Emrys
Emrys's JournalJohnson's Potemkin government
Who knows what the next few months hold in store?
But a persuasive theory doing the rounds at the moment is that the installation of Dominic Cummings as Johnson's Special Adviser indicates that the new cabinet isn't so much geared to governing (what may well prove to still be an ungovernable Parliament, probably even more so than under May) as to gearing up to fight a general election some time between now and the autumn.
This may explain the ragtag mob now assembled in the cabinet and some eyebrow-raising appointments. Here's one example: Priti Patel, the new Home Secretary, here seen being humiliated (but lacking the insight to realize it) by Private Eye's Ian Hislop on BBC Question Time over her unquestioning championing of the death penalty.
https://twitter.com/jonlis1/status/1154158967351840774
@jonlis1
Honestly the only positive of having Priti Patel in the Cabinet is that Andrea Leadsom and Liz Truss now appear moderately intelligent and competent. But otherwise the promotion of such an eye-watering inadequate to Home Secretary is a national scandal
[Twitter video]
Maybe you have some other examples?
For perspective:
Ruining a country near you soon: the beta males who think they're alphas
What could be more insecure than a 55-year-old bragging about Latin, or a literal president tweeting his enemies on the bog?
If the Tory leadership election unfolds as widely expected, the UK will basically be ruled by a Fathers4Injustice activist. Boris Johnson is the kind of guy whod don Spider-Man pyjamas and scale a building in order to see less of his kids. Sorry, fewer. Even so, he remains a remarkably typical hero of our political times. There are two kinds of women, Harry explains at one point in When Harry Met Sally. High maintenance and low maintenance. Which one am I? Sally asks. Youre the worst kind, he says. Youre high maintenance, but you think youre low maintenance.
After a week in which paddle-less Britain has found itself once more caught in dangerous transatlantic currents, its clear that there are two kinds of political men. Strong men and weak men. Which one is our most likely next prime minister? Im afraid Boris Johnson is the worst kind: hes a weak man who thinks hes a strong man. See also selective antiracist Jeremy Corbyn, whose unshakeable conviction that he hasnt been wrong in several decades has left him stubbornly incapable of being the bigger person. See also gratefully submissive Donald Trump fanboy Nigel Farage, who has spent much of the past three years hanging wanly around Washington on the off-chance of a half-hour 6pm burger with the alpha male to his beta. And see also Donald Trump himself, the leader of the free world, who spent about 48 hours this week tweeting like some homicidal 11-year-old Justin Bieber fan about the leaked comments of the British ambassador. Who, apparently, we now let him pick. More on toxic insecuritys poster boy shortly.
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It was reportedly after watching Johnson refuse to defend him that US ambassador Kim Darroch made the decision to resign. He had little choice, especially given the way the political winds are blowing. The weak strongmen are inheriting the earth. Johnson has spent weeks claiming hes the only one strong enough to get the better of the European Union, yet his first public test saw him cravenly submit to the disgraceful whims of Trump. In the circs, it feels a little unfair to class this move as pussying out. What would you call it instead? Penising out? Yes, I believe we saw Boris Johnson totally penis out to Donald Trump.
During the 2016 presidential election campaign, the Atlantic asked eminent primatologist Jane Goodall to assess Trump. In many ways the performances of Donald Trump remind me of male chimpanzees and their dominance rituals, she judged. In order to impress rivals, males seeking to rise in the dominance hierarchy perform spectacular displays: stamping, slapping the ground, dragging branches, throwing rocks. The more vigorous and imaginative the display, the faster the individual is likely to rise in the hierarchy, and the longer he is likely to maintain that position. Rather than passing, this political mood has intensified. It is impossible to watch how Farage or Johnson relate to Trump, or each other, or to their own underlings, without imagining the entire evolutionary regression voiced by David Attenborough.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/12/country-beta-males-alphas-latin-president-tweeting-enemies
This new poll finds widespread Islamophobia among Conservative Party members
The YouGov poll of Conservative Party members, for the anti-racist campaign group Hope Not Hate, found that 40% of members wanted limits on the number of people of the Islamic faith entering the country, as opposed to just 5% who want to see fewer Christians or Jewish people.
The poll also found that:
* 43% of Conservative Party members "would prefer to not have the country led by a Muslim"
* 45% believe that "there are areas in Britain in which non-Muslims are not able to enter,"
* 67% believe that "there are areas in Britain that operate under Sharia law."
* 39% believe that "Islamist terrorists reflect a widespread hostility to Britain amongst the Muslim community."
https://www.businessinsider.com/poll-muslim-islamophobia-among-conservative-party-members-boris-johnson-leadership-2019-6?r=US&IR=T
The poll also found that 79% of members think that Islamophobia isn't a problem in the party (well, not for those voting that it isn't, obviously), so the inquiry Sajid Javid arm-twisted the other leadership contenders into supporting during the hustings isn't necessary.
Boris Johnson: police called to loud altercation at potential PM's home
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[A] neighbour said they recorded the altercation from inside their flat out of concern for Symonds. On the recording, heard by the Guardian, Johnson can be heard refusing to leave the flat and telling Symonds to get off my fucking laptop before there is a loud crashing noise.
Symonds is heard saying Johnson had ruined a sofa with red wine: You just dont care for anything because youre spoilt. You have no care for money or anything.
The neighbour said: There was a smashing sound of what sounded like plates. There was a couple of very loud screams that Im certain were Carrie and she was shouting to get out a lot. She was saying get out of my flat and he was saying no. And then there was silence after the screaming. My partner, who was in bed half asleep, had heard a loud bang and the house shook.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/21/police-called-to-loud-altercation-at-boris-johnsons-home
Sounds like they'll need to budget for extra soundproofing for the sanity of the future occupant of 11 Downing Street.
Brexit: Carney rejects Boris Johnson's no-deal trade claim
Tory leadership candidate Johnson said this week that tariffs would not necessarily have to be paid if the UK left the EU without a deal because the UK could rely on article 24 of the general agreement on tariffs and trade (Gatt).
Some Brexit supporters have claimed that the Gatt, a treaty under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO), would allow a standstill in which tariffs are avoided, even in the absence of any agreement on trade.
Many trade experts say this is not the case without agreement from both sides. Carney cited the head of the WTO and Liam Fox, the minister for international trade who backed the Vote Leave campaign in 2016, to contradict Johnson.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jun/21/brexit-mark-carney-dismisses-boris-johnson-trade-claim-on-no-deal
I don't suppose it'll make any difference to the Brexit/WTO mythologists among Johnson's base, but let's hope that his many wild and woolly claims aren't going to go unchallenged before he's anointed.
Convicted Tory MP Chris Davies loses seat after recall petition
A recall petition was set up after Chris Davies, the MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, was convicted of submitting fake expenses documents. He was ousted from the House of Commons after 19% of registered voters in his constituency signed a petition to remove him.
A total of 10,005 people signed, well above the 10% threshold needed for a recall. The result, confirmed on Friday by the Commons Speaker, John Bercow, means a byelection will be called, which Davies could stand in.
The seat was held by the Liberal Democrats from 1997 until 2015, when Davies won it. He increased his majority in 2017.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/21/petition-to-recall-convicted-tory-mp-chris-davies-succeeds
Not a good day for Tories so far ...
Conservative MP seen manhandling female climate change protester at Mansion House event
Mark Field can be seen standing up from his chair and grabbing the woman as she walks past him, before pinning her against a pillar and marching her away.
As the pair passes the camera the MP is seen gripping the womans neck tightly.
None of the Greenpeace-affiliated protesters were arrested over the disruption to Mr Hammonds address, City of London Police said.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mark-field-video-climate-change-protester-female-mansion-house-greenpeace-a8968241.html
https://twitter.com/BBCNewsnight/status/1141826667960078337
@BBCNewsnight
Footage shows foreign office minister Mark Field MP removing a protestor from the Mansion House dinner earlier this evening.
It looks to be a very difficult situation for everyone concerned, says @AlistairBurtUK #newsnight | @KirstyWark
https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1141822257007910912
@PaulBrandITV
In this longer version of the video, you can see the woman apparently posing no immediate threat as she passes behind Mark Field. He marches her out of the room by her neck. I wasnt there, so I cant say she didnt pose a risk, but it looks heavy handed.
After a media furore erupted, Field released a statement:
Field would like us to know that we can't trust our lying eyes, which show the woman walking, not even that briskly, past some diners who don't even react, until Field turns around in his seat, grabs at her, pushes her heavily into a pillar, then grapples with her clumsily before shoving her forcefully and frogmarching her towards the exit while gripping her by the neck. (Had she indeed been armed, leaving her hands free as he did would mean we'd now likely be discussing the deceased MP for the Cities of London and Westminster. As it is, we may be discussing the ex-MP etc. etc.)
Footage from moments earlier and a different angle shows other protesters being intercepted and escorted out rather less brutally:
https://twitter.com/Ian_Fraser/status/1141831367627563008
@Ian_Fraser
This is the moment climate change protestors disrupted "Spreadsheet" Phil Hammond's Mansion House speech (just before Mark Field MP appeared to assault one of them)
There's been no identification so far of the protester, and no indication whether she's suffered lasting ill effects.
As Foreign Office Minister for Asia and the Pacific, Field's boss is Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, whose campaign team is unlikely to be happy about their prime ministerial candidate having to answer some awkward questions tomorrow concerning what he intends to do about it. Meanwhile, some of the pathetic excuses and even cheers of approval being spouted by certain Tory MPs aren't reflecting well on them or their party.
Britain's Next Prime Minister Has Probably Already Lost Scotland
Statehood is again on the agenda in Edinburgh as Brexit raises uncomfortable questions about the very union that defines the U.K. The political divide underscored by the Brexit vote was only reinforced by last months elections for the European Parliament. As candidates to become the next British prime minister vow to pull out of the EU on Oct. 31 with or without a deal, Scots are confronted with a stark choice: Should they stick with the English and their version of nationalism, or roll the independence dice again?
Nowhere illustrates the dilemma better than the capital. A compact city of some half a million people, Edinburgh was decisive in swaying a previous referendum against independence in 2014. That vote was agreed to by then-Prime Minister David Cameron in a bid to quell separatist sentiment for a generation or more. Two years later, 74% of Edinburgh voters opposed Brexit, the highest margin for Remain of any U.K. city. That preference for the status quo looks increasingly untenable for a place with such long-standing European connections and a financial-services industry that stands to suffer post-Brexit.
The north-south divide is visible in the words second referendum. In England they signal a rerun of the Brexit vote; in Scotland the meaning is to take another shot at breaking away from the rest of the U.K. The Scottish government, run by the pro-independence Scottish National Party for the past 12 years, reckons its just a matter of time before its U.K. counterpart in London has no choice but to sanction another vote. A spokesman for the administration in Edinburgh says the U.K. policy of blocking a repeat of the 2014 referendum will simply prove to be democratically unsustainable.
Theres a definite shift in independence support, says Simon Pia, a former communications director for the Labour Party in the Scottish Parliament who was involved in the campaign for a No vote in 2014. Now a lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University, hes since switched to the Yes camp, largely as a result of what he sees as a growing political and cultural gulf between Scotland and its southern neighbor. While English politics is divided along Brexit lines, the parties in Scotland cleave along pro- or anti-independence lines. Pia says his students now are overwhelmingly for independence, but not necessarily pro-SNP. To them, moving from a devolved Scottish administration to independence is a natural progression, one likely to be accelerated by the election of a pro-Brexit Conservative leader like Boris Johnson, who is yet more of an alienation to Scots.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-18/britain-s-next-prime-minister-has-probably-already-lost-scotland
Following on from bronxiteforever's earlier thread, Bloomberg takes a fairish shot at summing up some of the tensions afflicting the Union at the moment.
The article's not without flaws: "The SNP is meanwhile criticized for a poor record of delivery in the policy areas over which it has control, most notably on high school education." The criticisms are generally from the Opposition sides of the Scottish Parliament along with cheap shots from Westminster, whereas the other parties' past records in Scottish Government haven't been stellar, to say the least, and that "poor record of delivery" under the SNP and latterly the SNP and Scottish Green Party outshines the rest of the UK in most if not all of the devolved areas of governance.
As for "Opponents of full autonomy say the SNPs spending policies depend on the transfer of money that comes with being part of the U.K.", we could fill a thread with the debate on the long-deliberately obfuscated balance of payments between the Scottish Government and Westminster (I'd really rather not spend the time and effort doing that, but if we must, we must, I guess, just don't expect it to be simple!).
Labour frontbench MP Andy McDonald takes no nonsense from BBC Radio 4 Today's John Humphrys
https://twitter.com/sturdyAlex/status/1136902819909459970@sturdyAlex
This clip of @AndyMcDonaldMP nailing John Humphrys on his Trump apologia, has brightened up my morning. Its usually not the interviewees job to challenge the interviewer on blatantly false statements, but this is where we are now, it seems.
I almost never listen to the Today morning "news" programme nowadays as I can do without the blood pressure surge at that time of day, but I turned it on as I finished dozing this morning to catch the hot takes on Peterborough, and I'm really glad I did.
Humphrys was up to his usual tricks with McDonald (having given Farage an easy ride earlier in the show), interrupting gratuitously, patronizing, and worst, misrepresenting Trump's line on the NHS, denying that Trump said clearly it would be on the table during any trade negotiations before he backtracked a few hours later (and ignoring similar repeated statements from US Ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson).
McDonald stuck to his guns and trod the fine line between mirroring Humphrys' aggression and keeping his cool enough to make sure his points were made, at one point grappling control of the interview and reducing Humphrys to a spluttering, giggling mess when he had to grudgingly concede McDonald's point, revealing that it's all a lucrative game for the useless terminally biased old codger.
It's a shame that I and others feel the need to applaud on the rare occasions this happens, and an even greater shame what the BBC's flagship news programme, with pretensions to set the news agenda for the day, has been reduced to.
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