Westminstenders: What the winds bring

[RedToothBrush]

The next few weeks are crucial. Eu talks, covid handling, the US election and any other unexpected events (its nearly November, lets face it will probably be the weather).

It feels a little like the car crash in slow motion is about to hit the wall of reality. I guess that just means all there is left to do is to brace for impact.

Alan Bennett wrote a couple of brilliant plays (I was lucky enough to see them with him and Prunella Scales) about the Cambridge spies. The first was around a visit Coral Browne made to Burgess in Russia, and the second was about a meeting between the Queen and Blunt interspersed with scenes of Blunts interrogation.

I saw those about a dozen years ago in Cambridge, they were fab! I think it was Nigel Havers in the lead role.

Peregrina
As per here
fivethirtyeight.com/live-blog/2020-election-results-coverage/
Trump has not moved since 8am yesterday
and Biden has not moved since 9pm yesterday
the next EC changes will not be before 5pm GMT

In other Brexit news our wonderful new Japan trade deal has the following automotive bargaining chip for the EU (which we all new was the case anyway)

The UK-Japan CEPA also includes a provision that seeks to recognise Japanese inputs that are contained in UK goods that are exported to the EU.
• This arrangement would also need to be agreed between the UK and the EU in order for it to come in to effect.

Bye bye Nissan, Toyota, etc.......

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/932934/uk-japan-cepa-rules-of-origin-explainer.pdf

Trump to make an annoucement in Las Vegas with Matt Schlapp.

Matt Schlapp was a senior figure in the Brooks Brothers Riot in Miami Dade in 2000.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks_Brothers_riot

The Brooks Brothers riot was a demonstration at a meeting of election canvassers in Miami-Dade County, Florida, on November 22, 2000, during a recount of votes made during the 2000 United States presidential election, with the goal of shutting down the recount.

^After demonstrations and acts of violence, local officials shut down the recount early.

Many of the demonstrators were paid Republican operatives. According to investigative reporter Greg Palast, author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy in 2002, Roger Stone organized the demonstration, and Matt Schlapp was the on-site leader. Republican New York Representative John E. Sweeney gave the signal that started the riot, telling an aide to "Shut it down."

We are now looking at bordering on a potential coup-de-tat if this kicks off.

We already know that we are seeing armed people outside counting centres in neighbouring Arizona.

This is where the danger starts.

PA is on target. Georgia is looking increasingly good and its looks as if the numbers might well be there for Biden.

Someone’s woken up a bit unhappy.

As in, "stop the count because I've won" or "stop the count or I'll bring the boys round"?

I do so hate over use of exclamation marks as punctuation!

That's scary @RedToothBrush but it's important to know, (thank you) that Trump will have Schlapp at the 'announcement': he's clearly trying to stir up as much violence as possible. What a vile human being he is!"

Sabrina You mean someone's woken Dopey...?

@SabrinaThwaite

Someone’s woken up a bit unhappy.

First thought was it's a typo

@pussycatinboots

probably the latter?
(he did tell the Proud Boys to 'stand by' and see RTB's info above)

DGR

O!

@DGRossetti

I knew there was a good reason Walmart removed guns from their "displays"...a bit like removing all the chocolate reindeer from Tesco.🤔

Sorry, couldn't resist ... (looks good in the thread)

I'm shocked at you DGR I really am...

Maybe gun-jumping a bit, but what would a Biden win mean for Brexit ? I'm wondering what Bidens cabinet appointments would look like and if they could have any immediate bearing ?

A Biden win would mean that the Good Friday Agreement was sacrosanct. Will Johnson be rushing to be the first to congratulate him? I doubt it somehow.

Here’s Donny’s latest Tweet, ripe for amending?

@SabrinaThwaite

Here’s Donny’s latest Tweet, ripe for amending?

Nah, I've moved on Boring now.

Such a shame the Donald does not understand electoral law in the country of which he is the leader.

a bit like Johnson not understanding the concept of International law
when he wants to be world beating

John Sopel has replied to that tweet from Donald Trump I don't think the Orange One has quite thought things through - but there again, thinking is not his strong point

@ListeningQuietly

Such a shame the Donald does not understand electoral law in the country of which he is the leader.

a bit like Johnson not understanding the concept of International law
when he wants to be world beating

A government that can break one promise can break any other.

If I were relying on an immunity from prosecution, granted by HMG, I might want to be considering relocating to somewhere that doesn't extradite to the UK, right now.

Don't know why I've suddenly thought that.

Furlough extended to the end of March, is that because a) this current shit show will get a lot worse before it gets better or b) putting in a safety net when the Brexit shit shower hits?

Inevitably ...

Some nuance to "Stop the count" ...

The president has been tweeting more this morning about wanting to “stop” the (legitimate, of course) vote count. Apparently, what Trump means, according to his campaign, is that they want to stop the count until the Trump campaign can monitor it (again, as we’ve said before, there is no proof of fraud.) The specific rules for partisans observing the vote-counting process vary from state to state and the National Conference of State Legislatures has a handy guide for those rules.