POLITICS CORNER

[Tripps]

Later... News that the filibuster in the Lords petered out after it became apparent that all the amendments were failing by an average of 3 to i against and it became increasingly obvious that this was futile and making a mockery of the House. The Bill will return to the Commons in time for ratification. Johnson loses again as another cunning wheeze blows up in his face.

Where did you get that from? I watched it live last night, then woke to the news on the radio BBC / LBC that it had petered out. Only after reading the above did I 'get' what had happened.

Interesting how different people see the same event differently. You praise the Speaker for his reprimand of Mr Javid - others give it as an example of his anti Tory prejudice.

[Tizer]

Tripps, when you have a spare few minutes put down the popcorn, switch off the TV and nip down to Tesco. Search the aisles for The Fragrant Heidi and ask her if she's going to do like Luciana Berger and join the LibDems!

[PanBiker]

Ha, Jo Johnson the PM's very own brother has resigned! More ammunition for the opposition, you couldn't make this up.

I wonder what he is going to tell the Nation?

[Tripps]

ask her if she's going to do like Luciana Berger and join the LibDems!

It'll be interesting to see what she does next. Will she stand here? I doubt it. A new Tory candidate has stepped in, and looks to tick boxes. There is also a new Lib Dem candidate.

If she was going to re - tergiversate, (so much scope to use this word at the moment ) I think she'd have done it by now. Still - she's a qualified astrophysicist, and experienced manager, and Tesco are recruiting again so she'll be OK.

I think she may have to do remedial English before presenting her CV though -
from twitter today

An executive which lies, has no majority and plays lose and fast with the livelihoods of our constituents and the country’s future. I don’t think so.

[Stanley]

P, I've been watching Stephenson's voting record. If Johnson proposed putting the army on the streets he'd vote for it.
Tiz, I've been listening to As Others See Us and you are right, unanimous verdict, even if the respondents hate the EU they think that we are barking mad to go through all this shit on economic grounds alone.
David, I heard it on World service at 4AM.
THIS Item from BBC news is a pretty good summary of what happened yesterday.,
What's bugging me at the moment is the fact that interviewers, who are only interested in getting a shock horror scoop, keep pressing Labour interviewees on the charge that Corbyn is a coward when it is perfectly obvious that this is the line Johnson wants to take, ignoring the fact that the real reason (as the interviewers know) is that Nobody believes anything that Johnson said and working on the principle that even rats can be dangerous when cornered, they are going to make sure that they have the rejection of No Deal signed sealed and delivered before they will even consider an election. Did you hear the interviews yesterday with John McDonnell and the SNP spokesman? Both were harried on the subject.
If the combined opposition stick to this sensible attitude nothing significant will happen until the Bill has been passed back to the Commons from the Lords, it has had its final reading, been sent to the palace and Brenda has signed it on to the statutes. Until then Johnson will hog the headlines electioneering. He did that yesterday at Hendon where he kept the cadets waiting in the sun for an hour and then appeared to lose his marbles completely when he tried to remember the format of the PACE caution. See the BBC report on Thursday for his reaction to a cadet fainting. (later, see this LINK for a BBC report of subsequent complaints.)
Thanks to PE for drawing my attention to an initiative mentioned in the No Deal Preparations leaked and rejected by the government. In order to deal with the massive load on the Civil Service it was proposed that local government officials should be moved to London to help and that their places would be taken in the town halls by members of the armed services. What could possibly go wrong as David says!
In the meantime, expect Johnson to electioneer all weekend and get increasingly incoherent. The flow of Tories out of a shattered party will continue and this will be the fodder for the media over the weekend. Plus of course even more hyperbole in the Right wing papers about cowardice.

[Tizer]

On the Quote of the Day topic yesterday I quoted Edmund Burke on representative democracy which was summarised as: `Part of the duty of a representative was not simply to communicate the wishes of the electorate but also to use their own judgement in the exercise of their powers, even if their views are not reflective of those of a majority of voters'. It's pertinent to add that our MPs on 23rd June 2016 voted 479 for Remain and 158 for Leave; even among the Tory Party, remainers out-numbered leavers 185 to 138 (among Labour it was 218 to 10). Of Cabinet Ministers, 24 voted for Remain, 6 for Leave. However they failed `to use their own judgement in the exercise of their powers, even if their views are not reflective of those of a majority of voters'. Instead Parliament voted 498 to 114 to support the bill that gave the government the power to invoke Article 50. At that point MPs had abandoned their duty to use their own judgement in making decisions. The history books will see this as a turning point in UK politics.

[Stanley]

I'm sure Tiz will have listened to As Others See Us this morning which came from Poland. Well worth listening to especially the part where Radetsky talked about the misinformation peddled by the papers.
Absolutely spot on and places the blame squarely where it ought to be.

[Tizer]

We're listening to them over lunch on iPlayer and we're one day behind. We've heard Singapore, USA, and Spain and have Australia and Poland still to come. Excellent programmes, it's always good to know what others think of you!

[Stanley]

You'll love them both Tiz, Poland especially good and some surprising (but accurate) views.
I was struck by some of the vox pops shown on TV of people still rooting for Boris on the grounds he is 'getting things done'. Although in a way they are right I think, like Trump he has forced reconsideration of our political system and there will be a fall out from it eventually. We don't want a repetition of the last ten years!
Can anyone tell me why Johnson is getting away with saying he is going to negotiate at the Council of Europe Ministers on October 17th when it has been made clear that the Council has no powers and can only refer any proposition to the 27. But in any case, in the absence of a miracle suggestion from the UK there can be no more negotiation.

[Tizer]

I was struck by some of the vox pops shown on TV of people still rooting for Boris on the grounds he is 'getting things done'.

...and likewise on the radio this morning listening to his constituents in Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Also Boris stating that he has to obey the law `in theory'. This will go down well with populists who, like the US Tea Party (remember Sarah Palin?), don't want anyone telling them what they can or cannot do. Another slippery slope.

David Liddington this morning added his name to the long list of MPs who have publicly stated that British politicians must follow the instructions given to them by the people. Please can we have a training course for present and future politicians to bring them up to speed on how British politics works? If that had been done before 2016 we'd have avoided wasting 3 years and billions of pounds.

Can anyone tell me why Johnson is getting away with saying he is going to negotiate at the Council of Europe Ministers on October 17th when it has been made clear that the Council has no powers and can only refer any proposition to the 27...

This is the converse of what I've said before about the UK having a veto and being able to prevent new nations joining the EU if we wished it so. Any one of the EU members could prevent us leaving with a deal.

[plaques]

In days of yore the King had a court jester who besides keeping him amused also acted as an adviser. Today the tables have been turned, The King / Prime Minister is now the jester but with no plan of his own consequently he is totally reliant on his advisers however extreme their plan may be. In normal circumstances when things were going wrong he would simply blame the jester and sack him. So far Boris's supporters have blamed the adviser but then realize that if they sack him they will be left with Boris and no plan at all.

Also Boris stating that he has to obey the law `in theory'.

The problem is that Parliament does not trust Boris and as we have seen are insisting of getting the 'No Deal' bill into law to stop any possible loopholes and wriggle room. Boris on his part has aggravated his position of trust by saying he will ignore this law and still go for a no deal. Meanwhile the Conservative party can see that this lack of trust will gradually rub off onto them making any thoughts of re-election impossible. The longer it goes on the worse it will get. Corbyn has only to sit back and ignore the screams of 'cowardice' and wait for Boris to self destruct.

[Tripps]

The BBC report -

Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd has quit the Cabinet and Conservative Party saying she cannot "stand by" while "loyal moderate Conservatives are expelled".
In her resignation letter, she said she no longer believed leaving the EU with a deal was the government's "main objective". She described the sacking of 21 Tory MPs on Tuesday as an "assault on decency and democracy".


Has there ever been a bigger shambles in British politics? I think it's time to run up the white flag, and have a Government of National Unity - the only proviso being that the members should be from abroad, and should be assessed as to their mental health and intelligence before appointment. No one who has previously been in parliament is eligible.

[Stanley]

I forecast ten years ago that the Tory Party's policies to further the project to take us back to the 19th century would eventually fail and destroy the Party. I still believe this to be true but never foresaw that they could possibly find an even worse policy, Cameron's Catastrophe that would speed the process up. I also never suspected that in order to speed up the process, Boris would not only throw his toys out of the pram but his majority also. Who would have thought he would voluntarily sack 27 MPs and be the cause of others resigning like Amber Rudd? How many other Tory members are at this moment considering taking the same step?
We are in the surreal position where it is quite possible that Johnson and his henchmen will solve the No Deal problem by simply melting away.
Notice the deteriorating behaviour of the protesters outside the gates. Yesterday's arrests and the fact that Amber Rudd cancelled speaking at an impromptu meeting outside Parliament because "She feared for her safety" are an indicator. The last time I saw democracy trashed on this scale was after the Weimar Republic failed, we should take note of history.



This was the Tory government's reaction in Glasgow in 1919. This is a centenary we would do well to avoid.
Later... I note that the egregious Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom has announced that the Tory Party will attempt to eject Mr Bercow for 'undemocratic behaviour' by fielding a candidate in the next election. Talk about brass neck! I have nothing but admiration for the way the Speaker has steered the Commons and protected their rights.

[Tizer]

The UK and USA now really do have a special relationship - we both have unreliable liars leading the country who believe they can ignore the laws of the land. We're doomed, I tell ye, we're all doomed!

[Sue]

Has there ever been a bigger shambles in British politics? I think it's time to run up the white flag, and have a Government of National Unity - the only proviso being that the members should be from abroad, and should be assessed as to their mental health and intelligence before appointment. No one who has previously been in parliament is eligible.

4A9FDEB8-9E2F-49A7-9B8D-7F69A5B83443.jpeg

[Stanley]

Too close to the truth Sue. If the Houses of Parliament blew up today it wouldn't surprise me.
Bit like watching a Category 5 storm approaching.

[plaques]

Watched the interview given by Dominic Raab, Foreign secretary , its taken me 24 hours to recover my composure, Kept repeating his set piece that Johnson's strategy of threatening a no deal had been completely trashed by that Marxist Corbyn by going for a law to prevent a no deal situation. He never mentioned that Mrs May had tried the same tactic for 3 years and failed miserably. Apparently Pied Piper Corbyn has led the Parliament into a swamp again no mentioning that this parliamentary bill is supported by a coalition of MP's from all parties including the Conservatives. Questioned over the expulsion of 21 long standing Conservative MP's he said it was a matter of 'trust' and they had to go. At this my brain had had enough and went into free fall, Thank God for the OFF button.

[Stanley]

I heard that as well and it had the same effect on me. Rory Stewart was sensible this morning on Today. We need more MPs like him but under the mad regime now they are anathema.

[Stanley]

See THIS for The BBC account of shenanigans in Parliament yesterday. I find it both exciting and depressing. The most turbulent politics I have seen since 1945 and the most chaotic. We must be the laughing stock of the world. No point in reiterating what happened, you'll all get it ad infinitum today in the news. What I find incredible is that at this juncture the House will not sit for five weeks. The Speaker made it quite clear when he announced the prorogation that this was not normal but a government fiat.
However, I will comment on one matter, the resignation of Speaker Bercow. I freely admit that he is, like all of us, flawed and at times I have been disturbed by some of the allegations against him particularly in matters of alleged abuse. I also admit I would not like him or his wife as house guests. That being said I admire the way he has done his job as Speaker in defence of the House. I treasure the occasions when he has told MPs off on both sides of the house and even told the PM to resume his seat and shut up. I have little doubt that if it hadn't been for his interpretations of precedent in favour of the House and against the government things could be looking a lot worse. I wish him well and thank him. Now we have to start wondering who could replace him.... (I imagine Andrea Leadsom in the post. Arghhh!)
It goes without saying that the Tory denigration of him carries absolutely no weight with me. They wanted a Yes Man and didn't get one.

[PanBiker]

He has stolen their thunder by resigning as the Tories were also prepared to stand an alternative candidate against him at the next election. The seat of the Speaker of the House is traditionally not contested during their tenure of the post. Just shows how low they will sink to get their own way. With regard to a replacement, it could well be the deputy speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, MP for Chorley (Labour), Doug Hoyles son.

[plaques]

Now that Parliament has gone into voluntary hibernation the last two votes has got Boris hung by his..XXXXX...own petard. Its an odds on certainty that during the next five weeks we will hear endless theories of 'ifs', 'buts' and however's. Meanwhile Johnson and Raab will be testing the new laws on requesting an extension, (political speak for looking for loopholes), at the same time facing both ways by saying they will follow the law by ignoring it? The ever faithful Conservatives will continue to believe that Boris has got a cunning deal up his sleeve which will lead us to the promised land. The rightwing press will continue to 'slam' old man Marxist Corbyn and continue to double count ex-labour MP's who are bouncing about from one party to another as proof of the disintegration of the Labour opposition. Painful to watch isn't it!

[PanBiker]

This is absolute gold, our MP Andrew Stephenson taken to task by John Bercow and told to leave the chamber during the prorogation of parliament.

"This is not a standard or normal prorogation"

[Tizer]

I fully agree with the above remarks about Bercow as Speaker. Harriet Harman (another one suggested to follow Bercow) was on Today this morning and she emphasised that the Speaker must be neutral with regard to party politics but not with regard to the relationship between Parliament and the Government.

[Tripps]

That was very entertaining and must have made your day Ian- as Mr Stephenson's number one (not) fan.

I note that Sir Geoffrey has got his long overdue knighthood in the resignation 'honours' list. His gracious interview on R4 this morning was a gem. He called the lady interviewing him 'luv' on a couple of occasions, (she may need counselling), and described his conviction for 'domestic violence' in France, twenty five years ago as a travesty of justice. Now all we need is for Lester Piggott to be forgiven and reinstated. I'm sure HM Q would agree.

This lady is now a 'Lady'. Natalie Bennett. She will now play a small role in governing us. Good grief. . . .

PS - Mr Bercow needs to get his 'low self esteem' issues looked at.

[Tizer]

I've just read that Dominic Cummings has a `tapestry room' in his Islington townhouse which has hangings from Chillingham Castle, the Northumberland seat of his father-in-law, Sir Humphry Wakefield. I wonder what Sir Humphry thinks about his son-in-law?