The Westminster Arms

[DustyDiamond]

As requested, I have contacted MNHQ via the contact provided in the deletion message

Welcome to The Westminster Arms!

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A non-partisan politics pub thread for political chit chat....!!

Please stick within MN talk guidelines - any posts which you think may have crossed the line, please report rather than getting into scraps on thread 😠

Political punch-ups are soooo last decade - ain't nobody got time for that 🥊❌

Be nice! Be respectful!

S'ok to slag off politicians, but not other posters 🍻

It's law!!! Cheers everyone!!!

Your do on the 31st sounds fantastic Lily please get loads of photos!

That Blood Orange Cointreau looks amazing, I've never seen it either. Currently working my way through a bottle of Red Velvet Bailey's that I got for Christmas (is RLB part of the Bailey's dynasty I wonder?)

I really would like a woman to lead Labour, but I think Keir will win. Every cloud has a silver lining though - that'll mean years more in the wilderness for them, the John Major comparison is undeniable

I don't like Rebecca wrong daily either. Difficult to say why. She says "don't mess with me, I'm from Salford" but she is from the poshest part of Manchester and, allegedly her DH is involved in a company that supplies gear to fracking companies.
Yes she purports to want to stop fracking.

It still has to be ratified by the EU, of course, but as the BBC reported, Charles Michel will sign in behalf of the EU27 and UvdL will sign on behalf of the EP "in the coming days". Boris will sign on behalf of the UK.

It's traditional when signing something as important as this for the signatories to swap pens as a memento. I wonder if they'll do that?

I only remember this because I once witnessed the signing of a momentous management/staff agreement - one had an expensive fountain pen and the other had a cheap biro from supplies and a leaky biro at that - and I suggested that they observe convention.

I hate the “don’t mess with me, I’m from X” thing. It plays into stereotypes that many people from the area would rather leave behind.

Surely “don’t mess with me, I’m from x” just says “imma beat you up”?

HardLy decent politics.

WA royal assent!
YAY
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Bet Boris will have a "Boris Bikes' merchandise pen somewhere in his pocket, along with a few dog treats.

Has word of my frock habit followed me over from the S&B boards? Posh frocks are not really one of my vices: most were inherited from my great aunt (deceased 1985) and are treasured heirlooms. Coats, on the other hand...

The blood orange Cointreau is a new one for me too: does it taste the same? Not much of a liqueur connoisseur, as my taste leans toward wine or whisky, preferably a Speyside malt when times are good.

Now that the HoL has found a little time on its hands (well, at least until formal negotiations open about the future relationship), let no one suggest that our noble peers have been making paper airplanes and snoozing on the red benches. Today, according to the Spectator, at least two of their number have been working on their portfolios.

"Former Commons Speaker John Bercow 'categorically' denied allegations of bullying after ex-Clerk of the House Lord Lisvane complained about him to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards."

Not a great day for Mr Bercow then. Nor for the BBC either:

"Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan warned the BBC that the issue of the licence fee was 'coming up more and more on the doorstep'."

In the meantime, after fits and starts, the LL has finally sourced some more alcohol-free mocktails for Dry January. I'm a teetotaller but the mojitos look quite good so I'll give them a go. There are some set some aside for Epic and Walking, but plenty left if anyone wants to try.

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Thanks singing,
The only way Bercow can get a peerage is if no10 nominate him.
And yes it is convention for the retiring speaker to be elevated to the HOL
Labour can't nominate him. They can only nominate party members.
and no 10 are saying " we thought you didn't believe in convention "
Apparently bercow is complaining.
You couldn't make it up.
Definitely mocktail for me please. I've never had one.

I am glad the HoL has more time on its hands, as Lord Moonie has found time to follow me on Twitter today
Drinks are on me

Lily Where we used to live in Belgium was a chippy with a sort of wooden chalet attached. You could get all the normal Belgian chippy stuff, but if you went in to the chalet bit, it was eat in and the food was cracking. If you asked nicely, he would whip up a sabayon for pudding from scratch.

It was bliss, out of the front door, across the churchyard, cross the road, across the car park, and dinner would be served. I could have a beer and not worry about driving as it was 3 minutes to walk home. I miss that. The owner was pleased to see us, which was nice.

So, steak Roquefort, friets and a kriek (cherry beer) for just under €25. No skimping on the triple cooked friets either. I have used the Flemish word for chips, as we were in Flanders.

Back on this side of the channel, currently in Kent where a most dispiriting meal was had at the pub attached to the Premier Inn. Home tomorrow, where the food will be better as I am cooking it.

Much questioning at Dunkirk today by the Douaniers as to what was in the car....easy, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, some beer, some crunchy peanuts and two massive celeriac. They are normally checking for migrants, not veg!!

I have a bottle of Camel Valley fizz ready for the 31st; after all, the English did sparkling wine 30 years before the French came up with it.

So, M25 tomorrow, but not as fast, furious, dangerous and nerve wracking as the Ring.

Apparently bercow is complaining.

What? Bercow complaining? Honestly, Copper, you'll try and persuade me next that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

MrsSnippy, that's definitely preenworthy! Right now, Lewis Moonie is one of my heroes

Belgian food, Scary....I could go into raptures about it. We used to spend a lot of time in Northern France (relatives) and it was just a short drive to Ypres. Safe journey home tomorrow.

Love a Camel Valley fizz Scary but we are going very local for our 31st Jan bottle with Furleigh fizz from literally ‘up the road’.

I know Singing, I luffs him, he makes me laugh a lot!

He's complained in the times

Copper

If I had been the spokesperson at No. 10, I would have reminded Mr Bercow, "If we went only by precedent, manifestly nothing would ever change".

But then I'd probably get sacked for saying it while grinning like a Cheshire Cat and dancing a little jig of pure delight.

Morning all

Soz - not posting much as v busy with other stuff, but Yay 🙌 to Royal Assent & the various parts of EU machine signing off on it too.

MrsSnippy - the twitter follower who I was most #proud to get was Matt Goss from Bros 😍😍😍😍

My inner 13 yr old self was in raptures!!!

Actual lol at Bercunt as well - as Lily already quoted "If we went only by precedent, manifestly nothing would ever change"

Hoist with his own petard...!
#Glorious 😂😂😂😂😂

Morning, all, and morning, Dusty,

It may be chilly and foggy out there but it's warm and bright here in the Westminster Arms.

No round-up of what might be happening in Parliament today. After all, it's Friday. The Labour leadership race plods on, of course. We still have ten glorious weeks of Jezza's mastery of PMQs to behold: nothing much happens until 3 April apart from the sight of what remains of any authority he might have left draining away. What a contrast with Conservative Party rules: nominations opened on 10 June 2019 and concluded six weeks later on 23 July. There's a reason why the Conservative Party is the oldest and most successful political party in the world. It doesn't hang about when change is needed.

Till then, there are other distractions such as Mr Bercow's chickens coming home to roost. He complains that Lord Lisvane, the former Clerk who submitted a detailed dossier of Mr Bercow's delightful alleged behaviour, should have raised the matter at the time. Seasoned observers note that at the time, there was no process that would allow the Clerk to raise these concerns and the only one who could have ruled otherwise was...Mr Speaker himself.

You might wonder why I am so keen to be polite and refer to Mr Bercow as Mr Bercow.

Well, titles are so important, aren't they?

The sausage butties went down a treat the other day so the LL got on to the Lincolnshire suppliers and they've delivered a fresh batch. The complimentary breakfast tray awaits. Please help yourselves.

As a bonus, here is a cartoon from the Spectator. The caption didn't copy but it was "It's a booster seat for John Bercow".

Kettle's on ☕️☕️☕️

Morning all.

10 more weeks of Jezza at the despatch box? Right at the time when an effective opposition is urgently required. The labour back benchers must be tearing their hair out with frustration.

Did anyone see ET on QT last night. She appeared to have recovered from her pasting from Andrew Neil enough to continue with her usual spiel of we should have had a second referendum rather than GE, that's why LP failed so spectacularly. OK then, keep on living the dream ET. Sarah Baxter from the Times calmly put her straight.

Berk-ow - is it likely he will be found guilty? Does he have any supporters other than JC?

Thanks for breakfast Lily. I've got some other establishments to inspect today and I'm nicely set up for the journey.

Berk-ow - is it likely he will be found guilty? Does he have any supporters other than JC?

Margaret Beckett, clearly.

In October 2018, when asked on the BBC's PM programme whether Mr Bercow should stand down as Speaker when the allegations first emerged (including the use of NDAs to silence the alleged victims), she responded:

"Abuse is terrible, it shouldn't happen, it should be stopped, behaviour should change anyway - whether the Speaker goes or not.
^
"But yes, if it comes to it, the constitutional future of this country - the most difficult decision we’ve made not just since the war but... possibly for hundreds of years - yes, it trumps bad behaviour.”^

This was at a time when Phillip Green was being ripped to shreds for bullying, abuse and using NDAs to silence his victims. Makes me wonder what else Margaret Beckett might have considered tolerable in the quest to stop Brexit.

I rather think Lord Lisvane's detailed dossier - and as former Clerk of the House, he would know precisely how to put one together - will be causing more than just Mr Bercow some anxiety.

And the NDAs, which involved using taxpayers' money, will be a matter of record.

When dh was seconded to the EU Military Staff, the Director of the EUMS was David Leakey who went on to be Black Rod. Being a stalwart Army Officer who has seen combat in trying situations, it was perturbing to read his account of Bercow attempting to bully him. Takes a lot for an ex Lt Gen to feel he has to speak out publicly in the press, as these things would normally be dealt with behind closed doors, and they manifestly weren't.

Morning all and morning Dusty.
Thanks again for the breakfast. Delicious as usual.
Sorry you missed Dom Raab yesterday when he came in to help fit the new coffee machine and put the surrounding shelves up. He left his number behind the bar in case you needed to contact him.

Professor Bercow joins Royal Holloway

Ooh Dusty you groupie you!

Thanks for breakfast Singing, I remain confined to the fainting couch by the fire so just keep lobbing a sausage at me if I seem to be fading

I have a question, for those who may know these things; when will the select committees start getting going again; will we have to wait for reshuffle do we think?

Someone over on FWR has just posted this, a which answers my question.
In case anyone else is interested:
www.parliament.uk/business/news/2020/january/select-committee-chair-election-nominations-2020/commons-committee-chair-elections-2020/#jump-link-26