Westminstenders: Run Forrest Run

[RedToothBrush]

Need i say more?

Hi, Songs, sounds as though you've a lot on your plate...

Still no guidelines at work.
FCO has said travel to France is only advised in essential circumstances, so incoming Erasmus students are now in a bit of a grey zone, uncertain whether to go home, whether their travel insurance is valid, etc.

Every bus driver I passed on the road today had their mask round their chin.

Well I went into our local farmshop today - new sign out , stating we are in a local hot spot (which I knew), it is essential that hand sanitizer used before you enter the store...... unfortunately given the excited messages on school WhatsApp groups people either don't know (wilful ignorance) or don't care....loads of mums meet for a big coffee group today and this evening busily organising in person book club meet up ......
The interesting thing is there seems to be a direct correlation between those who were insisting kids need to be back in school full time -and those who are keen on doing loads of social meet ups

@Songsofexperience

Just a quick post to say hi to everyone on the thread. I've had a break from brexit (politics & current affairs in general) simply because my personal life got too chaotic, with long covid, marriage breakdown, unexpected redundancy & trying to set up my own business in the midst of that mess. I just don't have the energy or mental space. I'm by no means unique and I think so many of us have just been beaten down recently. So I salute those of you who persevere in the debate and scrutiny of this ongoing m*f*g shit show.

.... I'm sorry to hear you've had so many problems 💐 Marriage breakup and redundancy are bad enough seperately, but combined must have been a nightmare. Best wishes that your new business does well

"The interesting thing is there seems to be a direct correlation between those who were insisting kids need to be back in school full time -and those who are keen on doing loads of social meet ups"

There seems to be a minority who just want to pretend COVID doesn't matter, like UsForThem or Social Darwinists

Ministry of Truth

Does anyone believe the rewriting of the last few weeks' history ?
Are people's memories that bad ?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/09/03/boris-johnson-rishi-sunak-tax-deal-brexit-local-lockdowns/

Downing Street has denied there was ever a campaign to encourage employees back to the office,
amid criticism the drive was struggling to tempt people to leave their homes

"There seems to be a minority who just want to pretend COVID doesn't matter, like UsForThem or Social Darwinists"

The scary thing is I feel like I am in the minority...... I had someone say to me at the weekend that they thought everyone was "over it". Which I just found astounding.... a pandemic doesn't go away just because you are over it......

@mrslaughan

"There seems to be a minority who just want to pretend COVID doesn't matter, like UsForThem or Social Darwinists"

The scary thing is I feel like I am in the minority...... I had someone say to me at the weekend that they thought everyone was "over it". Which I just found astounding.... a pandemic doesn't go away just because you are over it......

I was told last week Brexit was ‘over’. I guess people think that bad stuff stops when they get bored of it.

"I guess people think that bad stuff stops when they get bored of it"
And another example ...

Brexit: Border trade plans for 1 January are ‘unmanageable’, leaked government document admits

www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/brexit-border-trade-plans-for-1-january-are-unmanageable-leaked-government-document-admits/ar-BB18FYgH?ocid=msedgdhp

Attempts to get the UK’s borders ready for trade after Brexitt^ is completed on 1 January are “unmanageable”, according to a leaked government document.

The memo warns of “critical gaps” in new IT systems

• and asks hauliers and other industry groups for help to avoid chaos when the Brexit transition periodd^ expires in just four months’ time.

Circulated by the Cabinet Office, it lists 13 key risks to be flagged to ministers,
according to Bloomberg which obtained it,
including a lack of back-up planning and inadequate time to prepare.

The crisis looms regardless of whether the UK avoids crashing out without a trade deal, because even an agreement will end the current free flow of goods with the EU.

Logistics UK, which represents freight groups, accused the government of ignoring its repeated warnings that a new ‘Smart Freight’ system – needed by all exporters to the EU – will not be ready.

Government laid new special development orders today for the creation of “border facilities” in a number of council areas.

www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/928/introduction/made

@prettybird

Kay Burley on Sky effectively got Matt Hancock to say that it didn't matter that Mr Abbott is a homophobe and misogynist because he's a very good expert on trade

Somehow I am extremely sceptical of this claim that he's a very good expert on trade ready to accept the other characterisations. Let's see what he's done to make him such a trade expert..."After graduating from Oxford, Abbott briefly trained as a Roman Catholic seminarian, and later worked as a journalist, manager, and political adviser". Hmm not screaming 'trade expert' to me.

And to Songs for juggling an entire life's set of challenges all in one go.

Not very scientific, but Conservative Home is a good indication of how the wind is blowing in the Tory party

Their poll found support for BJ's handling of the COVID crisis has fallen from 92% in March to 48% now

[quote SabrinaThwaite]Government laid new special development orders today for the creation of “border facilities” in a number of council areas.

www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/928/introduction/made[/quote]
What does that actually mean Sabrina?? I live in the vicinity of one of those areas listed.

Lorry parks coming your way with no planning required

I think they are proposed sites for bonded warehouses?

Here's a link to more detail: twitter.com/Joe_Mayes/status/1301566163831476224

No, it's lorry parks Jason118.

"the making of a material change in the use of land to use for the purpose of or in connection with—

(i)any activity that forms part of, or is incidental to, functions required to be carried out by or on behalf of a border department in connection with vehicles (in particular goods vehicles) and goods entering or exiting, or that are about to enter or exit, Great Britain, including—

(aa)recording vehicles entering or exiting the site;

(bb)providing, reviewing, checking, endorsing and approving customs declarations, permits and other documents relating to vehicles and goods;

(cc)examining, seizing and detaining goods;

(dd)inspecting vehicles and goods for any other lawful purpose;

(ee)storing or holding goods carried in vehicles; and

(ff)checking vehicles to ensure compliance with the conditions imposed by this Order,

(“border processing”); "

That will please an awful lot of areas which vote Tory.

And yes, it is what they voted for - they were quite happy to return Johnson's Government back in December with carte blanche as to how he got Brexit done.

I know that some of those areas will never vote Tory, but I think quite a lot did.

How many more people will Johnson and his Government antagonise? As many as possible I hope, so that the present incarnation of the Tory party is destroyed permanently.

Why would the West Midlands require a lorry park?? Unless somehow connected to JLR? Jesus. Such utter incompetence and a breathtaking lack of preparation with respect to av event known about for the last four years and to all intent and purpose, planned for the last 20 by the ERG folks....

Saw this elsewhere. Seems lorry parks it is!

Johnson, and much much more impotantly , the UK is NOT ready for a no-deal. A selection of today's pushback from industry:

Adam Payne, for Business Insider 3 September 2020
UK companies fear food shortages as Boris Johnson's government misses deadline for new Brexit labelling rules

• British businesses fear there is not enough time to produce new labels needed to export food after Britain leaves the Brexit transition period.
• Exporters will need new packaging to legally sell goods both to the European Union and customers in Northern Ireland from January.
• However, with just four months to go, trade associations say they are still waiting for Boris Johnson's government to provide guidance.
• Multiple trade bodies say they realistic deadline for producing new labelling has already passed.
• Business figures say that in a worst-case scenario there could be food shortages in Northern Ireland.
• The opposition Labour Party called on the UK government to "urgently" provide guidance.
• www.businessinsider.com/brexit-food-companies-warn-boris-johnson-has-missed-labelling-deadline-2020-9

Peter Foster for the FT, 3 September 2020

• Logistics & customs industries firing distress flares now over pace of #brexit border preps. www.ft.com/content/49af99f3-4669-4654-a444-4e5e9635791c (paywall)
• twitter.com/pmdfoster/status/1301549368122781697 (main points)

Joe Mayes for Bloomberg, 3 September 2020
U.K. Races to Fix ‘Critical Gaps’ in Brexit Border Plan

• Leaked government memo spells out fears of border chaos
• Hauliers voice concern key IT system won’t be ready in time www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-03/u-k-races-to-fix-critical-gaps-exposed-in-brexit-border-plan

also

Save British Farming (@BritishSave) tweeted an old, but still pertinent article on no-deal, this morning
UK may not be prepared for leaving the EU without a trade deal but the retail analysts at HSBC certainly are.
And they are saying it will be worse than most people think.
Jim Edwards, for Business Insider (5 Jan 2019)
Say goodbye to tea and carrots: 80% of British food is imported so there will be food shortages if there's a no-deal Brexit, HSBC tells clients

• Most people think Britain only imports about 50% of its food. But the reality is that 80% of food is imported, including basics such as carrots and tea.
• Under a no-deal Brexit, "any slowdown would lead to shortages of lorries, drivers and food," HSBC is advising its clients. www.businessinsider.com/no-deal-brexit-percentage-british-food-imported-shortages-2019-1

and in other news today, .. lots of lorry parks!!

Joe Mayes for Bloomberg

• New: the government has given itself sweeping powers to build Brexit lorry parks across England, without needing local approvals
• twitter.com/Joe_Mayes/status/1301566163831476224 Faisal Islam for the BBC
• Govt just changed law to grant emergency planning permission for it to build “temporary” [up to 5 years] no trade deal Brexit lorry parks in 29 council areas citing no space for infrastructure needed by year end, & pandemic “may have affected ability of port operators“ to build
• twitter.com/faisalislam/status/1301595671733178373

DrBlackbird - I should have made it clearer that I didn't think he was an expert on trade

In fact, dh and I were just talking earlier today about him: about how the UK Government is really scraping the barrel with him given that he's not a real trade expert and that his real claim to fame is that he is not just an ex PM of Australia but also a discredited ex-PM

And that's before even considering his misogyny and homophobia

It feels like there's been a lot of noise today about the lack of preparations - border IT, labelling, haulage & logistics companies being very worried.

I went through Jack Monroe's Tin Can book today and wrote down every tinned item she uses to add to the Brexit stash.

No Prettybird I knew you weren't making that claim about Abbott's trade credentials. It was our erstwhile friend the honourable minister of health and social care who seems now willing to claim just about anything on behalf of this government.