Westministenders: Its the waiting that kills you

[RedToothBrush]

Just waiting.

Talks between Frost and Barnier still unresolved issues. There are rumours but 'all without evidence' (the new in phrase on BBC news tonight) that the UK is waivering.

Less that two months to go.

And there is the small matter of what happens in the US than might influence events.

I notice that the Guardian have chopped this from Biden's "memorable description" of Boris Johnson;

"Boris Johnson is winning in a walk,” Biden said Thursday [Dec 2019] predicting that headlines would say, “Look what happens when the Labour Party moves so, so far to the left. It comes up with ideas that are not able to be contained within a rational basis quickly.”

chopped out

it's actually a really clever squirrel to get everybody talking, for some 🤷🏻‍♀️nefarious purpose.

Probably a dry run for the EU 'deal' where they can "sign" one version with Barnier, show the other to the ERG/brexiteers - though of course they'd probably get them mixed up.

As DGR said 'World-beating incompetence' - truly mind boggling dog ate my homework incompetence - do they really expect to be taken seriously by any government in the world?

"At this stage you get the expertise you deserve."

This is what happens when you rapidly retrain a ballerina...

And there's now a handy little app to show you how procurement works for our government - My Little Crony

pr-firm-hired-by-uk-vaccine-tsar-linked-to-dominic-cummings-father-in-law

After yet another of these - a thought occurs - can anyone, possibly clav, point to a contract these crooks have awarded that is not to a tory/cummings mate?

Marina Hyde on why the Four Seasons shitshow is not unlike Brexit

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/10/four-seasons-total-landscaping-rudy-giuliani

Some of the PR company's previous projects here;

www.admiralassociates.co.uk/projects/vocare/
www.admiralassociates.co.uk/projects/nihr/
www.admiralassociates.co.uk/projects/kings-college-london/
www.admiralassociates.co.uk/projects/guys-st-thomas/
www.admiralassociates.co.uk/projects/university-of-leeds-clinical-research-network/
www.admiralassociates.co.uk/projects/central-manchester-university-hospitals-nhs-foundation-trust/

That wasn't the question. It's a list of contracts awarded to people who are not cronies of Johnson and his mates that is being sought.

[quote AuldAlliance]Marina Hyde on why the Four Seasons shitshow is not unlike Brexit

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/10/four-seasons-total-landscaping-rudy-giuliani[/quote]
...
This morning, it was claimed that Johnson’s congratulatory tweet to Biden was a hastily doctored congratulatory message to Trump - with the remains of the Trump message still slightly visible. Think of it as the Turin shroud of digital incompetence – and accept that some hyper-defensive Whitehall source will turn up to say “actually we meant to do that”.

PMSL

Have just seen on Twitter Mike Pompeo saying there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.

mobile.twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/1326226501222719489

I know the US election has been filling our minds, and now Brexit has reared its ugly head again, but we can't forget the pandemic... the number of daily deaths is creeping up again. 532 today.

The last time we had that number in a day it was 29 March (and May when figures were subsiding again). Less than two weeks after that was the April peak with over 1000 deaths a day. I hope it's not the same pattern repeating.

This lockdown seems altogether more relaxed: at the end of March weren't we having daily press conferences?

coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/deaths

@Peregrina

That wasn't the question. It's a list of contracts awarded to people who are not cronies of Johnson and his mates that is being sought.

Worth being the voice of balance and context here and noting that as with a map of the UK, some darts and string and a blindfolded throw of six darts you could probably align any 3 structures and find significant meaning to someone, then any large scale trawl of shady and corrupt business is invariably likely to produce links to the government.

The problem is this lot appear to have made it a mission statement.

But it would be very good if someone could point us to where the notices to tender for the various contracts had been posted.

Where was the advert for Dido Harding's post, for example, and a job specification?

So how does Johnson reconcile these two positions?

During the call the PM and president-elect talked about the importance of implementing Brexit in such a way that upholds the Good Friday Agreement, with Mr Johnson assuring Mr Biden that would be the case. The Internal Market Bill was not raised specifically.
news.sky.com/story/boris-johnson-congratulates-us-president-elect-joe-biden-on-victory-in-phone-call-12129386

Boris Johnson has put himself on a collision course with the Joe Biden administration in the US after Downing Street said it would press ahead with legislation designed to override the Brexit deal on Northern Ireland.
www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/nov/09/lords-vote-set-to-put-no-10-on-brexit-collision-course-with-biden

I would guess then that Johnson us playing to both sides of the US? Or is he just incompetent enough to dither, or is it a gameplay trying to show the puppy bulldog’s teeth in “independence”? I

I’m finding events rather scary. A little bit of hope for a bit, and now as bad as ever.

Does anyone have a clue what Trump’s Rubicon might be? Do we have to start asking who might take whose side?

In the Uk I would choose our senior Tory statesmen in the Lords in a flash.

But it would be very good if someone could point us to where the notices to tender for the various contracts had been posted.

Probably a similar scenario to this - Republic of Ireland;

"Public sector projects aren’t Nearform’s usual market" ...

"Unlike in normal times, Nearform did not have to go through the lengthy tender process"

"chief information officer for the HSE, said the authority conducted a desktop exercise and identified a number of prospective candidates; Nearform was eventually chosen from that list. “We did get some recommendations, and we knew their track record, mainly in the private sector,”

"So the contact tracing app was a bit of a new departure for the company."

"Given the public health emergency, speed was of the essence."

www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/race-against-time-the-inside-story-of-ireland-s-covid-tracker-app-1.4303509

The whole shebang is being run by the short sighted one. Johnson is the parrot.

[quote Clavinova]But it would be very good if someone could point us to where the notices to tender for the various contracts had been posted.

Probably a similar scenario to this - Republic of Ireland;

"Public sector projects aren’t Nearform’s usual market" ...

"Unlike in normal times, Nearform did not have to go through the lengthy tender process"

"chief information officer for the HSE, said the authority conducted a desktop exercise and identified a number of prospective candidates; Nearform was eventually chosen from that list. “We did get some recommendations, and we knew their track record, mainly in the private sector,”

"So the contact tracing app was a bit of a new departure for the company."

"Given the public health emergency, speed was of the essence."

www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/race-against-time-the-inside-story-of-ireland-s-covid-tracker-app-1.4303509[/quote]
Nope. That's not even a squirrel.

Nearform are not cronies or relatives of anyone in power. Their track record, albeit in the private sector, suggested they would be good for the job. The speed was justified by the rather unprecedented pandemic. And their app was effective and successful.

Biden's first phone call was to Boris 😀

Joe Biden spoken to Justin Trudeau yesterday.

AP have tweeted this in the last hour:

#BREAKING Irish PM and Biden discuss importance of Brexit respecting 1998 peace deal

#BREAKING Merkel, Biden voice importance of transatlantic cooperation says chancellery

#UPDATE leaders of Britain and Ireland spoke to Joe Biden, talking climate change and Brexit in a rush of calls with the US president-elect reflecting key policy priorities

Johnson has also tweeted

Boris Johnson @BorisJohnson
I just spoke to @JoeBiden to congratulate him on his election. I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our countries and to working with him on our shared priorities – from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy and building back better from the pandemic.

Spot the elephant in the room.

@yellowspanner

Biden's first phone call was to Boris 😀

Where did you see that? He called Trudeau first but according to www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-joe-biden-first-conversation/, they wouldn't say which of the european leaders he spoke to first:

The U.S. president-elect’s first call to a foreign head of government was to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, but European leaders didn’t have to wait too long to get their turn. In fairly quick succession, Biden chatted with the leaders of the U.K., Ireland, Germany and France — although his team declined to comment on the order of the calls.

The BBC claims Johnson was the first European leader called. Real or for domestic consumption? www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54892505

Can someone pinch me, I can’t quite believe what I’m seeing.

I think if it's not true, and that he spoke to other leaders first then the news will have a way of leaking out.

It's on Biden's website.