POLITICS CORNER

[plaques]

Virtually everything that Boris said in todays Prime Ministers Question time. Was a lie or contained contrary facts. Riding on the self proclaimed mythical success of the corvid virus programme he repeated the lie that had we stayed in the Common Market we wouldn't have been able to roll it as fast as we did. The fact was that we were in the Common Market at that time and there were no restrictions on anybody taking action if they wanted to.
When confronted with our current abysmal growth record his claim was that we had the highest growth in the G7. The 'had' in this sentence must have been the past tense of the word since it the present trends are downwards. This was later confirmed in the next answer by saying that in 2024/5 because of the measures we are taking we shall have the fastest growth. If he means nuclear energy you can safely add another 20 years to this figure. Returning to the 'had' word the 'shall' statement is an admission that we are currently behind the rest.

On and on it went in an avalanche of verbal diarrhea of none answers which as we have now been conditioned to expect has nothing to do with the question.
No wonder Ian is angry.

[Stanley]

Everyone should be angry..... no point in detailing the hundreds of Billions of Pounds that this government has squandered. We were the laughing stock of the world and now we are sliding down to the bottom of almost every measure of economic and social performance that exists.
Johnson is doing as I predicted. The Tory backbenchers will not throw him out because that would almost certainly trigger an election and they fear for their comfortable jobs. The 'normal' mechanisms of government are totally corrupted by this hard nosed, cruel and incompetent front bench who are acting more like Mafia bosses than democrats.
I have a question.... why can't the opposition parties combine and pass a vote of no confidence in the government? Could it be that the situation is so bad and complicated that nobody wants to take it on?

[Stanley]

Later, I am sitting here listening to yet another Downing Street apologist (Steve Barclay Johnson's new Chief of Staff) banging on about how Johnson isn't guilty of anything.
But it's another matter that intrigues me. He keeps referring to the Downing Street staff 'working incredibly hard for incredibly long hours'. Do they really know what that means?

[PanBiker]

Seconds away, round two! Everyone sing along, "Oh.....a.....spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down"!

It's the Rishi show this afternoon or how to corrupt the electoral system with a lesson in how to BUY votes.

Angry doesn't cover it, we should be rioting in the streets. I was nearly sick last night watching the news of the folk who have been sucked in and agree with "it's time to move on". Are they bloody stupid or what?

[plaques]

Angry doesn't cover it, we should be rioting in the streets. I was nearly sick last night watching the news of the folk who have been sucked in and agree with "it's time to move on". Are they bloody stupid or what?

Moving on means that you leave all the corruption and pathological lying in place. The country will have accepted that its the norm to tell lies and renege on promises. Being led by a narcissistic Prime Minister whose only concern is his own image will result in the country being dragged down on every measure of governance and honesty that we expect from our leaders. Johnson's whole cabinet is full of sycophants who will do his bidding in the full knowledge that they will be thrown under a buss whenever it suits his purpose. Moving on is the last thing we should do until this cancer has been cut out completely.

[Stanley]

I'm with both of you. In practical terms the best thing would be if the Parliamentary Privileges Committee did its job and went for his throat. Failing that it has to be an internal Tory Party revolt.
If the opposition parties would show some spine and run a no confidence campaign that would do it but I fear none of them are Bolshie enough. Do we have to wait for an election?

[PanBiker]

Do we have to wait for an election?

Problem there is that they will just buy their way out if the shit!

[Stanley]

The crisis aid has been announced by the Chancellor and he has listened to the criticisms. It is surprisingly generous and yes the oil companies are squealing like stuck pigs.
(On a point of accuracy. Stuck pigs don't squeal, they just bleed out quickly.)

[Big Kev]

The crisis aid has been announced by the Chancellor and he has listened to the criticisms. It is surprisingly generous and yes the oil companies are squealing like stuck pigs.
(On a point of accuracy. Stuck pigs don't squeal, they just bleed out quickly.)

We haven't got it yet...

[Stanley]

Have faith Kev.....

[plaques]

After four months of saying it was against Conservative ideology Rishi Sunak stuck his head out from under the bus and declared a U-turn on a windfall tax. Only a few hours previously Boris Johnson had been castigating Labour about stealing the profits from hard working companies. This attack on Starmer's idea was accompanied by a cheap jibe on Vladimir Corbyn which was the cue for the Conservatives to start braying like donkeys. The phrase 'Lions led by Donkeys' comes to mind.

At first sight the proposed windfall tax looks promising but as always the devil is in the detail. To offset some of the pain for the loss of their 'hard earned' profits the energy companies are being offered a 90p per £ tax break on future green investment which will in effect come out of the tax payers pocket. So who are the winners and losers we have yet to see.

[Tripps]

Ref Ukraine - I have a very vague memory of British farmers moving to Ukraine, and continuing to farm. Usual complaints of not being able to afford to farm in UK, cheap land compared to UK , great opprtunities etc. I think perhaps a lot of the land there is owned and farmed by multi national companies. Add that to the fact that many American politicians (Hunter Biden) have complex interests there, and perhaps the situation becomes more understandable?

Ukraine grain

[Big Kev]

Have faith Kev.....

We'll see...

FB_IMG_1653588767687.jpg

[Tripps]

Very appropriate

When in doubt move the goalposts

With one bound he was free. Who will rid us of this person?

PS: There were several candidates for an adjective to precede 'person'. None was found sufficiently suitable to convey my sense of contempt for him .

[Stanley]

I heard that report and had exactly the same thought David, bu it is exactly what I predicted earlier. The Bullingdon Ethic is to do wrong and get away with it by brazen behaviour, lying, ignoring normal rules of procedure and refusing to head for the exit.
I think Laura Kuenssberg my have got it right when she says he is incapable of change. That being the case it may be the next gross error or external circumstance that forces him into action which will be one breach of rules too far for the Party.
You are right David, we need to get rid of him, he is dragging the UK down with the Tory Party.
"PS: There were several candidates for an adjective to precede 'person'. None was found sufficiently suitable to convey my sense of contempt for him". I see your problem.
Mine was similar. I racked my brain but couldn't think of a bad enough politician from the past to illustrate our problem. The nearest I can get is the Emperor Nero but that was too long ago.....

[plaques]

I think everyone can see that this massive U-turn on windfall tax is an attempt to divert attention away from Partygate and present a more caring image. After months of ignoring the cost of living crisis under the pretext that it was against Conservative ideology which would have continued except for the save Boris at all costs campaign, the thing to remember from this volte-face is not that they care about people when in truth they don't care a toss they are only trying to save their own skins. The Partygate fiasco is too serious and has upset too many people for it to be brushed under the carpet as a minor aberration of standards. Too many people and most of the more sane media or saying enough is enough and Boris Johnson should go. Unfortunately for the Conservatives and for the country its now too late to change leaders with the general election getting closer and closer there isn't enough time left for people to forget the heartache of the lockdown period.
Watch out for U-terns on the NI protocol where Liz Truss is already claiming the improvements suggested by the EU are now her own ideas. Also in an attempt to save Boris's skin the DUP will be thrown under the bus along with many others.

[Stanley]

"they are only trying to save their own skins. "
Spot on Ken. I really do believe that that is what is driving the Tory Backbenchers at a subliminal level, even the better ones. However, I can't see a straight leadership vote cutting it. Looking at Johnson's predilection for cocking up it may be another monstrous gaffe that is the proverbial last straw.
What is certain is that what we are looking at now is beyond normal, the House has been corrupted by Johnson and his ilk and the normal defences like the Speaker are helpless. I have nothing to compare it with, I have never seen anything like this. Johnson's actions have more in common with a rising Dictator than any 'normal' politician I can remember.

[plaques]

The latest attempt by our imported Buffoon (he was born in America) is to turn the clock back by returning to the old imperial measurements, lbs, ounces, pints and gallons etc: All this nostalgia is being trolled out to appeal to the older voters who have difficulty converting from the current world system of metric from what they were used to when they were children. ( some people actually use vulgar fractions for measurement but I won't go into that ). Its worth remembering that in principle we went metric in 1965 and then for packaging etc when we joined the common market 1973. Consequently we now have 80% of the population who have grown up with the metric system. If it was part of Partygate it would be 'time to move on' not turn the clock back. Just one more dead cat on the table from the inevitable shower of dead cats that we will see to see as an attempt to distract from the realities of Brexit and right-wing dictatorship.

[Stanley]

I wonder if their attempt to resuscitate Imperial Measurement includes the Rod pole or perch?
Ken, try to express 1/3 accurately in Metric......
But on the whole you'#re right, this is a dead cat thrown on the table as Johnson's hold on the Tory Party crumbles....

[Tizer]

The latest attempt by our imported Buffoon (he was born in America) is to turn the clock back by returning to the old imperial measurements, lbs, ounces, pints and gallons etc.

Coincidentally Mrs Tiz raised this issue over lunch today - she's been catching up with the news. Bringing back imperial measures was one of the promises of the brexiteers-to-be even before the EU Referendum. I said we should go completely metric instead of the bungled system we've had since the UK's `change to metric'. Mrs Tiz - always on the lookout for a chance to catch me out - asked if I would change the clocks to metric!

But the `pretend metric' that we were lumbered with was never going to work because it was a bodged job. For a start, we still use imperial for some things. Worst of all is that we didn't use metric in the manner it's designed for. And we don't teach it properly in schools.

[Tripps]

Here's a list of units of measurement used in aviation

What could possibly go wrong?

[Stanley]

Was it a Mars probe that failed to find the target because one half the team worked in Imperial and the others in Metric?
I've never had any problem as I am still Imperial in my head and all my machines are calibrated in Imperial. I also use Vulgar Fractions and before anyone starts laughing note that the progression of 2,4,8,16,32,64,128 parts of an inch built modern Britain.
I think one thing that the government has missed is that industry went over to Metric and all modern machines are made as such. It gets harder to source Imperial sizes of stock, nuts and bolts etc. Interesting to note that the system I use most, British Association, is and always has been a metric thread.

[plaques]

Partygate rumbles on. The focus is back on the 'ABBA' party given by Carrie Johnson in No11 for the Buffoon's birthday. Sue Gray had it down for investigation with enough circumstantial evidence that it warranted investigation. Then the MET steps in so Gray stops without it appearing in her report. The MET then only investigates what she has found in her report. The ABBA party has missed the boat. I see no ships is the MET's answer to why it is missing. Well that's all right then, time to move on. We don't investigate crimes that have happened in the past. From this one can conclude that they only investigate crimes that have taken place in the future? Operation 'Save big Dog' is now bringing the police and the whole concept of 'with fear or favour' into disrepute. Organise a protest march and Priti Patel will have you locked up in double quick time. Along with Johnson changing the rules of 'independent investigations that start and stop at his desk the UK is on the slippery slope to dictatorship.

[Big Kev]

The latest attempt by our imported Buffoon (he was born in America) is to turn the clock back by returning to the old imperial measurements, lbs, ounces, pints and gallons etc:

I heard asbestos and white dog poop are next on his list

[Stanley]

According to Mayhew, 'dog poop' was called 'pure' in the early 19th century by the tanners who paid people to collect it from the streets and the white variety (From dogs who had gnawed on bones) was the most prized so the collectors used to roll brown turds in lime to qualify for the higher price.....