Westminstenders: Governing by U-Turn

[RedToothBrush]

Johnson's determination to get brexit done and to have 'a clean break from Europe' on terms which involve other countries happily returning fishing rights they bought from us (without recompense for the said previous purchase) in addition to the EU accepting terms they don't feel create a level playingfield and risk their economic future make any deal impossible. Our demands simply aren't achievable.

The alternative is adherence to the Withdrawal Agreement in which we are unable to bail out businesses via state aid and to have no deal which creates huge trade barriers and tarriffs overnight and massive customs red tape which we simply are not yet prepared for because the systems for running this are running behind schedule. This would lead to massive food shortages and Brexit lorry parks throughout the country for the forseeable future.

Johnson's latest bright idea is that he seems to think he can avoid chaos by a strategy which would cause even more chaos by deliberately reneging on the withdrawal agreement which is an international agreement just months after throwing a hissy fit for China doing exactly the same thing. This wouldn't just be hypocritical but would make a mockery of our credibility internationally and potentially endanger every other international agreement we've currently in place because well, why should anyone else stick to an agreement with the UK.

We could face years of legal wrangles with god knows which countries and businesses suing the British government.

But y'know Johnson thinks this is a sensible strategy and a cracking plan to force Brussels to blink first rather than actually take the subject seriously and do something in the country's interest rather than prevent Johnson from damaging his internal reputation with leave voters and because he thinks this is the correct hill to die on to prove he doesn't govern by u-turn. Johnson's ego seems more important to him than feeding the nation and having an international reputation.

Or he could do another u-turn.

When Boris comes on to any visual media I have to go and do something distracting that does not provoke such revulsion, like pick up the dog’s poo 💩

I was at the hospital yesterday (a London teaching hospital) and there was a sign up in the waiting room warning to get tested if you have the symptoms of COVID, namely a cough or temperature, AND you were recently returned from several Asian destinations including China, Hong Kong, South Korea Taiwan or Thailand. A better strategy when that poster must have gone up would have been to go quickly to any if those countries, save China, safer....,

But how many of the people who see that poster who would find Boris’s three word slogans befuddling will see that poster and decide they need not worry

Keep going well, keep going Shell, you can be sure of Shell, Shell, Shell. Which one was it which put a tiger in the tank? And the filling stations gave away little fluffy tiger tails, which everyone had tied to the strap of their satchel.

Which one was it which put a tiger in the tank?

Esso.

Go to work on an egg

Guinness is good for you

You're never alone with a Strand

IF - you're drinking Bacardi

What was the one which was as cool as a mountain breeze?

Just reading the other thread about Covid marshalls, and how some MNers are all for it, and some thankfully aren't! Can you imagine what would have happened if a Labour Government had dared to do half of what Johnson's Government is doing?

In the last few years I have fully begun to realise just how Nazi Germany came about - some noisy rightwingers in thrall to Nazi ideology, a number of sneaks and snitches, and a vast majority who didn't question and allowed things to happen.

Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet

You never put a better bit of butter on your knife

It’s all about the honey, Mummy

Mistigri if they make that Keep Calm effort into a fridge magnet I want one

I don't see how covid marshalls actually have the ability to DO anything.

Say they confront a man who promptly tells them to fuck off and refuses to give his details. Then what? Do they ask again or back off? Will this cause a confrontation? What training will they have for this? Will they know how to deesculate situations? Will police be more likely to be called if things kick off?

Or will they be more likely to target 'soft options' and harass people with health conditions who will then be more likely to hide away from the world out of fear not only of the virus but overly enthusiatic Covid Marshalls?

The whole idea seems a good one in principle, but when you start to look at the finer detail of how it will work in practice it starts to get a lot murker. Will these be paid positions? If so, whose budget does it come out of? Will these be volunteer positions? How will recruitment of covid marshalls be vetted for suitability, or are we going to get a bunch of rather dodgy heavies prowling outside your local Tesco Extra store intimidating old grannies with breathing conditions? (Or will they be more likely to be outside Waitrose?).

How long will it take to set up this covid marshall system? Its not going to happen is it? (And if it does it raises questions about due diligence over recruitment and training).

It also starts to suggest interesting things about how long the government is anticipating restrictions are going to be a way of life and how far away 'normality' actually is.

Unless of course its an idea the government have thought is really great and will impress the public in the media but they haven't thought through at all.

Not that this would ever happen.

Mistigri if they make that Keep Calm effort into a fridge magnet I want one

Me, too.

Now I have daft jingles running through my addled brain.
Dem bones, dem bones need calcium.
Go crack an egg.

And memories of those wine glasses you got from petrol stations.

Let your fingers do the walking.

Argh.

@AuldAlliance

Let your fingers do the walking.

Argh.

Haha. Now explain this advert to a 13 year old.

"will they be more likely to target 'soft options'"

e.g. Women and girls, but burly blokes will be left alone

Set the juice loose across this house.
(

@BigChocFrenzy

"will they be more likely to target 'soft options'"

e.g. Women and girls, but burly blokes will be left alone

Yep. preciously.

Like getting challenged for ID at the checkout or going into a pub. Ancedotally, from what I've seen (and I think is reflected in polling) its men who are much more likely to be non-compliant in the first place.

A walk around the Trafford Centre on a Saturday morning is an interesting experience atm.

AuldAlliance re the fridge magnet, I've just done some in depth research (haha) and discovered you can have one made to measure from eBay sellers for less than £3. I just need to condense the message into a three word slogan...

Judging by other threads I’ve been browsing, people are far more bothered about Covid marshalls than the fact that our government is planning to break an international treaty and turn us into pariahs

One thing about our education system is that it has trained many people to defy authority.
I expect many COVID Marshals would find people responding with “Fuck off, mate”. Or worse.

Goodness it capitalised Covid.

The police municipale and gendarmes were out patrolling this afternoon here, telling people to mask up.
If people had one, they let them off. Anyone who didn't: 135€ on the spot fine.

@QueenOfThorns

Judging by other threads I’ve been browsing, people are far more bothered about Covid marshalls than the fact that our government is planning to break an international treaty and turn us into pariahs

That’s not surprising, seeing as most people don’t like being told what to do but haven’t the faintest idea of what an international treaty might be. Seriously.

They’re tasty, tasty, very very tasty - they’re very tasty.
Hey, I want a Babycham too.

Emily picks up dogpoo when Johnson’s on visual media. When he’s on the radio, I feel strongly compelled to repeat FWA FWA FWA loudly until he’s stopped talking. It’s more or less what he always says and relieves my feelings.

How long before the more enterprising lowlifes get themselves a whistle and a hat and start handing out bogus on the spot fines?

Hmm, the Covid Marshalls remind me of something. What could it be? Ordinary people pointing out when other ordinary people are breaking rules. Is it the Stasi?

The Milky Bar kid is strong and tough, and only the best is good enough ... the Milky Bars are on meeeee!

Now hands that do dishes can be as soft as your face ...

Refreshes the parts that other beers cannot reach.

All from the days before remote controls with mute buttons.

Queen maybe the timing of the government announcement about new Covid measures was entirely deliberate. 🐿️

@ICouldHaveCheckedFirst

Queen maybe the timing of the government announcement about new Covid measures was entirely deliberate. 🐿️

Maybe, but perhaps we’re crediting this bunch of eejits with too much intelligent deviousness. It could just be a typical knee jerk reaction to the rising numbers.