POLITICS CORNER

[Tizer]

I don't normally go online in the evening but I've just read something that I must pass on. I've said several times that I think Trump might have to be taken out of the White House in a straitjacket...

Trump has threatened to veto the £740 billion annual US military spending bill unless it removes protection for social media companies. Think about it - social media, military spending - they don't usually go together. The military spending bill for the next year has been passed by Congress just before Christmas every year since 1961. Trump wants to hit back at Twitter and Facebook after they put warning labels about misinformation on his posts about election fraud and aims to scrap section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act which prevents social media platforms being treated for legal purposes as publishers.

To get this done before he leaves the White House Trump is demanding that Congress includes it in the military spending bill which is currently going to Congress. Senator Jim Inhofe, chairman of the Senate armed services committee, says: `Section 230 has nothing to do with the military. I agree with his sentiments. We ought to do away with 230, but you can't do it in this bill. That's not a part of the bill'.

By the way, a BBC reporter noted last week that Trump put out 130 tweets in 24 hours, all about how he has won the election. And this is the man who wants to prevent bad things being posted on Twitter.

[Tripps]

Think about it - social media, military spending - they don't usually go together

I'd have thought so myself, until I saw this 77 Brigadethe other day.

Some priceless phrases including these. Could easily be construed as officially sponsored trollng.

Collecting media content
Disseminating Media
Monitoring the information environment

[Stanley]

Peter, let him veto all he wants, he runs out of road in January. The US will survive him making a fool of himself.
David, I looked at that link.
"Our aim is to challenge the difficulties of modern warfare using non-lethal engagement and legitimate non-military levers as a means to adapt behaviours of the opposing forces and adversaries."
Does that mean they don't like guns?

[plaques]

Boris Johnson sets off for Brussels to sort out this trade deal with the EU. He has three options...

1) A super deal that suits everyone. Comes back with a giant 'S' on his chest and hailed as the greatest negotiator of all time.
2) Half baked oven cold deal that's suits nobody. Move over Mrs May.
3) No Deal. I did my best to make them see sense its all their fault.

Time to move on. Can we have more pictures of old folk getting their covid vaccine jabs. Don't want to demoralize people talking about another 9% drop in GDP.

[Tizer]

I'd have thought so myself, until I saw this 77 Brigade the other day.

I thought that was a far right scam site at first until I realised I'd confused 77 with 44....
`Germany bans far-right "Wolf Brigade 44", finds weapons and Nazi symbols' Reuters

The Telegraph reports that Brexiteers have taken umbrage at prospect of EU officials in Northern Ireland, so the the claim that the NI problem is solved may be wrong.

And Boris has this to think about too...
`Act now to save 'precious UK', English mayors urge PM' LINK
`Time is running out to "save the United Kingdom," more than forty local leaders in England have warned Boris Johnson. The group of mainly Labour politicians said support for Scottish independence should be a wake-up call for the PM to examine the constitutional status quo. The signatories, led by South Yorkshire Mayor Dan Jarvis and including Greater Manchester's Andy Burnham, called for a review of how power is distributed..'.

Later: Another kick on the shins for Trump...
`Supreme Court rejects bid to overturn Pennsylvania result' LINK

[plaques]

Wolf Brigade 44"

The Wolf's Lair (German: Wolfsschanze; was Adolf Hitler's first Eastern Front military headquarters in World War II.

With the prospects of the UK Union going down the tube parliament could pass a law making it illegal for countries to leave the Union. That would teach the upstarts that they are not going to get any more of our hard earned money. That other chappy in Manchester wants to watch what he is saying as well. No more leveling up if he carries on like this.

On Trump. Its a fundamental principle in law that judges are totally independent of any personal opinion. Their job is to interpret the law and act accordingly. To ask a judge to give an opinion would automatically bar them from the case if they did so.

[Stanley]

Do I detect an air of resignation in these posts? If so I can understand why.
Reading THIS BBC report on last night's tête-à-tête in Brussels doesn't inspire confidence either. I'm not sure what the mechanism is that allows us to know what was said. I'm also not sure if we can believe anything they say.
What I am sure about is that the spectacle of the dinner ever taking place at all is a comment on the ridiculous way this folly has been managed. I see nothing to change my opinion that this is all a complicated gavotte to give the illusion some 'negotiation' is happening when in reality the conclusion has always been No Deal in January. That was the target for the ERG and if anything had changed they would not be as quiet as they are.
Why is Parliament so quiet? Have they accepted that this is purely a Tory matter and doesn't affect the opposition? This should have been a matter for all parties from the beginning when Cameron first proposed Brexit as a cure for his internal Party problems but no, the House has let them get away with a breathtaking power grab which looks like going wrong and could have implications for the Union and the whole structure of English society which still supports a monarchy and an 'Establishment'.
So I can understand why you might be throwing your hands up in despair.

[Whyperion]

While it was an EU member, the UK was automatically part of around 40 trade deals which the EU had with more than 70 countries. . says the BBC.
Apparently there are currently 20 of those (deals?) signed up on broadly the same terms.

Free trade with Singapore sounds interesting, we sell presumably not a lot high value stuff, and provide fin services, they sell cheap labour intensive made stuff to us (possibly damaging the eco-systems as demand for such increases). Guess what part of the UK stands to benefit from that, and which to lose out.

[Tizer]

Our government seems to forget it's now not a member of the EU, as shown by this news...
`UK has 'no authority' to impose tariffs in Boeing row says US' LINK
`The UK has "no authority" to impose tariffs as part of an aircraft subsidies row after leaving the EU, the US has said. The response comes after the UK said it would drop tariffs against the US over subsidies for aerospace firms..'.

I see nothing to change my opinion that this is all a complicated gavotte to give the illusion some 'negotiation' is happening when in reality the conclusion has always been No Deal in January. That was the target for the ERG and if anything had changed they would not be as quiet as they are.

I agree, it's just been a waste of time and money together with a forlorn hope on the part of some ministers that the EU leaders might just go soft and give us a deal that would satisfy our Brexiteers. That was never going to happen.

This is the latest BBC news..
`Brexit: EU sets out plans in case trade talks with UK fail' LINK

[Stanley]

I've been listening to those 'contingency plans' from Ursula von der Leyen and they are nothing more than kicking the can down the road.
The picture is actually becoming clearer as the movement of containers through our system breaks down before any restrictions are put in place. When Dominic Raab was taxed on the effect of changes on the price of food this morning he said that the Tesco chairman was wrong and cited George Eustice as an expert. Just think about that, George Eustice versus the CEO of Tesco on food prices. Who do they think they are fooling?

[Stanley]

See THIS Report in The Atlantic. Their headline is that the Republican Party has finally abandoned democracy. You'll have to read the article to get the full complicated story of how there is a new concerted attack on the election results supported by many Republicans and they are deadly serious.

[Tizer]

That's mind boggling. I've emailed the Americast team to ask them what they make of it.
------------------------------------------

`Brexit: Malcolm Turnbull tells UK 'be careful what you wish for' over EU trade' LINK
`A former Australian prime minister has warned the UK to be "careful what you wish for" when it comes to EU trade. Boris Johnson has told people and businesses to prepare for the "strong possibility" we will not agree a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU, and end up trading on "Australian" terms. But Malcolm Turnbull said there was no trade deal between his country and the bloc, which meant "large barriers"....
`Speaking on BBC Question Time, Mr Turnbull said: "Australia has a deal with the EU on WTO terms and there are really some very large barriers to Australian trade with Europe, which we are seeking to address as we negotiate a free trade agreement with Europe. But Australians would not regard our trade relationship with Europe as being a satisfactory one. There are very big barriers to Australian exports of agriculture products in particular and a lot of friction in the system in terms of services..".
-------------------------------------------

`Latin America politics: UK's 1960s covert activity revealed' LINK
`British intelligence engaged in a far more active programme of covert activity in Latin America in the 1960s than previously understood, it has been claimed. While the work of US intelligence in the region has been widely publicised, the UK role is much less known. But Prof Rory Cormac of the University of Nottingham says recently declassified files reveal attempts to influence elections and disrupt trade unions in a number of countries..'.

[Stanley]

"That's mind boggling."
It is isn't it. I had to read it twice before I realised what was actually happening. They must actually believe they have a case, otherwise, the damage that they could be doing to long term Republican prospects would surely militate against this? If true, it's beyond surreal, it's suicidal.
Meanwhile, Johnson has said it is “very, very likely” that the UK will fail to strike a trade agreement with the European Union, raising the prospect of a no-deal Brexit at the end of this month. Mr Johnson told reporters on a visit to Blyth in Northumberland that the government was “always hopeful” and that “we’ve got our teams still out there in Brussels. But I've got to tell that from where I stand now, here in Blyth, it is looking very, very likely that we will have to go for a solution that I think would be wonderful for the UK … and come out on World Trade terms [with no deal].”
I think it's becoming clear that the EU (and it is their decision) is not going to throw a lifeline on Sunday. As far as they're concerned we are out with no deal. It sounds as though Johnson has agreed, if he does anything other than walk away his rabid backbenchers will slaughter him politically. Cameron's Catastrophe is about to come to full fruition. What a legacy...

[Tizer]

How they can expect the EU to do anything to suit us when we've had a tantrum and gone away to try and make friends elsewhere beats me!

[Big Kev]

MPs won't be getting their pay rise. Common sense has prevailed.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/55278314

[Stanley]

MP pay rise. Good! Any other decision would have been crazy.
See THIS Report on the US Supreme Court's rejection of the latest attempt to overthrow the US election by Texas. It has been rejected.
"The decision paves the way for the members of the Electoral College to meet in state capitals across the US on Monday. At that point, Trump's legal challenges to the election will be finished. And while his supporters may try a last-ditch effort to block the Joe Biden's victory in Congress in January, those political manoeuvres are destined to fail. Democrats will make sure of that."
Later... Trump has tweeted saying that the Supreme Court has demonstrated no wisdom and no courage in not supporting the latest attempt to overthrow the result. He also says that the Biden Administration will be 'scandal-riddled'.

[Stanley]

Did anyone hear Chris Patten giving his opinion on Boris Johnson this morning?

[Tizer]

Not me!
----------------------------------

US Supreme Court...
"There's no way to say it other than they dodged," said White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, referring to the judges. "They dodged, they hid behind procedure, and they refused to use their authority to enforce the constitution." A spokesman for Mr Biden said it was "no surprise" the Supreme Court rejected "baseless attempts" to deny Mr Trump lost the election. "Our nation's highest court saw through this seditious abuse of our electoral process," Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said on Twitter. Dana Nessel, Michigan's Democratic attorney general, said the ruling was "an important reminder that we are a nation of laws, and though some may bend to the desire of a single individual, the courts will not".

[plaques]

Chris Patten. Fear for my country

“What we're seeing is Boris Johnson on this runaway train of English exceptionalism and heaven knows where it is going to take us in the end,” Lord Patten said.

[Stanley]

That's the one Ken. Lifted completely from Today.

[Tizer]

I'm glad to see Chris Patten saying all that but where was he and others like him when they should have been standing up for us nearly 5 years ago? UK politicians in general let us down badly. Most them knew then it was wrong to leave the EU and that even if we did want to leave it would be a very messy and long-winded business. They let it all slip by them and suddenly we found ourselves sliding away over the cliff.

Here's the BBC's business editor Simon Jack on the state of depression in the business world...
`Brexit: Businesses despair at prospect of no-deal' LINK

All this and the UN secretary general has just called on all countries to declare a climate emergency.

[Stanley]

Good article in the link Peter and what do I see when I turn on the news? Johnson playing silly buggers with the naval force that will defend our sovereign fishing waters. Was that the best use of his time at this moment in history? Of course it was if you wanted to antagonise the EU and make no deal more certain and in a way that allows you to blame them. That's the name of the game now, hence the offer to travel to Berlin or Paris when we know the EU won't allow approaches to individual countries so the offer was certain to be rejected. Don't waste time speculating, it's ERG wish fulfilment, WTO terms. A successful political coup.

[plaques]

Why does leaving the EU remind me of this...

[Tizer]

These two articles sum up the situation. The Brexiteers have thrown away 4 years of our lives already and now they're going to make it even worse for the future....

`Tory grandees’ fury over Johnson’s ‘nationalist’ no-deal Brexit: As fears grow of threat of chaos in new year, Lord Heseltine brands potential failure to strike deal ‘the worst decision of our times: Our jobs and future depend on a deal, business warns Johnson' Guardian

`Observer editorial: The Observer view on Boris Johnson's imminent no-deal Brexit: The prime minister’s gung-ho actions will irreparably damage Britain and its reputation' Observer

[Big Kev]

I wonder how much longer they can drag it out?

Brexit trade talks extended
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55292890