POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

Ken, my friends are telling me similar stories of serious failings by the police in the US.
I heard a long time Republican on R4 yesterday talking about why he had decided not to support Trump. He had a list of problems but the greatest he sees coming is one which cannot be avoided. If Trump loses he will claim he was robbed by a rigged election and his hard core support will seize that thought and perpetuate it as a cause of public discontent and mistrust that will permeate US politics for many years. Sounds like a reasonable prediction to me....
Meanwhile here in the UK, or rather in the Westminster Bubble, we have what is virtually an absentee administration. No doubt beavering away behind the scenes to further its disruptive policies, but doing virtually nothing about day to day governance or informing the public who are left to sort the wheat from the chaff of daily 'opinions' from 'experts'.
As for Brexit 'negotiations', they have been abandoned, No Deal at the end of the year is a certainty. What this is doing for the future plans of the wealth makers can only be imagined but I can't see any of it being beneficial to UK PLC. I'd love someone to prove that I am wrong. As for Tory poll ratings, nothing can be done to improve the prospects of the Party as long as Number Ten is populated by dead-legs whose only qualification is Brexiteer who supports Johnson. It isn't because the opposition looks attractive, simply because the present Tory administration is obviously not fit for purpose. Again, show me I am wrong!

[chinatyke]

Are you aware that both the pound and the dollar are strengthening in World markets? Not everyone must be sharing your pessimistic views.

[Stanley]

China, you are old and experienced enough to know that currency movements are dictated solely by the vagaries of the market and as such have very little significance for poverty stricken buggers like us.
Don't attach any significance to it!

[chinatyke]

[plaques]

Our politicians are supposed to read the runes and set a plan of action for years ahead. Unfortunately the country had been riding on an economic bubble that was going to pop at any time. The coronavirus pandemic popped the bubble much earlier than expected. Perhaps we could have managed a no deal Brexit providing people kept spending on credit but when the job losses kicked in and less money was floating about excessive personal credit was one of the first icons of modern life to suffer. The downward spiral was on. The governments response has been initially to act as though we were looking at a different type of flu manageable by ignoring it. The first big U-turn was to emulate other countries but now behind the curve. Then try to follow them by opening up areas which would make matters worse. Another U-turn to partial lockdowns. In between was the world beating 'track and trace' not a U-turn just a complete flop. If we open schools that will make it look more normal. Another U-turn when they realised normality means wearing masks.
The old adage is ' when the facts change I change my mind'. Quite right to but what we are seeing is that the facts were already there and the decisions were wrong. This brings into focus that all this mysterious rune reading about future events is also wrong. Time for a change of rune readers?

[Tizer]

Brexit, what's that?....Thinks....Oh yes, now I seem to recall something about that in the dim and distant past...
Matthew Parris has written a great article on Brexit in Saturday's issue of The Times. It can be distilled down to something we OGers know - our Brexiteer government is intent on a no deal exit. Parris knows Boris well from earlier days of journalism and says he has dificulty making decisions. He believes Boris is unsure what to do but Cummings et al will push him towards no deal. The one bright spot on the horizon is that if the business community hears there's a no deal exit coming they'll go ballistic.

[Stanley]

Lovely Précis of the situation Ken and I think Matthew Parris is on the right track Peter. The suspicion that Cummings is the éminence grise, if right, flags up the modern phenomenon in government of the powerlessness of the Cabinet. Or in this case the fact that they are all sycophants and dead-legs. With Blair it was 'sofa government' but same result. It is all part of the shift to a Presidential style of government but the problem is that our system isn't designed to cope with that and there is no written constitution or built-in checks and balances. The result is that, in the absence of strong ministers in Cabinet, we have anarchy and one man or group can lead us astray.
There was a good piece on Brexit on World at One yesterday which laid out the problem very well and I think part two is on today. It examined the ERG group and its influence.
As for the business community, they may have an influence but most likely by voting with their feet in an effort of self-preservation.
As David would say, 'What could go wrong'? We will soon find out I fear and then it will be too late.

[Tizer]

Boris Johnson-Cummings doing a Donald Trump trick?
`No 10 official chosen to be head of UK civil service: Simon Case seen as trusted member of inner circle who will push through reforms of how state is run' FT

[plaques]

Spooky, I was about to do a post on Simon Case when I got dragged away for the day. Can't see your link Tizer but its probably the one I was reading. Undoubtedly an intelligent man but some doubt exists about his commercial background and also would he have the nous to see where a no deal Brexit would take the UK. A quote from the article....

Some say he is a “Yes man” who only got the job because the prime minister is determined to hold on to people in the Downing Street bunker. Others say Mr Case will be the creature of Dominic Cummings, Mr Johnson’s chief adviser, who wants to revolutionise Whitehall.

For someone who would like to return to his old job of looking after the affairs of royalty it doesn't look too promising.

[Stanley]

Couldn't agree more about Simon Case. After his spell with secretarial work for Royals he'll know all about intrigue and sycophancy.
I listened to Johnson telling us how well our brilliant and unbeatable country is overcoming its problems and wondered what medication he is on.
Cummings wore a suit yesterday, he's up to something!
Private Eye revealed this week that a high powered legal team has been activated to defend the teenager who killed two protesters and injured one other using an assault rifle 'in defence of his neighbourhood'. All paid for by a right wing organisation with links to Trump.

[plaques]

Watched an Aussie review of Trumps White House speech on YouTube. It was set up to look like a broadcasting studio but I have my doubts.
Started with a short preamble that Trump's economic recovery had been brought to a standstill by the pandemic. Clip of the city rioting followed by a section of speech outlining that it was the Democratic's fault. Balanced? by someone complaining that the White House had been used for political purposes, labeled 'pathetic' by the presenter. More of Trump's 'Make America Great again' speech including attractive daughter etc, Sarcastic comment showing Bidden say 'we will debate it'. More flag waving speech, closed by showing elderly Trump supporter be harassed leaving the venue.
Left you feeling sorry for Trump who was fighting against all odd against Bidden's left wing rioters trying to wreck the country.

Imagine getting 24/7 wall to wall propaganda like this and its possible to understand why there are large numbers of Americans and possibly Australians who start to think they don't know what to believe.

[Stanley]

I agree with you Ken. There are so many people who never give serious thought to anything, not even their own chaotic lives. When something goes wrong they have to find someone to blame. In Trumps case it is 'The Commies'. McCarthy is alive and well!

[Tizer]

Private Eye revealed this week that a high powered legal team has been activated to defend the teenager who killed two protesters and injured one other using an assault rifle 'in defence of his neighbourhood'. All paid for by a right wing organisation with links to Trump.

Reuters reported it on the weekend and I revealed it to OGFB on Sunday! Nice of PE to confirm it. LINK

Here's some interesting statistics...Yesterday we listened to a Laurie Taylor `Thinking Allowed' episode from 8th May 2019. It was about conspiracy theory. Towards the end Taylor interviewed Hugo Leal of Cambridge University about the `Grand Replacement Theory' where people are convinced that there is a plot to replace us all with muslims. He quoted the main result of a survey asking people whether the claim was true or false. The numbers responding with `True' were:
Trump voters 41%
Clinton voters 3%
Brexit voters 31%
Remainers 6%

That tells us a lot about Trump voters and Brexit voters!

[Stanley]

I'd forgotten your report about the lawyers Peter.
As you say, very revealing figures. I am reminded of something I was told once about a shellfish, I think it was a Barnacle. I was told that as part of its life cycle it found a good pot, anchored itself to it and then ate its brain. There is a large cohort of the population who do exactly the same thing, take up a position and then eat (or switch off) their brains. I would class Rabid Brexiteers and Trump supporters in that category.
Did my ears deceive me or did Hancock perform the government's 13th U turn yesterday about degrees of lockdown in our area? I am afraid I have lost track!
I confidently predict that the next Budget (or whatever they are calling it now) will be a bloodbath. We are getting little softening up messages in the news and comment.

[plaques]

I confidently predict that the next Budget (or whatever they are calling it now) will be a bloodbath. We are getting little softening up messages in the news and comment.

Rishi Sunak Did the old Downing St trick of having his papers open so that the photographers will their high resolution lenses could see was was written on the exposed papers. Nice softening up tactic that can be explained away by saying the these were just draft notes and are part of the overall consideration. Do they think we are all as gullible as little children?

[Stanley]

Of course they do Ken! Don't forget these are people who are utterly confident they have the brains, the power and the opportunity to do whatever they want. Incidentally they are all wealthy, on good salaries with excellent pension plans and expenses and subsidised meals. They don't have to worry about anything in real life.
So all they are focussed on is forwarding the aims of government and protecting their own position.
Meanwhile, did you see that Trump is encouraging his supporters to vote twice? Once at the ballot box and once by post. This is of course to 'test the system'. Who does he think he is kidding!

[plaques]

Alexei Navalny: poisoned by Novichok the same type of poison used on the Skripal father and daughter. Navalny may have been a pain in the neck but one would have expected the Kremlin to be smart enough to use a different poison if they wanted to do him in. On the other hand if anyone wanted to implicate Russia this would have been a poison of choice. Anyone know what happened to the coffee cup? and who could have put it in?
I know I like conspiracy theories but the immediate blame doesn't seem right to me.

[Tizer]

Putin no longer cares about being implicated in any trouble. There is so much misinformation flying about in the world now that he simply does the same as Trump and says `false news' and his supporters will believe him, together with much of the population in other countries because they're all in conspiracy theory mode. As Stanley noted, `There is a large cohort of the population who...take up a position and then eat (or switch off) their brains'.

Here's some balance given to Trump's claims about Democrats and city violence...
`US elections 2020: Fact-checking Trump on crime in Democratic-run cities' LINK
The bottom line is: `"Murder is up about 25% nationally including nearly identical change in Democratic and Republican-run cities," says US crime analyst Jeff Asher. "I think the more salient point is that cities across the country, regardless of the mayor's party, are seeing an alarming increase in murder nationally this year," he adds. Individual years can fluctuate but violent crime across the US has been on a downward trend since the 1990s.'

[Big Kev]

Is he for real? Trump advises 'vote twice'

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/02/poli ... index.html

[Stanley]

He's real all right Kev. But note, it is being advised as a way of 'testing the system'. That doesn't alter the fact of course that voting more than once is not legal, no matter what the reason.
I noted a rare instance of face to face contact between Johnson and a depleted Parliament, he pursues the same distancing policy with his Cabinet and the Tory policy committee. Why?
Later... THIS BBC report is worth reading. Leaders of firms involved in logistics have written to Michael Gove warning that not enough has been done to prepare for the end of the year when they say there will be significant problems with the flow of imports and possible shortages of essential supplies.
Our brilliant recovery?

[Big Kev]

He's real all right Kev. But note, it is being advised as a way of 'testing the system'. That doesn't alter the fact of course that voting more than once is not legal, no matter what the reason.

His 'disinfectant injecting' supporters won't worry about the legality...

[Stanley]

Quite. And if there enough of them will they even be prosecuted? Things like this are another step on the road to a failure of society but I'm afraid neither Trump or his supporters have the intelligence and foresight to realise this. The irony is of course that such a breakdown will affect them the same as anyone else. I can see a future where the rich live in private gated townships (You can incorporate a private municipality under most state laws.) and the masses get by however they can.
Dystopian? Could well be and I might be wrong but everything I see and hear points in this direction in the US and it's moving towards that here in the UK.

[Tizer]

I heard a few days ago that Tony Abbott was in Westminster and that he's going to be put in charge of our post-Brexit trade treaties at the Board of Trade. I found it hard to believe but no, it's true. We'll become a Trump outpost if Abbott has his way...
`No 10 urged to revoke trade role for 'misogynist' Tony Abbott: Calls grow to block the appointment of former Australian PM as trade adviser' Guardian
`Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure to backtrack over the appointment of Tony Abbott as a trade adviser, amid growing condemnation of his misogynistic and homophobic comments and his dismissal of the climate crisis. Facing the prospect of another potentially embarrassing U-turn, Downing Street insisted on Thursday that “no decisions” had been taken over the choice of the former Australian prime minister. It came after the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, raised serious concerns about Abbott’s suitability for the role – misgivings echoed by human rights groups Amnesty International and Liberty, the TUC, women’s equality body the Fawcett Society, and environmental campaigners Greenpeace.....

`Abbott’s attitudes to women, including describing abortion as “the easy way out” and suggesting men are better-adapted than women to exercise authority, made international headlines in 2012 when the then-Australian PM, Julia Gillard, used a widely shared speech in parliament to castigate his views. He has also suggested the climate crisis is “probably doing good”, and likened policies to combat it to “primitive people once killing goats to appease the volcano gods”. Most recently, he railed against Covid “health dictatorships”, saying the economic cost of lockdowns meant families should be allowed to consider letting elderly relatives with the coronavirus die by letting nature take its course..'.

[Stanley]

And I am sure you have noted Peter that since you posted that it has been announced that he has been appointed.
(LINK)
No doubt the UK is proceeding according to the plan.

[plaques]

Tony Abbott is an unpaid advisor to trade which in my book sounds very much like a lobbyist who are indirectly paid by.....?
Johnson is quoted as saying...
He said Mr Abbott had been elected by the "great, liberal democratic nation of Australia," adding: "I think that speaks for itself."
What Johnson fails to say was that he was rejected by the same democratic nation and lost his Premiership when his own party threw him out.
Chlorinated chicken here we come.