Brexit mega thread part 5 : new year new PM? Partygate continues...

[Opal8]

Morning

New thread

A close friend of DFs passed away last year. Aged 91. He lied to get into the army aged 15 (apparently they weren't too careful checking) to "do his bit". Then it was VE, VJ and he found himself being shot at quote "By Ben Gurions mob" endquote

He was another old git who was very European. Considering he was Yorkshire born (and didn't you know it )

In case you missed it (and, naturally, they don't want you to see it);

Rishi Sunak has sunk millions of pounds of taxpayer funds into an online betting company and a luxury Caribbean firm selling holidays on private islands as controversy over investments made by the Government’s £1.1bn startups scheme grows....

More things the gvmt don't want you to notice too closely:
twitter.com/bmay/status/1488607668013084675?s=20&t=MfHJzTZzslxV7io----wfA

Sorry for ugly link.

www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/russian-tv-pundits-ridicule-direspected-boris-as-partygate-scandal-goes-international-310350/

And Jen Psaki getting asked whether President Biden was ever ambushed by cake.

I'm not saying the UK is a laughing stock, but I don't think Russia is taking us seriously. Can't think why.

Political cartoons in the Belgium Standaard and the French Canard enchainé

twitter.com/bestforbritain/status/1488549022285672449?s=21

@Peregrina

A friend aged 92 died in the summer of 2019. So he'd "been in the army during the War" but he hadn't actually fought because he'd just his finished training when the Japanese capitulated.

My dad used to talk about his military service during the war. He was actually referring to the Malayan Emergency which ran from 1948 - 1960. He always saw it as part of the war.

My mother on the other hand valiantly fought the war in Europe. She made huge sacrifices that we all need to respect and honour. She was born in 1954.

Jon Jones
@JonJonesSnr
·
4h
Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, told Sky News: "There is always room for diplomacy, but frankly, we don't trust British diplomacy. I think in recent years, British diplomacy has shown that it is absolutely worthless.

There you have it!!

Even the Brexity Times is starting to realise the damage, finally;

Manufacturers hit by the cost of Brexit must wonder where the benefits are...

My mother on the other hand valiantly fought the war in Europe. She made huge sacrifices that we all need to respect and honour. She was born in 1954.

.

But if her parents were like mine, they would have gone on and on and on about the War. In my case as a late teenager/early twenties, it was "When I was your age there was a war on". I recall the occasion when my DM started up "When I was your age - long pause - the War had finished!" 1974 - so 29 years to lay the war to rest.

Tensions between Priti Patel and No 10 over Met Commissioner Cressida Dick
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60229473

But it's understood that both Ms Patel and Boris Johnson were unenthusiastic about the likely internal candidate, senior Met officer Neil Basu, who had previously criticised the PM's comments and was seen in No 10 as "too political", sources say.

What the hell is going on in Northern Ireland? Are we heading towards a no deal Brexit (again)?
news.sky.com/story/brexit-northern-ireland-minister-says-he-has-ordered-halt-to-agri-food-checks-at-nations-ports-12531285

[quote Topicall]What the hell is going on in Northern Ireland? Are we heading towards a no deal Brexit (again)?
news.sky.com/story/brexit-northern-ireland-minister-says-he-has-ordered-halt-to-agri-food-checks-at-nations-ports-12531285[/quote]
That'll be Poots who was leader of the DUP for 3 weeks.
I think it is safe to say that almost no one has any idea what is going on in his head.

His legal advice probably said that breaking international law is fine in a specific and limited way.

Brexit has had an estimated 11.2% negative impact on UK trade. UK share of world trade has fallen by a further 15%.

Anyone remember Project Fear?

How excruciatingly embarrassing* for Boris Johnson as he prances around in Ukraine telling off Bad Vlad for causing border problems and thumbing his nose at diplomatic norms.

Edwin Poots has pulled the rug right out from under him.

*Just a turn of phrase - I realise that nothing embarrasses Boris Johnson.

@HannibalHeyes

Brexit has had an estimated 11.2% negative impact on UK trade. UK share of world trade has fallen by a further 15%.

Anyone remember Project Fear?

But we have sovereignty, we have taken back control. We can make our own laws and have crowns on pint glasses. Oh yes, plus less tax on domestic flights.
We are freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[quote Topicall]What the hell is going on in Northern Ireland? Are we heading towards a no deal Brexit (again)?
news.sky.com/story/brexit-northern-ireland-minister-says-he-has-ordered-halt-to-agri-food-checks-at-nations-ports-12531285[/quote]
I was picking up that

a) civil servants will ignore him, as they aren't prepared to break the law
b) NI is on it's own here ... mysteriously Liz Truss had a hair appointment for her pet gerbil. Or something more important.

a) civil servants will ignore him, as they aren't prepared to break the law

I would say especially now, having seen how the Civil Servants in Downing Street are being blamed for 'Partygate'.

@Peregrina

a) civil servants will ignore him, as they aren't prepared to break the law

I would say especially now, having seen how the Civil Servants in Downing Street are being blamed for 'Partygate'.

I did catch "Poots" trending on twitter last night, and there seemed to be a suggestion that for all the thunder, no actual emails had been received by the customs agents - and there were some questions about whether they actually report to Poots anyway. Suggesting this is symbolic rather than practical.

According to this: Lorries were still being received at a Daera checking facility in Belfast Port earlier on Thursday morning. Several vehicles entered the facility after the ferry arrived from Cairnryan in Scotland at 6am.
A staff member declined to confirm to the PA news agency whether the Northern Ireland Protocol checks were continuing.

The whole thing is farcical. The DUP tried to table the checks for discussion at the executive last week so they could use their veto to ban the checks. Sinn Féin then used their veto to ban the discussion. How on earth does anything get done if either side can just veto?

As for the UK government response:
It is understood the UK government has been in touch with the Northern Executive and is considering the details, including the legal position. A UK government spokesman appeared to indicate it would not seek to intervene, saying “the operation of checks” was a matter for the Executive, adding that there were “significant problems with the protocol which urgently need fixing”.,

it is just pathetic. They created this mess by insisting on a hard brexit and throw their hands up and claim "nothing to do with us".

They created this mess by insisting on a hard brexit and throw their hands up and claim "nothing to do with us".

Part of the narrative to get the Tories off the hook.

"You know this Brexit that's turned out to be so shit. Well, it's your own fault for voting for it. We're just doing our best to clear up your mess ..."

Because that allows then to continue the "But Corbyn" style of "debate" that let them into power in 2019.

According to the NI civil service code of conduct, civil servants must comply with the law and uphold the administration of justice.

and If you have a concern about a Minister requiring you to act in a way that conficts with this Code, you should raise this matter with your Permanent Secretary. This may be a matter to be addressed under the Ministerial Code of Conduct.

The question then is why is the UK government not reminding the civil service of their obligations under the code of conduct? Why are they not advising them that they should, if they are asked to do something illegal, raise the matter for investigation?

I assume, as checks still appear to be happening, that @DGRossetti is correct and they will ignore the directive for the moment. They will definitely be getting their own legal advice. Then the whole process of investigating his directive under the code of conduct will run into the elections after which it will be a moot point.

Except of course that NI did not vote for Brexit.

@DGRossetti

They created this mess by insisting on a hard brexit and throw their hands up and claim "nothing to do with us".

Part of the narrative to get the Tories off the hook.

"You know this Brexit that's turned out to be so shit. Well, it's your own fault for voting for it. We're just doing our best to clear up your mess ..."

Because that allows then to continue the "But Corbyn" style of "debate" that let them into power in 2019.

It's exactly the reaction I expected. It's still pathetic though. We're watching the whole shit show of the UK government with a horrified fascination from this side of the Irish Sea. It's kind of like watching a slow motion car crash. Unfortunately the crash includes ploughing in to innocent bystanders.

@Peregrina

Except of course that NI did not vote for Brexit.

I'm referring to the UK government choosing a hard brexit. Given the close vote, the fact 2 of the devolved nations voted against brexit, and the GFA, a soft brexit that saw the UK remaining part of the CU and the SM, at least in the short to medium term, would have been the sensible and honourable thing to do.

While NI didn't vote for brexit, the DUP campaigned heavily in favour as they saw it as the most effective way of getting rid of the GFA.