Westministender: Amen to that!

[RedToothBrush]

On the Anniversary of the Battle of Britain, Johnson went to Westminster Abbey and was trolled. Its almost divine in its irony.

In a week where just about the entire right wing press has turned on him, for being... well shit... They have the dawning realisation that yes all those annoying lefties were right all along when they said he was full of nothing but hot air. He's been ridiculed for being paid £150,000 a year and not being able to feed his 5000 kids and the pictures to mark the anniversary of him becoming PM do little more than look like a man who couldn't tie his own shoe laces without a nanny to help him.

But its not really a laughing matter. This man doesn't understand what legal agreements he's signed so his solution to his ineptitude is to throw his toys out of the pram together with the rule of law. Which he also does not understand.

Johnson is also ever increasingly keen on ripping up inconvient human right and workers right and he has ample opportunity to do all this in the middle of a pandemic.

Unfortunately the hypocrisy of his cronies isn't exactly helping the behaviour of the public and you have to pity the poor behavioural scientists who have to tell him that 'of course the public are going to give you the vs when you tell them you shouldn't do this when your chief advisor claims to be maybe going blind'.

It seems the whole government strategy on managing the virus seems to be falling flat on its face rather sooner than planned cos they stuck Dildo in charge who wouldn't know her Rs from her elbow if it hit her in the face. And we've got Hancock going full on 1984, telling us not to believe the reports that no one can get a test because its all lies - except half the country has either first hand experience of the travesty of Track and Trace or has a close mate who they know is a hell of a lot more reliable than any of these fuckwits when it comes to telling the truth.

Meanwhile in America Bader Ginsburg has managed to die at possibly the most inconvient and dangerous time possible just as the future of democracy in the US is clinging on by its finger nails.

And yes. Money laundering. Haven't we talked about that a lot on these threads. Its almost as if FinCEN was predictable...

Taking back control was always about the elite taking back control from the masses. But if you've managed to keep following all this time, we've been saying that since April 2016 and no one listened then, so why would they start listening now?

Bigchoc
Look at the list ...

Evan Davies commutes from France (where he lives) to work on Radio 4.

Reegular commuters and transport workers of course exempt too

Sorry, I misunderstood the qn to be about the general rule for bog-standard business travellers

Every rule has ( a lot of) exemptions
not just the silly ones for eye tests

Most business travellers - unless the exemptions are made so broad as to be meaningless - will have to quarantine

Some of the exemptions do seem to favour the most privileged - what a surprise -
not just the most essential or useful

Evan Davies commutes from France (where he lives) to work on Radio 4.

For some reason I've thought it's 35 years since Live Aid was "the global jukebox" ... mind you that came 16 years after man walked on the moon.

(In one of those "kids say the funniest things" moments, back when Dubya was president, he gave a speech about "man landing on the moon by 2020". 6 year old DS, seemed very keen to get back from a friends house. When we asked him why, he said he wanted to watch the moon landing at twenty past eight .... )

I thought Dubya was confusing ...
then years later, along came Raab, DD, BJ ....

A while ago, there was a doctor in Berlin, one of the perpetual commuting locums to the UK - a ridiculous but years-long arrangement -
and he was irresponsible enough not to declare symptoms, so he could continue earning a hefty wedge

He was found dead in his flat in Berlin, having infected gawd knows how many in the 2 countries and on the planes

Since it's Friday, then nicked from elsewhere, an analogy about buyers regret ...

If you go to a chip shop, order fish and chips and get a turd in a bag, but refuse to pay saying "My dear sir I ordered fish and chips but you appear to have given me a turd in a bag" then you are quite right to expect to be redressed.

If however you pay, leave the shop saying "thank you", and then discover you in fact have a turd in a bag, not fish and chips; unless you go back to the shopkeeper and complain, everyone will assume that you wanted a turd in a bag - no matter what you may have asked for.

Of course you are free to try and blame it on any bystanders. Some of whom may have warned you that the shopkeeper was well known for selling turds in bags rather than fish and chips. But it wouldn't be their fault, and frankly there's nothing they can do.

@BigChocFrenzy

A while ago, there was a doctor in Berlin, one of the perpetual commuting locums to the UK - a ridiculous but years-long arrangement - and he was irresponsible enough not to declare symptoms, so he could continue earning a hefty wedge

He was found dead in his flat in Berlin, having infected gawd knows how many in the 2 countries and on the planes

Shades of the AIDS infected medics that carried on in the full knowledge of what they were doing in the 80s and 90s.

Unsure how credible this is - could the EU trust the UK not to renege on state aid ?

Brexit trade deal looks close despite the sound and fury between UK and EU over Internal Market Bill

https://inews.co.uk/news/analysis/brexit-trade-deal-looks-close-internal-market-bill-uk-eu-659715

The key now is for the UK to convince the EU that it can be trusted not to undercut the continent on state aid,by pouring cash into British industry which would otherwise be unviable;
a compromise on fishing would almost certainly follow.

Even though things look bleak now, just like with the withdrawal agreement last year
a deal would ensure all the remaining issues – including the Internal Market Bill – can simply be shelved with no loss of face for either party.

@DGRossetti

Since it's Friday, then nicked from elsewhere, an analogy about buyers regret ...

If you go to a chip shop, order fish and chips and get a turd in a bag, but refuse to pay saying "My dear sir I ordered fish and chips but you appear to have given me a turd in a bag" then you are quite right to expect to be redressed.

If however you pay, leave the shop saying "thank you", and then discover you in fact have a turd in a bag, not fish and chips; unless you go back to the shopkeeper and complain, everyone will assume that you wanted a turd in a bag - no matter what you may have asked for.

Of course you are free to try and blame it on any bystanders. Some of whom may have warned you that the shopkeeper was well known for selling turds in bags rather than fish and chips. But it wouldn't be their fault, and frankly there's nothing they can do.

... 😂 😱

This caught my eye

On the British side, there is mounting frustration about the role of chief European negotiator Michel Barnier on the grounds that his self-presentation as a neutral, civil service-style figure is artificial. “He’s always grandstanding about how Britain can’t be allowed to benefit from Brexit,” one source grumbled.

Since it demonstrates - if it were needed - that the UKs head is still wedged firmly up it's arse. It's the UKs job to benefit from Brexit and it's Barmiers job - as representative of 27 sovereign states - to ensure it's not at the EUs expense.

There are individuals that need to take their socks off to count past 10 that could grasp that.

I can hear the knives sharpening for Rishi already

BJ, Gove, Cummings have probably already started briefing against him

• they would have been aware of this trend long ago:

Ipsos MORII@IpsosMORI*

• Sunak leads Johnson by 22 points on being 'good in a crisis'

< not a high bar ! >

& 19 points on having 'sound judgement' < ditto >
plus several others attributes...

• Highest satisfaction ratings for a Chancellor since Healey in '78...

More here: https://ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/ipsos-mori-political-monitor-rishi-sunak-has-highest-satisfaction-ratings-chancellor-denis-healey

But as far as I recall the Withdrawal Agreement that Johnson negotiated was the one originally suggested by the EU, which May rejected. So I can't see the EU giving the UK something when they can't be trusted to keep their word. Unless it's an EU Original repackaged.

Of course Barnier isn't neutral;
he is the EU negotiator, no more required to be neutral than Frost is

He does however seem to be the only well-informed one,
which must be irritating as the UK side realise how many mistakes their side / their politicians have made and landed them in the current, impossible negotiating position,
best hope being negotiating something 98% shit instead of100% shit

e.g. Kent border & passes etc will remain regardless of a deal
(unless the UK U-turns and stays in the Single market)

@Peregrina

But as far as I recall the Withdrawal Agreement that Johnson negotiated was the one originally suggested by the EU, which May rejected. So I can't see the EU giving the UK something when they can't be trusted to keep their word. Unless it's an EU Original repackaged.

Along with not believing anything until it's been officially denied, Brexit should have taught us not to believe anything written in English in the UK press ...

Je le croirai quand je le lirai en français... (if my tenses work ?)

@Peregrina

But as far as I recall the Withdrawal Agreement that Johnson negotiated was the one originally suggested by the EU, which May rejected. So I can't see the EU giving the UK something when they can't be trusted to keep their word. Unless it's an EU Original repackaged.

... He changed her backstop to a frontstop, lost the CU option - which the 26 members except Ireland hated - and gave up £7 billion of UK funds in the ECB

No wonder the EU allowed him to renegotiate after fomerly refusing.

Noone minds an opponent renegotiating to give up more.

But as we now know, he had zero intention of abiding by the agreement. I really can't see the EU giving in on this. I sincerely hope I am wrong.

If there is a deal, it would be good news for all - provided the EU slip in some quick penalty clauses for reneging !
Maybe the heads of govt will demand this, even if Barnier is too polite

We must keep repeating that it likely won't stop Kent beoming a lorry park state with borders & passes

James Forsyth in the Times also sniffing a deal:

A Brexit deal is within touching distance

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/8bc3161c-fea2-11ea-8eac-e356e4cd0308

In a boost for Johnson, breakthroughs on Northern Ireland and trade look set to remove key obstacles to an agreement

There is cautious but growing optimism in Whitehall that there will be a Brexit deal.

More trouble for BJ - he needs the major distraction of a deal:

MPs move to require vote on future Covid restrictions

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/24/mps-move-to-require-vote-on-future-covid-restrictions

More than 40 cross-party MPs, including Labour’s Harriet Harman and Conservative Iain Duncan Smith,
are backing an amendment to force a vote in parliament on future Covid-19 restrictions
amid a brewing revolt among Tory backbenchers over extending emergency laws.

MPs are due to vote next week on a six-month renewal of the Coronavirus Act
< should be every 30 days, imo >

I wonder what this 'growing optimism' is based on as the articles I've read also say that state aid and fisheries are still a sticking point. So what's changed?

Shocking reports of students in Scotland not even allowed to visit each other - by law ?
Thousands of very lonely kids

Just as bad, the isolation conditions of infected students who are sharing kitchens & bathrooms,
relying on others they hardly know to cook something for them and leave it at their door

Added to that, predictions London will become a ghost city after 10 pm
and Hodges hammering Khan for agreeing - but what alternative did the Mayor have, or indeed power ?

Covid may have brought something of a reality check to BJ wrt Brexit deal and future relaationship:

Mujtaba Rahmann@Mij*_Europe

Brexit deal or not?
As I said last week, Covid-19 is driving a rethink in^ 10DowningStreett

But lots to do.
On substance:
it's UK that is going to have to move on LPF (for Germany), Fish (for France) & IM Bill (for Bxl).

Sounds daunting, but gaps not* large 1/2

On choreography:
EU leaders won't engage until they see progress at technical level, despite UK view that Merkron now needed.

So talks next week imp. XS Cabinet sub-committee could be moment @BorisJohnson gives @DavidGHFrost flexibility to take talks (meaningfully) forward 2/2

< WTF has he been waiting for ?
A photo OP for BJ getting a deal with Merkel Macron ? >

@BigChocFrenzy

I thought Dubya was confusing ... then years later, along came Raab, DD, BJ ....

I’ve long thought that Trump is some kind of complicated retrospective attempt by Dubya to make himself look like a credible POTUS

Seems like the EU are also a bit perplexed at the idea that a deal is within sight:

www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/sep/25/brexit-brussels-punctures-optimism-that-deal-in-sight?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR0DKLaB9ePRC9hzFvzhqHKKCc8KfHxLPClaCGDzTJNhmTSTXYGk9AeeKDA

There is only one possible deal
Barnier has it oven ready
as it has been since June 2016

It is just a case of when, how and whether Johnson decides to put
Country ahead of Party

I do suspect he will buckle as the alternative could get messy
although DH is really looking forward to seeing Brexiters by the heels from lamp posts