Current Affairs

[towny44]

Right now?

None of them, really

Not even Jo Swinson?

Why would I ?

She’s new to her current role.

I prefer to reserve judgement.

But she and her party are vehemently opposed to Brexit, and the only mainstream one that is, so far.

[Gill W]

Not even Jo Swinson?

Why would I ?

She’s new to her current role.

I prefer to reserve judgement.

But she and her party are vehemently opposed to Brexit, and the only mainstream one that is, so far.

The question was ‘what politician do I believe in’.

Just because her party has a policy which is one that interests me, doesn’t mean I believe in her personally. To early to say, yet.

[barney]

She's peaked already.

The day Johnson took over was the day remain died a death.
The general consensus now is, with a deal or no deal on 31st October.

The only chance the LibHypocrats have is if they could win a majority in a GE.
Not likely given their start point.

[Gill W]

She's peaked already.

The day Johnson took over was the day remain died a death.
The general consensus now is, with a deal or no deal on 31st October.

The only chance the LibHypocrats have is if they could win a majority in a GE.
Not likely given their start point.

That's your wishful thinking.

I'm not even going to ask where you got your consensus from, as you'll post numerous links to densely printed web pages that it is too hot for me to even bother to read.

However, in my view, to put it simply, nothing much has changed.

Johnson, has put himself in an even tighter corner than May.

He's adamant that we will leave on 31 Oct, do or die.

The current deal is dead. He's got to think up a new deal and get the EU to agree to it. (difficult as the last deal took two years to thrash out and he's got 98 days, and the EU have said they are not going to renegotiate.)

In the event of no new deal, parliament will not allow us to leave with no deal, so we are still stuck in the same impasse.

You might wish to believe otherwise, but apart from Johnson gabbling and gibbering in the House of Commons, nothing material has changed.

[Manoverboard]

… in my view, to put it simply … nothing material has changed.

Conversely, in my opinion, ' everything ' that is significant for a re-negotiation has indeed changed.

The UK Government plus the EU Top Dogs have all changed with neither wishing to commence their watch with a breakdown of trade and co-operation with one another.

ps … the eleventh hour will be along shortly .

[anniec]

I'm not convinced that any change of view will come from the EU as a whole - they've been preparing for no deal for some time, and have worked out how to manage without our contributions.

However, a change of stance by Varadkar may be the key to a better deal; he would seem to have more to lose than the rest of the EU.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Has this thread morphed into Brexit 2? Just saying. ...

[Manoverboard]

Has this thread morphed into Brexit 2? Just saying. ...

So it has ….. OH, look who started the downward spiral

Too right. By the end of October we'll be out of the EU or Boris will be out of Downing Street.

Brexit. Or Boxit?

[barney]

I watched Johnson's first parliament session yesterday and thought that is was like somebody taking down the net curtains and opening the window.

No, I'm not convert but it was an uplifting spectacle.

I loved his barb at McDonnell. Sacked by Ken Livingstone for being too left wing.

[Gill W]

Uplifting?

I’m seriously worried about you Barney.

It was a display of gabbling, gibbering bluster.

However, I can see his target audience have lapped it up with a spoon.

Such is the politics of populism.

[barney]

It was one of the most dynamic opening days for a new leader ever.

Labour cannot figure out how to deal with him.
Corbyn looked very old and tired in comparison.

I get that folk don't like his politics.
I don't.

But to say it was bluster and gibberish is, well, bluster and gibberish.

Folk don't like him, I get that.
But by any standards, that was a memorable debut.

[oldbluefox]

I rather liked his forceful stance and hope this is what he takes to the EU instead of shilly-shallying with them.

I was also pretty disgusted that when May left the Commons there were elements of the opposition who did not have the dignity to stand as she left. Like her or loathe her I felt it was a basic courtesy at least to get up if not to applaud. Is this an example of where we are headed if we elect a different party into opposition. Politics of the opposition has sunk to a new low. As for the SNP enough said!!!

I noticed that Dennis Skinner was missing from his seat. I missed the early part of PM' Questions so he may have left early. I don't agree with him but admire his principles.

[barney]

The whole mechanism of parliament and the civil service needs a shake up Foxy.

I worked as a civil servant for twenty years, all be it some years ago.
My brother's wife is a very senior minister advisor at the DWP.
She also agrees with me that it needs a bomb (not literally) chucked in to shake it up.

By the way, she has worked for many ministers from both parties and told me that the worst she has worked for is Priti Patel.
Obsessed with nothing coming back to harm her.
Her most used phrase was 'that can't come back to me, can it?'

Her favourite was some Labour guy who got caught with his fingers in the till during the expense scandal.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Has this thread morphed into Brexit 2? Just saying. ...

So it has ….. OH, look who started the downward spiral

Too right. By the end of October we'll be out of the EU or Boris will be out of Downing Street.

Brexit. Or Boxit?

Ooops!

[Mervyn and Trish]

But on a different topic, some people are never happy.

The police have been complaining for months, if not years, that they can't do the job because they've lost 20,000 officers since 2009.

Boris's first action as PM is to announce more money for the police to recruit 20,000 new cops over the next three years.

Now the police are complaining they don't have enough lockers to recruit them that fast. For goodness sake how long does it take to buy new lockers? Assuming of course there aren't a few spare ones in the police stations they've mothballed.

Get a grip. You've got what you asked for. Just get on with!

p.s. Diane Abbot hasn't commented yet. She's still doing the sums. Costing additional cops isn't her greatest talent!

[Stephen]

I rather liked his forceful stance and hope this is what he takes to the EU instead of shilly-shallying with them.

I was also pretty disgusted that when May left the Commons there were elements of the opposition who did not have the dignity to stand as she left. Like her or loathe her I felt it was a basic courtesy at least to get up if not to applaud. Is this an example of where we are headed if we elect a different party into opposition. Politics of the opposition has sunk to a new low. As for the SNP enough said!!!

I noticed that Dennis Skinner was missing from his seat. I missed the early part of PM' Questions so he may have left early. I don't agree with him but admire his principles.

Agree Foxy.

[Stephen]

But on a different topic, some people are never happy.

The police have been complaining for months, if not years, that they can't do the job because they've lost 20,000 officers since 2009.

Boris's first action as PM is to announce more money for the police to recruit 20,000 new cops over the next three years.

Now the police are complaining they don't have enough lockers to recruit them that fast. For goodness sake how long does it take to buy new lockers? Assuming of course there aren't a few spare ones in the police stations they've mothballed.

Get a grip. You've got what you asked for. Just get on with!

p.s. Diane Abbot hasn't commented yet. She's still doing the sums. Costing additional cops isn't her greatest talent!

Probably end up with 500 less nurses and gain 20 million dockers

[barney]

On LBC today, they were discussing as to whether the black and Asian cabinet members were given the job by tokenism.

Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I agree 100% Barney. That's the trouble with tokenism and targets.

If you don't appoint, say, a woman, you're sexist. If you do, people will say she only got the job because she's a woman meeting your target.

It's unfair on the person making the appointment, and even more unfair on the talented woman who got the job because she's the best person for it.

[barney]

If you are patronising towards a man, you are patronising.
If you patronising to a woman, you are patronising and a misogynist

[Manoverboard]

Looked like a good mix to me …. albeit with ten times the norm for privately educated Ministers …

[Stephen]

If you are patronising towards a man, you are patronising.
If you patronising to a woman, you are patronising and a misogynist

misog who

[Mervyn and Trish]

Looked like a good mix to me …. albeit with ten times the norm for privately educated Ministers …

Just a few educated ministers would work for me. Not judging yet. I'll wait for results. But they look more impressive already than Jezzer's Shadow Shower! Let's just see if they can sing from the same hymn sheet.

[screwy]

Really good programme on CH4 tonight regarding Council House shortage, George Clark doing a fantastic job to highlight the problems.
Succesive Govt failures to tackle the problem. Proud to say that i am the product of Council Housing.

[Stephen]

I was too. Brought up and lived in a council house for first 21 years of my life. Then got engaged and worked almost every hour going to save for our first own home back in 1979/80.