Brexit Megathread Part 3: COP26 and beyond. The Empire is no more.

[prettybird]

The old thread is nearly full so as COP26 is in my home town, I thought I'd start the next one.

I'm not expecting anything wonderful from COP26. The selfishness that is Brexit will extend to the rich nations - or rather corporations, countries and cronies - not wanting to do anything that might actually cost them money or hurt their profits and having made their money on the back of the resources of the poorer nations (in some cases quite literally ), they'll expect them to pay the price for the riches of the West.

The deliberate mistranslation of France's letter to the EU will distract from real issues - but that's ok for BJ as he can then blame the perfidious French.

Nothing changes.

I used the word "appallingly" myself about it.

Nothing other than activists on the news I've seen from COP-26 for days, is another example.

Obama's speech was live on the BBC website just now

Of course it was, my point exactly, he's not even a current office holder, far less a UK government representative. He's an activist (again)

An activist is someone who acts out of something other than self interest presumably. A very strange concept for some

Didn't the world leaders all leave COP 5/6 days ago?

@DuncinToffee

Obama's speech was live on the BBC website just now

Obama who while President oversaw the provision of an $80BN bailout to US auto makers. Yeah, taking no lectures at all thanks.

@LouiseCollins28

It'll be interesting to see if this sentiment continues to stay high or starts going away again. I think the Paterson case has been appallingly handled but I'd love to know how much this is a "bubble" story and how much is real cut through.

Interesting to me that there is sooo much more media attention on Owen Paterson and not on Claudia Webbe who's level of offence is of a different order entirely IMO.

My take on that is that the BBC and other media are just desperate to damage Boris any way they can and trying to make it into a pivotal "moment", they may well succeed.

Alternatives? Alternative Conservative leaders do you mean?

The difference with Claudia Webbe is that her former party have disowned her. The story here is as much about the leadership of the Tory party thinking it can do absolutely as it pleases as much as about the corruption which is endemic in the Tory party.

I agree, the defence of Paterson was appalling. I'm watching the debate in the HoC just now. I don't know whether Paterson received a fair hearing or not, but assuming that he did, his censure should just have been allowed to happen. All in all his resigning is the right outcome.

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Nowhere to run to Prime Minister 🎵

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All in all his resigning is the right outcome.

Right outcome but for the wrong motive. It's not because he's done wrong and is sorry, and doesn't want to bring the Commons into disrepute, it's because he feels badly done to, and Johnson and Rees-Mogg have pulled the plug on him. I don't know why he expected loyalty from Johnson.

Fuck businesz and now fuck science. UK draws up plans to quit European science, satellite and nuclear programmes

www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/britain/uk-draws-up-plans-to-quit-european-science-satellite-and-nuclear-programmes-41026148.html?fbclid=IwAR15KOfc1kD138FCXyMslpaEugfCRzKW0DbHhM9W-i-ptBIPi1rQgDOpDGQ

How does Johnson think he is going to create Global Britain England, when he ignores the continent we belong to?

@Peregrina

How does Johnson think he is going to create Global Britain England, when he ignores the continent we belong to?

It is easy really. Just redefine what global means to basket case.

Actually I’m a bit surprised by your comments Louise. What Claudia Webbe did as an individual was illegal and immoral and the Labour Party responded accordingly. The media reported accordingly.

In the past there’s been Conservative MPs who’ve done illegal/immoral behaviours and received a media response similar to Webbe.

Whereas Paterson’s actions, Johnson’s and JRM’s initial support, and the Commons vote was hugely significant for its wider implications beyond that of one MP. It was the implications for the standards of our elected MPs as a whole that made it so newsworthy.

Either you’re deliberately downplaying this to wrongly frame the BBC etc as anti-Tory or you’re engaging in some cognitive dissonance to support Johnson. Either way I’m surprised at your take and disappointed that this is a conservative supporting response to the whole sorry affair.

It's quite funny reading the tone of the various anti tory/Boris threads popping up. Particularly relevant to this thread. They reveal a fascinating mindset to the people who voted Tory - which mirrors the current NI protocol fiasco ...

Yes, we know we signed the Agreement voted Tory, but now we don't like it ...

@DGRossetti

It's quite funny reading the tone of the various anti tory/Boris threads popping up. Particularly relevant to this thread. They reveal a fascinating mindset to the people who voted Tory - which mirrors the current NI protocol fiasco ...

Yes, we know we signed the Agreement voted Tory, but now we don't like it ...

but we would still do it again.

but we would still do it again.

The MPs stance: And we are only changing our tune now, because our postbags are full of Tory voters telling us we have lost their vote. Once that all dies down we will go back to the old ways.

@Peregrina

but we would still do it again.

The MPs stance: And we are only changing our tune now, because our postbags are full of Tory voters telling us we have lost their vote. Once that all dies down we will go back to the old ways.

I got the impression from the news that in this case it was Tory members that were pissed off. Most MPs obviously couldn't give a shit what voters think.

Most MPs obviously couldn't give a shit what voters think.

Only until an election is in the offing and then they suddenly remember that the voters are out there.

DrBlackbird I don't support Johnson. I guess I'm guilty of trying to show the BBC as anti-Tory or more specifically anti-Johnson, because it's my belief that they are.

Paid lobbying is wrong. Paterson should have been suspended, he's now resigned so the point of an appropriate "punishment" is moot. I've not criticised the Labour party on Claudia Webbe at all, I'd have no reason to criticise them, she's been expelled.

I think its a reasonable assessment to suggest that there was an attempt to get Paterson "off the hook", this was wrong, stupid and I'm glad it failed. Paid lobbying however presents no danger to someones life, threatening that someone "should be acid" clearly could do, yet Webbe is still an MP and Paterson is not.

" I guess I'm guilty of trying to show the BBC as anti-Tory or more specifically anti-Johnson, because it's my belief that they are."

Have you ever listened to the BBC Tory stooge laura kuenssberg ?

@DrBlackbird

Not sure they got their money’s worth…

Chris Grayling, Epsom and Ewell (Conservative)
Strategic adviser to Hutchison Ports Europe, earning £100,000pa for 336 hours

Grayling + ports?

Is there a link with his ferry contract fiasco?

Because that clusterfuck did cut through…

Oh and re Webbe and media exposure, I’ve not seen much about the MPs accused/arrested for sexual harassment/rape of which there have been a few in the past year or so.

I won’t bother to say which party they belong to.

Talking about Kuenssberg, she just tweeted
Labour chair, Annelise Dodds is writing to Boris Johnson to demand he decides if Geoffrey Cox is a 'Caribbean based barrister or a Conservative MP', saying it's a 'question of leadership' for the PM

This is not going away soon despite the hospital non mask squirrel.

Paid lobbying however presents no danger to someones life, threatening that someone "should be acid" clearly could do, yet Webbe is still an MP and Paterson is not.

That's irrelevant. Parliamentary processes are as they are - Claudia Webbe should absolutely resign, but that is not within the gift of the Labour party, so equating her situation with the Owen Paterson situation is disingenuous to say the least. Bottom line is that re Claudia Webbe, the Labour Party did all that was within their power to disown and expel her, whereas the Tories, led from the top, did everything in their power to shield one of their own and embed something very like 'the right to be corrupt' by attempting to remove what scrutiny and control there was.