I hope o’mara gets the necessary support and care over the coming days no matter how this ends up he clearly has problems and will need to face the music eventually.
Frankly it reflects very badly on Labour that he was ever put forward as a candidate for an office of any kind.
Politics brings the worst out in a certain percentage of people who enter it. On the other side of the coin there are some very good public servants. It is a pity that part of the media in recent years has chosen to vilify those reflecting genuine views in a bad way by calling them traitors and leaving those that abuse office largely unscathed...
Since Boris became pm he has led the polls apart from one with a 1% labour lead and some of the leads are substantial. However, I do not think they are grounds for a GE though it is clear labour is in a very bad place, not just evidenced in the polls but in virtually every recent local election their vote share is in freefall
My own opinion is that Boris will achieve some change to the backstop and it will be sufficient to present it to the HOC on a free vote with rejection resulting in no deal
Now, many on here may take task with me and of course I could be wrong but it is not entirely fanciful.
I think in an era of four party politics polls, which are basically political propaganda these days, are of no real value. As an example, the swing from Conservative to Lib Dem based on YouGov is 11.5% but that doesn't mean it will be that everywhere - in some areas it will be less, some much more. BP won't poll 12% everywhere nor will the Greens poll a flat 8% so UNS is USE-less.
As for your scenario, maybe but the onus has always been on the UK to put forward solutions to the problems its departure from the EU will cause - why should the EU have to come up with the answers - we are the ones who want to leave? Blaming the EU is politically easy but the truth is we have been short of viable solutions as distinct from technological flights of fancy which might be viable in 2030.
We are woefully under-prepared and unprepared for No Deal it seems. Should more have been done by May after A50 was triggered in 2017 - yes, a thousand times, yes.
What you are missing though is that everyone actually knows what the technological solution is - @rcs1000 described it last night. The hard graft of making it work in practice needs collaboration and that is what the EU has refused to do. Because they thought that the U.K. would fold.
And what you are missing is that it's not just about the border but about enabling businesses and people to operate as they do today without any additional barriers to cross-border integration. Imposing a system that adds hassle and bureaucracy is unacceptable.
No it is not, it is wholly acceptable. The sensitivities described are those of private citizens, not big businesses. We don't owe it to businesses not to fill out paperwork because of the GFA. We should try to minimise bureaucracy in our own interests, but that's another issue.
Two third of the NI electorate feel the same way. Don’t you owe it to them, either ?
I HATE TRAINS PART 57 OF LOTS ===========================
There is this lovely old tweedy English couple sat in the carriage. They have big bikes lodged in front of seats and are sitting down, taking up a total of six seats and blocking the aisle. They are terribly apologetic and will move the aisle bike to enable access to the unused seats.They don't travel on trains much. They are puzzled, a bit confused, and have asked if trains are normally this busy and whether it will get busier.
I want them dead.
I want the police to be puzzled when they find their mangled bodies and the coroner to wonder just how a bike could have been thrust that far in before the torso exploded. I want their pictures to be displayed to learner cyclists as a warning. GODSDAMMIT, THEY ARE BROMPTON BIKES! THEY ARE FOLDABLE! FOLD THEM!!!
Well that's bollocks isn't it? We haven't done it in 2 years, so how the feck can Bozo et al do anything in 30 days when everyone is on holiday?
They realise this, and hence the backing away from what Bozo said off the cuff in Berlin.
'cut'
Agree. Boris needs to sell the WA to his party and to parliament.
Without the backstop, and against the certainty of No deal, I would see it passing without too much difficulty. Personally I think leaving without a deal would be fine, but leaving it with one, even one which isn't terribly fair, is probably easier on our collective nerves.
Dream, Dream , Dream
Yes, remember it Malc?
Disaster is looming , it is No Deal coming up
DOOM!
A rather lovely Dad's Army character, but it hardly makes a case.
I am hoping for No Deal as it will mean independence for certain.
If the UK economy goes down the toilet, which will impact Scotland's economy, surely independence is going to have some serious questions arise on tax and spending north of the border in an independent Scotland. Like it or not Scotland gets a fiscal boost from the rest of the UK that it spends on public services. A new country which is not part of the sterling area (£) is going to have some tough decisions to make. I don't see Scotland joining the Eurozone as a way out of solving its problems either. Personally, I would be sad to see Scotland decide its union with the rest of the UK, which, it entered voluntarily some centuries ago should be dissolved.
Economic decline in the UK hurts Ireland substantially more than it hurts the UK generally and Scotland somewhat more.
Scotland's fiscal position though is hopeless if the UK isn't in good shape. Ireland is just very slightly better placed.
Scotland (with the portion of UK debt attributable to it) isn't economically viable as an independent entity. My view anyway.
For TSE: the Good Lady Wifi is working on a little movie in Hollywood. It's about somebody who everybody in LA knows and loves. The list of people who want to be in this movie is growing. The latest to get on board: William Shatner....
I hope o’mara gets the necessary support and care over the coming days no matter how this ends up he clearly has problems and will need to face the music eventually.
Frankly it reflects very badly on Labour that he was ever put forward as a candidate for an office of any kind.
Politics brings the worst out in a certain percentage of people who enter it. On the other side of the coin there are some very good public servants. It is a pity that part of the media in recent years has chosen to vilify those reflecting genuine views in a bad way by calling them traitors and leaving those that abuse office largely unscathed...
I agree with that, but it really did not require any great insight to ascertain that this person was in no way suited to represent any party as a candidate for public office.Simply watching his conduct on television at the time of the Declaration made it abundantly clear that he really hadn't a clue and was clearly totally unfitted for such a role.
Well that's bollocks isn't it? We haven't done it in 2 years, so how the feck can Bozo et al do anything in 30 days when everyone is on holiday?
They realise this, and hence the backing away from what Bozo said off the cuff in Berlin.
We have 'done it' - sensible alternative arrangements have been proposed (by Nicky Morgan and Greg Hands before you accuse it of being cooked up by Farage over a boozy lunch): https://www.prosperity-uk.com/aacabout/
They just haven't been accepted by (or presumably even officially presented to) Ireland and the EU. No doubt in small part because they would have been rejected out of hand because both those entities preferred forcing Britain into the backstop.
What needs to happen in the 30 days isn't a creation job, it's a presentational and diplomatic job.
Dream, Dream , Dream
Yes, remember it Malc?
Disaster is looming , it is No Deal coming up
DOOM!
A rather lovely Dad's Army character, but it hardly makes a case.
I am hoping for No Deal as it will mean independence for certain.
If the UK economy goes down the toilet, which will impact Scotland's economy, surely independence is going to have some serious questions arise on tax and spending north of the border in an independent Scotland. Like it or not Scotland gets a fiscal boost from the rest of the UK that it spends on public services. A new country which is not part of the sterling area (£) is going to have some tough decisions to make. I don't see Scotland joining the Eurozone as a way out of solving its problems either. Personally, I would be sad to see Scotland decide its union with the rest of the UK, which, it entered voluntarily some centuries ago should be dissolved.
I still think it is much better for Scotland to decide what to spend its cash on rather than having it imposed by a much larger partner. They will use £ in the short /medium term before going to own currency. Will not be easy but future under UK is not a great prospect, we do not borrow money , UK has big deficit applied to us which is just fantasy. UK splashes the cash and allocates the debt to Scotland it is a joke. They have us spending 5.7% of GDP on defence , it is laughable.
Well that's bollocks isn't it? We haven't done it in 2 years, so how the feck can Bozo et al do anything in 30 days when everyone is on holiday?
They realise this, and hence the backing away from what Bozo said off the cuff in Berlin.
We have 'done it' - sensible alternative arrangements have been proposed (by Nicky Morgan and Greg Hands before you accuse it of being cooked up by Farage over a boozy lunch): https://www.prosperity-uk.com/aacabout/
They just haven't been accepted by (or presumably even officially presented to) Ireland and the EU. No doubt in small part because they would have been rejected out of hand because both those entities preferred forcing Britain into the backstop.
What needs to happen in the 30 days isn't a creation job, it's a presentational and diplomatic job.
Agree. Boris needs to sell the WA to his party and to parliament.
Without the backstop, and against the certainty of No deal, I would see it passing without too much difficulty. Personally I think leaving without a deal would be fine, but leaving it with one, even one which isn't terribly fair, is probably easier on our collective nerves.
Dream, Dream , Dream
Yes, remember it Malc?
Disaster is looming , it is No Deal coming up
DOOM!
A rather lovely Dad's Army character, but it hardly makes a case.
I am hoping for No Deal as it will mean independence for certain.
One of us is misreading the runes then.
Scottish independence here and now is (sorry) daft. The forces for independence aren't those that you'd want. Sturgeon leading the charge.. It's all defensive stuff. If Scottish independence has a chance of flourishing then you need the imaginative people of Scotland pushing it forwards.
I agree on Sturgeon, I am not a fan. Once independent it will all change for certain, we will see some other real Scottish parties emerge and the London sockpuppets disappear.
The trouble with going on about how dreadful Trump is, is that nobody is going on about how wonderful and great any of his opponents is. You need to be for something, not just anti something else.
Not if there is a move to invoke the 25th Amendment.
I HATE TRAINS PART 57 OF LOTS ===========================
There is this lovely old tweedy English couple sat in the carriage. They have big bikes lodged in front of seats and are sitting down, taking up a total of six seats and blocking the aisle. They are terribly apologetic and will move the aisle bike to enable access to the unused seats.They don't travel on trains much. They are puzzled, a bit confused, and have asked if trains are normally this busy and whether it will get busier.
I want them dead.
I want the police to be puzzled when they find their mangled bodies and the coroner to wonder just how a bike could have been thrust that far in before the torso exploded. I want their pictures to be displayed to learner cyclists as a warning. GODSDAMMIT, THEY ARE BROMPTON BIKES! THEY ARE FOLDABLE! FOLD THEM!!!
The trouble with going on about how dreadful Trump is, is that nobody is going on about how wonderful and great any of his opponents is. You need to be for something, not just anti something else.
Not if there is a move to invoke the 25th Amendment.
Politics in the US is so tribal now that 95% of the population will vote R or D regardless of who is on the ballot.
Well that's bollocks isn't it? We haven't done it in 2 years, so how the feck can Bozo et al do anything in 30 days when everyone is on holiday?
They realise this, and hence the backing away from what Bozo said off the cuff in Berlin.
We have 'done it' - sensible alternative arrangements have been proposed (by Nicky Morgan and Greg Hands before you accuse it of being cooked up by Farage over a boozy lunch): https://www.prosperity-uk.com/aacabout/
They just haven't been accepted by (or presumably even officially presented to) Ireland and the EU. No doubt in small part because they would have been rejected out of hand because both those entities preferred forcing Britain into the backstop.
What needs to happen in the 30 days isn't a creation job, it's a presentational and diplomatic job.
Agree. Boris needs to sell the WA to his party and to parliament.
Without the backstop, and against the certainty of No deal, I would see it passing without too much difficulty. Personally I think leaving without a deal would be fine, but leaving it with one, even one which isn't terribly fair, is probably easier on our collective nerves.
Dream, Dream , Dream
Yes, remember it Malc?
Disaster is looming , it is No Deal coming up
DOOM!
A rather lovely Dad's Army character, but it hardly makes a case.
I am hoping for No Deal as it will mean independence for certain.
No certainty about it at all, including Don't Knows only 46% of Scots back independence even now on the last Ashcroft poll
I hope o’mara gets the necessary support and care over the coming days no matter how this ends up he clearly has problems and will need to face the music eventually.
Frankly it reflects very badly on Labour that he was ever put forward as a candidate for an office of any kind.
I know it was rushed due to the snap election in 2017. My only thoughts were they trying to get more candidates with disabilities ? Nevertheless it has not worked for all concerned. Which for many disabled people is a shame. Whatever your thoughts on David Blunkett it was amazing to me , how he was able to do his job as a MP and cabinet minister. I am sure there are other examples.
I HATE TRAINS PART 57 OF LOTS ===========================
There is this lovely old tweedy English couple sat in the carriage. They have big bikes lodged in front of seats and are sitting down, taking up a total of six seats and blocking the aisle. They are terribly apologetic and will move the aisle bike to enable access to the unused seats.They don't travel on trains much. They are puzzled, a bit confused, and have asked if trains are normally this busy and whether it will get busier.
I want them dead.
I want the police to be puzzled when they find their mangled bodies and the coroner to wonder just how a bike could have been thrust that far in before the torso exploded. I want their pictures to be displayed to learner cyclists as a warning. GODSDAMMIT, THEY ARE BROMPTON BIKES! THEY ARE FOLDABLE! FOLD THEM!!!
[Seethes quietly]
Is that you Malc?
Fancy a turnip?
I am genuinely puzzled by this. I hold a bit of sentiment for Scottish Nationalism in its positive form ("Live as if you were in the early days of a better nation" is the best political motto I have ever heard in modern times, and beat Brexit's "Europe Filthy! World War 2 Great!" Into a cocked hat), but I thought Salmond acted badly during the 2014 referendum and I prefer it to remain within the UK. Given these views, it would be difficult to confuse me with The Great Turnip of this parish.
I HATE TRAINS PART 57 OF LOTS ===========================
There is this lovely old tweedy English couple sat in the carriage. They have big bikes lodged in front of seats and are sitting down, taking up a total of six seats and blocking the aisle. They are terribly apologetic and will move the aisle bike to enable access to the unused seats.They don't travel on trains much. They are puzzled, a bit confused, and have asked if trains are normally this busy and whether it will get busier.
I want them dead.
I want the police to be puzzled when they find their mangled bodies and the coroner to wonder just how a bike could have been thrust that far in before the torso exploded. I want their pictures to be displayed to learner cyclists as a warning. GODSDAMMIT, THEY ARE BROMPTON BIKES! THEY ARE FOLDABLE! FOLD THEM!!!
[Seethes quietly]
Is that you Malc?
Fancy a turnip?
As if I would be using public transport
I'm glad you took that in the spirit it was meant.
I hope o’mara gets the necessary support and care over the coming days no matter how this ends up he clearly has problems and will need to face the music eventually.
Frankly it reflects very badly on Labour that he was ever put forward as a candidate for an office of any kind.
I know it was rushed due to the snap election in 2017. My only thoughts were they trying to get more candidates with disabilities ? Nevertheless it has not worked for all concerned. Which for many disabled people is a shame. Whatever your thoughts on David Blunkett it was amazing to me , how he was able to do his job as a MP and cabinet minister. I am sure there are other examples.
David Blunkett and Gordon Brown were both high flyers with disabilities. The civil service or their office staff obviously worked well in mitigating visual impairment. Blunkett made some personal and ethical misjudgements but his role as minister and the decisions he made politically were no different to an individual without disability. I don't think Brown made any real mistakes due to his visual impairment disability but he certainly made a lot of political misjudgements that is for sure!
Do I think people with disabilities should be MPs? I suppose it depends on what the disability is and how it impacts their daily life. I would seriously warn a person off with a serious mental health problem, personality disorder or something that makes reasonable judgements difficult.
What you are missing though is that everyone actually knows what the technological solution is - @rcs1000 described it last night. The hard graft of making it work in practice needs collaboration and that is what the EU has refused to do. Because they thought that the U.K. would fold.
And what you are missing is that it's not just about the border but about enabling businesses and people to operate as they do today without any additional barriers to cross-border integration. Imposing a system that adds hassle and bureaucracy is unacceptable.
That's not true.
We impose burdens on businesses all the time. In my days as a CFO, I was responsible for VAT filings for the UK parent, and our subsidiaries in Estonia, Lithuania, Switzerland and Italy.
In theory, all these should have been the same amount of work. Indeed, if you want the EU to do something useful, harmonising VAT submission would be incredibly useful for midsized businesses. But some countries are massively more hassle than others.
There's no reason why lorries crossing the border cannot simply preregister shipments. It works with FAST on the US/Canada border. It's simply not that big a deal, and the impact on cross border trade should be de minimis. Done well it would integrate with logistics and shipping companies so when you booked your lorry, you registered the cargo at the same time.
The real issue would be if there was no FTA between the EU and the UK. In that case, the imposition of tariffs on cross border trade would be a major issue. But the technology around the border: well, it's a hassle to setup, but it's simply not that big a deal.
And what you are missing is that it's not just about the border but about enabling businesses and people to operate as they do today without any additional barriers to cross-border integration. Imposing a system that adds hassle and bureaucracy is unacceptable.
I disagree.
Subjugating people to a Parliament they don't get to vote for is unacceptable.
Being subject to bureaucracy is a fact of life and merely annoying.
Point of order 1: itsn't it the Commission they are really subjugated to?
Point of order 2: aren't there a lot of people subjugated to the UK parliament who didn't vote for it? (I'm not talking about immigrants, but people who live in"Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories where the UK government has effective control, who have no exit clause in treaties.)
A rather lovely Dad's Army character, but it hardly makes a case.
I am hoping for No Deal as it will mean independence for certain.
If the UK economy goes down the toilet, which will impact Scotland's economy, surely independence is going to have some serious questions arise on tax and spending north of the border in an independent Scotland. Like it or not Scotland gets a fiscal boost from the rest of the UK that it spends on public services. A new country which is not part of the sterling area (£) is going to have some tough decisions to make. I don't see Scotland joining the Eurozone as a way out of solving its problems either. Personally, I would be sad to see Scotland decide its union with the rest of the UK, which, it entered voluntarily some centuries ago should be dissolved.
I still think it is much better for Scotland to decide what to spend its cash on rather than having it imposed by a much larger partner. They will use £ in the short /medium term before going to own currency. Will not be easy but future under UK is not a great prospect, we do not borrow money , UK has big deficit applied to us which is just fantasy. UK splashes the cash and allocates the debt to Scotland it is a joke. They have us spending 5.7% of GDP on defence , it is laughable.
An interesting point is how much an Independent Scotland would diverge from current spending patterns and whether that was politically rewarding for a party. Just like the UK and the huge EU zone on its doorstep if the UK executes Brexit. The size of the EU will have policy implications for any UK Government. Likewise Scotland will have its policies even in an Independent Scotland warped by its nearest neighbour, England. Neither Brexit supporters or Scottish Independence advocates want to admit that optimum leverage, impact and self-determination is on offer inside the relative unions rather than a weakened peripheral existence.
I hope o’mara gets the necessary support and care over the coming days no matter how this ends up he clearly has problems and will need to face the music eventually.
Frankly it reflects very badly on Labour that he was ever put forward as a candidate for an office of any kind.
I know it was rushed due to the snap election in 2017. My only thoughts were they trying to get more candidates with disabilities ? Nevertheless it has not worked for all concerned. Which for many disabled people is a shame. Whatever your thoughts on David Blunkett it was amazing to me , how he was able to do his job as a MP and cabinet minister. I am sure there are other examples.
I agree. I doubt if they had really checked out his disabilities - the way it works in a rushed election is that the party hastily checks if there's a safe known quantity (e.g. a former MP/candidate who didn't disgrace anyone last time) and otherwise ask the CLP if they've got a good suggestion. The CLP leadership may have friendship and sympathy in the front of their mind and say "Oh, let's let X have a go". If Region has lots of time to check, they will, but usually they don't. I doubt if there's more to it than that.
I hope o’mara gets the necessary support and care over the coming days no matter how this ends up he clearly has problems and will need to face the music eventually.
Frankly it reflects very badly on Labour that he was ever put forward as a candidate for an office of any kind.
I know it was rushed due to the snap election in 2017. My only thoughts were they trying to get more candidates with disabilities ? Nevertheless it has not worked for all concerned. Which for many disabled people is a shame. Whatever your thoughts on David Blunkett it was amazing to me , how he was able to do his job as a MP and cabinet minister. I am sure there are other examples.
I agree. I doubt if they had really checked out his disabilities - the way it works in a rushed election is that the party hastily checks if there's a safe known quantity (e.g. a former MP/candidate who didn't disgrace anyone last time) and otherwise ask the CLP if they've got a good suggestion. The CLP leadership may have friendship and sympathy in the front of their mind and say "Oh, let's let X have a go". If Region has lots of time to check, they will, but usually they don't. I doubt if there's more to it than that.
My only point was that it must be a difficult time for him and I hope he has the necessary care. Not that he deserves it more than others but if he has genuine mental health problems he should not be pilloried.
And what you are missing is that it's not just about the border but about enabling businesses and people to operate as they do today without any additional barriers to cross-border integration. Imposing a system that adds hassle and bureaucracy is unacceptable.
I disagree.
Subjugating people to a Parliament they don't get to vote for is unacceptable.
Being subject to bureaucracy is a fact of life and merely annoying.
Point of order 1: itsn't it the Commission they are really subjugated to?
Point of order 2: aren't there a lot of people subjugated to the UK parliament who didn't vote for it? (I'm not talking about immigrants, but people who live in"Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories where the UK government has effective control, who have no exit clause in treaties.)
I might be wrong on this, and it might have changed recently, but the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are outwith the UK and not governed by the UK Government nor legislated by the UK Parliament. They are answerable to the Crown and their defence is taken care of by the British Armed Forces. But that's not the same thing.
I hope o’mara gets the necessary support and care over the coming days no matter how this ends up he clearly has problems and will need to face the music eventually.
Frankly it reflects very badly on Labour that he was ever put forward as a candidate for an office of any kind.
I know it was rushed due to the snap election in 2017. My only thoughts were they trying to get more candidates with disabilities ? Nevertheless it has not worked for all concerned. Which for many disabled people is a shame. Whatever your thoughts on David Blunkett it was amazing to me , how he was able to do his job as a MP and cabinet minister. I am sure there are other examples.
David Blunkett and Gordon Brown were both high flyers with disabilities. The civil service or their office staff obviously worked well in mitigating visual impairment. Blunkett made some personal and ethical misjudgements but his role as minister and the decisions he made politically were no different to an individual without disability. I don't think Brown made any real mistakes due to his visual impairment disability but he certainly made a lot of political misjudgements that is for sure!
Do I think people with disabilities should be MPs? I suppose it depends on what the disability is and how it impacts their daily life. I would seriously warn a person off with a serious mental health problem, personality disorder or something that makes reasonable judgements difficult.
Yes I would agree with that. I seem to remember Brown been criticised by the sun . For his handwritten letters to families of soldiers , who had been killed. Can not remember what he was supposed to have done wrong.
And what you are missing is that it's not just about the border but about enabling businesses and people to operate as they do today without any additional barriers to cross-border integration. Imposing a system that adds hassle and bureaucracy is unacceptable.
I disagree.
Subjugating people to a Parliament they don't get to vote for is unacceptable.
Being subject to bureaucracy is a fact of life and merely annoying.
Point of order 1: itsn't it the Commission they are really subjugated to?
Point of order 2: aren't there a lot of people subjugated to the UK parliament who didn't vote for it? (I'm not talking about immigrants, but people who live in"Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories where the UK government has effective control, who have no exit clause in treaties.)
I might be wrong on this, and it might have changed recently, but the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are outwith the UK and not governed by the UK Government nor legislated by the UK Parliament. They are answerable to the Crown and their defence is taken care of by the British Armed Forces. But that's not the same thing.
Doesn't the Lieutenant General of the Isle of Man have the final say on all legislation there, and they are a British appointee.
And what you are missing is that it's not just about the border but about enabling businesses and people to operate as they do today without any additional barriers to cross-border integration. Imposing a system that adds hassle and bureaucracy is unacceptable.
I disagree.
Subjugating people to a Parliament they don't get to vote for is unacceptable.
Being subject to bureaucracy is a fact of life and merely annoying.
Point of order 1: itsn't it the Commission they are really subjugated to?
Point of order 2: aren't there a lot of people subjugated to the UK parliament who didn't vote for it? (I'm not talking about immigrants, but people who live in"Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories where the UK government has effective control, who have no exit clause in treaties.)
I might be wrong on this, and it might have changed recently, but the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are outwith the UK and not governed by the UK Government nor legislated by the UK Parliament. They are answerable to the Crown and their defence is taken care of by the British Armed Forces. But that's not the same thing.
Doesn't the Lieutenant General of the Isle of Man have the final say on all legislation there, and they are a British appointee.
But, you are correct about the Channel Islands
Yup. And who appoints the Lieutenant-General (or whatever the title is)... ?
And what you are missing is that it's not just about the border but about enabling businesses and people to operate as they do today without any additional barriers to cross-border integration. Imposing a system that adds hassle and bureaucracy is unacceptable.
I disagree.
Subjugating people to a Parliament they don't get to vote for is unacceptable.
Being subject to bureaucracy is a fact of life and merely annoying.
Point of order 1: itsn't it the Commission they are really subjugated to?
Point of order 2: aren't there a lot of people subjugated to the UK parliament who didn't vote for it? (I'm not talking about immigrants, but people who live in"Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories where the UK government has effective control, who have no exit clause in treaties.)
I might be wrong on this, and it might have changed recently, but the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are outwith the UK and not governed by the UK Government nor legislated by the UK Parliament. They are answerable to the Crown and their defence is taken care of by the British Armed Forces. But that's not the same thing.
Doesn't the Lieutenant General of the Isle of Man have the final say on all legislation there, and they are a British appointee.
But, you are correct about the Channel Islands
HMQ has the final say. Her powers have little constraint.
I think she can kill you if she likes, but perhaps not imprison you without reason.
The trouble with going on about how dreadful Trump is, is that nobody is going on about how wonderful and great any of his opponents is. You need to be for something, not just anti something else.
Yes, shades of 2004 there when voters voted for John Kerry as he was not George W Bush, whereas Bush voters made a positive vote for their man
At this point in his Presidency, George W Bush had net approval of +16.5 vs -12.2. That's a 28.7 percentage point gap. That's absolutely enormous.
The only President to have a lower net approval at this point in their Presidency is Jimmy Carter.
And what you are missing is that it's not just about the border but about enabling businesses and people to operate as they do today without any additional barriers to cross-border integration. Imposing a system that adds hassle and bureaucracy is unacceptable.
I disagree.
Subjugating people to a Parliament they don't get to vote for is unacceptable.
Being subject to bureaucracy is a fact of life and merely annoying.
Point of order 1: itsn't it the Commission they are really subjugated to?
Point of order 2: aren't there a lot of people subjugated to the UK parliament who didn't vote for it? (I'm not talking about immigrants, but people who live in"Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories where the UK government has effective control, who have no exit clause in treaties.)
I might be wrong on this, and it might have changed recently, but the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are outwith the UK and not governed by the UK Government nor legislated by the UK Parliament. They are answerable to the Crown and their defence is taken care of by the British Armed Forces. But that's not the same thing.
Doesn't the Lieutenant General of the Isle of Man have the final say on all legislation there, and they are a British appointee.
But, you are correct about the Channel Islands
HMQ has the final say. Her powers have little constraint.
I think she can kill you if she likes, but perhaps not imprison you without reason.
I'm planning to stay on her good side.
The Tower of London is still officially a prison. Just saying...
And what you are missing is that it's not just about the border but about enabling businesses and people to operate as they do today without any additional barriers to cross-border integration. Imposing a system that adds hassle and bureaucracy is unacceptable.
I disagree.
Subjugating people to a Parliament they don't get to vote for is unacceptable.
Being subject to bureaucracy is a fact of life and merely annoying.
Point of order 1: itsn't it the Commission they are really subjugated to?
Point of order 2: aren't there a lot of people subjugated to the UK parliament who didn't vote for it? (I'm not talking about immigrants, but people who live in"Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories where the UK government has effective control, who have no exit clause in treaties.)
I might be wrong on this, and it might have changed recently, but the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are outwith the UK and not governed by the UK Government nor legislated by the UK Parliament. They are answerable to the Crown and their defence is taken care of by the British Armed Forces. But that's not the same thing.
Doesn't the Lieutenant General of the Isle of Man have the final say on all legislation there, and they are a British appointee.
But, you are correct about the Channel Islands
Yup. And who appoints the Lieutenant-General (or whatever the title is)... ?
Oh wow.
In 2010 they changed it so that it was chosen by a panel on the Isle of Man.
(Although I admit when I wrote my original comment I was not actually thinking of the places in the British Isles. I was thinking about the Fawkland Islands, or even Hong Kong in the old days. I.e. places where we appointed a Governor who had final say.)
I hope o’mara gets the necessary support and care over the coming days no matter how this ends up he clearly has problems and will need to face the music eventually.
Frankly it reflects very badly on Labour that he was ever put forward as a candidate for an office of any kind.
I know it was rushed due to the snap election in 2017. My only thoughts were they trying to get more candidates with disabilities ? Nevertheless it has not worked for all concerned. Which for many disabled people is a shame. Whatever your thoughts on David Blunkett it was amazing to me , how he was able to do his job as a MP and cabinet minister. I am sure there are other examples.
David Blunkett and Gordon Brown were both high flyers with disabilities. The civil service or their office staff obviously worked well in mitigating visual impairment. Blunkett made some personal and ethical misjudgements but his role as minister and the decisions he made politically were no different to an individual without disability. I don't think Brown made any real mistakes due to his visual impairment disability but he certainly made a lot of political misjudgements that is for sure!
Do I think people with disabilities should be MPs? I suppose it depends on what the disability is and how it impacts their daily life. I would seriously warn a person off with a serious mental health problem, personality disorder or something that makes reasonable judgements difficult.
Yes I would agree with that. I seem to remember Brown been criticised by the sun . For his handwritten letters to families of soldiers , who had been killed. Can not remember what he was supposed to have done wrong.
He was criticised for his childlike handwriting. In one of the few cases (possibly unique?) I can remember of the British press acting decently, the other newspapers criticised the paper for neglecting to remember that Brown had only partial sight and so could not be expected to write in copperplate.
I hope o’mara gets the necessary support and care over the coming days no matter how this ends up he clearly has problems and will need to face the music eventually.
Frankly it reflects very badly on Labour that he was ever put forward as a candidate for an office of any kind.
I know it was rushed due to the snap election in 2017. My only thoughts were they trying to get more candidates with disabilities ? Nevertheless it has not worked for all concerned. Which for many disabled people is a shame. Whatever your thoughts on David Blunkett it was amazing to me , how he was able to do his job as a MP and cabinet minister. I am sure there are other examples.
David Blunkett and Gordon Brown were both high flyers with disabilities. The civil service or their office staff obviously worked well in mitigating visual impairment. Blunkett made some personal and ethical misjudgements but his role as minister and the decisions he made politically were no different to an individual without disability. I don't think Brown made any real mistakes due to his visual impairment disability but he certainly made a lot of political misjudgements that is for sure!
Do I think people with disabilities should be MPs? I suppose it depends on what the disability is and how it impacts their daily life. I would seriously warn a person off with a serious mental health problem, personality disorder or something that makes reasonable judgements difficult.
Yes I would agree with that. I seem to remember Brown been criticised by the sun . For his handwritten letters to families of soldiers , who had been killed. Can not remember what he was supposed to have done wrong.
He wrote (signed) the letters with a thick black felt tip pen. That is the Tory press for you or the Brexit supporting media as it is now! Instead of criticising policies or judgements they have to go on about irrelevance. I think this is why New Labour seemed to be so ridiculously obsessed by the press. I would argue that once Blair had got well over 400 seats he pretty much had the power to dictate terms rather than the other way. He could have broken the Murdoch media machine and engineered a cleaner and less petulant news market. Blair/Brown made lots of mistakes, reshaping the media landscape and making decisions based on what was popular in the Daily Mail etc was an epic betrayal of responsibility.
Looks like David Koch will be about as missed as Epstein judging by twitter
The Kock brothers get the sort of abuse from the left that Soros gets from the right.
I've never really understood why Soros gets so much stick. It seems the things his Open Society campaigns for - independent judiciary, freedom of the press, and the like - are generally good.
My only point was that it must be a difficult time for him and I hope he has the necessary care. Not that he deserves it more than others but if he has genuine mental health problems he should not be pilloried.
Yes, I agree. On the whole, what I've seen has been fairly restrained (I don't read Guido so may have missed something there), and probably the sub judice rule will constrain coverage further.
And what you are missing is that it's not just about the border but about enabling businesses and people to operate as they do today without any additional barriers to cross-border integration. Imposing a system that adds hassle and bureaucracy is unacceptable.
I disagree.
Subjugating people to a Parliament they don't get to vote for is unacceptable.
Being subject to bureaucracy is a fact of life and merely annoying.
Point of order 1: itsn't it the Commission they are really subjugated to?
Point of order 2: aren't there a lot of people subjugated to the UK parliament who didn't vote for it? (I'm not talking about immigrants, but people who live in"Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories where the UK government has effective control, who have no exit clause in treaties.)
1. Well indeed, under the backstop NI [and the rest of UK if it applies to us] will be subject to the Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council but will have no representation on any of those.
2. I am not an expert but I don't think that's the case anymore. I believe that we have said all overseas territories can go independent if that is what they decide they wish to do. They have a unilateral exit.
If a Crown Dependency or Overseas Territory wished to go independent but we were saying no or demanding they remain subject to our laws after they go then I would oppose that.
Looks like David Koch will be about as missed as Epstein judging by twitter
The Kock brothers get the sort of abuse from the left that Soros gets from the right.
I've never really understood why Soros gets so much stick. It seems the things his Open Society campaigns for - independent judiciary, freedom of the press, and the like - are generally good.
And on a similar note, all the hate the Kock brothers get, they have long lobbied for a reform in the justice system in the US (and not in the sense of more hang'em, flog'em, lock'em all up).
And what you are missing is that it's not just about the border but about enabling businesses and people to operate as they do today without any additional barriers to cross-border integration. Imposing a system that adds hassle and bureaucracy is unacceptable.
I disagree.
Subjugating people to a Parliament they don't get to vote for is unacceptable.
Being subject to bureaucracy is a fact of life and merely annoying.
Point of order 1: itsn't it the Commission they are really subjugated to?
Point of order 2: aren't there a lot of people subjugated to the UK parliament who didn't vote for it? (I'm not talking about immigrants, but people who live in"Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories where the UK government has effective control, who have no exit clause in treaties.)
1. Well indeed, under the backstop NI [and the rest of UK if it applies to us] will be subject to the Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council but will have no representation on any of those.
2. I am not an expert but I don't think that's the case anymore. I believe that we have said all overseas territories can go independent if that is what they decide they wish to do. They have a unilateral exit.
If a Crown Dependency or Overseas Territory wished to go independent but we were saying no or demanding they remain subject to our laws after they go then I would oppose that.
I guess my point is that, simply, we would always regard a referendum on independence, by Scotland or the Fawkland Islanders or whoever, as having higher priority than any treaty. Simply, you and I recognise the right of peoples to self determination, as enshrined in the original UN Charter of June 1945.
And I don't see anthing different about Northern Ireland. If, either via their elected representatives or a referendum, they asked to leave the Backstop we would be morally (and treaty bound) to recognise their right to self determination.
The problem I have with the backstop is not about democracy. It is that it undermines our negotiating position during the FTA discussions. As in, we will be (shall we say) keen avoid the backstop coming into being, and as the clock started to run down, this would work to our disadvantage.
Alphabet Inc.’s Google posted internal rules that discourage employees from debating politics, a shift away from the internet giant’s famously open culture.
The “community guidelines” tell employees not to have “disruptive” conversations and warn workers that they’ll be held responsible for what they say at the office. Google is also building a tool to let employees flag problematic internal posts and creating a team of moderators to monitor conversations on company chat boards, a spokeswoman said
Looks like David Koch will be about as missed as Epstein judging by twitter
The Kock brothers get the sort of abuse from the left that Soros gets from the right.
I've never really understood why Soros gets so much stick. It seems the things his Open Society campaigns for - independent judiciary, freedom of the press, and the like - are generally good.
Alphabet Inc.’s Google posted internal rules that discourage employees from debating politics, a shift away from the internet giant’s famously open culture.
The “community guidelines” tell employees not to have “disruptive” conversations and warn workers that they’ll be held responsible for what they say at the office. Google is also building a tool to let employees flag problematic internal posts and creating a team of moderators to monitor conversations on company chat boards, a spokeswoman said
Alphabet Inc.’s Google posted internal rules that discourage employees from debating politics, a shift away from the internet giant’s famously open culture.
The “community guidelines” tell employees not to have “disruptive” conversations and warn workers that they’ll be held responsible for what they say at the office. Google is also building a tool to let employees flag problematic internal posts and creating a team of moderators to monitor conversations on company chat boards, a spokeswoman said
I assume there are many employees there who are now looking for a new job. If only there was some kind of search mechanism that enabled one to rapidly scan the entire internet for key phrases and return ranked results...
Looks like David Koch will be about as missed as Epstein judging by twitter
The Kock brothers get the sort of abuse from the left that Soros gets from the right.
I've never really understood why Soros gets so much stick. It seems the things his Open Society campaigns for - independent judiciary, freedom of the press, and the like - are generally good.
And on a similar note, all the hate the Kock brothers get, they have long lobbied for a reform in the justice system in the US (and not in the sense of more hang'em, flog'em, lock'em all up).
Yeah, they got interested in criminal justice reform when... one of their companies was prosecuted for breaking environmental laws.
The trouble with going on about how dreadful Trump is, is that nobody is going on about how wonderful and great any of his opponents is. You need to be for something, not just anti something else.
Yes, shades of 2004 there when voters voted for John Kerry as he was not George W Bush, whereas Bush voters made a positive vote for their man
At this point in his Presidency, George W Bush had net approval of +16.5 vs -12.2. That's a 28.7 percentage point gap. That's absolutely enormous.
The only President to have a lower net approval at this point in their Presidency is Jimmy Carter.
This is key. Trump can win, but he won't win unless something changes. Specifically he can't win unless a largeish chunk of voters that went Hillary last time switch to him. His base isn't enough. He has lost too Red Democrats in the rust belt that delivered his ultra marginal victory.
I don't actually think Clinton was as useless a candidate as people make her out to be. Nevertheless there's no evidence of her supporters switching to Trump.
As it's fairly quiet, some European polling news for forthcoming elections:
AUSTRIA: votes September 27th: Fairly static polls with Kurz's OVP sill well ahead on 35%. The SPD are narrowly ahead of the FPO with both around 20% and both NEOS and the Greens around 10%.
PORTUGAL: votes October 6th: Haven't seen a poll for a while but the Socialists led by Prime Minister Costa were well clear of the opposition Social Democrats.
POLAND: votes October 13th: Two polls out tonight with very different stories. Both saw the ruling Law & Justice lead the opposition Civic Platofrm but one has a 12 point lead for the Prime Minister's party while the other (43-31) while the other has a 19 point lead (48-29). It seems very likely Kacynski will be re-elected with an increased majority.
There are two key German regional elections on September 1st which may shed some light on the direction of political travel. These are in Brandenburg and Saxony.
BRANDENBURG: The area around but not including Berlin has been an SPD stronghold since unification but that could be changing. The latest poll shows the SPD on 21%, just one ahead of the AfD with the CDU on 18% and both LInke and the Greens on 14%. The FDP are on the cusp of making the Landtag with 5%.
The SPD have led the Government since 2013 in coalition with Linke but with both parties falling back it may be the Greens and possibly the CDU could get involved in the new regional Government.
SAXONY: The CDU dominance here is also under threat as the party is on 31% down 8 points from the 2014 election but the big inners are the AfD who are up 15 on 25% in clear second. Linke are down to 14 with the Greens up to 10 and the SPD languishing in fifth on just 9% with the FDP again knocking on the door with 5%. The CDU/SPD Government of Kretschmer is set to lose its considerable majority and I just wonder how close the Linke and Greens might be to a deal with the SDP which could oust the CDU. It seems very unlikely but with AfD likely to win 30+ seats in the new Landtag this is going to be another example of tricky post-election negotiations for an incumbent on the back foot.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/23/eddie-stobart-suspends-trading-shares-accounting-error Industrial Heat, based in North Carolina, seeks to develop power from cold fusion, which promises an inexhaustible supply of clean, safe power. Despite the fact that numerous scientists have poured scorn on the idea, and Oxford’s giant JET (Joint European Taurus) fusion project has failed to break even, Woodford invested about £32m into the company in 2015...
Alphabet Inc.’s Google posted internal rules that discourage employees from debating politics, a shift away from the internet giant’s famously open culture.
The “community guidelines” tell employees not to have “disruptive” conversations and warn workers that they’ll be held responsible for what they say at the office. Google is also building a tool to let employees flag problematic internal posts and creating a team of moderators to monitor conversations on company chat boards, a spokeswoman said
Looks like David Koch will be about as missed as Epstein judging by twitter
The Kock brothers get the sort of abuse from the left that Soros gets from the right.
I've never really understood why Soros gets so much stick. It seems the things his Open Society campaigns for - independent judiciary, freedom of the press, and the like - are generally good.
And on a similar note, all the hate the Kock brothers get, they have long lobbied for a reform in the justice system in the US (and not in the sense of more hang'em, flog'em, lock'em all up).
Yeah, they got interested in criminal justice reform when... one of their companies was prosecuted for breaking environmental laws.
Really sticking up for the common man there.
Rich people buying influence, often initially motivated by protecting their own personal positions, surely not. The anti-environmental stuff is clearly that.
But...in terms of sticking up for the common man. They have put a lot of money into left learning organisations that help out poor defendants, so yes they have helped the common man.
Various tentacles of the Kochtopus have been involved in criminal-justice issues for about a decade; during that time, Charles Koch has quietly made contributions amounting to seven figures to the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, money that has been used to provide lawyers for poor defendants. In 2011, the group honored Koch Industries with its annual Defender of Justice award. "They are in complete agreement with us on the fundamental policy—to make the Sixth Amendment a reality for every person in the country," said the association's executive director, Norman Reimer.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/23/eddie-stobart-suspends-trading-shares-accounting-error Industrial Heat, based in North Carolina, seeks to develop power from cold fusion, which promises an inexhaustible supply of clean, safe power. Despite the fact that numerous scientists have poured scorn on the idea, and Oxford’s giant JET (Joint European Taurus) fusion project has failed to break even, Woodford invested about £32m into the company in 2015...
1. Well indeed, under the backstop NI [and the rest of UK if it applies to us] will be subject to the Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council but will have no representation on any of those.
2. I am not an expert but I don't think that's the case anymore. I believe that we have said all overseas territories can go independent if that is what they decide they wish to do. They have a unilateral exit.
If a Crown Dependency or Overseas Territory wished to go independent but we were saying no or demanding they remain subject to our laws after they go then I would oppose that.
The problem IMO is that they aren't sufficiently subject to our laws. They ought to have the same levels of tax and the same rules of disclosure as the UK, or push off and do their own thing without pretending to be British.
Alphabet Inc.’s Google posted internal rules that discourage employees from debating politics, a shift away from the internet giant’s famously open culture.
The “community guidelines” tell employees not to have “disruptive” conversations and warn workers that they’ll be held responsible for what they say at the office. Google is also building a tool to let employees flag problematic internal posts and creating a team of moderators to monitor conversations on company chat boards, a spokeswoman said
I guess my point is that, simply, we would always regard a referendum on independence, by Scotland or the Fawkland Islanders or whoever, as having higher priority than any treaty. Simply, you and I recognise the right of peoples to self determination, as enshrined in the original UN Charter of June 1945.
And I don't see anthing different about Northern Ireland. If, either via their elected representatives or a referendum, they asked to leave the Backstop we would be morally (and treaty bound) to recognise their right to self determination.
The problem I have with the backstop is not about democracy. It is that it undermines our negotiating position during the FTA discussions. As in, we will be (shall we say) keen avoid the backstop coming into being, and as the clock started to run down, this would work to our disadvantage.
Well indeed self-determination does come first I agree and I don't intend to throw that away for a temporary agreement that will work to our disadvantage which is only defended on the idea that we could walk away [but shouldn't now].
If we don't intend to honour the backstop then we shouldn't ratify it.
The other issue with the backstop is that it changes the 'par' for good faith negotiation, making the negotiation harder. If we view no deal as the par, the backstop, then any semi-decent compromise deal should be easily agreeable in good faith.
The backstop sets a minimum floor on the EU's demands well above no deal. They will intend for any future deal to be at least as good as the backstop, rather than simply being better than no deal.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/23/eddie-stobart-suspends-trading-shares-accounting-error Industrial Heat, based in North Carolina, seeks to develop power from cold fusion, which promises an inexhaustible supply of clean, safe power. Despite the fact that numerous scientists have poured scorn on the idea, and Oxford’s giant JET (Joint European Taurus) fusion project has failed to break even, Woodford invested about £32m into the company in 2015...
Woodford's in a deeper hole than Jason Roy's test match batting right now
Alphabet Inc.’s Google posted internal rules that discourage employees from debating politics, a shift away from the internet giant’s famously open culture.
The “community guidelines” tell employees not to have “disruptive” conversations and warn workers that they’ll be held responsible for what they say at the office. Google is also building a tool to let employees flag problematic internal posts and creating a team of moderators to monitor conversations on company chat boards, a spokeswoman said
It is, actually, according to a friend there. Who needs to squabble over politics at work, really?
IIRC the most heated ‘politics’ discussions were about whether or not people should join the Union. AKA you’ll take the benefits ..... and went on from there!
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/23/eddie-stobart-suspends-trading-shares-accounting-error Industrial Heat, based in North Carolina, seeks to develop power from cold fusion, which promises an inexhaustible supply of clean, safe power. Despite the fact that numerous scientists have poured scorn on the idea, and Oxford’s giant JET (Joint European Taurus) fusion project has failed to break even, Woodford invested about £32m into the company in 2015...
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/23/eddie-stobart-suspends-trading-shares-accounting-error Industrial Heat, based in North Carolina, seeks to develop power from cold fusion, which promises an inexhaustible supply of clean, safe power. Despite the fact that numerous scientists have poured scorn on the idea, and Oxford’s giant JET (Joint European Taurus) fusion project has failed to break even, Woodford invested about £32m into the company in 2015...
Woodford's in a deeper hole than Jason Roy's test match batting right now
Woodford made one good call in his life, not investing in the 90s tech bubble, and got the reputation of an investing super genius.
What are you doing reading that site...which has a record of spreading a whole load of dodgy anti-Semitic stuff.
So what do you think of their connections betweens Koch money, Spiked magazine and a number of Brexit party stalwarts?
Have you got a link from a reputable outlet? That site is Corbynista fake news site.
Well we know that several Spiked magazine writers are Brexit party activists, even MEPs, so surely that is not up for debate?
Monbiot quotes "When I asked Spiked what the money was for and whether there had been any other payments, its managing editor, Viv Regan, told me that the Charles Koch Foundation has now given Spiked US a total of $300,000, “to produce public debates in the US about free speech, as part of its charitable activities.” She claims the foundation supports projects “on both the left and the right”. The Koch Foundation has funded “a free-speech oriented programme of public debates on campus titled the Unsafe Space Tour” and four live events, the first of which is titled ‘Should we be free to hate?’ "
So the US version of the publication got some money to put on a range of free speech events, from an organisation which funds left and right groups and right up the alley of Kock brothers libertarian small government manta.
Is that it? It doesn't seem the biggest scandal in the world. The Guardian regularly runs pieces where it says this was funded by (insert similar charitable foundations).
They, like other billionaires, buy influence and try to shape the agenda.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/23/eddie-stobart-suspends-trading-shares-accounting-error Industrial Heat, based in North Carolina, seeks to develop power from cold fusion, which promises an inexhaustible supply of clean, safe power. Despite the fact that numerous scientists have poured scorn on the idea, and Oxford’s giant JET (Joint European Taurus) fusion project has failed to break even, Woodford invested about £32m into the company in 2015...
It is rather Orwellian for a Far Right organisation to shut up its critics by accusing them of being McCarthyites. It rather misses the point of what McCarthy did.
There is a lot of shadowy funding of rightwing political thinktanks. It would be very interesting to see their accounts.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/23/eddie-stobart-suspends-trading-shares-accounting-error Industrial Heat, based in North Carolina, seeks to develop power from cold fusion, which promises an inexhaustible supply of clean, safe power. Despite the fact that numerous scientists have poured scorn on the idea, and Oxford’s giant JET (Joint European Taurus) fusion project has failed to break even, Woodford invested about £32m into the company in 2015...
It is rather Orwellian for a Far Right organisation to shut up its critics by accusing them of being McCarthyites. It rather misses the point of what McCarthy did.
There is a lot of shadowy funding of rightwing political thinktanks. It would be very interesting to see their accounts.
Have the Lib Dems repaid the bent money they got from Michael Brown?
Two third of the NI electorate feel the same way. Don’t you owe it to them, either ?
We have agreed that we owe the people who live on the island of Ireland an invisible border. I don't see what more you feel we need to do, or why. Perhaps you could explain?
It is rather Orwellian for a Far Right organisation to shut up its critics by accusing them of being McCarthyites. It rather misses the point of what McCarthy did.
There is a lot of shadowy funding of rightwing political thinktanks. It would be very interesting to see their accounts.
The trouble with going on about how dreadful Trump is, is that nobody is going on about how wonderful and great any of his opponents is. You need to be for something, not just anti something else.
Yes, shades of 2004 there when voters voted for John Kerry as he was not George W Bush, whereas Bush voters made a positive vote for their man
At this point in his Presidency, George W Bush had net approval of +16.5 vs -12.2. That's a 28.7 percentage point gap. That's absolutely enormous.
The only President to have a lower net approval at this point in their Presidency is Jimmy Carter.
This is key. Trump can win, but he won't win unless something changes. Specifically he can't win unless a largeish chunk of voters that went Hillary last time switch to him. His base isn't enough. He has lost too Red Democrats in the rust belt that delivered his ultra marginal victory.
I don't actually think Clinton was as useless a candidate as people make her out to be. Nevertheless there's no evidence of her supporters switching to Trump.
The key here is that voters saw Trump as the more centrist of the two. Therefore more attractive to Independents. I can't see that being repeated.
The trouble with going on about how dreadful Trump is, is that nobody is going on about how wonderful and great any of his opponents is. You need to be for something, not just anti something else.
Yes, shades of 2004 there when voters voted for John Kerry as he was not George W Bush, whereas Bush voters made a positive vote for their man
At this point in his Presidency, George W Bush had net approval of +16.5 vs -12.2. That's a 28.7 percentage point gap. That's absolutely enormous.
The only President to have a lower net approval at this point in their Presidency is Jimmy Carter.
This is key. Trump can win, but he won't win unless something changes. Specifically he can't win unless a largeish chunk of voters that went Hillary last time switch to him. His base isn't enough. He has lost too Red Democrats in the rust belt that delivered his ultra marginal victory.
I don't actually think Clinton was as useless a candidate as people make her out to be. Nevertheless there's no evidence of her supporters switching to Trump.
The key here is that voters saw Trump as the more centrist of the two. Therefore more attractive to Independents. I can't see that being repeated.
Trump won the rust belt because Hilary lost Dem votes, Trump barely picked up any. He managed to get less votes than Romney in one of the.
It is rather Orwellian for a Far Right organisation to shut up its critics by accusing them of being McCarthyites. It rather misses the point of what McCarthy did.
There is a lot of shadowy funding of rightwing political thinktanks. It would be very interesting to see their accounts.
Have the Lib Dems repaid the bent money they got from Michael Brown?
They, like other billionaires, buy influence and try to shape the agenda.
Yep, democracy up for sale is precisely my point. We are in an age where the covert manipulation of information by agents like Cambridge Analytica and Putin's front organisations is the new normal.
Of course no one wants to admit being manipulated themselves, we are all too awake for that surely. Or are we?
It is rather Orwellian for a Far Right organisation to shut up its critics by accusing them of being McCarthyites. It rather misses the point of what McCarthy did.
There is a lot of shadowy funding of rightwing political thinktanks. It would be very interesting to see their accounts.
It is rather Orwellian for a Far Right organisation to shut up its critics by accusing them of being McCarthyites. It rather misses the point of what McCarthy did.
There is a lot of shadowy funding of rightwing political thinktanks. It would be very interesting to see their accounts.
Have the Lib Dems repaid the bent money they got from Michael Brown?
I dont think they have, but that was before I joined. I am glad that you agree influence buying is to be deplored though.
They, like other billionaires, buy influence and try to shape the agenda.
Yep, democracy up for sale is precisely my point. We are in an age where the covert manipulation of information by agents like Cambridge Analytica and Putin's front organisations is the new normal.
Of course no one wants to admit being manipulated themselves, we are all too awake for that surely. Or are we?
They, like other billionaires, buy influence and try to shape the agenda.
Yep, democracy up for sale is precisely my point. We are in an age where the covert manipulation of information by agents like Cambridge Analytica and Putin's front organisations is the new normal.
Of course no one wants to admit being manipulated themselves, we are all too awake for that surely. Or are we?
Isnt this simply "Targeted advertising* ?
Yes, and the commercial variety is as sinister as the political sort. All political adverts should be published openly and registered so they can be refuted and disputed. Otherwise we have a political world rather like a silent disco, with no one communicating.
Comments
Fancy a turnip?
Scotland's fiscal position though is hopeless if the UK isn't in good shape. Ireland is just very slightly better placed.
Scotland (with the portion of UK debt attributable to it) isn't economically viable as an independent entity. My view anyway.
My only thoughts were they trying to get more candidates with disabilities ?
Nevertheless it has not worked for all concerned.
Which for many disabled people is a shame.
Whatever your thoughts on David Blunkett it was amazing to me , how he was able to do his job as a MP and cabinet minister.
I am sure there are other examples.
Hope all well with you
Do I think people with disabilities should be MPs? I suppose it depends on what the disability is and how it impacts their daily life. I would seriously warn a person off with a serious mental health problem, personality disorder or something that makes reasonable judgements difficult.
We impose burdens on businesses all the time. In my days as a CFO, I was responsible for VAT filings for the UK parent, and our subsidiaries in Estonia, Lithuania, Switzerland and Italy.
In theory, all these should have been the same amount of work. Indeed, if you want the EU to do something useful, harmonising VAT submission would be incredibly useful for midsized businesses. But some countries are massively more hassle than others.
There's no reason why lorries crossing the border cannot simply preregister shipments. It works with FAST on the US/Canada border. It's simply not that big a deal, and the impact on cross border trade should be de minimis. Done well it would integrate with logistics and shipping companies so when you booked your lorry, you registered the cargo at the same time.
The real issue would be if there was no FTA between the EU and the UK. In that case, the imposition of tariffs on cross border trade would be a major issue. But the technology around the border: well, it's a hassle to setup, but it's simply not that big a deal.
Point of order 2: aren't there a lot of people subjugated to the UK parliament who didn't vote for it? (I'm not talking about immigrants, but people who live in"Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories where the UK government has effective control, who have no exit clause in treaties.)
I seem to remember Brown been criticised by the sun .
For his handwritten letters to families of soldiers , who had been killed.
Can not remember what he was supposed to have done wrong.
But, you are correct about the Channel Islands
I think she can kill you if she likes, but perhaps not imprison you without reason.
I'm planning to stay on her good side.
The only President to have a lower net approval at this point in their Presidency is Jimmy Carter.
See: https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/?ex_cid=rrpromo
In 2010 they changed it so that it was chosen by a panel on the Isle of Man.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant_Governor_of_the_Isle_of_Man
Thanks.
(Although I admit when I wrote my original comment I was not actually thinking of the places in the British Isles. I was thinking about the Fawkland Islands, or even Hong Kong in the old days. I.e. places where we appointed a Governor who had final say.)
2. I am not an expert but I don't think that's the case anymore. I believe that we have said all overseas territories can go independent if that is what they decide they wish to do. They have a unilateral exit.
If a Crown Dependency or Overseas Territory wished to go independent but we were saying no or demanding they remain subject to our laws after they go then I would oppose that.
And I don't see anthing different about Northern Ireland. If, either via their elected representatives or a referendum, they asked to leave the Backstop we would be morally (and treaty bound) to recognise their right to self determination.
The problem I have with the backstop is not about democracy. It is that it undermines our negotiating position during the FTA discussions. As in, we will be (shall we say) keen avoid the backstop coming into being, and as the clock started to run down, this would work to our disadvantage.
The company raked in an estimated $500 million from the bogus surcharge
https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/23/20829798/uber-safe-ride-fee-margin-mike-isaac-super-pumped
The “community guidelines” tell employees not to have “disruptive” conversations and warn workers that they’ll be held responsible for what they say at the office. Google is also building a tool to let employees flag problematic internal posts and creating a team of moderators to monitor conversations on company chat boards, a spokeswoman said
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-23/google-doesn-t-want-employees-debating-politics-at-work-anymore
Well that sounds like a fun place to work...
https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1164992167032565760?s=19 Check the replies, Nate triggering the left hard
Oh, my coat? Thank you, Jeeves...
https://dorseteye.com/the-koch-brothers-are-helping-to-fund-spiked-magazine/
Really sticking up for the common man there.
I don't actually think Clinton was as useless a candidate as people make her out to be. Nevertheless there's no evidence of her supporters switching to Trump.
As it's fairly quiet, some European polling news for forthcoming elections:
AUSTRIA: votes September 27th:
Fairly static polls with Kurz's OVP sill well ahead on 35%. The SPD are narrowly ahead of the FPO with both around 20% and both NEOS and the Greens around 10%.
PORTUGAL: votes October 6th:
Haven't seen a poll for a while but the Socialists led by Prime Minister Costa were well clear of the opposition Social Democrats.
POLAND: votes October 13th:
Two polls out tonight with very different stories. Both saw the ruling Law & Justice lead the opposition Civic Platofrm but one has a 12 point lead for the Prime Minister's party while the other (43-31) while the other has a 19 point lead (48-29). It seems very likely Kacynski will be re-elected with an increased majority.
There are two key German regional elections on September 1st which may shed some light on the direction of political travel. These are in Brandenburg and Saxony.
BRANDENBURG: The area around but not including Berlin has been an SPD stronghold since unification but that could be changing. The latest poll shows the SPD on 21%, just one ahead of the AfD with the CDU on 18% and both LInke and the Greens on 14%. The FDP are on the cusp of making the Landtag with 5%.
The SPD have led the Government since 2013 in coalition with Linke but with both parties falling back it may be the Greens and possibly the CDU could get involved in the new regional Government.
SAXONY: The CDU dominance here is also under threat as the party is on 31% down 8 points from the 2014 election but the big inners are the AfD who are up 15 on 25% in clear second. Linke are down to 14 with the Greens up to 10 and the SPD languishing in fifth on just 9% with the FDP again knocking on the door with 5%. The CDU/SPD Government of Kretschmer is set to lose its considerable majority and I just wonder how close the Linke and Greens might be to a deal with the SDP which could oust the CDU. It seems very unlikely but with AfD likely to win 30+ seats in the new Landtag this is going to be another example of tricky post-election negotiations for an incumbent on the back foot.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/23/eddie-stobart-suspends-trading-shares-accounting-error
Industrial Heat, based in North Carolina, seeks to develop power from cold fusion, which promises an inexhaustible supply of clean, safe power. Despite the fact that numerous scientists have poured scorn on the idea, and Oxford’s giant JET (Joint European Taurus) fusion project has failed to break even, Woodford invested about £32m into the company in 2015...
But...in terms of sticking up for the common man. They have put a lot of money into left learning organisations that help out poor defendants, so yes they have helped the common man.
Various tentacles of the Kochtopus have been involved in criminal-justice issues for about a decade; during that time, Charles Koch has quietly made contributions amounting to seven figures to the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, money that has been used to provide lawyers for poor defendants. In 2011, the group honored Koch Industries with its annual Defender of Justice award. "They are in complete agreement with us on the fundamental policy—to make the Sixth Amendment a reality for every person in the country," said the association's executive director, Norman Reimer.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/03/do-the-koch-brothers-really-care-about-criminal-justice-reform/386615/
The Faroe Islands vote at the end of the month and it may be the centre-left coalition loses to the centre-right bloc.
Kosovo is set for a snap election after its Parliament voted 89-31 to dissolve yesterday - election has to be within 45 days.
If we don't intend to honour the backstop then we shouldn't ratify it.
The other issue with the backstop is that it changes the 'par' for good faith negotiation, making the negotiation harder. If we view no deal as the par, the backstop, then any semi-decent compromise deal should be easily agreeable in good faith.
The backstop sets a minimum floor on the EU's demands well above no deal. They will intend for any future deal to be at least as good as the backstop, rather than simply being better than no deal.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2019/08/23/boris-johnson-goes-bat-george-osbornes-imf-dream-g7-summit/
AKA you’ll take the benefits ..... and went on from there!
Monbiot quotes "When I asked Spiked what the money was for and whether there had been any other payments, its managing editor, Viv Regan, told me that the Charles Koch Foundation has now given Spiked US a total of $300,000, “to produce public debates in the US about free speech, as part of its charitable activities.” She claims the foundation supports projects “on both the left and the right”. The Koch Foundation has funded “a free-speech oriented programme of public debates on campus titled the Unsafe Space Tour” and four live events, the first of which is titled ‘Should we be free to hate?’ "
Is that it? It doesn't seem the biggest scandal in the world. The Guardian regularly runs pieces where it says this was funded by (insert similar charitable foundations).
They, like other billionaires, buy influence and try to shape the agenda.
There is a lot of shadowy funding of rightwing political thinktanks. It would be very interesting to see their accounts.
I can't see that being repeated.
Of course no one wants to admit being manipulated themselves, we are all too awake for that surely. Or are we?