore a mask the other day & said he felt like the #LoneRanger. But the Lone Ranger's mask had two eye holes in it, while Trump's mask had only one asshole in it.

From the Independent, here are Johnson's 'red lines' in the UK EU talks: no role for the ECJ; not being bound by EU Law; and "an agreement on fisheries that shows Brexit makes a real difference".

First, because obviously it is the EU's job to ensure that Johnson and his Tory cronies look good to Brexiteers regardless of reality. Second, because trade agreements obviously do not involve being bound to convergence on rules or agreements or laws.

It really is painful. Unfortunately, it will only be painful for us. It will not make one wit of difference for our erstwhile politicians who are busy with their non-negotiations as they are part of the global and boundaryless elite e.g. Stanley Johnson.

But many thanks Jesuis for my only laugh of the day

Childish but somehow appropriate

Bette Midler

On a similar theme to Bette...
We need to make sure our sewage is being correctly disposed of (you'd think that wouldn't need to be typed out!) particularly in the face of this pandemic where people are swimming in rivers at any change in the hot weather www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/02/raw-sewage-olympic-park-wildlife-haven-wetlands-london-thames-water

And in other news

Will lady Ghislane protect herself or Prince Andrew ?

I suspect Raab thinks he is safe from provoking racist outrage amongst the Brexiteers with his proposals to enable BNO passport holders to come here. A lot of the pressure to honour what they see as our colonial responsibilities comes from the right wing anyway and it can easily be presented as the UK standing up to big bad China to protect, in the most patronising possible way, it's own. Since Covid racism has been gifted so many dog whistles to express racism towards mainland Chinese. I listened to Fuchsia Dunlop, the food writer, trying in vain to make the distinction between the Chinese restaurant industry in the UK and the Chinese people and the culpability of the Chinese government for failing to regulate wet markets to Kelvin MacKensie on whatever radio station profits from his rhetoric. A man has a right given he has been put at risk of a terrible disease by China to decide he does not want to patronise Chinese restaurants, no doubt a legion of his listeners clapped to the dog whistle.

BNO passports have always been a mark of identity for many middle class Hong Kong born Hong Kongers (Hong Kongs demographics are split between those whose families have been there for generations, many of whom are middle class professionals, those who were refugees from mainland China in the turbulence of last century or are children of those, many of whom have prospered or become professionals since, and people who originate and still have family across Guangdong, who are often working class and involved in economic activity across the region). I know many use those passports for their travel, even into China. However the 350000 who actively have them probably reflects the number of mainly English speaking middle class professionals to whom that identity is important, many will have been educated in the UK. In fact there will be many from that group already in the UK or have children in the UK, the flow has always been there. From what I gather though there has been an upswing in applications it is mostly as a safety net, it isn't just the visa fees, with five years denial of public benefits it is perceived you need enough savings to support yourself. Many will prefer to wait to see how events progress and keep on saving. The Hong Kongers who will be most likely to be looking actively for somewhere to go, the school pupils and students who have developed such a strong Hong Kong identity are under 23 and too young to apply for BNO passports

Vancouver is not quite so much the haven for Hong Kongers it was at the time of the handover. An influx of very wealthy mainland Chinese many only short term, or using it to syphon off money into investments, has caused a lot of issues. Locals priced out of property, hospitals under pressure as mainland Chinese give birth there so their children gain citizenship, money laundering and organised crime. Many who have returned to Hong Kong were pushed as well as pulled, but they do retain a Canadian identity - the Canadian International School is one of the most popular in Hong Kong, but probably should be rebranded the Chinese Canadian International School, its Mandarin programme is brutal.

If Australia and New Zealand come up with schemes I agree they will attract many wealthier Hong Kongers. Already many more are choosing their education systems over the UK.

So this is a bit of an easy bit of flag waving for Raab.

Were truly down the Nazi rabbit hole with Trump now, I wonder if our 'politicians' are going to be this brazen

I suspect Raab thinks he is safe from provoking racist outrage amongst the Brexiteers with his proposals to enable BNO passport holders to come here

Has anyone seen the small print yes ? We all know how government by headline works with this lot.

I'll bet 80% of Brexiteers are still quoting Boris headline about no checks from last year. And that was all that ever mattered.

I like the EUs suggestion for an annual conference on fishing which they damn well know will never happen. Imagine the UK news having to remember every year how Brexit was supposed to mean "taking back control".

@Peregrina I keep seeing people saying the areas with high COVID rates and at risk of lockdown are old red wall seats - this isn't actually true, they all have Labour MPs

Doncaster, Rotherham, Bradford, Rochdale, Barnsley, Tameside, Oldham - all labour MPs.

It's the rural areas around there that went tory, with their older populations, not the cities.

thanks for thoughts @yoikes

A&E has gone mental, everyone drunk drugs head injuries last night, mental health stuff

On nights again this weekend, we've put extra staff on (i've agreed ot work it as an extra like an idiot... they begged)

squid
I have a very bad feeling about this weekend
stay safe

@ListeningQuietly

squid I have a very bad feeling about this weekend stay safe

Yes this squid💐

lonelyplanet pp upthread, this is what baffles me just Why it’s like a cult whatever the outrages & lies it just doesn’t seem to matter.

I'm not going anywhere near any pubs - I usually don't anyway - but I do live quite near one. I expect a lot of drunk loud people walking home down my street...

When is it we leave Europol?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53263310

I believe that May thought we could opt out totally, and then pay to opt in to the bits we wanted. I suppose that theoretically it might be possible to do this, but it would have to be a whole-hearted opting in - if something was under the jurisdiction of the ECJ then we would have to accept that too.

One can see leaving Europol as an invitation for criminals to come to the UK to avoid justice - compare this with the Costa del Crime back in the sixties and seventies.