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Brexit

Westministenders: Can you tell your Rs from Elbows?

985 replies

RedToothBrush · 01/07/2020 19:38

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.

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DateLoaf · 03/07/2020 16:26

Just looked it up. Jesus - DAILY.
It’s even worse. I don’t want to have to rely on journalists to be the opposition.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53275395

UK government plans to hold daily White House-style televised press briefings

What can we do?

ListeningQuietly · 03/07/2020 16:32

What can we do?
Insist that Piers Morgan gets the first three questions?
as he seems to be one of the few journos not scared of Cummings at the moment

DGRossetti · 03/07/2020 16:39

UK government plans to hold daily White House-style televised press briefings []What can we do?

Until 2024 ? Not much. And maybe even then nothing.

Don't blame me. I did all I could lawfully do to stop this.

Peregrina · 03/07/2020 16:48

It won't be much good with our supine Press. I expect people will get as cynical as they have done with the Covid briefings. If we did manage to find a journalist who asked hard hitting questions, the idea would soon be scrapped. Still we just have to hope that not being under Parliamentary privilege at least one of them will manage to put their foot in it.

PawFives · 03/07/2020 17:03

The new daily briefings are just another example of us becoming the 51st state.

ListeningQuietly · 03/07/2020 17:07

52nd Grin
It looks like DC will become a state soon Smile

DGRossetti · 03/07/2020 17:13

@ListeningQuietly

52nd Grin It looks like DC will become a state soon Smile
Won't that require a constitutional amendment ?

Over on channel Beau, he noted how Trump has to swerve anything that involves amendments - like his big balls talk on criminalising flag burning.

OldLace · 03/07/2020 17:17

PMK - found you! :)

Just watching Johnson doing the press conference.

He is tripping over his words rather a lot.

Tomorrow there will be a moment of Remembrance for the Dead.
And Clapping the NHS on Sunday.
Heroism. Blah. Success. Blah. Economic health. Blah.
Every single one of us acting responsibly. Blah. Must not let them down. Blah. Everyone worked together during Lockdown. Blah.

(what Bollocks... I JUST got a reply from CPHQ to the letter I wrote end May re Cummings and Johnsons response. It was a travesty!)

Not our of the woods yet. Blah. This Govt will not hesitate in putting on the brakes. Blah.
Anyone who flouts SD is letting down those who've prepared for this New Normal Blah. Our Biggest Step Yet. Blah. Stay Alert. Blah. Enjoy Summer Safely. Blah.

I wish he would Fuck Off to the Far Side of Fuck and when he gets there, he'd Fuck Off some more Angry

ListeningQuietly · 03/07/2020 17:19

DGR
The Orange one will never allow it
but never say never
www.cnbc.com/2020/06/26/house-passes-bill-to-make-washington-dc-the-51st-state.html

mrslaughan · 03/07/2020 17:19

I imagine like everything else if a journo Asks a slightly awkward question - they will be banned......

DGRossetti · 03/07/2020 17:21

Tomorrow there will be a moment of Remembrance for the Dead.

Presumably marked by cheers and clapping at being world beating ?

Westministenders: Can you tell your Rs from Elbows?
mrslaughan · 03/07/2020 17:21

They said it was going to be led by a professional from the media didn't they? DC's wife's new job because her situation became intense able after making stuff up?
Or maybe the delightful Sarah Vine🤢

BigChocFrenzy · 03/07/2020 17:25

red Only a nation-wide permission / ban for the UK makes sense,
because unlike germany and iirc most other EU states,
there is no mandatory registration system that records addresses in the system

Easy to ban someone living in the german state of e.g. Hessen or even from the city of Frankfurt,
but Leicester or any area in the UK - how would they be sure of the address ?

BigChocFrenzy · 03/07/2020 17:32

The UK should be OK with that generous limit:

16/100,000 for the UK pop of approx 67 million = 10,720 weekly
= 1,531 daily

UK is under that

BigChocFrenzy · 03/07/2020 17:33

If they really want to see address - council tax receipt ?
(advantage for 2nd home owners )

OldLace · 03/07/2020 17:35

Now it's Cricket! Chris Whitty on 'hugging the bower' - FFS
Mind, Sturgeon had a rogue Qu on Croquet a few weeks ago, didn't she?

DGRossetti · 03/07/2020 17:39

Anyone keeping a weather eye on Venezuela ?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-53262767

The UK High Court has ruled against Venezuela's government in a legal battle over access to $1bn (£820m) of gold stored in the Bank of England.

lonelyplanetmum · 03/07/2020 17:39

UK government plans to hold daily White House-style televised press briefings.What can we do?

Sit and wait for familiarity to breed contempt?

ListeningQuietly · 03/07/2020 17:41

lonelyplanetmum
Sit and wait for familiarity to breed contempt?
Judging by the comments of my Tory friends this morning, that is well underway.
They will never stop being Tories but I think they realise that supporting Johnson is a bad move.

prettybird · 03/07/2020 17:44

BJ can't put together coherent sentences Hmm

Nicola has been doing (and still does Wink) a daily press briefing since the beginning of the Corona virus outbreak (has only missed, iirc, two of them when a deputy was sent, once John Swinney, her official deputy and nice Jean Freeman, the Health Secretary). She's only recently stopped doing them at weekends. It lasts, with questions from the media, at least an hour and is televised in full on BBC Scotland. The only days that she doesn't do it as a press briefing is Wednesdays, when she does FMQs in Holyrood and those days that she is making a major statement to the Scottish Parliament (eg a policy change), as it wouldn't be right to announce them to the media before the elected representatives unlike BJ Wink

So in principle, if it were to increase transparency and genuine questioning of the Government and not just a spokesperson on a daily basis, I would be in favour. But somehow I don't see it being like that Hmm

DGRossetti · 03/07/2020 17:46

They will never stop being Tories but I think they realise that supporting Johnson is a bad move.

Of course C-19 is the perfect excuse to avoid walkabouts in future, so team Boris can continue to pretend he is massively popular.

I wonder what Covid party conferences will look like ?

OldLace · 03/07/2020 17:50

I think NS press conferences have been very well handled @prettybird

(though I like Janey Godley's versions better - 'Frank, get the door!')

notimagain · 03/07/2020 18:00

it's not just one flight to get there (and back) so you will have to get off the plane and mingle in an airport at some stage. How is that fine.

FWIW not necessarily..at one stage, when this was all kicking off, transit passengers travelling on the direct flights between the likes of the UK and Australia via SIngapore had to stay onboard the aircraft at Changi during the short stop there rather than get off and have a leg stretch which was the traditional process.

I'm not saying I'm recommending it, but it can be done.

DGRossetti · 03/07/2020 18:06

When I flew to Kenya, the (Sabena) plane made an unexpected/unscheduled stop in Kigali (Rwanda). It was surrounded (and I mean surrounded by jeeps with soldiers and automatic weapons.

Someone got off, then we were on our way.

This was in 1993 - just before it all kicked off. It played on my mind for a while after that.

DGRossetti · 03/07/2020 18:45

I notice with interest a local attraction is opening and now requires advance booking.

I wonder if this is the new normal ?

Personally it might encourage a few people to attend who would have been put of by massive queues ?

Of course a reduction in visitors needs an increase in prices and/or a reduction in costs.

Interesting times.

But then I can still recall when my Dad had to book a phone call back to my grandparents in Italy.