A jury has found Bill Cosby guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in his suburban Pennsylvania home in 2004. The jury handed down the guilty verdict on all three counts of indecent aggravated assault after more than 12 hours of deliberation, following a retrial that lasted more than two weeks.
A jury has found Bill Cosby guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in his suburban Pennsylvania home in 2004. The jury handed down the guilty verdict on all three counts of indecent aggravated assault after more than 12 hours of deliberation, following a retrial that lasted more than two weeks.
A jury has found Bill Cosby guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in his suburban Pennsylvania home in 2004. The jury handed down the guilty verdict on all three counts of indecent aggravated assault after more than 12 hours of deliberation, following a retrial that lasted more than two weeks.
A jury has found Bill Cosby guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in his suburban Pennsylvania home in 2004. The jury handed down the guilty verdict on all three counts of indecent aggravated assault after more than 12 hours of deliberation, following a retrial that lasted more than two weeks.
A jury has found Bill Cosby guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in his suburban Pennsylvania home in 2004. The jury handed down the guilty verdict on all three counts of indecent aggravated assault after more than 12 hours of deliberation, following a retrial that lasted more than two weeks.
A jury has found Bill Cosby guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in his suburban Pennsylvania home in 2004. The jury handed down the guilty verdict on all three counts of indecent aggravated assault after more than 12 hours of deliberation, following a retrial that lasted more than two weeks.
I have been warning about the Department for International Trade for some time.
It should be a dream posting for a civil servant: lots of foreign travel, and plenty of achievements (i.e. deals).
Staff turnover should have been low. (Turnover at DfExEU is extremely low, as everyone knows the seriousness of what's involved.) But it isn't. Dr Fox has clashed with senior civil servants, repeatedly, and doesn't like to be given information he disagrees with. And so the smarter members of his team have left
Dr Fox is an Altlantacist (which is no bad thing in general), but there is an almost myopic focus on getting a deal with the US, over replicating existing arrangements. This leads to our partners (such as South Korea) being frustrated that they don't get time, and which led to a very undiplomatic statement by the South Korean government.
The one area where he appears to have good relationships is with Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Hopefully that will result is positive outcomes sooner rather than later.
Trade deals tend to be agreed, either, if one partner is more powerful than the other and can force the other to its way of thinking, or, if they are evenly balanced, don't compete much with each other, but have complementary offers.
In the first category are the EU, the US and China with anybody apart from each other. Although we would be in a powerful position with, say, South Africa, the amount of trade we do with that country isn't particularly interesting. India is a more interesting prospect, but the problem is both countries compete on services. Japan was able to get an interesting PTA with India by offering services into Japan against access to India's lucrative car market. Canada can trade primary goods for services and is probably as good as it gets for British trade deals
Brexiteers might not have done but I'm sure I remember Cameron (and Osborne) claiming that if we vote to leave we'll be "quitting" everything - Single market and customs union?
Wasn't it also in Cameron's leaflet? I wish I'd kept it and not put it back in the box (without a stamp) to 10 Downing St. now...
But they spoke many times during the campaign about striking our own trade deals which cannot be achieved in the customs union, and therefore leaving the customs union is implied by what we voted for
Brexiteers might not have done but I'm sure I remember Cameron (and Osborne) claiming that if we vote to leave we'll be "quitting" everything - Single market and customs union?
Wasn't it also in Cameron's leaflet? I wish I'd kept it and not put it back in the box (without a stamp) to 10 Downing St. now...
But they spoke many times during the campaign about striking our own trade deals which cannot be achieved in the customs union, and therefore leaving the customs union is implied by what we voted for
Absolutely. Both sides were clear that leaving the EU meant leaving the Customs Union. The Leave campaign used it as a carrot and the Remain campaign used it as a stick.
The EU aren't investing any effort into amending the Irish border backstop in the withdrawal agreement, where Northern Ireland has a different trade regime from mainland GB.
Indeed the EU is frightfully complacent on this border issue - who pays ? EU or ROI ? Also the EU has no plans on how it will make up the huge shortfall in budget contributions when we exit with no deal.
The EU can live with that. On the whole it wants an agreement, but it doesn't see protecting the UK government from its own folly as its responsibility. On a related matter, the UK, unlike the EU, is not deeply concerned about Liam Fox's incompetence in rolling over third party trade deals: https://twitter.com/adampayne26/status/989406060300685312
Why do we believe every single word and pronouncement that comes out of the EU as though it's being handed down by God to Moses on a Tablet Of Stone?
Every country and administration has an agenda, so we should be sceptical of all of them. I understand the EU agenda to be to get the UK out of the EU with the least possible further damage to the EU and for the fallout of Brexit as far as possible to land on our side and not theirs. They will look for tactical advantage from our weakness, as will third countries.
As far as I can tell the UK government agenda is to stagger through to 29 March next year in one piece and declare Brexit victory.
Whilst not disagreeing with the general view of Liam Fox, isn't part of the problem with his department that they can't actually do anything very substantive until we know what the final trade deal with the EU is going to look like?
It is a problem but the issue of how the plethora of EU deals are going to be rolled over (if they are) is something that should have had his urgent attention. The next priority is to start exploring how we make those deals more win win for us and the other country. Restrictions on products being made elsewhere in the EU that the third country sells would be an obvious example as would be seeking an offset for financial services access. I agree with @Max_PB that the failure to make progress on this is pushing us into continuing a Customs Union that looks incredibly like the current one for at least the transitional period.
It is a bit more than cut and paste job, as this little article on the EU Korea trade deal explains:
Maybe it is, he's had almost two years and a government and not a single deal has been agreed in principle. It might not be a simple job, but he's had enough time.
I am happy to agree that my colleague and near namesake is a waste of space.
On the positive side at least he is no longer in clinical practice.
He is indeed completely useless. My friend who was there has moved to another department and hasn't looked back. Still very Brexit focussed, but actually making some kind of difference.
The friend was the one who confirmed to me that the civil service have been pushing the customs union option to the government because they have no faith in Fox to roll over the current EU trade deals in time. His department hasn't even set a target of how many deals they want signed or set any kind of priority among the existing deals that should be rolled over first.
I voted to remain, but respect the vote. However if as you say (And obviously you're no remainer) it seems Fox's department isn't trusted completely by the Gov't it might be best to simply remain in the CU.
A jury has found Bill Cosby guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in his suburban Pennsylvania home in 2004. The jury handed down the guilty verdict on all three counts of indecent aggravated assault after more than 12 hours of deliberation, following a retrial that lasted more than two weeks.
Friday July 13th will also be the second anniversary of Theresa May becoming the country’s first female PM without a mandate.
Assuming she isn’t ousted when she keeps us in the customs union.
So who do you think has a mandate to be PM? Or do you think there should be an instant re-run if any GE does not result in an overall majority?
Read what I wrote. That's not what I said.
She became Prime Minister without winning a general election.
Your post at 6.32 pm does not mention GE. It specifically says she has no mandate.
Because she became PM sans a general election.
Here's the opening line.
Friday July 13th will also be the second anniversary of Theresa May becoming the country’s first female PM without a mandate.
Not sure what your point is. Unless it is to dwell on the fact she is female. That is the only thing to separate her in your comment from David Lloyd George, Stanley Baldwin, Neville Chamberlain, Winston Churchill, Antony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas Home, James Callaghan, Gordon Brown and John Major - all of whom became PM without 'a mandate' as you claim.
It is a stupid comment anyway since, as that list shows, the PM is not chosen by the public but by MPs.
Friday July 13th will also be the second anniversary of Theresa May becoming the country’s first female PM without a mandate.
Assuming she isn’t ousted when she keeps us in the customs union.
So who do you think has a mandate to be PM? Or do you think there should be an instant re-run if any GE does not result in an overall majority?
Read what I wrote. That's not what I said.
She became Prime Minister without winning a general election.
Your post at 6.32 pm does not mention GE. It specifically says she has no mandate.
Because she became PM sans a general election.
Here's the opening line.
Friday July 13th will also be the second anniversary of Theresa May becoming the country’s first female PM without a mandate.
Not sure what your point is. Unless it is to dwell on the fact she is female. That is the only thing to separate her in your comment from David Lloyd George, Stanley Baldwin, Neville Chamberlain, Winston Churchill, Antony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas Home, James Callaghan, Gordon Brown and John Major - all of whom became PM without 'a mandate' as you claim.
It is a stupid comment anyway since, as that list shows, the PM is not chosen by the public but by MPs.
And there was me trying to be polite and give TSE a chance to explain his point more clearly.
Friday July 13th will also be the second anniversary of Theresa May becoming the country’s first female PM without a mandate.
Assuming she isn’t ousted when she keeps us in the customs union.
So who do you think has a mandate to be PM? Or do you think there should be an instant re-run if any GE does not result in an overall majority?
Read what I wrote. That's not what I said.
She became Prime Minister without winning a general election.
Your post at 6.32 pm does not mention GE. It specifically says she has no mandate.
Because she became PM sans a general election.
Here's the opening line.
Friday July 13th will also be the second anniversary of Theresa May becoming the country’s first female PM without a mandate.
Not sure what your point is. Unless it is to dwell on the fact she is female. That is the only thing to separate her in your comment from David Lloyd George, Stanley Baldwin, Neville Chamberlain, Winston Churchill, Antony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas Home, James Callaghan, Gordon Brown and John Major - all of whom became PM without 'a mandate' as you claim.
It is a stupid comment anyway since, as that list shows, the PM is not chosen by the public but by MPs.
Friday 13th of July 2018 is the day Donald Trump visits the UK, I was pointing out it'll be a fun day for Mrs May.
The point was to point out she's no Thatcher despite the hype of many.
A jury has found Bill Cosby guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in his suburban Pennsylvania home in 2004. The jury handed down the guilty verdict on all three counts of indecent aggravated assault after more than 12 hours of deliberation, following a retrial that lasted more than two weeks.
Personally, I think it quite noble of Amber to take the bullet for Theresa, like she did in the debates. It shows more strength of character than her boss.
Whilst not disagreeing with the general view of Liam Fox, isn't part of the problem with his department that they can't actually do anything very substantive until we know what the final trade deal with the EU is going to look like?
It is a problem but the issue of how the plethora of EU deals are going to be rolled over (if they are) is something that should have had his urgent attention. The next priority is to start exploring how we make those deals more win win for us and the other country. Restrictions on products being made elsewhere in the EU that the third country sells would be an obvious example as would be seeking an offset for financial services access. I agree with @Max_PB that the failure to make progress on this is pushing us into continuing a Customs Union that looks incredibly like the current one for at least the transitional period.
It is a bit more than cut and paste job, as this little article on the EU Korea trade deal explains:
Maybe it is, he's had almost two years and a government and not a single deal has been agreed in principle. It might not be a simple job, but he's had enough time.
I am happy to agree that my colleague and near namesake is a waste of space.
On the positive side at least he is no longer in clinical practice.
He is indeed completely useless. My friend who was there has moved to another department and hasn't looked back. Still very Brexit focussed, but actually making some kind of difference.
The friend was the one who confirmed to me that the civil service have been pushing the customs union option to the government because they have no faith in Fox to roll over the current EU trade deals in time. His department hasn't even set a target of how many deals they want signed or set any kind of priority among the existing deals that should be rolled over first.
I voted to remain, but respect the vote. However if as you say (And obviously you're no remainer) it seems Fox's department isn't trusted completely by the Gov't it might be best to simply remain in the CU.
No, it would be easier to fire Fox and get Kwasi in.
I think you're on thin ice accusing other people of being biased about George Osborne.
I am at least willing to acknowledge that he did some good things - increasing VAT and reforming pensions as examples.
You forgot 'rescuing the UK economy from being in the worst state of any European country other than Greece to being one of the two best, whilst amazingly managing to keep unemployment very low'. I've no idea why you don't seem to think that is rather the key point about his tenure as Chancellor.
Nor did I mention:
Borrowing hundreds of billions more than he forecast he would Allowing a half a trillion quid cumulative current account deficit Announcing a 'march of the makers' which turned into three manufacturing recessions Budgets which fell apart Help to raise house prices while home ownership fell Triple lock pensions Tripling student tuition fees and then freezing the level at which repayments began Hinkley Point C Apprenticeship levy
In short George Osborne was the Shadow Chancellor who failed to predict a recession which happened and the Chancellor who predicted a recession which didn't happen.
Comments
https://www.vox.com/2018/4/26/17272470/bill-cosby-trial-verdict-guilty-sexual-assault-andrea-constand
https://twitter.com/stevenportnoy/status/989566068384509952
She became Prime Minister without winning a general election.
https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/989571647836491777
In the first category are the EU, the US and China with anybody apart from each other. Although we would be in a powerful position with, say, South Africa, the amount of trade we do with that country isn't particularly interesting. India is a more interesting prospect, but the problem is both countries compete on services. Japan was able to get an interesting PTA with India by offering services into Japan against access to India's lucrative car market. Canada can trade primary goods for services and is probably as good as it gets for British trade deals
Here's the opening line.
Friday July 13th will also be the second anniversary of Theresa May becoming the country’s first female PM without a mandate.
As far as I can tell the UK government agenda is to stagger through to 29 March next year in one piece and declare Brexit victory.
I think
"The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our time"
will be remembered for far longer than:
"Voting Tory will cause your wife to have bigger breasts and increase your chances of owning a BMW M3."
It is a stupid comment anyway since, as that list shows, the PM is not chosen by the public but by MPs.
The point was to point out she's no Thatcher despite the hype of many.
NEW THREAD
Borrowing hundreds of billions more than he forecast he would
Allowing a half a trillion quid cumulative current account deficit
Announcing a 'march of the makers' which turned into three manufacturing recessions
Budgets which fell apart
Help to raise house prices while home ownership fell
Triple lock pensions
Tripling student tuition fees and then freezing the level at which repayments began
Hinkley Point C
Apprenticeship levy
In short George Osborne was the Shadow Chancellor who failed to predict a recession which happened and the Chancellor who predicted a recession which didn't happen.