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Emrys
Emrys's Journal
Emrys's Journal
August 28, 2019
And from the Primest Minister of them all, the Sun King himself ...
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1166821141207494656.html
Nine Tory ministers condemn prorogation of Parliament
What ministers said about prorogation before they put their own careers before the interests of the country
Ian Birrell https://twitter.com/ianbirrell
1) @NickyMorgan01, culture sec: 'It would lead to a constitutional crisis.'
2) @MattHancock, health sec: 'There is this idea from some people that to deliver Brexit we should suspend our parliamentary democracy, we should prorogue parliament. That goes against everything those men who waded onto those beaches fought & died for - and I will not have it'
3) @AmberRuddHR dd work & pensions sec: 'The idea of leaving the EU to take back more control into parliament and to consider the idea of closing parliament to do that is the most extraordinary idea I've ever heard. It is a ridiculous suggestion to consider Proroguing parliament
4) Sajid Javid, chancellor: You don't deliver on democracy by trashing democracy . . . we are not selecting a dictator of our country"
5) @MattHancock again: Proroguing Parliament undermines parliamentary democracy. I rule it out and call on all candidates to do the same
6) @AmberRuddHR again: 'I think it’s outrageous to consider proroguing Parliament. We are not Stuart kings.”
7) @MattHancock yet again: 'A policy on Brexit to prorogue Parliament would mean the end of the Conservative Party as a serious party of government'
8) @michaelgove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster: 'I think it will be wrong for many reasons. I think it would not be true to the best traditions of British democracy
9) @NickyMorgan01 again: 'Proroguing Parliament is clearly a mad suggestion. You cannot say you are going to take back control … and then go: ‘Oh, by the way, we are just going to shut Parliament down for a couple of months, so we are just going to drift out on a no deal’
10) @andrealeadsom, business sec, was asked if she could go along with such a plan. 'No I don’t believe I would and I don’t believe it would happen.'
11) @andrealeadsom also said: 'It's certainly not something I would seek to do. I'm passionate about parliament democracy.'
...
12) @GeorgeFreemanMP, transport minister: 'The idea that a new PM will want, let alone be allowed by backbench MPs or Peers, to prorogue Parliament is bonkers. It would look appalling.'
...
13) @michaelgove again: 'One reason I argued to leave the EU was to make our parliament stronger, to reinvigorate our democracy. It would be a terrible thing if having said we should have more power in our country & trust our institutions more we shut the doors of parliament'
Ian Birrell https://twitter.com/ianbirrell
1) @NickyMorgan01, culture sec: 'It would lead to a constitutional crisis.'
2) @MattHancock, health sec: 'There is this idea from some people that to deliver Brexit we should suspend our parliamentary democracy, we should prorogue parliament. That goes against everything those men who waded onto those beaches fought & died for - and I will not have it'
3) @AmberRuddHR dd work & pensions sec: 'The idea of leaving the EU to take back more control into parliament and to consider the idea of closing parliament to do that is the most extraordinary idea I've ever heard. It is a ridiculous suggestion to consider Proroguing parliament
4) Sajid Javid, chancellor: You don't deliver on democracy by trashing democracy . . . we are not selecting a dictator of our country"
5) @MattHancock again: Proroguing Parliament undermines parliamentary democracy. I rule it out and call on all candidates to do the same
6) @AmberRuddHR again: 'I think it’s outrageous to consider proroguing Parliament. We are not Stuart kings.”
7) @MattHancock yet again: 'A policy on Brexit to prorogue Parliament would mean the end of the Conservative Party as a serious party of government'
8) @michaelgove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster: 'I think it will be wrong for many reasons. I think it would not be true to the best traditions of British democracy
9) @NickyMorgan01 again: 'Proroguing Parliament is clearly a mad suggestion. You cannot say you are going to take back control … and then go: ‘Oh, by the way, we are just going to shut Parliament down for a couple of months, so we are just going to drift out on a no deal’
10) @andrealeadsom, business sec, was asked if she could go along with such a plan. 'No I don’t believe I would and I don’t believe it would happen.'
11) @andrealeadsom also said: 'It's certainly not something I would seek to do. I'm passionate about parliament democracy.'
...
12) @GeorgeFreemanMP, transport minister: 'The idea that a new PM will want, let alone be allowed by backbench MPs or Peers, to prorogue Parliament is bonkers. It would look appalling.'
...
13) @michaelgove again: 'One reason I argued to leave the EU was to make our parliament stronger, to reinvigorate our democracy. It would be a terrible thing if having said we should have more power in our country & trust our institutions more we shut the doors of parliament'
And from the Primest Minister of them all, the Sun King himself ...
14) @BorisJohnson, PM (h/t @Sandbach): 'I would like to make it absolutely clear that I am not attracted to arcane procedures such as the prorogation of Parliament. As someone who aspires to be the PM of a democratic nation, I believe in finding consensus in the House of Commons'
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1166821141207494656.html
August 28, 2019
Small beans compared to the rest of today's news maybe, this will have been utterly predictable (despite the disclaimer above) if it pans out tomorrow. Davidson's never overtaxed herself as an MSP (as her constituents can vouch), so claims of "lifestyle and family commitments" conflicting with her cosy job in the family-friendly parliament at Holyrood just aren't credible.
Davidson, for far too long given an ultra-easy ride by the media, was once (seriously over-)hyped as a potential UK Tory leader, the public and electoral face of a Tory Party in Scotland that hardly dare display the brand "Conservative Party" on its literature and publicity:
She's been on the skids ever since May formed her alliance with the DUP, when their attitudes toward LGBT issues put her, as the openly gay, "modernizing" face of the Scottish Tories, in a very awkward position.
When the Tories won an unexpected 13 MPs in the last election, Davidson boasted that "her" MPs would take Scotland's case (in the very restrictive terms the Scottish Tories think fitting for us) to Westminster more effectively than the other parties could. The reality has been that "her" MPs have proven far more loyal to May, and so far Johnson, than to her (or indeed, Scotland), and she became more and more irrelevant even before, and especially after, she took maternity leave over the last year.
She was an ardent Remainer during the Brexit referendum, had a very awkward time squaring that stance with the evolving UK Tory line, backed a series of losers in the Tory leadership contest, and had to eat a hearty helping of crow when Johnson was elected.
In the UK context, if a series of polls are to believed, even before today's events and with her still at the helm, the Tories looked likely to lose all 13 of their Scottish MPs at the next general election. After today, and without her as figurehead, that looks like more than a fair bet, chipping away at a possible Tory majority at Westminster. We'll have to wait and see whether she remains in politics at all (we don't know yet whether she just intends to stand down as leader or whether she'll also quit as an MSP), but the No campaign in a future Scottish independence referendum would sorely miss her, though her claims and arguments from campaigns past would be very difficult to defend given how events have turned out and are turning out still.
Who's likely to succeed her as leader of the Scottish Tory branch office is anybody's guess at the moment, and we can but hope for a protracted, ugly contest, but none of the likely contenders (most probably from among the ranks of Tory MSPs) are charismatic, competent nor at all appealing.
Ruth Davidson 'to quit as Scottish Conservative leader'
Party sources confirmed Ms Davidson was considering her position and was expected to make a statement tomorrow.
...
The news broke hours after Boris Johnson moved to suspend parliament for five weeks in order to stop MPs blocking a no-deal Brexit.
Mr Davidson has never hidden her disdain for Mr Johnson, or her opposition to no-deal.
However sources said her decision was not in response to the Prime Minister’s increasingly hardline on Brexit, but based on lifestyle and family commitments.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17866264.ruth-davidson-to-quit-scottish-conservative-leader/
...
The news broke hours after Boris Johnson moved to suspend parliament for five weeks in order to stop MPs blocking a no-deal Brexit.
Mr Davidson has never hidden her disdain for Mr Johnson, or her opposition to no-deal.
However sources said her decision was not in response to the Prime Minister’s increasingly hardline on Brexit, but based on lifestyle and family commitments.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17866264.ruth-davidson-to-quit-scottish-conservative-leader/
Small beans compared to the rest of today's news maybe, this will have been utterly predictable (despite the disclaimer above) if it pans out tomorrow. Davidson's never overtaxed herself as an MSP (as her constituents can vouch), so claims of "lifestyle and family commitments" conflicting with her cosy job in the family-friendly parliament at Holyrood just aren't credible.
Davidson, for far too long given an ultra-easy ride by the media, was once (seriously over-)hyped as a potential UK Tory leader, the public and electoral face of a Tory Party in Scotland that hardly dare display the brand "Conservative Party" on its literature and publicity:
She's been on the skids ever since May formed her alliance with the DUP, when their attitudes toward LGBT issues put her, as the openly gay, "modernizing" face of the Scottish Tories, in a very awkward position.
When the Tories won an unexpected 13 MPs in the last election, Davidson boasted that "her" MPs would take Scotland's case (in the very restrictive terms the Scottish Tories think fitting for us) to Westminster more effectively than the other parties could. The reality has been that "her" MPs have proven far more loyal to May, and so far Johnson, than to her (or indeed, Scotland), and she became more and more irrelevant even before, and especially after, she took maternity leave over the last year.
She was an ardent Remainer during the Brexit referendum, had a very awkward time squaring that stance with the evolving UK Tory line, backed a series of losers in the Tory leadership contest, and had to eat a hearty helping of crow when Johnson was elected.
In the UK context, if a series of polls are to believed, even before today's events and with her still at the helm, the Tories looked likely to lose all 13 of their Scottish MPs at the next general election. After today, and without her as figurehead, that looks like more than a fair bet, chipping away at a possible Tory majority at Westminster. We'll have to wait and see whether she remains in politics at all (we don't know yet whether she just intends to stand down as leader or whether she'll also quit as an MSP), but the No campaign in a future Scottish independence referendum would sorely miss her, though her claims and arguments from campaigns past would be very difficult to defend given how events have turned out and are turning out still.
Who's likely to succeed her as leader of the Scottish Tory branch office is anybody's guess at the moment, and we can but hope for a protracted, ugly contest, but none of the likely contenders (most probably from among the ranks of Tory MSPs) are charismatic, competent nor at all appealing.
August 14, 2019
(No, this is not a spoof.)
What the self-proclaimed leader of a "far-moderate voice of common sense" in Britain, a.k.a. Dick Braine, looks like:
If Mr Braine has any complaints, I think they should be aimed at his apparently unimaginative, or unconcerned, parents.
Ukip leader Richard Braine says he is 'getting a bit fed up with all this dickbraine stuff'
Another month, another UKIP leader ...
...
Liz McInnes, the Labour MP, said: “I see that Ukip, in their perpetual leadership contest that is rivalled only by the DFS sale in its longevity, have now elected a triumph of nominative determinism, a Mr Dick Braine.”
Her party colleague, David Lammy, tweeted: “I wish I could laugh at the fact that this man is literally called Dick Braine. But I can’t, because I know it will only mask the seriousness of his dangerous and vile Islamophobia. His predecessors would be proud.”
Mr Braine had earlier said he “often” confused Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, with the leader of the 7/7 terror attackers. His tweet was condemned by Labour as “unacceptable racism”.
The Ukip leader also told Sky News on Tuesday the UK should “look into” banning the distribution of the Quran.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ukip-leader-richard-braine-dickbraine-twitter-george-osborne-a9055681.html
(No, this is not a spoof.)
What the self-proclaimed leader of a "far-moderate voice of common sense" in Britain, a.k.a. Dick Braine, looks like:
If Mr Braine has any complaints, I think they should be aimed at his apparently unimaginative, or unconcerned, parents.
August 7, 2019
So much for the façade that the Brexit Party would be a sanitized, rebranded UKIP without the overt racism.
The fatuousness of that pretense will be clear to anyone who's been following Farage's recruitment drive for candidates to stand in a general election (each paying an "application fee" of £100 - a nice little earner on top of all the dark money slushing around).
Jacob Mates on Twitter has been taking a look at some of the candidates as they've been announced (because heaven forbid any mainstream outlet would do it, let alone challenge Farage on it during any of his monotonous media appearances):
https://twitter.com/MatesJacob/status/1157599297795477505
https://twitter.com/MatesJacob/status/1157599312144195584
https://twitter.com/MatesJacob/status/1157599321421991936
https://twitter.com/MatesJacob/status/1157599332918595584
https://twitter.com/MatesJacob/status/1157599341433036800
https://twitter.com/MatesJacob/status/1157599344696143872
I'm sure they'll get right on to that. That's just one example. There are many other recently announced candidates whose past doesn't stand up to scrutiny.
Look forward to the sort of rhetoric Farage is likely to come out with again during an upcoming election being matched by Johnson and his boss, Dominic Cummings. Let's just hope none of the other parties decide to join in.
Nigel Farage Has Hired A Journalist At The Centre Of Breitbart's Anti-Immigration Europe Coverage
During his three years at Breitbart London between 2015 and 2018, Liam Deacon churned out an extraordinary number of sensationalist stories about migrant crime, while promoting the activities of far-right, anti-Islam figures like Tommy Robinson and Anne Marie Waters, and attacking familiar targets of the European far-right like Angela Merkel and Sadiq Khan.
After leaving the publication, Deacon worked briefly for the Daily Star before joining the Brexit Party as a press officer in June.
More than 2,600 articles on the far-right site carry Deacon’s by-line. He started regularly writing for the website in April, 2015 as the European migrant crisis was rapidly escalating.
Some of his output involved mundane, tabloid news – Deacon’s by-line appears on the story about the man who officially changed his name to Buzz Lightyear, and the boat that was named “Boaty McBoatface” – or stories which touched on traditional right-wing culture war issues.
But mainly, Deacon wrote pieces which focused on Muslims, crime and immigration.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/markdistefano/brexit-party-journalist-breitbart
After leaving the publication, Deacon worked briefly for the Daily Star before joining the Brexit Party as a press officer in June.
More than 2,600 articles on the far-right site carry Deacon’s by-line. He started regularly writing for the website in April, 2015 as the European migrant crisis was rapidly escalating.
Some of his output involved mundane, tabloid news – Deacon’s by-line appears on the story about the man who officially changed his name to Buzz Lightyear, and the boat that was named “Boaty McBoatface” – or stories which touched on traditional right-wing culture war issues.
But mainly, Deacon wrote pieces which focused on Muslims, crime and immigration.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/markdistefano/brexit-party-journalist-breitbart
So much for the façade that the Brexit Party would be a sanitized, rebranded UKIP without the overt racism.
The fatuousness of that pretense will be clear to anyone who's been following Farage's recruitment drive for candidates to stand in a general election (each paying an "application fee" of £100 - a nice little earner on top of all the dark money slushing around).
Jacob Mates on Twitter has been taking a look at some of the candidates as they've been announced (because heaven forbid any mainstream outlet would do it, let alone challenge Farage on it during any of his monotonous media appearances):
https://twitter.com/MatesJacob/status/1157599297795477505
MatesJacob @MatesJacob
Aug 3, 2019
🚨PLEASE RETWEET!🚨
Yesterday the Brexit Party announced the names of their parliamentary candidates, so I thought I’d have a quick look.
I’m afraid it’s bad news.
[THREAD]
MatesJacob @MatesJacob
2/ Meet John Booker, an ex-UKIP councillor from Sheffield. You’d think the @brexitparty_uk might do some social media vetting of their candidates, but apparently not...
Aug 3, 2019
🚨PLEASE RETWEET!🚨
Yesterday the Brexit Party announced the names of their parliamentary candidates, so I thought I’d have a quick look.
I’m afraid it’s bad news.
[THREAD]
MatesJacob @MatesJacob
2/ Meet John Booker, an ex-UKIP councillor from Sheffield. You’d think the @brexitparty_uk might do some social media vetting of their candidates, but apparently not...
The Brexit Party ✔ @brexitparty_uk
CANDIDATE ANNOUNCEMENT:
Congratulations, John Booker!
Our Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for #Penistone & #Stocksbridge.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EA9bI3JWwAIP8ph?format=jpg
https://twitter.com/MatesJacob/status/1157599312144195584
MatesJacob @MatesJacob
3/ They seem to have missed his sharing of Islamophobic posts like this one:
3/ They seem to have missed his sharing of Islamophobic posts like this one:
https://twitter.com/MatesJacob/status/1157599321421991936
MatesJacob @MatesJacob
4/ ...and also missed his ‘likes’ on racially abusive comments aimed at @MagicMagid:
4/ ...and also missed his ‘likes’ on racially abusive comments aimed at @MagicMagid:
https://twitter.com/MatesJacob/status/1157599332918595584
MatesJacob @MatesJacob
5/ He liked a comment that warned against a Muslim “takeover”, with them “slowly getting people into powerful positions”
5/ He liked a comment that warned against a Muslim “takeover”, with them “slowly getting people into powerful positions”
https://twitter.com/MatesJacob/status/1157599341433036800
MatesJacob @MatesJacob
6/ He liked a comment that seems to call for violent action against Islam/Muslims.
6/ He liked a comment that seems to call for violent action against Islam/Muslims.
https://twitter.com/MatesJacob/status/1157599344696143872
MatesJacob @MatesJacob
7/ If the Brexit Party truly intends to be “intolerant of intolerance” it needs to withdraw this candidate immediately, and be far more thorough in vetting the remaining 600+ candidates still to be announced.
[END]
7/ If the Brexit Party truly intends to be “intolerant of intolerance” it needs to withdraw this candidate immediately, and be far more thorough in vetting the remaining 600+ candidates still to be announced.
[END]
I'm sure they'll get right on to that. That's just one example. There are many other recently announced candidates whose past doesn't stand up to scrutiny.
Look forward to the sort of rhetoric Farage is likely to come out with again during an upcoming election being matched by Johnson and his boss, Dominic Cummings. Let's just hope none of the other parties decide to join in.
August 2, 2019
Lib Dems win Brecon & Radnorshire by-election
Their candidate, Jane Dodds, beat the incumbent Tory, Chris Davies, who'd been recalled after an expenses scandal.
Lib Dems 13826
Tories 12401
Brexit Party 3331
Labour 1680
Monster Raving Loony Party 334
UKIP 242
Plaid Cymru and the Greens didn't stand, in order to maximize the chances of defeating the Tories.
This reduces the Tories' majority in parliament to one (at time of writing - there have been rumours that a Lib Dem win might trigger defections over the next day or so).
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