Westminstenders: Run Forrest Run

[RedToothBrush]

Need i say more?

Ah, big difference to selecting Thatcher is of course that then only MPs voted for the leader

Over many years, the comparatively small Tory party membership became dominated by its batty right wing and a lot of traditional moderate Tories have not renewed their membership

I'm not anti-Rishi or indeed anti-Tory - I vote in Germany for a moderate right of centre party -
I'm just anti the arrogant incompetent hard right spivs & Social Darwinists who've taken over most of the Tory party

I keep hoping for a Tory leader who can reclaim the party for the moderates
I also hope for this in the USA - more difficult as the USA don't have party leaders, just a President or candidate for a while.

It's very unhealthy for a country when one of its main parties is taken over by the hard right or hard left,
especially when it comes with the nihilist aim of tearing everything down.

Agree BCF. What I wouldn't give for a decent centrist party.

One thing about lots of Tories - they’re pretty colour blind (or sex blind) if someone is a “jolly good chap“ and “one of us”.
Their voters, not so much, but who cares? MSM and SM can always demonise the Labour leader (whoever they are) and scare people into voting Conservative.

Rishi made his real money the old-fashioned way:
he married it

Actually he was wealthy long before his marriage in 2009 - he worked in investment banking then as a hedge fund partner who did very well out of the GFC (and the British tax payer).

I think first names are fine when you are making a jokey point about the chancellor being a hedgie who, before he was put in charge of spending the taxpayers' money on behalf of the nation, had a record of spending taxpayers' money on himself.

Likewise I think Boris is fine when discussing how close to being toast he is.

I don't know if the CONS would vote for Rishi as leader but honestly I don't think you should dismiss it out of hand. Rishi is "one of us" in terms of his wealth and class. It would depend who else was running and the extent to which the field was split.

What the Tories wouldn't do in the party's current configuration, I suspect, is to vote for the state-educated child of a grocer or a garden gnome seller.

MrsT was a much more surprising choice at the time

If Corbyn had stood, he'd have won - as I recall the mood was "anyone but Heath" with a "plan" (does this sound familiar) to dump Thatcher once they were clear of Heath. I don't think they commented they'd squeeze her so far into a corner she'd squeak, but they would certainly have recognised the sentiment.

Nuncio Caledonia

Has it been mentioned that another trade adviser is Daniel Hannan? twitter.com/MarkerJParker and
www.gov.uk/government/news/government-announces-new-board-of-trade
He’s VERY keen on Tony Abbott: twitter.com/DanielJHannan

Daniel Hannan - remember him: so perceptive 'No one is talking of leaving the Single Market'. Still he voted himself out of a job, so he's at a loose end. Will they be pressing Cameron into service - he's another one who lost his job, although in his case, he sabotaged it himself.

What could possibly go wrong.

According to Abbot Wokies who call "misogynist" or "homophobic" really mean that he is a practising Catholic.

Or is he just betraying the example of the man he is supposed to be following, Jesus Christ.

Joe Biden is also a practising Catholic, is he called woke too?

Still no response from Clav to that quote from Abbott that anyone who objected to making concessions on freedom of movement to secure a trade deal was living in the past? Thought not... Not that he actually believes that, anymore than the rentagob outpourings on Brexit that he made to get attention....... But it must be like looking in a mirror for Johnson.... racist, sexist, unprincipled, incompetent, narcissistic sociopaths, all essential qualities he looks for in those he includes in his circle....

Abbott thinks those interested in feminism and the rights of half of the population are ‘wokies’ does he? At a time when violence against women is increasing, convictions for it are dropping, and sex is still the one “protected characteristic” in equality law that is not included as part of hate speech laws? I see.

We do need something to fill the centre void. Something that recognises ‘one nation’, even if it is to late to save the Union.

I don't know what is more depressing.

Is it how incompetent UK politicians hire more incompetent politicians to wreck the UK economy in the middle of the worst recession on record? With these incompetents getting paid off the backs of our taxes and we can do nothing to stop the utter wastefulness of billions on useless PPE contracts / track and trace contracts, or the thousands on useless press officers hired at £100k pa or the hiring some useless neocon ex politician who is most decidedly not a trade expert.

Or is it the blind adherence and support by some Tory voters for everything our government does because to do anything else is too great a threat to their beliefs? Regardless of the evidence before their very eyes.

Where does this leave us? Where does this leave any set of voters swayed by the ruling party's populist poison and determination to hold onto power regardless of the consequences for social cohesion or a country's economic development.

Johnson is an opportunist and has no real adherence to any particular set of ideological or political values. That is less harmful than who he has chosen to surround himself with.

It is the power behind the throne that worries me because Cummings seems very much ideologically motivated (crying when the UK left the EU for god's sake).

Like a fervent fundamentalist, he is propelling us into god knows where with the dismantling of a relatively independent civil service, the independent press, and the judiciary. And if senior civil service employees are to be replaced by political appointees with every election then we can look forward to the chaos of the US political system. That's not looking so good these days.

I don't think I will be able to take it if Trump does get re-elected come November. That really will set the seal on 2020 being the worst year.

Really, when you think about it, Abbott is really going to get on well with Barnier, isn't he? Can't you just picture him having sophisticated and informed discussions with the European trade experts and representatives?

Other than sending in Farage, I can't think of any else less likely to broker a trade deal with the EU so it must mean that his appointment reflects the commitment of this government to a no deal exit.

Really, when you think about it, Abbott is really going to get on well with Barnier, isn't he?

I can just imagine them rattling away in French.

Here (again) the efficiency of cynicism (aka get your critics to do the legwork) ... I'm going to go out on a limb without reference to anything and guess Mr. Abbot is a monoglot ?

I guess he really got the job because his name means his fuck ups will be camouflaged by the vitriol Diane Abbot gets ?

Why city centre workers are ignoring PM's plea to return to offices

(and it's not just because he is a fuckwit)

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-why-city-centre-workers-are-ignoring-pms-plea-to-return-to-offices-12061303

Startled by the deadzones at the heart of our richest cities the Prime Minister sounds desperate to prise workers from their homes,
but so far he has been ignored

It is now six weeks since he first urged people to return
and a month since the work from home advice was dropped in England
and still white collar workers are stubbornly working from home.

One major reason is that many of them prefer it
They may miss their colleagues but they do not miss the commute
....
But persuading Laura or anyone like her to build two hours of expensive inefficiency back into her day,
in exchange for a heightened risk of catching a deadly virus, will take more than political optimism.

More importantly, their employers consider only their own business and cost savings, not rescuing other businesses like Pret

They may miss their colleagues but they do not miss the commute

A canny employer would be looking to quietly holding wages level for along time now, as allowing employees to WFH is effectively a disguised payrise (HMRC note).

When I went - on the same salary - from office to homeworking, I immediately had over £100 a month more in my pocket. And on top of that every business trip was on expenses at 40p/mile.

I find it a little bit grabby of some people asking "can I charge my employer for electricity" - all of £5/week (if that) when they are saving not only travelling costs but time. Who liked leaving the house before dawn, getting back after dark, and not seeing their children during the week ?

Let's review some of Mr Abbotts comments (as reported in the press) to try and get a sense of the kind of language that Mr Abbott speaks.

• Abortion is ‘the easy way out’.

• “It’s climate change policy that’s doing harm. Climate change itself is probably doing good; or at least, more good than harm.”

• "...virginity is the greatest gift you can give someone” (to other people's daughters).

• “I probably feel a bit threatened, as so many people do. There is no doubt that [homosexuality] challenges, if you like, orthodox notions of the right order of things.”

• “If you’re worried about religious freedom and freedom of speech, vote no. And if you don’t like political correctness, vote no because voting no will help to stop political correctness in its tracks.” (Speaking about Australia's marriage equality referendum)

• “it is not homophobic to maintain that, ideally, children should have both a mother and a father”.

• “What we can’t do is endlessly subsidise lifestyle choices, if those lifestyle choices are not conducive to the kind of full participation in Australian society that everyone should have.” (Speaking about indigenous communities)

*“I mean… you get a million angry military-age males swarming into a single country in a year. They are not there to be grateful, they are there with a grievance.” (Speaking about refugees).

• “All too often in officialdom’s ranks there is this notion that Islamophobia is almost as big a problem as Islamist terrorism. Well, Islamophobia hasn’t killed anyone.

And finally a sensitive comment on women with:
“What the housewives of Australia need to understand as they do the ironing is that if they get it done commercially it’s going to go up in price and their own power bills when they switch the iron on are going to go up.”

So maybe not French, but seems that he certainly speaks the language of the current Tory government and will fit right in. Bless.

The only conclusion that I can reach is that Mr Abbott has been hired to make the rest of the cabinet finally look good. What he has not been hired to do is complete an UK-EU trade agreement.

.

Apropos of nothing, but something that popped up in a "lively" discussion recently was the Tory horror of taxes - in particular corporation and business taxes.

It was only when discussing how my DF ran his business to never actually turn a profit (as advised by our accountant) that it dawned on me that really, if you have to pay corporation tax, it should be viewed as a penalty for not investing in your business. Since my DFs way to "lose" money was to buy plant and stock.

It's fascinating how that view of the world never seems to get aired - not even from Labour. Companies whinge about having to pay tax ? Why didn't you invest it in your employees and country you unpatriotic spivs ?

Let's review some of Mr Abbotts comments

No, let's not.

What he has not been hired to do is complete an UK-EU trade agreement.

There is no political will for that - it's never going to happen.

Mind you, it's not all doom and gloom. Look who are rubbing their hands ...

canex.co.uk/will-brexit-be-a-golden-opportunity-for-uk-based-cbd-businesses/

Will Brexit be a Golden Opportunity for UK-Based CBD Businesses?

Although the United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January, it is currently still in it’s agreed-upon transitional period until the end of this year. The two sides are now negotiating a trade deal which will clarify their future relationship. At the moment, neither the public nor the CBD industry know what to expect. However, experts project that Brexit might, in fact, offer a golden opportunity for CBD businesses.

(contd)

I'm calling Betteridges law here.