POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

Isn't it strange how Saudi Arabia has such a charmed life with the UK and US governments....
I signed the petition and it's heading for 900.000 signatures this morning.
Just for once Jeremy Corbyn got it dead right and a lot of people are agreeing with him.
Just heard Professor Thomas Michel of Harvard University. This was reported yesterday.... "Seyed Soheil Saeedi Saravi, a promising young Iranian scientist, had been scheduled to travel in the coming days to Boston, where he had been awarded a fellowship to study cardiovascular medicine at Harvard, according to Thomas Michel, the professor who was to supervise the research fellowship. But Professor Michel said the visas for the student and his wife had been indefinitely suspended. This outstanding young scientist has enormous potential to make contributions that will improve our understanding of heart disease, and he has already been thoroughly vetted,” Professor Michel wrote to The New York Times. I heard him on World Service this morning and he pointed out that mare than a third of Nobel Prizes won by US citizens had gone to people who were either immigrants or of immigrant families. He himself is the son of two Immigrant parents.
Would someone please point this out to Donald Duck?

[Sue]

I too have signed it and written to my MO for what it is worth if you know who my MP is...!!.and yes I agree about Corbyn, for once he actually spoke as if he meant it.

[Whyperion]

Within the boarders of the USA in the last 20 years how many of the nationals of the states he is banning have (a) committed murder and of that (b) how many persons died or injured as a result of such persons. I am reckoning it is less than road traffic incidents, or home-grown perpetrators.

[Marilyn]

He is only doing what he said he would do in his pre-election speeches. He won the majority vote. His countrymen chose him.
Let them sort out their own country...you guys have enough problems to work on due to the majority vote at your own election! If America went all out protesting about your politics, waving banners in the streets and marching on parliament, you would not give a jot, and likely think your politics was none of their business. I can't understand the hype quite frankly.

[Whyperion]

the protest is that DT as Pres of USA has been invited by UK head of state for a state visit. Joining UAE, China , Mugabe, and a few other nation states whom may not share British Values, but for whom its important for British Interests (remember the ability to hold two opposite views at the same time is a prequalification for standing as an MP).
DT probably did not win the popular vote - so if Pres election had been on same basis as uk referendum then arguably HC would be president.

[Marilyn]

HC would have come with her own raft of problems...lack of trust being one of them.
I admit neither choice was going to be a comfort. Six of one and half a dozen with the other.
Let America sort it I say.

[Stanley]

Trouble is Maz that this is a basic humanitarian principle, free movement of peoples without reference to race, colour, religion or place of origin. These rights have to be fought for world wide. I don't agree with this attitude that if it doesn't affect us it's OK. That's what our government is doing at the moment. They are ignoring the real misery this is causing world-wide already. Once you ignore that it spreads. This is nothing to do with vetting individuals to make sure they are not dangerous, it's separated families, small children and the downtrodden of the world. We must show we care about these things.
On the matter of Trump's visit. We have deported people or refused them entry in the first place on the grounds that they would tend to disturb the public peace and this should apply to Trump as well, President or not!
I see that Trump has sacked his acting Attorney General for arguing against the policy. This man is so dangerous......

[PanBiker]

PM May has jumped the gun with the offer of a State Visit. No previous President has ever been offered this within the first year of office. She has effectively compromised HM Queen Elizabeth as she would not normaly refuse on the grounds of duty. It's wrong on so many levels, even normally accepted protocol.

I see in addition to sacking the Attorney General he has also replaced the head of immigration. He's a loose cannon making more enemies than friends, which ever way you look at it this will not end well. I recon his tenure maybe the shortest of any President, they have experience of impeachment, providing there are enough good men left.

[Sue]

I agree Ian. I think this ban will soon appear to be a small problem as he continues to crash through every legal and moral obstacle to achieve his ultimate aim which is complete dominance. He seriously worries me

[Tizer]

Maz, in the 21st Century the implications and repercussions of the behaviour of large nations, their citizens and their politicians and diplomats is relevant to the stability of all nations and the well being of all people worldwide. The UK's EU referendum and planned Brexit is an example - it will affect countries around the world and therefore it's reasonable that people worldwide should express their views on Brexit and even take actions that influence the outcome. Trump's presidency is likely to have even greater effects worldwide. Also, if we're re going to tackle climate change, pollution, population growth, terrorism etc we need to act globally, not in isolation. Trump wants to be an isolationist and we have to show him that it won't work in the modern world.

Whippy, in answer to your question "..how many of the nationals of the states he is banning have (a) committed murder and of that (b) how many persons died or injured as a result of such persons" a radio report gave part of the answer. It said that no-one from those states had been shown to have committed terrorist acts in the USA.

[plaques]

One of the questions that keep popping up is did Mrs May know in advance of her speech what was contained in Trump's executive order banning travel from some major Muslim countries. Boris Johnson claims Mrs May has told him but he can't divulge it because of confidentiality reasons. This is total rubbish. Before any fixed speech of this importance there are numerous drafts travelling not only between Whitehall and No 10 Downing St but backwards and forwards to the US to agree the content. Its not just May V Trump there is an input from our Ambassador in America, our Foreign Minister (the Court Jester), Whitehall and Downing St. All these should have known in detail before the speech was given. Trump has pulled a fast one and not only embarrassing Mrs May but the rest of the UK. He has used the same tactics that Bush used on Blair with the UN memorandum on Iraq while he was at the Labour convention in Brighton. Trump and his Rightwing conspirators cannot be trusted and we should back away from them as far as possible.

[Whyperion]

May had somewhat backtracked when she explained the original offer of State Visit was a 'Informal Offer' ,but that UK was going to stand by it. Is the PM supposed to make up policy as she goes along ?

[Tizer]

According to information on the radio this morning there is no fixed date for the Trump State Visit and it could be a while before it takes place. Previous State Visits by US presidents have only taken place after several years.

[Tripps]

This is a storm in a teacup, and will soon fade away. At the rate he is going, I am sure he will do far more 'stuff' in the next few months - that will make this issue seem trivial. The Americans are very keen, to know all about Mr Pres's physical health - remember George W's polyps? Is there no examination available for mental health, and a procedure to remove someone who does not meet the standard. It should be compulsory - he is obviously deranged. There are hundreds of thousands of Lawyers in America - some of them should be getting the books out .

[Stanley]

There was an interview on R4 yesterday with one of the most respected lawyers in the US and according to him you can forget about impeachment as it is only used in cases where there is clear malfeasance and Trump hasn't stepped over that marker yet. His view is that parts of the Executive Order on immigration are clearly illegal but the major problem was that it was rushed out by his aids without any clear guidelines and without them knowing what was involved and how to implement it. He said that actually the controversy could work to Donald Duck's advantage because the red necks will see him as being under attack by the political establishment as he 'clears the swamp'. Far more important in the long term is the appointment of the Supreme Court judge which we should hear about today.
Meanwhile..... in another part of the swamp, MPs go through the gavotte which is the passing of the Bill for approving Brexit. The general view is that after a lot of grandstanding the Bill and any minor amendments will go through tonight. We are watching the biggest mistake since..... take your pick!
A bit later.... See THIS for the new Supreme Court Judge. No surprise, a sold conservative choice. It is not unheard of for appointees to surprise everyone when appointed. We shall have to wait and see.

[Tizer]

...and he's there for life, even longer than the President!

[Bruff]

You might say good health in our leaders is the exception rather than the rule. Churchill had a stroke and was basically incapable. Eden essentially had a nervous breakdown over Suez. Wilson was in the early stages of the dementia into which he descended and knew it, hence some argue his resignation. Mrs T was, many contend, very fond shall we say towards the end on her snifters. Mr Brown very likely had a personality disorder. Not much better in the States. Johnson had congenital heart problems and suffered a massive heart attack as Senate Leader, and kidney stones nearly did for him before that (as well as pneumonia). Kennedy had Addison’s Disease and his suntan was very much to hide some of the effects of that; he also had chronic back pain and psychologically well, he was what we might term priapic. Reagan was almost certainly in early stage dementia when he was first elected and certainly was in his second term.

More random thoughts. Seems very unwise to me stopping folk from named countries due to terrorism fears. Simply does the terrorists’ job for them in showing the West really is anti-Muslim. They can just sit back. One reason why we didn’t stop, or introduce serious searches, on all the ferries and flights from Ireland during the Troubles to weed out the paramilitaries. Just plays into their hands. Still you can’t expect these nuances to be grasped these days. Just on the Troubles there, I note in one of his recent witterings the illustrious Member for Pendle spoke of the ‘so-called Troubles’. They aren’t so-called, they’re commonly called such in the way that the Italians refer to their ‘Years of Lead’ when the Red Brigades and other groups spread terror. So-called Troubles. Makes me laugh. It’s like folk who insist on calling Ireland ‘Eire’. It’s Ireland, and says so in the Good Friday Agreement (and they also miss the diacritic off the ‘E’ so Eire, as opposed to Éire, actually means a burden, load or encumbrance! Given in my experience it’s Brexiters these days that bang on about ‘Eire’, that’s probably deliberate).

Interesting statistic: 1 in a 100 of the world’s population is a refugee………

Last and most certainly least, as for Trump’s visit it should go ahead. If only so that the Duke of Cambridge can ask Trump if he still thinks Diana, though ‘psychologically damaged’ would still ‘want to sleep with him’. Or whether Trump still thinks the Duchess of Cambridge should ‘get her t**ts out for the lads’. I kid you not – he bombarded Diana with flowers after her break-up and tweeted that vulgarity about a future Queen. That’s Trump for you, referring to him as an orangutan is sadly unfair to orangutans. The world would be a lot better and a lot safer if Trump another 4” below (and Putin another 4” on top too). Still, the Queen had to host the Ceausescu’s, who nicked all the finery in their various rooms, so she’s used to taking one for the team as it were.

Richard Broughton

[Stanley]

My heart rises when I see you have posted Richard and again you do not disappoint. All true and to the point.
My worry is that we had quite enough madness and disruption in politics because of Brexit before we got the distraction of Donald Duck. I agree that these matters are worth noting and are almost certainly dangerous but there is the small matter of the internal condition of the UK and its society.... I am not going to make a list but we are watching deterioration in every area as the cancer of under-funding vital components of society's infrastructure eats away at the foundations of our lives and hard-won advances. I see no end to it and am certain that we are going to pay dearly.

[Tizer]

`.. referring to him as an orangutan is sadly unfair to orangutans'....I love that, thanks Bruff!

When I look at what's going on around us these days I have to admit that I can understand why so many people in the UK voted `Out' and in the US `Trump'. They may be wrecking the world by their action but I can see why they've done it. When you feel there's no other options left you start breaking the furniture in an attempt to get some attention. One of the biggest factors accounting for our problems now must be the actions of the bankers that led to the 2007/8 crash, together with the inactions of the politicians who could have prevented it. Having been thrown into the pit by all that we then found the mega-corporations were avoiding paying taxes and individual bankers were gaming the system and committing massive frauds. And we wonder why people have become so angry...

[PanBiker]

I think it's wrong to call him Donald Duck as well. O.K. Donald is a bit scatty and can be regarded as unintelligible from time to time but effectively he is nice guy, second only to Mr M. Mouse in popularity. The latter cannot be said about the lose cannon that is Trump.

[Big Kev]

[Tizer]

The way those three men are protecting their genitals suggests that they're expecting trouble!

I'm interested to see Trump's kept the Resolute desk, presented by Queen Victoria: Resolute

[Stanley]

Is he doing his colouring in?

[Big Kev]

Is he doing his colouring in?

He is indeed, I'm rather taken by the baseball cap on the table too

[Stanley]

I've just been reading the report in the BET about the £5.7 million funding cuts about to drop on local schools and then heard the report from Osborne's Northern Powerhouse Group about the need to invest in education in the area. Someone should join the dots up. Lousy government.

I noted the baseball cap as well..... I also noted the absence of any serious desk type things like a computer. Perhaps he doesn't use them.....