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Is Sunak really a secret Remainer? – politicalbetting.com

SystemSystem Posts: 12,219
edited March 2023 in General
Is Sunak really a secret Remainer? – politicalbetting.com

'Northern Ireland is in the unbelievably special position – unique position in the entire world – in having privileged access not just to the UK market… but also the EU single market''Nobody else has that. No one. Only you guys, only here’Rishi Sunak hails his Brexit deal pic.twitter.com/StDkAV57qm

Read the full story here

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Comments

  • Sunak appears to have done well here, and full credit: devoting significant political energy to helping solve a thorny Irish question takes courage, may not win many votes, but is the right thing to do. The parallels with the run-up to 1997 continue...

    But I don't think this is over the line yet. If the DUP, split as they seem to be, come out against the Windsor Protocol, a number of Tory MPs have said they won't back it... might that reinvigorate the ERG to make things much, much trickier for Sunak again?
  • swing_voterswing_voter Posts: 1,464
    The ERGs demise has been called a little too early in my opinion.
  • GhedebravGhedebrav Posts: 3,860

    The ERGs demise has been called a little too early in my opinion.

    They’ve been cunningly sidetracked by the socialist/globalist conspiracy into focusing their energies on the 15 Minute City and the so-called ‘polling’ showing that half of them are about to lose their seats. Frankly, most of them are too thick to understand Northern Ireland anyway.

    In all seriousness, if we do get a Tory wipeout (I don’t think we will, fwiw), they will become a more significant ideological force in the party, dragging the once-proud party to the fringes, a la Corbyn only worse.
  • moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,755
    Gang of Eight member Rubio:

    https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1630533511168794627?s=46&t=yfBoQm2j9iooWBjua7Lumg

    “Advanced objects demonstrating advanced technology are routinely flying over our restricted or sensitive airspace posing a risk to both flight safety & national security”

    And shares link:

    https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/02/28/ufo-uap-navy-intelligence-00084537

    “We Have a Real UFO Problem. And It’s Not Balloons.
    America’s fixation on the recent objects floating over the country overlooks a much more serious problem with advanced technology aircraft that we can’t explain.”
  • The Archbishop of Canterbury should clarify his role as “moral leader” following the church’s failure to fulfil his promises to tackle sex abuse, a review has recommended.

    A series of sex scandals in the Church of England has led to some victims losing their faith, a review of safeguarding at Lambeth Palace has found.

    Justin Welby is praised for seeking “strong theological and moral leadership” but the review stated: “Given the lack of managerial authority of the archbishop’s role, it can seem to reflect ongoing denial by the church about what is needed to create a safe church.”

    The review recommends the “clarification of the role of the archbishop as a moral leader”.

    Research by the church last year found 383 new cases involving allegations of abuse of vulnerable adults and children by clergy, church officers and volunteers.


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lambeth-palace-safeguarding-victims-abuse-justin-welby-2023-vv2wllptb
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,795
    edited March 2023

    FPT - 12 to 15 hardliners rebelling at best is fucking pathetic.

    If that's all there is we can be confident that Sunak really has laid this beast to rest, forever.

    If no member of the cabinet heads them, and Johnson doesn’t either, they will be irrelevant anyway.

    I do hope Fabricant is among them and he gets kicked out as a result.
  • Shocking start by Jofra Archer in the cricket.

    Bangladesh have the match in the bag.
  • GhedebravGhedebrav Posts: 3,860
    edited March 2023

    FPT - 12 to 15 hardliners rebelling at best is fucking pathetic.

    If that's all there is we can be confident that Sunak really has laid this beast to rest, forever.

    Presumably the member for Romford is still absent too.

    EDIT: I guess Bridgen too.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216
    Tales from the SNP Leadership Race - reliability of source unknown so judge for yourself:

    https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2023/02/the-cheats-election/
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,795
    This looks nasty:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-64807384

    If I read the photos aright they were on a single line of track. In which case, presumably it was a signalling error.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,795

    Tales from the SNP Leadership Race - reliability of source unknown so judge for yourself:

    https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2023/02/the-cheats-election/

    Reliability unknown? I thought everyone knew Craig Murray is a liar, fantasist and conspiracy theorist?
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216
    ydoethur said:

    Tales from the SNP Leadership Race - reliability of source unknown so judge for yourself:

    https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2023/02/the-cheats-election/

    Reliability unknown? I thought everyone knew Craig Murray is a liar, fantasist and conspiracy theorist?
    He’s the publisher of the piece, not the author……
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216
    edited March 2023
    FPT but in case anyone gets carried away:

    I’m sure nobody here would be so credulous…..

    Lots of clever quips that this is a great argument for EU membership. But it isn't really, because NI has very specific arrangements - EU single market with veto & without free movement of people. If offered that to UK sure it would love it, but that ain't membership nor on offer

    https://twitter.com/raoulruparel/status/1630626604421459968

    In any case, as Sunak has demonstrated, we do want a more cooperative relationship with the EU.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,795

    ydoethur said:

    Tales from the SNP Leadership Race - reliability of source unknown so judge for yourself:

    https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2023/02/the-cheats-election/

    Reliability unknown? I thought everyone knew Craig Murray is a liar, fantasist and conspiracy theorist?
    He’s the publisher of the piece, not the author……
    I think the mere fact he is the publisher is a pretty good indication of how reliable it’s likely to be!
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,177
    ydoethur said:

    Tales from the SNP Leadership Race - reliability of source unknown so judge for yourself:

    https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2023/02/the-cheats-election/

    Reliability unknown? I thought everyone knew Craig Murray is a liar, fantasist and conspiracy theorist?
    As a founding member of the Royal Society For The Protection of Terminological Inexactitude…

    Most lying, fantasist, conspiracy theorists are SI unit definitions of truth, compared to Craig Murray.
  • moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,755
    edited March 2023
    rcs1000 said:

    moonshine said:

    Gang of Eight member Rubio:

    https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1630533511168794627?s=46&t=yfBoQm2j9iooWBjua7Lumg

    “Advanced objects demonstrating advanced technology are routinely flying over our restricted or sensitive airspace posing a risk to both flight safety & national security”

    And shares link:

    https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/02/28/ufo-uap-navy-intelligence-00084537

    “We Have a Real UFO Problem. And It’s Not Balloons.
    America’s fixation on the recent objects floating over the country overlooks a much more serious problem with advanced technology aircraft that we can’t explain.”

    And if there's one thing the last year has taught us, it's that we can be reasonably sure they're not advanced Russian technology.
    American govt, Chinese govt or “other”.

    If the first it would be pretty odd albeit not impossible for individuals with top level clearance to keep banging on about it.

    If the second then we have a problem that should be arguably the number one issue for Western governments to address.

    And then there’s “other”. Which just about allows room for non govt or periphery of govt actors. But more broadly, is a catch all for “non human”.

  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216
    ydoethur said:

    This looks nasty:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-64807384

    If I read the photos aright they were on a single line of track. In which case, presumably it was a signalling error.

    There’s some daylight photos which suggest dual track - but whichever the two trains shouldn’t have been on the same one.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,470
    Ghedebrav said:

    FPT - 12 to 15 hardliners rebelling at best is fucking pathetic.

    If that's all there is we can be confident that Sunak really has laid this beast to rest, forever.

    Presumably the member for Romford is still absent too.

    EDIT: I guess Bridgen too.
    According to this,

    https://members.parliament.uk/member/1447/voting?page=1

    absent for the last ten months.

    Given Boris Johnson didn’t read the deal he actually signed he seems to be taking a long time to read the one he had nothing to do with …

    https://twitter.com/campbellclaret/status/1630821751683727360?s=20

    Wasn't there one of May's deals that he loudly condemned within minutes of it going public?

    BoJo's other problem is that too many people know his "find the crowd, place himself at its front" strategy now. Increasingly, he's a magician whose audience can see the card stuffed up his sleeve.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 28,457
    Covid: FBI chief Christopher Wray says China lab leak 'most likely'
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64806903
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    edited March 2023
    One for @NickPalmer

    Further to the resignation of the selection committee, Broxtowe CLP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE has resigned in its entirety from all officer positions.

    Statement below 👇


    https://twitter.com/broxtowelabour/status/1630635411558023182?s=46
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,285
    edited March 2023

    No.

    Remainers are desperate to sell this as a bit Remainey/Rejoiney and have landed on this 'single market' line as their best angle to take, despite the fact the deal reduces its application in NI, and extends British sovereignty into it, and introduces a new digital border between Northern and Southern Ireland.

    They know this is a big concession by the EU and a victory for Sunak but just can't accept it.Rattled doesn't come close.

    Wrong on all counts, unless you're talking about yourself in that last line.

    (& pretty well everyone has acknowledged it as a big win for Sunak.)
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 28,457
    The First Minister’s St David’s Day message – 2023
    https://www.gov.wales/the-first-ministers-st-davids-day-message-2023
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    - ”This of course begs the question that if this is okay for that part of the UK why shouldn’t other parts benefit?”

    Especially the part which voted overwhelmingly in favour of the benefits:

  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,795

    ydoethur said:

    This looks nasty:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-64807384

    If I read the photos aright they were on a single line of track. In which case, presumably it was a signalling error.

    There’s some daylight photos which suggest dual track - but whichever the two trains shouldn’t have been on the same one.
    Agreed, it looks like dual track with them somehow on the same line of it, crashing head on.

    Which is a very unusual thing to happen. Failure to reset the points presumably.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216
    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Tales from the SNP Leadership Race - reliability of source unknown so judge for yourself:

    https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2023/02/the-cheats-election/

    Reliability unknown? I thought everyone knew Craig Murray is a liar, fantasist and conspiracy theorist?
    He’s the publisher of the piece, not the author……
    I think the mere fact he is the publisher is a pretty good indication of how reliable it’s likely to be!
    The author is a local SNP figure and former candidate - who has thanked Murray on Twitter for publishing his piece.

    With the kind permission of Craig Murray, my article about the disgraceful shenanigans surrounding the SNP's leadership contest has been published on his website. I speak from the heart.

    https://twitter.com/gallowayscot/status/1630710945793167360?s=20

    It does appear that parts of the SNP establishment are desperate for Humzah to win - while others are trying to ensure a fair election.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713
    rcs1000 said:

    No.

    Remainers are desperate to sell this as a bit Remainey/Rejoiney and have landed on this 'single market' line as their best angle to take, despite the fact the deal reduces its application in NI, and extends British sovereignty into it, and introduces a new digital border between Northern and Southern Ireland.

    They know this is a big concession by the EU and a victory for Sunak but just can't accept it.Rattled doesn't come close.

    I'm no Remainer, and I agree that this makes Rejoin less likely.

    But at the same time, it does suggest that there will be greater cooperation between the EU and the UK in future.
    Yes, which is fine. But that's not the same as being a secret Remainer or Rejoiner. Cooperation does not equal federalism.

    To suggest so is just a bit thick.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,285
    rcs1000 said:

    moonshine said:

    Gang of Eight member Rubio:

    https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1630533511168794627?s=46&t=yfBoQm2j9iooWBjua7Lumg

    “Advanced objects demonstrating advanced technology are routinely flying over our restricted or sensitive airspace posing a risk to both flight safety & national security”

    And shares link:

    https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/02/28/ufo-uap-navy-intelligence-00084537

    “We Have a Real UFO Problem. And It’s Not Balloons.
    America’s fixation on the recent objects floating over the country overlooks a much more serious problem with advanced technology aircraft that we can’t explain.”

    And if there's one thing the last year has taught us, it's that we can be reasonably sure they're not advanced Russian technology.
    The one thing in the story I completely accept is the need for openness.
    Way too much speculation, and not enough facts
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713
    Nigelb said:

    No.

    Remainers are desperate to sell this as a bit Remainey/Rejoiney and have landed on this 'single market' line as their best angle to take, despite the fact the deal reduces its application in NI, and extends British sovereignty into it, and introduces a new digital border between Northern and Southern Ireland.

    They know this is a big concession by the EU and a victory for Sunak but just can't accept it.Rattled doesn't come close.

    Wrong on all counts, unless you're talking about yourself in that last line.
    Right on all counts, and I'm talking about people like you in that last line.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,156

    One for @NickPalmer

    Further to the resignation of the selection committee, Broxtowe CLP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE has resigned in its entirety from all officer positions.

    Statement below 👇


    https://twitter.com/broxtowelabour/status/1630635411558023182?s=46

    There was a similar mass resignation in the NW region a moth or two back.
  • FishingFishing Posts: 5,137
    edited March 2023

    - ”This of course begs the question that if this is okay for that part of the UK why shouldn’t other parts benefit?”

    Especially the part which voted overwhelmingly in favour of the benefits:

    If Scotland goes independent, would you support the parts that are dragged out of the UK against their will having special deals with it, or even remaining?
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216

    One for @NickPalmer

    Further to the resignation of the selection committee, Broxtowe CLP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE has resigned in its entirety from all officer positions.

    Statement below 👇


    https://twitter.com/broxtowelabour/status/1630635411558023182?s=46

    Nick is down as a supporter:

    https://twitter.com/Greg4Broxtowe/status/1628327893276233728?s=20
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,470
    On topic, some interesting ideas here;

    The one thing I've never been able to understand about Sunak is why he supported Brexit in the first place. Seems so out of character.

    https://twitter.com/Samfr/status/1630527376407797760


    Lots of interesting replies. I tend to agree with those saying he bought the "Singapore-on-Thames" stuff but it still seems out of character given he seems to approach problems in an analytical/incremental way not Cummings-style big visions.

    https://twitter.com/Samfr/status/1630536098328854529
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,285

    Covid: FBI chief Christopher Wray says China lab leak 'most likely'
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64806903

    Note he won't say why.
    If the FBI really have information which changes that judgment from 'low confidence' to 'moderate confidence', they should publish it.
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 17,246
    I think Sunak, unlike most Brexiteers so far, actually wants Brexit to work.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,916
    One of the ways in which the Tories can shore up their position at the next election is to make it about defending Brexit again. Sunak would like nothing better than to provoke Labour Rejoiners into banging on about Europe, instead of inflation, the NHS, housing, etc.
  • FishingFishing Posts: 5,137

    One for @NickPalmer

    Further to the resignation of the selection committee, Broxtowe CLP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE has resigned in its entirety from all officer positions.

    Statement below 👇


    https://twitter.com/broxtowelabour/status/1630635411558023182?s=46

    Interesting that fully a third of the Broxtowe CLP officers focus on woke p.c. garbage - two women's officers, a BAME officer, two disability officers and an LGBTQ+ officer. Of course, the one such officer the Labour Party might actually need - a dedicated Jewish rights officer - is nowhere to be seen.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713
    FF43 said:

    I think Sunak, unlike most Brexiteers so far, actually wants Brexit to work.

    Exactly. This "Secret Remainer" stuff in the thread header is just clickbait bollocks.

    To be fair, it's sort of worked as it's got me (and others) going but I'd rather not have been wound up first thing this morning thanks.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,285

    Nigelb said:

    No.

    Remainers are desperate to sell this as a bit Remainey/Rejoiney and have landed on this 'single market' line as their best angle to take, despite the fact the deal reduces its application in NI, and extends British sovereignty into it, and introduces a new digital border between Northern and Southern Ireland.

    They know this is a big concession by the EU and a victory for Sunak but just can't accept it.Rattled doesn't come close.

    Wrong on all counts, unless you're talking about yourself in that last line.
    Right on all counts, and I'm talking about people like you in that last line.
    You need to brush up on either your mind reading, or rhetorical skills, then.

    And 'can't accept it's a victory for Sunak' is plain nonsense.
  • Anyone yet talking about the Borisgraph piece putting Mancock to the sword over Care Homes Covid testing?
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/02/28/lockdown-files-matt-hancock-whatsapp-whitty-care-homes-covid/
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,713

    One of the ways in which the Tories can shore up their position at the next election is to make it about defending Brexit again. Sunak would like nothing better than to provoke Labour Rejoiners into banging on about Europe, instead of inflation, the NHS, housing, etc.

    Sshht.

    His real job is to provoke and expose Starmer's secret agenda, because we all know he has one.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,156
    FF43 said:

    I think Sunak, unlike most Brexiteers so far, actually wants Brexit to work.

    Yes, we will continue to see the salami slicing of Johnson's Brexit, a sliver at at time until there is nothing left.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,516
    Fishing said:

    One for @NickPalmer

    Further to the resignation of the selection committee, Broxtowe CLP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE has resigned in its entirety from all officer positions.

    Statement below 👇


    https://twitter.com/broxtowelabour/status/1630635411558023182?s=46

    Interesting that fully a third of the Broxtowe CLP officers focus on woke p.c. garbage - two women's officers, a BAME officer, two disability officers and an LGBTQ+ officer. Of course, the one such officer the Labour Party might actually need - a dedicated Jewish rights officer - is nowhere to be seen.
    What a weird comment.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,081

    One for @NickPalmer

    Further to the resignation of the selection committee, Broxtowe CLP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE has resigned in its entirety from all officer positions.

    Statement below 👇


    https://twitter.com/broxtowelabour/status/1630635411558023182?s=46

    Nick is down as a supporter:

    https://twitter.com/Greg4Broxtowe/status/1628327893276233728?s=20
    So a CLP has, what, 15 members, of whom 6 are representing specific identity groups?
  • TimSTimS Posts: 13,218

    One of the ways in which the Tories can shore up their position at the next election is to make it about defending Brexit again. Sunak would like nothing better than to provoke Labour Rejoiners into banging on about Europe, instead of inflation, the NHS, housing, etc.

    I think on the contrary what this agreement does is put the issue to bed for a while, and thank heavens for that.

    The mood music is very important. Not all remainers are alike of course, nor are all
    leavers, but I think the deliberate playground antagonism towards the EU of first Farage and then the Johnson/Frost years was a big part of the discomfort many people felt. I certainly felt myself wincing in the same way I used to at our football hooligans.

    Simply seeing a friendly and constructive relationship in action goes a long way.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,417
    Foxy said:

    FF43 said:

    I think Sunak, unlike most Brexiteers so far, actually wants Brexit to work.

    Yes, we will continue to see the salami slicing of Johnson's Brexit, a sliver at at time until there is nothing left.
    I doubt businesses in rUK will be able to triangulate goods vat free within the EU any time soon. No idea if that applies to NI
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 42,169
    Very weird interview/pr piece from Geordie Grieg on R4 just now, on behalf of the father of the woman in the missing baby case. Big this shouldn’t be happening to people like this vibe; the Marten family are ‘elegant’ and ‘sophisticated’ apparently.
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    Just got our ‘Elstöd’ (Electricity Support) from the Swedish government: 7306 SEK (approximately £581).

    That fair cheers you up! As a bonus it is gorgeous bright sunshine. How’s it going on Bonkers Island?
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 39,064
    rcs1000 said:

    No.

    Remainers are desperate to sell this as a bit Remainey/Rejoiney and have landed on this 'single market' line as their best angle to take, despite the fact the deal reduces its application in NI, and extends British sovereignty into it, and introduces a new digital border between Northern and Southern Ireland.

    They know this is a big concession by the EU and a victory for Sunak but just can't accept it.Rattled doesn't come close.

    I'm no Remainer, and I agree that this makes Rejoin less likely.

    But at the same time, it does suggest that there will be greater cooperation between the EU and the UK in future.
    That's not necessarily a bad thing though, the EU has moved on from anger that we left and would like to work with us rather than force us into being rule takers. It's taken 5 years to get to this point, let's hope we don't see then slide back into their old position of insisting dynamic alignment for everything they can think of.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,795

    Just got our ‘Elstöd’ (Electricity Support) from the Swedish government: 7306 SEK (approximately £581).

    That fair cheers you up! As a bonus it is gorgeous bright sunshine. How’s it going on Bonkers Island?

    Somebody's wearing the Bishop's shoes again this morning.
  • felixfelix Posts: 15,175
    Fishing said:

    - ”This of course begs the question that if this is okay for that part of the UK why shouldn’t other parts benefit?”

    Especially the part which voted overwhelmingly in favour of the benefits:

    If Scotland goes independent, would you support the parts that are dragged out of the UK against their will having special deals with it, or even remaining?
    Like most of the borders and NE region.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 50,171
    edited March 2023

    No.

    Remainers are desperate to sell this as a bit Remainey/Rejoiney and have landed on this 'single market' line as their best angle to take, despite the fact the deal reduces its application in NI, and extends British sovereignty into it, and introduces a new digital border between Northern and Southern Ireland.

    They know this is a big concession by the EU and a victory for Sunak but just can't accept it.Rattled doesn't come close.

    You’re missing the bigger picture; the abandonment of silly rhetoric and silly threats in our dealings with the EU, the move toward more constructive and co-operative relations, acceptance of the need for compromise and a willingness to face down the extreme wing of the Tory party - all things we didn’t get from Johnson or Truss.

    Beyond NI there is a stack of unresolved issues and problems arising from the Tories’ self-destructive approach to Brexit, and it isn’t unreasonable to see this week’s news as a first step in the right direction.
  • Brexit is over once again and Remainers are apparently still to blame.

    It’s because they have nothing to talk about after 13 dismal years
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,795

    Brexit is over once again and Remainers are apparently still to blame.

    It’s because they have nothing to talk about after 13 dismal years

    Why would Remainers have nothing else to talk about after the last 13 years?
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 55,045
    moonshine said:

    rcs1000 said:

    moonshine said:

    Gang of Eight member Rubio:

    https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1630533511168794627?s=46&t=yfBoQm2j9iooWBjua7Lumg

    “Advanced objects demonstrating advanced technology are routinely flying over our restricted or sensitive airspace posing a risk to both flight safety & national security”

    And shares link:

    https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/02/28/ufo-uap-navy-intelligence-00084537

    “We Have a Real UFO Problem. And It’s Not Balloons.
    America’s fixation on the recent objects floating over the country overlooks a much more serious problem with advanced technology aircraft that we can’t explain.”

    And if there's one thing the last year has taught us, it's that we can be reasonably sure they're not advanced Russian technology.
    American govt, Chinese govt or “other”.

    If the first it would be pretty odd albeit not impossible for individuals with top level clearance to keep banging on about it.

    If the second then we have a problem that should be arguably the number one issue for Western governments to address.

    And then there’s “other”. Which just about allows room for non govt or periphery of govt actors. But more broadly, is a catch all for “non human”.
    If it were something from another planet, why would it have such a specific interest in US military facilities?

    It’s most likely the Chinese playing games. Possibly with people based in the US. The Americans are probably doing something very similar in China.

    We’ve definitely learned that there isn’t too much in the way of advanced Russian technology. Not that’s deployable anywhere but the Red Square parade ground.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,795
    What is it with batsmen sweeping spinners?

    (India didn't have a great time this morning either!)
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,470
    TimS said:

    One of the ways in which the Tories can shore up their position at the next election is to make it about defending Brexit again. Sunak would like nothing better than to provoke Labour Rejoiners into banging on about Europe, instead of inflation, the NHS, housing, etc.

    I think on the contrary what this agreement does is put the issue to bed for a while, and thank heavens for that.

    The mood music is very important. Not all remainers are alike of course, nor are all
    leavers, but I think the deliberate playground antagonism towards the EU of first Farage and then the Johnson/Frost years was a big part of the discomfort many people felt. I certainly felt myself wincing in the same way I used to at our football hooligans.

    Simply seeing a friendly and constructive relationship in action goes a long way.
    Though for some people, the playground stuff really seemed to be the point of Brexit, whether knowingly (Johnson, I reckon), instinctively (Farage?) or as a deliberate negotiating strategy (Cummings). There's still bits of that now, when people try to frame negotiations as win-lose rather than win-win.

    Whereas Sunak wants to make this work as a technocratic exercise (which some do see as evidence for closet Remainerdom). Under his watch, the project stands or falls on its merits as a way of making the UK stronger, safer and better off, to coin a phrase.

    Let's see how it does.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,509
    Fishing said:

    One for @NickPalmer

    Further to the resignation of the selection committee, Broxtowe CLP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE has resigned in its entirety from all officer positions.

    Statement below 👇


    https://twitter.com/broxtowelabour/status/1630635411558023182?s=46

    Interesting that fully a third of the Broxtowe CLP officers focus on woke p.c. garbage - two women's officers, a BAME officer, two disability officers and an LGBTQ+ officer. Of course, the one such officer the Labour Party might actually need - a dedicated Jewish rights officer - is nowhere to be seen.
    I think that's a slightly ridiculous comment, but I am amused by their having *two* 'Political Education Officers'. WTF do they do?
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 50,171

    rcs1000 said:

    No.

    Remainers are desperate to sell this as a bit Remainey/Rejoiney and have landed on this 'single market' line as their best angle to take, despite the fact the deal reduces its application in NI, and extends British sovereignty into it, and introduces a new digital border between Northern and Southern Ireland.

    They know this is a big concession by the EU and a victory for Sunak but just can't accept it.Rattled doesn't come close.

    I'm no Remainer, and I agree that this makes Rejoin less likely.

    But at the same time, it does suggest that there will be greater cooperation between the EU and the UK in future.
    Yes, which is fine. But that's not the same as being a secret Remainer or Rejoiner. Cooperation does not equal federalism.

    To suggest so is just a bit thick.
    Arguably, it’s Sunak who hasn’t been so clever, in selling the advantages of being both within the UK and within the single market so enthusiastically to the people of NI. No surprise that this is going down badly in Scotland, and for many in the rest of GB it merely draws more attention to the stupidity of leaving the single market in the first place.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216
    BROXTOWE: but it's not clear who all this fixing is for. Anna-Joy Rickard seems to be candidate of national HQ, while Jamie McMahon is very close to Labour regional director Richard Oliver.

    https://twitter.com/tomorrowsmps/status/1630307456470450176?s=20

    https://twitter.com/annajoyrickard/status/1630261507660324865?s=20

    https://mobile.twitter.com/JamieSMcMahon
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,516

    Fishing said:

    One for @NickPalmer

    Further to the resignation of the selection committee, Broxtowe CLP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE has resigned in its entirety from all officer positions.

    Statement below 👇


    https://twitter.com/broxtowelabour/status/1630635411558023182?s=46

    Interesting that fully a third of the Broxtowe CLP officers focus on woke p.c. garbage - two women's officers, a BAME officer, two disability officers and an LGBTQ+ officer. Of course, the one such officer the Labour Party might actually need - a dedicated Jewish rights officer - is nowhere to be seen.
    I think that's a slightly ridiculous comment, but I am amused by their having *two* 'Political Education Officers'. WTF do they do?
    It's probably just people creating bullshit jobs for their mates, no different to any other organisation or business.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,470
    ydoethur said:

    Just got our ‘Elstöd’ (Electricity Support) from the Swedish government: 7306 SEK (approximately £581).

    That fair cheers you up! As a bonus it is gorgeous bright sunshine. How’s it going on Bonkers Island?

    Somebody's wearing the Bishop's shoes again this morning.
    You are Arthur Atkinson and I claim my free washboard.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,916
    ydoethur said:

    What is it with batsmen sweeping spinners?

    (India didn't have a great time this morning either!)

    If you can pick the length, it isn't a top-spinner, and the bounce from the pitch is reliable, then the sweep is a great way to negate the sideways movement of a spinning ball.
  • JonathanJonathan Posts: 21,706
    If Starmer had proposed this latest deal the Tories would be shouting betrayal.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,872
    I don't feel that Rishi is a 'secret remainer', because that would indicate hidden passionate political sentiments. I think he's someone who accords with the globalist agenda, and would ideally follow a short stint as UK PM on the international circuit getting one of those top jobs at the IMF, Worldbank, NATO etc. If that involves moving us toward the EU, he'll obey. I don't think his personal political preferences, if they exist, are relevant.

    Jeremy Hunt is the same - Jeremy Hunt believes Corporation Tax should be 15%; yet he's supporting it rising from 19% to 25%. That's simple, basic selling out to a global agenda driven by the US. They don't even attempt to defend our country; they inflict harm on it at the behest of others.
  • IanB2 said:

    No.

    Remainers are desperate to sell this as a bit Remainey/Rejoiney and have landed on this 'single market' line as their best angle to take, despite the fact the deal reduces its application in NI, and extends British sovereignty into it, and introduces a new digital border between Northern and Southern Ireland.

    They know this is a big concession by the EU and a victory for Sunak but just can't accept it.Rattled doesn't come close.

    You’re missing the bigger picture; the abandonment of silly rhetoric and silly threats in our dealings with the EU, the move toward more constructive and co-operative relations, acceptance of the need for compromise and a willingness to face down the extreme wing of the Tory party - all things we didn’t get from Johnson or Truss.

    Beyond NI there is a stack of unresolved issues and problems arising from the Tories’ self-destructive approach to Brexit, and it isn’t unreasonable to see this week’s news as a first step in the right direction.
    Frankly we need to be applying chunks of the special arrangements for NI in GB as well. Now that the UK aren't calling the EU evil and insisting we hold all the cards, both sides are talking and making concessions.

    Red lanes and Green lanes sound great. We set up a massive green lane at Dover because we weren't able to set up customs posts. But the French did. Can we have a Green lane at Calais please?
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216
    …”The Telegraph have been informed that their headline is wrong, and Matt is considering all options available to him.“……

    The important point Hancock makes in response is that after Whitty’s advice a meeting on testing took place which revealed there wasn’t enough capacity to test everyone going into care homes. Which is why later that day Hancock decides only to test hospital patients at this stage


    https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1630838823029551107?s=20
  • StockyStocky Posts: 10,234

    I don't feel that Rishi is a 'secret remainer', because that would indicate hidden passionate political sentiments. I think he's someone who accords with the globalist agenda, and would ideally follow a short stint as UK PM on the international circuit getting one of those top jobs at the IMF, Worldbank, NATO etc. If that involves moving us toward the EU, he'll obey. I don't think his personal political preferences, if they exist, are relevant.

    Jeremy Hunt is the same - Jeremy Hunt believes Corporation Tax should be 15%; yet he's supporting it rising from 19% to 25%. That's simple, basic selling out to a global agenda driven by the US. They don't even attempt to defend our country; they inflict harm on it at the behest of others.

    I hope you are wrong on this and believe that you are.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,285

    TimS said:

    One of the ways in which the Tories can shore up their position at the next election is to make it about defending Brexit again. Sunak would like nothing better than to provoke Labour Rejoiners into banging on about Europe, instead of inflation, the NHS, housing, etc.

    I think on the contrary what this agreement does is put the issue to bed for a while, and thank heavens for that.

    The mood music is very important. Not all remainers are alike of course, nor are all
    leavers, but I think the deliberate playground antagonism towards the EU of first Farage and then the Johnson/Frost years was a big part of the discomfort many people felt. I certainly felt myself wincing in the same way I used to at our football hooligans.

    Simply seeing a friendly and constructive relationship in action goes a long way.
    Though for some people, the playground stuff really seemed to be the point of Brexit, whether knowingly (Johnson, I reckon), instinctively (Farage?) or as a deliberate negotiating strategy (Cummings). There's still bits of that now, when people try to frame negotiations as win-lose rather than win-win.

    Whereas Sunak wants to make this work as a technocratic exercise (which some do see as evidence for closet Remainerdom...
    That would be to take the headline too seriously; I don't think Mike means it as anything but a bit of mild irony.

    Though clearly No10 are sensitive about that, as they were very quick indeed to issue a 'clarification' of Sunak's gushing about NI's remarkable economic prospects.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,795

    ydoethur said:

    Just got our ‘Elstöd’ (Electricity Support) from the Swedish government: 7306 SEK (approximately £581).

    That fair cheers you up! As a bonus it is gorgeous bright sunshine. How’s it going on Bonkers Island?

    Somebody's wearing the Bishop's shoes again this morning.
    You are Arthur Atkinson and I claim my free washboard.
    Dave Allen, thank you very much!

    https://youtu.be/yiawHyLKnks
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,872
    Jonathan said:

    If Starmer had proposed this latest deal the Tories would be shouting betrayal.

    They wouldn't, because this deal doesn’t mandate any move closer to the EU single market for NI, that situation remains static - what has changed is greater flexibility for the UK internal market. Yes, the NI Protocol bill has been scrapped, but Starmer would never have introduced that bill in the first place. There is no way to look at this that isn't a small step forward. We'll see if it's a big enough step soon enough.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,916
    edited March 2023

    Fishing said:

    One for @NickPalmer

    Further to the resignation of the selection committee, Broxtowe CLP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE has resigned in its entirety from all officer positions.

    Statement below 👇


    https://twitter.com/broxtowelabour/status/1630635411558023182?s=46

    Interesting that fully a third of the Broxtowe CLP officers focus on woke p.c. garbage - two women's officers, a BAME officer, two disability officers and an LGBTQ+ officer. Of course, the one such officer the Labour Party might actually need - a dedicated Jewish rights officer - is nowhere to be seen.
    I think that's a slightly ridiculous comment, but I am amused by their having *two* 'Political Education Officers'. WTF do they do?
    It's probably just people creating bullshit jobs for their mates, no different to any other organisation or business.
    For a voluntary organisation keeping people active can be difficult. Give them a seat on the executive committee, so that they participate in making decisions, and they have a greater stake in being involved in the organisation and working to implement those decisions and make them a success. Ask them to choose their own titles. It doesn't matter.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,795

    ydoethur said:

    What is it with batsmen sweeping spinners?

    (India didn't have a great time this morning either!)

    If you can pick the length, it isn't a top-spinner, and the bounce from the pitch is reliable, then the sweep is a great way to negate the sideways movement of a spinning ball.
    And if Donald Trump had won the election...
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,285

    ydoethur said:

    What is it with batsmen sweeping spinners?

    (India didn't have a great time this morning either!)

    If you can pick the length, it isn't a top-spinner, and the bounce from the pitch is reliable, then the sweep is a great way to negate the sideways movement of a spinning ball.
    As you say, it's a judgment of the relative risks of horizontal and vertical deviation.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,285

    …”The Telegraph have been informed that their headline is wrong, and Matt is considering all options available to him.“……

    The important point Hancock makes in response is that after Whitty’s advice a meeting on testing took place which revealed there wasn’t enough capacity to test everyone going into care homes. Which is why later that day Hancock decides only to test hospital patients at this stage


    https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1630838823029551107?s=20

    Though they don't appear to have consistently done that, either.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 36,106

    One of the ways in which the Tories can shore up their position at the next election is to make it about defending Brexit again.

    What they will have to explain is why Belfast has a better deal than Bristol, or Birmingham
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,916

    IanB2 said:

    No.

    Remainers are desperate to sell this as a bit Remainey/Rejoiney and have landed on this 'single market' line as their best angle to take, despite the fact the deal reduces its application in NI, and extends British sovereignty into it, and introduces a new digital border between Northern and Southern Ireland.

    They know this is a big concession by the EU and a victory for Sunak but just can't accept it.Rattled doesn't come close.

    You’re missing the bigger picture; the abandonment of silly rhetoric and silly threats in our dealings with the EU, the move toward more constructive and co-operative relations, acceptance of the need for compromise and a willingness to face down the extreme wing of the Tory party - all things we didn’t get from Johnson or Truss.

    Beyond NI there is a stack of unresolved issues and problems arising from the Tories’ self-destructive approach to Brexit, and it isn’t unreasonable to see this week’s news as a first step in the right direction.
    Frankly we need to be applying chunks of the special arrangements for NI in GB as well. Now that the UK aren't calling the EU evil and insisting we hold all the cards, both sides are talking and making concessions.

    Red lanes and Green lanes sound great. We set up a massive green lane at Dover because we weren't able to set up customs posts. But the French did. Can we have a Green lane at Calais please?
    You don't even realise what the green and read lanes into NI are for. There can't possibly be on at Calais, unless Calais were to become an English city again.

    The deal for NI simply can't be copied over to GB, because it only exists because NI sort of exists in a liminal space between the UK and the EU. How can France exist in a liminal space between the UK and the EU?
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 36,106

    On topic, some interesting ideas here;

    The one thing I've never been able to understand about Sunak is why he supported Brexit in the first place. Seems so out of character.

    https://twitter.com/Samfr/status/1630527376407797760

    Sunak then. Leaving the single market is a brilliant idea.

    Sunak now. Being in the single market is brilliant...
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,872
    Stocky said:

    I don't feel that Rishi is a 'secret remainer', because that would indicate hidden passionate political sentiments. I think he's someone who accords with the globalist agenda, and would ideally follow a short stint as UK PM on the international circuit getting one of those top jobs at the IMF, Worldbank, NATO etc. If that involves moving us toward the EU, he'll obey. I don't think his personal political preferences, if they exist, are relevant.

    Jeremy Hunt is the same - Jeremy Hunt believes Corporation Tax should be 15%; yet he's supporting it rising from 19% to 25%. That's simple, basic selling out to a global agenda driven by the US. They don't even attempt to defend our country; they inflict harm on it at the behest of others.

    I hope you are wrong on this and believe that you are.
    I would like to be.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216
    ydoethur said:

    Heh.

    A Russian guy is at the Polish border:
    “Nationality?”
    “Russian.”
    “Occupation?”
    “No, no, just visiting.”

    Recycled Angela Merkel visiting Greece joke….
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 55,045

    …”The Telegraph have been informed that their headline is wrong, and Matt is considering all options available to him.“……

    The important point Hancock makes in response is that after Whitty’s advice a meeting on testing took place which revealed there wasn’t enough capacity to test everyone going into care homes. Which is why later that day Hancock decides only to test hospital patients at this stage


    https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1630838823029551107?s=20

    Am I the only one who’s struggling to see the public interest, as opposed to the interest of the public, in this story?

    There will be an inquiry into how things were handled during the pandemic, but I’m not sure that posting thousands of selectively-chosen text messages between senior figures helps the situation, nor how ministers and advisors might communicate in a future crisis, knowing that every last detail will end up in Fleet St.

    Are we are not now trying to forget about the pandemic, rather than re-live it in detail?
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 39,064

    IanB2 said:

    No.

    Remainers are desperate to sell this as a bit Remainey/Rejoiney and have landed on this 'single market' line as their best angle to take, despite the fact the deal reduces its application in NI, and extends British sovereignty into it, and introduces a new digital border between Northern and Southern Ireland.

    They know this is a big concession by the EU and a victory for Sunak but just can't accept it.Rattled doesn't come close.

    You’re missing the bigger picture; the abandonment of silly rhetoric and silly threats in our dealings with the EU, the move toward more constructive and co-operative relations, acceptance of the need for compromise and a willingness to face down the extreme wing of the Tory party - all things we didn’t get from Johnson or Truss.

    Beyond NI there is a stack of unresolved issues and problems arising from the Tories’ self-destructive approach to Brexit, and it isn’t unreasonable to see this week’s news as a first step in the right direction.
    Frankly we need to be applying chunks of the special arrangements for NI in GB as well. Now that the UK aren't calling the EU evil and insisting we hold all the cards, both sides are talking and making concessions.

    Red lanes and Green lanes sound great. We set up a massive green lane at Dover because we weren't able to set up customs posts. But the French did. Can we have a Green lane at Calais please?
    You don't even realise what the green and read lanes into NI are for. There can't possibly be on at Calais, unless Calais were to become an English city again.

    The deal for NI simply can't be copied over to GB, because it only exists because NI sort of exists in a liminal space between the UK and the EU. How can France exist in a liminal space between the UK and the EU?
    No but we could have a green channel on both sides for trusted traders. It's completely pointless, for example, to put Rolls Royce exports from the UK to France through customs checks, yet that's what currently happens. In a trusted trader scheme RR becomes a green channel company and all of its goods are exempt from customs checks. Over time a scheme like that could encompass 90-95% of goods traded in both directions.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,795
    edited March 2023

    ydoethur said:

    Heh.

    A Russian guy is at the Polish border:
    “Nationality?”
    “Russian.”
    “Occupation?”
    “No, no, just visiting.”

    Recycled Angela Merkel visiting Greece joke….
    I miss teaching on the Soviet Union under Brezhnev. The jokes about him were brilliant.

    Brezhnev gathers all his cosmonauts into a room, and says 'Boys, we're going to steal a March on the Americans by landing on the sun.'

    A brave man pipes up, 'But Comrade Brezhnev, we'll be burned up.'

    'Do you think I'm a fool?!' snapped Brezhnev. 'You'll be landing at night.'
  • …”The Telegraph have been informed that their headline is wrong, and Matt is considering all options available to him.“……

    The important point Hancock makes in response is that after Whitty’s advice a meeting on testing took place which revealed there wasn’t enough capacity to test everyone going into care homes. Which is why later that day Hancock decides only to test hospital patients at this stage


    https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1630838823029551107?s=20

    Its a strategically timed piece of journalism. Don't look at the PM saying the EEA is the best opportunity in the world, throw rocks instead at Mancock because he's a wrong'un.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,509
    Sandpit said:

    …”The Telegraph have been informed that their headline is wrong, and Matt is considering all options available to him.“……

    The important point Hancock makes in response is that after Whitty’s advice a meeting on testing took place which revealed there wasn’t enough capacity to test everyone going into care homes. Which is why later that day Hancock decides only to test hospital patients at this stage


    https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1630838823029551107?s=20

    Am I the only one who’s struggling to see the public interest, as opposed to the interest of the public, in this story?

    There will be an inquiry into how things were handled during the pandemic, but I’m not sure that posting thousands of selectively-chosen text messages between senior figures helps the situation, nor how ministers and advisors might communicate in a future crisis, knowing that every last detail will end up in Fleet St.

    Are we are not now trying to forget about the pandemic, rather than re-live it in detail?
    Witness also Musk and his 'Twitter files' shit.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216
    Broxtowe background:

    A Labour Party spokesperson said: "Thanks to Keir Starmer's leadership, Labour is now a serious, credible government in waiting and our candidates reflect that. Robust due diligence processes have been put in place to make sure everyone selected is of the highest calibre and for that we’ll make no apologies.

    “Labour has changed. Keir believes that politics can be a force for good, and that his government can restore the faith in it that 13 years of Tory government has carelessly eroded. The public rightly expect anyone asking to hold office is of the highest standard, and with Labour they can. We're really pleased that outstanding Labour candidates have already been selected in constituencies across Britain, and that work continues."


    https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/councillor-claims-blocked-standing-mp-8198418

    Rejected candidate had previously stood for Labour in 2017 and 2019. In 2017 Anna Soubry’s majority cut to 863 from over 4,000.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,795

    …”The Telegraph have been informed that their headline is wrong, and Matt is considering all options available to him.“……

    The important point Hancock makes in response is that after Whitty’s advice a meeting on testing took place which revealed there wasn’t enough capacity to test everyone going into care homes. Which is why later that day Hancock decides only to test hospital patients at this stage


    https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1630838823029551107?s=20

    Its a strategically timed piece of journalism. Don't look at the PM saying the EEA is the best opportunity in the world, throw rocks instead at Mancock because he's a wrong'un.
    To do the Telegraph justice, he is a wrong 'un.

    Whether he's as big a wrong 'un as they're implying is another question, but there were some very dodgy things going on between care homes and hospital trusts that certainly spread covid. Releasing Covid-positive patients to care homes from hospitals at midnight, for example, when the manager wouldn't be there to refuse to accept them, as one hospital not far from here did.
  • IanB2 said:

    No.

    Remainers are desperate to sell this as a bit Remainey/Rejoiney and have landed on this 'single market' line as their best angle to take, despite the fact the deal reduces its application in NI, and extends British sovereignty into it, and introduces a new digital border between Northern and Southern Ireland.

    They know this is a big concession by the EU and a victory for Sunak but just can't accept it.Rattled doesn't come close.

    You’re missing the bigger picture; the abandonment of silly rhetoric and silly threats in our dealings with the EU, the move toward more constructive and co-operative relations, acceptance of the need for compromise and a willingness to face down the extreme wing of the Tory party - all things we didn’t get from Johnson or Truss.

    Beyond NI there is a stack of unresolved issues and problems arising from the Tories’ self-destructive approach to Brexit, and it isn’t unreasonable to see this week’s news as a first step in the right direction.
    Frankly we need to be applying chunks of the special arrangements for NI in GB as well. Now that the UK aren't calling the EU evil and insisting we hold all the cards, both sides are talking and making concessions.

    Red lanes and Green lanes sound great. We set up a massive green lane at Dover because we weren't able to set up customs posts. But the French did. Can we have a Green lane at Calais please?
    You don't even realise what the green and read lanes into NI are for. There can't possibly be on at Calais, unless Calais were to become an English city again.

    The deal for NI simply can't be copied over to GB, because it only exists because NI sort of exists in a liminal space between the UK and the EU. How can France exist in a liminal space between the UK and the EU?
    I understand it entirely. Do you? We "green lane" everything at the channel because we are fucking incompetent as a nation. No checks because as JRM said it would be an act of national self-harm.

    The barrier is Calais, where the French do the EU side of the checks we demanded in our deal. If we can get the EU to wave through stuff as we're now doing in NI and in Kent, then we're back to the good times.

    How do we do that? Maintain our alignment with the standards in our biggest market...
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,795

    Broxtowe background:

    A Labour Party spokesperson said: "Thanks to Keir Starmer's leadership, Labour is now a serious, credible government in waiting and our candidates reflect that. Robust due diligence processes have been put in place to make sure everyone selected is of the highest calibre and for that we’ll make no apologies.

    “Labour has changed. Keir believes that politics can be a force for good, and that his government can restore the faith in it that 13 years of Tory government has carelessly eroded. The public rightly expect anyone asking to hold office is of the highest standard, and with Labour they can. We're really pleased that outstanding Labour candidates have already been selected in constituencies across Britain, and that work continues."


    https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/councillor-claims-blocked-standing-mp-8198418

    Rejected candidate had previously stood for Labour in 2017 and 2019. In 2017 Anna Soubry’s majority cut to 863 from over 4,000.

    Back up to over 5,000 under Darren Henry though.
  • Scott_xP said:

    On topic, some interesting ideas here;

    The one thing I've never been able to understand about Sunak is why he supported Brexit in the first place. Seems so out of character.

    https://twitter.com/Samfr/status/1630527376407797760

    Sunak then. Leaving the single market is a brilliant idea.

    Sunak now. Being in the single market is brilliant...
    He has quite brilliantly found a compromise deal for NI. Fixed something that didn't work and was causing damage to the economy.

    Great! Now do the same for Dover - Calais. The current kluge madness can't continue with one-sided checks. And JRM unilaterally dropping our side is a big show of good faith to the Europeans to encourage them to do the same.

    We promise not to import any weevil-infested crap food from America - and they won't do a deal with us anyway. And your standards are our standards almost entirely because we wrote your standards. Etc
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216
    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Heh.

    A Russian guy is at the Polish border:
    “Nationality?”
    “Russian.”
    “Occupation?”
    “No, no, just visiting.”

    Recycled Angela Merkel visiting Greece joke….
    I miss teaching on the Soviet Union under Brezhnev. The jokes about him were brilliant.

    Brezhnev gathers all his cosmonauts into a room, and says 'Boys, we're going to steal a March on the Americans by landing on the sun.'

    A brave man pipes up, 'But Comrade Brezhnev, we'll be burned up.'

    'Do you think I'm a fool?!' snapped Brezhnev. 'You'll be landing at night.'
    Brezhnev’s mum visits him in the Kremlin, distinctly unimpressed he has her whisked in a Zil convoy to his Dacha in the forest. Still unmoved his personal jet flies her to his Villa in Crimea. Finally he can bear the indifference no more and asks her

    “Mum, what do you think? Aren’t you impressed?”

    “It’s all very good, Leonid, but what happens if the Reds come back?”
This discussion has been closed.