I understand that Boris & Carrie's newly adopted stray pup has been named 'Philip'. There's obviously some sort of private joke involved there. I wonder if we'll be told, subject to it passing Mr Cumming's censorship restrictions of course.
Pretty obvious
“Bad Philip. Don’t crap on the floor. “
“Rub his nose in it, honey, it’s the only way he’ll learn”
“Let’s put him outside in the cold if he doesn’t stop barking”
I voted Conservative in 2010 because I wanted the Coalition to continue. However this government must be the worst in living memory or beyond. I would hope that the PM is totally embarressed this week, loses today and then Labour withold voting for an election on Wednesday, will he then resign or seek a vote of no confidence, the latter he will probably lose because of the Conservative MPs who have nothing to fear, like Justine Greening, Jeremy Le Foy etc. Bring on Ken Clarke and quickly.
We appear to be heading towards a General Election where a united Labour party faces an utterly riven Conservative party, one where the Chancellor until a few weeks ago is threatening the leadership with legal action.
I voted Conservative in 2010 because I wanted the Coalition to continue. However this government must be the worst in living memory or beyond. I would hope that the PM is totally embarressed this week, loses today and then Labour withold voting for an election on Wednesday, will he then resign or seek a vote of no confidence, the latter he will probably lose because of the Conservative MPs who have nothing to fear, like Justine Greening, Jeremy Le Foy etc. Bring on Ken Clarke and quickly.
Derrr. Of course they’re a sham. The EU still does not believe the UK will go for no deal, and the shenanigans of this week merely reinforce that view. Why should Brussels cede an inch, when it looks like Brexit will be delayed, or cancelled, and the government changed or crippled?
This is low IQ stuff.
Boris is right, even if you hate him. The EU will only compromise - and maybe not even then - if they feel that they have to. In October. As No Deal looms.
The final proof that you are NOT SeanT.
Sean was a drunk. But he was also perceptive and insightful.
You sir are a credulous fool.
Byronic is being very perceptive actually, take No Deal off the table and the EU know we will always roll over in the end
Take the fantasy of No Deal off the table and we might actually have a grown up internal conversation where we understand how weak our position really is
Yeah, give away the one thing they will take note of as their economies slide towards recession.
"Take the fantasy of that sawn-off shotgun off the table, Mr. Bank-robber, and we might actually have a grown up internal conversation where you understand how weak your position really is...."
If you are an MP opposed to a No Deal Brexit you’d have to be certifiably insane to vote to give Boris Johnson the ability to choose - and change - the date of an election.
So you are expecting Labour's leadership to vote for it then?
Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Burgon (who else?) are not bright enough to understand, but other Labour MPs are: Do not give your opponent exactly what he wants. Maybe Kier Starmer could explain this to them, speaking very slowly, using short words and with the help of pictures.
The issue is with the way that the media reports things (I believe it’s well known that disaster sells more newspapers).
For example:
Report says “there is a 99% probability that it will all be peachy. In the 1% chance that Armageddon occurs then there is a 10% chance that this will extinguish all human life on earth”
Newspaper headlines will be:
“Brexit could trigger Armageddon” and “Extinction of humanity predicted by government Brexit report”
I live in a Labour-Tory marginal. My instinctive vote is for the LDs, but I don’t believe they can “win here”. I want to avoid a Comrade Corbyn government as much as possible, but I find myself despairing at the thought of voting Tory. What do I do?
Vote Tory but write a letter to the party chairman and the local association chairman states by clearly that it is an anti-Corbyn vote and they can’t rely on your vote in future
Derrr. Of course they’re a sham. The EU still does not believe the UK will go for no deal, and the shenanigans of this week merely reinforce that view. Why should Brussels cede an inch, when it looks like Brexit will be delayed, or cancelled, and the government changed or crippled?
This is low IQ stuff.
Boris is right, even if you hate him. The EU will only compromise - and maybe not even then - if they feel that they have to. In October. As No Deal looms.
The final proof that you are NOT SeanT.
Sean was a drunk. But he was also perceptive and insightful.
You sir are a credulous fool.
Byronic is being very perceptive actually, take No Deal off the table and the EU know we will always roll over in the end
Take the fantasy of No Deal off the table and we might actually have a grown up internal conversation where we understand how weak our position really is
Yeah, give away the one thing they will take note of as their economies slide towards recession.
"Take the fantasy of that sawn-off shotgun off the table, Mr. Bank-robber, and we might actually have a grown up internal conversation where you understand how weak your position really is...."
It’s not a shotgun, it’s a hand grenade strapped to his cock.
Given he laid the Bill out publicly I find the 100/1 for Hilary Benn as next PM with William Hill very interesting.
If Boris refuses to endorse the Bill if passed by both houses of Parliament, could the Queen be obliged to ask for Hilary Benn who would have effectively demonstrated that confidence?
We appear to be heading towards a General Election where a united Labour party faces an utterly riven Conservative party, one where the Chancellor until a few weeks ago is threatening the leadership with legal action.
That will not go well for the Conservatives.
Depends if the BXP crowd can overcome the other Tory split and if labour and LDS split the vote poorly. Remarkably the Tories definitely have a chance despite their disfunction
Justine Greening is a huge loss, she was the symbol of a resurgent Tory party in 2005. For her to no longer feel at home in the party should be a massive wake up call.
Interestingly, at the time, very much elected as a Eurosceptic.
Well, there was a time when the BOOers were not necessarily a majority among Eurosceptics. That's why the Lib Dems were able to feel so clever-clever about advocating an in/out referendum at the time of Lisbon. It's a measure of how quickly things have changed that leaving is no longer enough for so many.
Some people, like Greening perhaps, have been left behind by these currents, to be caricatured as Federalist Europhiles, while others have paddled with the current, like our very own dear HYUFD, and have moved further and faster than most.
This has been obvious for a while. Get No Deal because it’s the only way to counter Nigel but ensure Boris’s share of the blame isn’t too damaging. The consequences of No Deal can then be addressed once the GE win has been secured.
@ydoethur (and others), a historical question. I’m aware that royal assent was last used by Queen Anne and refusal was last considered by George V in relation to the Government of Ireland Act. Are there any 18th or 19th century examples of threats to withhold royal assent? I seem to recall there are but my memory is not obliging me on this occasion.
It’s an interesting distinction between representative government and responsible government
I suppose you could argue (this is meant to be theoretical)
1. In calling a referendum, parliament handed over its responsibility as “representative” to the principals on this issue 2. In rejecting every option they have demonstrated they are not capable of fulfilling the role of “responsible” government - in any event this should be the role of the executive as the academic literature is clear 3. Therefore the executive needs to act responsibly 4. The executives determination (you may agree or not) that the responsible decision is to reach a conclusion: we’ve had 3 years to debate the issue, we are no closer to resolution so it is not possible to build consensus and an answer must be given
Derrr. Of course they’re a sham. The EU still does not believe the UK will go for no deal, and the shenanigans of this week merely reinforce that view. Why should Brussels cede an inch, when it looks like Brexit will be delayed, or cancelled, and the government changed or crippled?
This is low IQ stuff.
Boris is right, even if you hate him. The EU will only compromise - and maybe not even then - if they feel that they have to. In October. As No Deal looms.
The final proof that you are NOT SeanT.
Sean was a drunk. But he was also perceptive and insightful.
You sir are a credulous fool.
Byronic is being very perceptive actually, take No Deal off the table and the EU know we will always roll over in the end
Thinking that the EU will, using your words "roll over in the end" is equally deluded.
So we're in a mini, playing chicken with a juggernaut, and trusting that the EU will turn away at the last moment to avoid scratching their bumper. How exciting!
I really can't believe Johnson wants to fight an election on a No Deal platform. Every single Tory candidate would be interrogated about this on every day of the campaign.
@ydoethur (and others), a historical question. I’m aware that royal assent was last used by Queen Anne and refusal was last considered by George V in relation to the Government of Ireland Act. Are there any 18th or 19th century examples of threats to withhold royal assent? I seem to recall there are but my memory is not obliging me on this occasion.
It’s an interesting distinction between representative government and responsible government
I suppose you could argue (this is meant to be theoretical)
1. In calling a referendum, parliament handed over its responsibility as “representative” to the principals on this issue 2. In rejecting every option they have demonstrated they are not capable of fulfilling the role of “responsible” government - in any event this should be the role of the executive as the academic literature is clear 3. Therefore the executive needs to act responsibly 4. The executives determination (you may agree or not) that the responsible decision is to reach a conclusion: we’ve had 3 years to debate the issue, we are no closer to resolution so it is not possible to build consensus and an answer must be given
Given 2 and 3, perhaps the Executive should ask the principals if they still wish to proceed?
@ydoethur (and others), a historical question. I’m aware that royal assent was last used by Queen Anne and refusal was last considered by George V in relation to the Government of Ireland Act. Are there any 18th or 19th century examples of threats to withhold royal assent? I seem to recall there are but my memory is not obliging me on this occasion.
I live in a Labour-Tory marginal. My instinctive vote is for the LDs, but I don’t believe they can “win here”. I want to avoid a Comrade Corbyn government as much as possible, but I find myself despairing at the thought of voting Tory. What do I do?
I would vote Lib Dem. The swings implied by the current opinion polls are huge, so I think they make a mockery of tactical voting based on the vote in 2017.
I'd also think about volunteering to help deliver leaflets, etc, as if you don't want to be faced continually with the same choice between Labour and Tories then you are going to have to convince many of the other voters in your constituency to follow your choice of vote.
Derrr. Of course they’re a sham. The EU still does not believe the UK will go for no deal, and the shenanigans of this week merely reinforce that view. Why should Brussels cede an inch, when it looks like Brexit will be delayed, or cancelled, and the government changed or crippled?
This is low IQ stuff.
Boris is right, even if you hate him. The EU will only compromise - and maybe not even then - if they feel that they have to. In October. As No Deal looms.
The final proof that you are NOT SeanT.
Sean was a drunk. But he was also perceptive and insightful.
You sir are a credulous fool.
Byronic is being very perceptive actually, take No Deal off the table and the EU know we will always roll over in the end
Thinking that the EU will, using your words "roll over in the end" is equally deluded.
They won’t roll over. But they might offer just enough for Boris to claim he has triumphantly reworked the WA. And force through a deal.
Of course the BXP and ERG will cry foul. But the rest of the country and most Labour MPs will eagerly seize this final chance.
That, I think, is the plan, anyway. Whether Boris gets the opportunity to try it out is now very moot.
@ydoethur (and others), a historical question. I’m aware that royal assent was last used by Queen Anne and refusal was last considered by George V in relation to the Government of Ireland Act. Are there any 18th or 19th century examples of threats to withhold royal assent? I seem to recall there are but my memory is not obliging me on this occasion.
Derrr. Of course they’re a sham. The EU still does not believe the UK will go for no deal, and the shenanigans of this week merely reinforce that view. Why should Brussels cede an inch, when it looks like Brexit will be delayed, or cancelled, and the government changed or crippled?
This is low IQ stuff.
Boris is right, even if you hate him. The EU will only compromise - and maybe not even then - if they feel that they have to. In October. As No Deal looms.
The final proof that you are NOT SeanT.
Sean was a drunk. But he was also perceptive and insightful.
You sir are a credulous fool.
Byronic is being very perceptive actually, take No Deal off the table and the EU know we will always roll over in the end
Take the fantasy of No Deal off the table and we might actually have a grown up internal conversation where we understand how weak our position really is
Yeah, give away the one thing they will take note of as their economies slide towards recession.
"Take the fantasy of that sawn-off shotgun off the table, Mr. Bank-robber, and we might actually have a grown up internal conversation where you understand how weak your position really is...."
So you think the we will happy bomb our economy into the Stone Age approach is one the eu will work with.
Given that the one thing the EU doesn’t want is another country leaving - a recession in the EU and worse in the UK would proof the point one and for all.
Democracy is about persuasion rather than obliteration and there are rules underpinning political conflict that don’t apply in military combat. The prime minister seems to have forgotten that, far from being the nation’s commander-in-chief, he is only “first among equals” in the cabinet and depends for his power on the House of Commons. The scorched-earth approach being pursued by No 10 will make it almost impossible to unite the Tory party, let alone the country, when the skirmishes are over.
Mr Johnson has adopted the Donald Trump tactic of goading his opponents in an attempt to energise his supporters but he has overplayed his hand.
I think I'm right in believing that Rachel Sylvester, the author of this piece in The Tmes and spouse of Guardian journalist Patrick Wintour was never exactly Boris' biggest fan.
She’s written the same article, with slightly different words, littered with anonymous quotes (from George Osborne) for the last 3 years. She was interesting once.
I live in a Labour-Tory marginal. My instinctive vote is for the LDs, but I don’t believe they can “win here”. I want to avoid a Comrade Corbyn government as much as possible, but I find myself despairing at the thought of voting Tory. What do I do?
I have a very very similar problem. I think both the Labour and Conservative parties have gone off the deep end. I’m tempted to vote LD but I’m not sure given the Tories came second in my seat last time.
Gymiah very impressive today. He’s had his weetabix this morning. Has given Labour cover to not vote for election on timing point.
Clever.
Gyimah first up for deselection, he even refused to vote for May's Withdrawal Agreement let alone No Deal, chuck him out of the Tory Party tomorrow along with Grieve
Brexit is going to be cancelled. Without an election there is no other way out. The EU will offer a two year extension which we will have to take. As per the H Benn Surrender Treaty, which instructs Boris to do this.
Justine Greening is a huge loss, she was the symbol of a resurgent Tory party in 2005. For her to no longer feel at home in the party should be a massive wake up call.
Interestingly, at the time, very much elected as a Eurosceptic.
Well, there was a time when the BOOers were not necessarily a majority among Eurosceptics. That's why the Lib Dems were able to feel so clever-clever about advocating an in/out referendum at the time of Lisbon. It's a measure of how quickly things have changed that leaving is no longer enough for so many.
Some people, like Greening perhaps, have been left behind by these currents, to be caricatured as Federalist Europhiles, while others have paddled with the current, like our very own dear HYUFD, and have moved further and faster than most.
I agree with most of that but, to be fair, I think Greening did move Left in office.
She's been on a journey, partly personal and partly political, in my view.
Simply cannot believe what happened yesterday evening. Boris surely realises his threat will fail and he has forced himself into an election he probably cannot win, and the near certainty of a Corbyn led rabble of a Government which will wreck the economy and probably the Union. And that Brexit is dead in the water.
The thought that Corbyn walks into No 10 next month leading an unstable leftie coalition fills me with horror.
What do you fear from Corbyn that has not happened under Boris? That Corbyn might go on an unfunded spending spree? Expel opponents? Play fast and loose with Scotland and Northern Ireland? Pack the government with half a dozen old school chums? Even shut down parliament?
That he’s never met a private sector company or individual working in the private sector that he believes has any virtue (other than Stakhanovite labourers)? That he believes in expropriation of private assets? That he’s never met a terrorist he doesn’t emphasise with? I can do more if helpful.
I am saying appeasement did not work then and will not work now
If anyone has been appeasing it was the EU. The deal they offered May was very generous and respected all of her red lines, but the ERG were too stupid to accept it.
Brexit is going to be cancelled. Without an election there is no other way out. The EU will offer a two year extension which we will have to take. As per the H Benn Surrender Treaty, which instructs Boris to do this.
WIthin those two years Brexit will be euthanised.
I think this is it.
And if there is an election, it will effectively be a referendum on No Deal - something the Brexiteers have been terrified of all along.
We appear to be heading towards a General Election where a united Labour party faces an utterly riven Conservative party, one where the Chancellor until a few weeks ago is threatening the leadership with legal action.
That will not go well for the Conservatives.
A Labour Party just 2% ahead of the LDs,Possibly coming third on votes, which has seen most of its MPs vote against its leader, has seen the likes of Chuka defect to the LDs or CUK and which forced Hoey, Austin and Field from the party while the Tories now have around a 20% lead.
I see the hard Remain Tory MPs are as unconcerned about losing the argument during the leadership election campaign as they were about losing it during the referendum campaign.
And people wonder why Leavers are against a second referendum, and say we're scared of facing the public. What on earth is the point when our opponents continually refuse to accept the result?
Don't know if anyone cares but the £ just went below 1.20 against the $
Booking hotel for trade show in San Francisco. £400 a night for basic 3 star hotel
SF is ludicrous
I’m going out there in Jan and even with a bulk discount the cheapest hotel we can get (the Hyatt) is over $700 a night
All my friends who’ve been there recently say it is also quite horrible. The only people who can afford to live there are stupidly wealthy but boring techies - and the homeless. The streets are full of bums and crackheads and the overpriced coffee shops are full of nerds with nothing to say.
I live in a Labour-Tory marginal. My instinctive vote is for the LDs, but I don’t believe they can “win here”. I want to avoid a Comrade Corbyn government as much as possible, but I find myself despairing at the thought of voting Tory. What do I do?
I have a very very similar problem. I think both the Labour and Conservative parties have gone off the deep end. I’m tempted to vote LD but I’m not sure given the Tories came second in my seat last time.
The hubris of Cummings is becoming evident. Winning a binary referendum and writing long tortured blogs about change colliding with political reality makes quite a bang- and may take Boris down with it.
On a side note David Allen Green has been schooling Dan Hodges on twitter - well worth a read.
Some block on the radio yesterday R5, 6.55pm, constitutional expert so yeah what does he know but he was saying (must go back to re-listen) that if royal assent is given to the bill, thus making it an act, Boris can cock around all he likes with general elections but the act would nevertheless need to be complied with.
Gymiah very impressive today. He’s had his weetabix this morning. Has given Labour cover to not vote for election on timing point.
Clever.
Gyimah first up for deselection, he even refused to vote for May's Withdrawal Agreement let alone No Deal, chuck him out of the Tory Party tomorrow along with Grieve
On deselection I agree with Grieve, Sam and Bebb but the rest of the mps is an act of utter stupidity and so crass stupid, it is hard to believe
If Parliament is dissolved tomorrow she won’t be doing much speaking up
The seat was probably lost already 75 % remain
Well @HYUFD thinks 80% Remain Battersea will be a Tory gain.
Well he would actually put out a leaflet telling voters to vote lib dem if they didn’t endorse every policy of the great leader and good riddance to them
Don't know if anyone cares but the £ just went below 1.20 against the $
Booking hotel for trade show in San Francisco. £400 a night for basic 3 star hotel
SF is ludicrous
I’m going out there in Jan and even with a bulk discount the cheapest hotel we can get (the Hyatt) is over $700 a night
All my friends who’ve been there recently say it is also quite horrible. The only people who can afford to live there are stupidly wealthy but boring techies - and the homeless. The streets are full of bums and crackheads and the overpriced coffee shops are full of nerds with nothing to say.
In my recent experiences, the whole of the west coast has become like that. Portland used to be a nice small city to visit, now it has huge problems with homeless drug addicts and last time i was in seattle the whole area down by the piers was overrun by aggressive whacked zombies.
I live in a Labour-Tory marginal. My instinctive vote is for the LDs, but I don’t believe they can “win here”. I want to avoid a Comrade Corbyn government as much as possible, but I find myself despairing at the thought of voting Tory. What do I do?
I have a very very similar problem. I think both the Labour and Conservative parties have gone off the deep end. I’m tempted to vote LD but I’m not sure given the Tories came second in my seat last time.
Who should I vote for?
I live in Bootle.
Vote Lib Dem - it's an absurdly safe labour seat, but you never know.
Is there a way of viewing this site without seeing the repetitive and very dull Twitter scraping? The value here should be in posters’ considered views and taking the temperature of people risking their own money - not excitable posting of every thought (without any value add) from every Twitter user, regardless of merit?
Don't know if anyone cares but the £ just went below 1.20 against the $
Booking hotel for trade show in San Francisco. £400 a night for basic 3 star hotel
SF is ludicrous
I’m going out there in Jan and even with a bulk discount the cheapest hotel we can get (the Hyatt) is over $700 a night
All my friends who’ve been there recently say it is also quite horrible. The only people who can afford to live there are stupidly wealthy but boring techies - and the homeless. The streets are full of bums and crackheads and the overpriced coffee shops are full of nerds with nothing to say.
It is a horrible place. The number of homeless, and their absolute destitution, is like nothing else I have seen anywhere outside of India.
Comments
Bring on Ken Clarke and quickly.
That will not go well for the Conservatives.
"Take the fantasy of that sawn-off shotgun off the table, Mr. Bank-robber, and we might actually have a grown up internal conversation where you understand how weak your position really is...."
K
E
I
R
For example:
Report says “there is a 99% probability that it will all be peachy. In the 1% chance that Armageddon occurs then there is a 10% chance that this will extinguish all human life on earth”
Newspaper headlines will be:
“Brexit could trigger Armageddon” and
“Extinction of humanity predicted by government Brexit report”
Technically true but utterly misleading
If Boris refuses to endorse the Bill if passed by both houses of Parliament, could the Queen be obliged to ask for Hilary Benn who would have effectively demonstrated that confidence?
Worth a fiver in my view.
Not that one
Putting Putney in play is a win for the Tories as it was almost certainly in the loss column 😂
(That’s a wry comment - it’s a shame about Justine)
https://twitter.com/faisalislam/status/1168782155847217152
Some people, like Greening perhaps, have been left behind by these currents, to be caricatured as Federalist Europhiles, while others have paddled with the current, like our very own dear HYUFD, and have moved further and faster than most.
I think that's a nonsense idea but if one assumes the EU are gutless- a dangerous notion- it makes sense on paper.
I suppose you could argue (this is meant to be theoretical)
1. In calling a referendum, parliament handed over its responsibility as “representative” to the principals on this issue
2. In rejecting every option they have demonstrated they are not capable of fulfilling the role of “responsible” government - in any event this should be the role of the executive as the academic literature is clear
3. Therefore the executive needs to act responsibly
4. The executives determination (you may agree or not) that the responsible decision is to reach a conclusion: we’ve had 3 years to debate the issue, we are no closer to resolution so it is not possible to build consensus and an answer must be given
https://twitter.com/pmdfoster/status/1168643035569299456
Cumming's No Leak policy working well...
A GE is the only way to shake up the HOC and elect new mps with their manifesto mandates.
I really find it difficult to believe that if Boris calls an election tomorrow Corbyn and labour will turn it down
I'd also think about volunteering to help deliver leaflets, etc, as if you don't want to be faced continually with the same choice between Labour and Tories then you are going to have to convince many of the other voters in your constituency to follow your choice of vote.
Of course the BXP and ERG will cry foul. But the rest of the country and most Labour MPs will eagerly seize this final chance.
That, I think, is the plan, anyway. Whether Boris gets the opportunity to try it out is now very moot.
Clever.
Given that the one thing the EU doesn’t want is another country leaving - a recession in the EU and worse in the UK would proof the point one and for all.
I've said before that the distance between UKIP/ultra hard Brexiteers and EU federalists is far smaller than either would care to admit.
Who should I vote for?
I live in Bootle.
WIthin those two years Brexit will be euthanised.
I think this is it.
She's been on a journey, partly personal and partly political, in my view.
That he’s never met a private sector company or individual working in the private sector that he believes has any virtue (other than Stakhanovite labourers)? That he believes in expropriation of private assets? That he’s never met a terrorist he doesn’t emphasise with? I can do more if helpful.
I’m going out there in Jan and even with a bulk discount the cheapest hotel we can get (the Hyatt) is over $700 a night
And people wonder why Leavers are against a second referendum, and say we're scared of facing the public. What on earth is the point when our opponents continually refuse to accept the result?
On a side note David Allen Green has been schooling Dan Hodges on twitter - well worth a read.
Well he would actually put out a leaflet telling voters to vote lib dem if they didn’t endorse every policy of the great leader and good riddance to them
Which set of liars do we believe?